Alcohol dependency Alcohol dependency is an extremely serious problem that most of us find ourselves embroiled in. The first step to getting out of the clutches of alcohol addiction is recognizing the signs of the issue and coming to terms with the fact of being an alcoholic. While there are no solid rules about how many glasses per day of alcohol make you an alcoholic, in case you keep feeling the necessity to turn to alcohol several times throughout the day, end up drinking over what you planned or suffer from memory lapses because of drinks, then the bad news is that you may be dependent on alcohol. The great news however, is that alcohol addiction is curable, and while it could take lots of time, patience, committment and perseverance, even the worst of alcoholics have been known to quit if they wanted to. The very first step of trying to quit alcohol is to exercise self control, secondly, you may join a self help groups. One such self-help group is AA.
Alcoholic Anonymous or AA AA is a group of people who are or have been alcoholics. These are people who’ve or had no self-control over their drinking habits and who’ve faced a lot of problems due to their drinking habits. You may end up meeting people who have lost a job or a partner as a result of excessive drinking. However, with the support of other people in similar conditions, these people try to and generally succeed in recovering from their addictions.
The greatest part about AA is that since almost everybody here is or has been through a similar or a worse phase than what you are presently experiencing, there’s no one who’ll judge you, look down upon you, or think that you might be weak. It is the greatest place to come to terms with truth and try to turn over a new leaf.
The name Alcoholics Anonymous is symbolic of the truth that you can be anybody and your identity will not be asked if you so wish and never revealed. There’re no attendance records or membership details in AA and you can easily turn all your attention to eliminating your alcohol dependency issue instead of thinking about what people will think or what will happen if somebody comes to know about your issue.
Non-profit Organization Another good thing about AA is that it’s a non-profit, non commercial organization. These folks do not solicit any type of membership or participation. You may attend or join a meeting if you wish to, whenever you want to. Nobody will question you if you don’t attend meetings, you may always stop going and nobody will come and ask you why. You’re free to come and go as you please.
Some people are afraid that they may end up meeting friends, neighbors or family members at their local AA center and then their secret will be out.
A point to consider here is that these people who you may know are also there since they’re suffering from the same or even a worse issue than you are; but being a part of Alcoholics Anonymous, these people will never expose your identity or your problem to outsiders.
Therefore joining Alcoholics Anonymous is suggested for you if you think that your drinking habits are getting out of hand. AA meetings are organized in just about every city and town across the world. You only have to locate your nearest branch and give yourself an opportunity to cure alcohol addiction.
If you experience alcohol dependency, you might delude yourself into thinking that you are consuming alcohol. The fact of the matter is that it is alcohol dependency that is consuming you, your hard earned cash, time, energy and most importantly your health.
Alcoholism means addiction to consuming alcoholic beverages inspite of the knowledge of their harmful physical and social consequences. Doctors define alcohol addiction as a disease which disables a person from controlling the urge to take alcohol. Alcohol addiction, hence, implies a tendency for compulsive intake of alcohol and an inability to acknowledge its unwanted effects.
Excessive Drinking
Some people consume alcohol, have problems with it but suppress its symptoms and characteristics. This is termed as ‘alcohol abuse’. It also implies that the subject indulges in abusive drinking of alcohol but doesn’t completely lose his control over its use. He may not have become totally dependent upon it like an alcohol addict.
A Widespread Problem
Based on the estimates of the National Council of Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, around 18 million People in america abuse alcohol. Over 100,000 people in USA die of alcohol generated health problems. Half of road accident deaths are caused due to driving under the influence-DUI- of alcohol.
Signs and symptoms of Alcoholism
Even the hardened alcohol drinkers often don’t admit they are addicts. They, therefore, try to drink stealthily. They keep their quota of drinks hidden at unlikely places in house, workplace or cars. Once they start drinking, they find it hard to control their urge to drink more. They start gulping the liquor greedily ordering ‘doubles’.
They often forget their social promises and conversations. This obliviousness is known as ‘blacking out’. They lose their interest in activities, healthy entertainments and hobbies that bring them pleasure. They reveal Palvlovian symptoms as their drinking time nears. Their urge for drink becomes irresistible as the minutes pass by. They become irritable if they’re denied their daily doze of alcohol. The alcoholics, generally, get into legal disputes with their relatives, employers and financiers. They build a type of tolerance towards alcoholic beverages. The more they drink it, the more they want it to feel its effects.
Physical Effects of Alcohol dependency
Alcoholism or physical dependence on alcohol takes place gradually. The rise in ingestion of alcohol alters the balance in brain chemicals such as gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which hinders its impulsiveness while glutamate excites the nerves. Alcohol also elevates the dopamine level in the brain which is associated with the excitable elements of alcohol consumption. Extreme and continued intake of alcohol affects the status of the chemicals by either multiplying or depleting them. This process causes the body to either crave for alcohol to restore the pleasurable feelings or to avoid negative feelings.
Contributory Factors
There are plenty of other factors that contribute to your issue of alcohol addiction. Some of these factors are:
Heredity: Dependence on alcohol might be genetic. It might be in the genes of somebody to be vulnerable to alcohol addiction.
Emotional Causes: Some times high stress levels, tension, anxiety or emotional trauma compel an individual to look for diversion into alcoholism. Particular stress hormones are meant to promote alcoholism. People take to drinking to fight out the mental turmoil.
Mental reasons: Inferiority complex, low self-respect or acute depression often leads someone to take to alcoholic drinking to distract his negative obsessions. Sometimes the company of alcohol addicts may introduce to alcohol dependency initially as a fun that becomes an addiction.
Samuel was a forty-nine-year-old fashion designer who was tired of feeling depressed on a daily basis and sick of his abusive and hazardous drinking behavior. Stated simply, he hated the hangovers he went through on a regular basis, he was mad at himself for spending his hard-earned money on a worthless habit, he was tired of going through shattered relationship after shattered relationship due to his irresponsible drinking, he was sick of feeling weary every morning, and he missed his old drive for doing the things he enjoyed.
Additionally he hated the fact that he had to go to court for his second DUI, he was disgusted with how physically unfit he was, he was fed up with paying for alcohol-related attorney fees, he was irritated with the many times he failed an alcohol test at work, and he was bored with his drinking buddies.
On top of the observable alcohol-related health predicaments he now experienced, conceivably the most regretful part of his drinking behavior was the unreliable and fraudulent person he had turned into. In his heart of hearts he knew that he had been lying about his drinking behavior to his relatives, family, and friends and he also knew he had been dishonest with himself about the “positive” consequences of drinking. What is more, he rationalized guzzling four or five drinks before going to social events and he also rationalized needing one or two drinks the first thing in the morning so that he could deal with the “pressures” at his job.
His Depression and His Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Lead to Important Life Changes
Clearly Samuel was sick of putting up with the negative consequences of his depression and his hazardous and excessive drinking and finally determined that something important had to change in his life. So he made up his mind that he would stop drinking, start focusing on becoming a more healthy person, start exercising, get professional counseling, develop a new circle of friends, and involve himself in some worthwhile hobbies. Simply put, Samuel got to a critical time in his life during which he saw that he hit a low point in life and was now prepared to begin the slow road that leads to recovery.
One of the ways that Samuel implemented his “plan” was by requesting a transfer at his place of employment. When his request was approved, he moved 950 miles away to a new city. If nothing else, this unquestionably made making new friends and dissociating himself from his old friends and pals much simpler. Then he phoned a healthcare professional in his new city and made an appointment for a comprehensive examination.
Samuel Meets With a Physician About His Irresponsible and Heavy Drinking and His Depression
After meeting with the doctor and taking a number of lab tests, it was determined that Samuel had crossed the line from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction and therefore was in need of alcohol therapy and alcohol detoxification. At this time, the healthcare professional made it a point to go over the different signs of alcoholism, the symptoms of alcoholism, and information about long term effects of alcohol with Samuel. The doctor then told Samuel that it was concluded that he was clinically depressed and in need of therapy for this medical condition.
Samuel Decides to Build Up His Body by Working Out, Eating Wholesome Foods, Drinking Distilled Water, Vitamins and Minerals, and Living an Alcohol-Free Way of Life
Due to his readiness to follow through with the treatment protocol, after ten weeks of residential rehab, Samuel was ready to begin rehab on an outpatient basis. At this point in time, he started working at his new job and over the weeks began building up his body by taking vitamins, eating nutritious foods, exercising, living an alcohol-free way of life, and drinking distilled water. Samuel also tackled his spiritual life by joining the local Calvinist church and going to regular services.
After around seven weeks of outpatient treatment during which time he never went through an alcohol relapse, Samuel quit going to alcohol rehab and instead began going twice per week to local AA meetings. Attending these meetings helped Samuel follow through with his alcohol-free style of life, they provided him with the support he wanted, and they served as a faithful reminder of the negative outcomes that are correlated with unhealthy drinking.
After going to AA meetings roughly six-and-a-half months Samuel felt that he was ready for a relationship and so he started going out with Joyce, a young woman he met at church. It clearly surprised Samuel how much more prepared he was for a dating relationship now that he had his unhealthy and excessive drinking under control. In point of fact it also astonished Samuel how much better life was now that he wasn’t under the control of his careless and excessive drinking. Life was now worthwhile and loaded with potential that he could have never hoped for or accomplished when he was engaged in excessive and hazardous drinking just a few short months ago.
A Success Story That is a Tribute to the Value of Alcohol Treatment and the Power of Positive Change
Samuel’s success story is a demonstration of the relevance of alcohol rehabilitation and the power of change. As Samuel thought about his newfound self worth and drive for involving himself in healthy, worthwhile activities, he was actually thankful that he made up his mind to do something productive about his unhealthy and abusive drinking rather than giving into his depression and into the lure of his alcohol addiction. The result: he is in charge of his life rather than letting himself languish under the control of his alcohol dependency, he has more energy now compared with any time in his adult life, his life now has a positive direction, he is involved in a wholesome relationship, and he likes his new job responsibilities.
Approximately five months ago I had dinner with a thirty-five-year-old male named Alexander who suffers from acute depression, has relationship issues, and who is drug and alcohol dependent. As explained by Alexander, it is his alcoholism and drug addiction and his severe depression that had the most to do with his continual relationship issues.
I recall hearing that a history of mental health issues, chemical dependency, and unhealthy and abusive drinking routinely take place in the same family. What is more, I remember hearing that in such situations, a person needs to get treatment for both medical conditions and that addiction and mental health problems many times occur in the same person.
As affirmed by Alexander, he is so overwhelmed by his relationship difficulties and by both of his medical conditions that he basically has little or no drive to do much of anything. What is especially unfortunate about this is that earlier in his life, Alexander managed to finish four semesters of graduate school in criminology.
Alexander’s condition makes me question if he is an illustration of a person who can look in the mirror and see his drug abuse and alcohol drinking problems and do something healthy about these difficulties or if he is a person who has to hit life’s bottom before he gets drug and alcohol dependency counseling that results in long lasting sobriety.
The Need For a Counseling Protocol He Can Believe In and a Physician He Can Trust
If it would be beneficial I would assume that I could recommend more than a few blogs and websites that could possibly help him learn more about drug abuse symptoms, the stages of alcoholism, substance abuse information, and relationship problems. In my humble opinion, however, Alexander needs to find a treatment protocol he can believe in and follow over the long term and find a therapist he can trust.
I could be mistaken but it seems to me that Alexander more likely than not needs to look in the mirror regarding his drug addiction signs and alcoholic symptoms and understand the fact that he cannot abuse drugs or even drink responsibly if he wants to get sober, stay sober, and start on the path to long-term recovery.
It may be asked how therapy would help his drug and alcohol dependency. For starters, there are quite a few newly produced doctor-prescribed medications that can help Alexander through his withdrawal symptoms, through the alcohol and alcohol detoxification process, and help him avoid a drug or an alcohol relapse.
Second, Alexander would learn to acknowledge the fact that there is entirely nothing productive about substance abuse and excessive and careless drinking and that messing around with one or both conditions is the road to legal problems, shattered relationships, financial difficulties, a premature death, deteriorating health, and poor work and school performance.
Third, treatment for his relationship difficulties and his depression might help him manage these mental health problems more effectively and perhaps create less of a need for him to engage in addictive behavior.
The Relevance of Support Groups Like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous
There are feasibly numerous friends, other individuals, and family members who would like to help Alexander with his drug abuse and his excessive and abusive drinking. He probably would experience greater sympathy from a recovery group such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous, however, instead of getting guidance from individuals who do not drink or who have never taken drugs.
When Individuals Accomplish Things They Like and About Which They Are Zealous
There’s a philosophical viewpoint that proclaims that individuals who do things they like and something about which they are dedicated arrive at an astonishing place in life. Stated more exactly, when people do what they enjoy, they hardly ever experience an uneventful life or boredom. If they get involved in something that is worthwhile, furthermore, they become more complete and experience more pleasure and joy in life and in their relationships.
When this is examined in more detail it becomes apparent that this positive perspective is the exact opposite of a life that is rooted in drug and alcohol addiction because such a lifestyle removes the satisfaction and joy that life has to offer.
Since Alexander lacks the determination to carry out much of anything in his life, it is apparent that he desperately needs some hope for a healthier existence. And the sad thing is that hope is all around Alexander if he could only get to the place in life to get the counseling he requires for his acute depression and alcoholism and drug addiction and remain in his treatment protocol.
More Positive Relationships, A Wonderful Life, Self Respect, and Productive Change Are Possibilities
Alexander is simply too young to be defeated in life. He doesn’t realize this right now but if he can learn how to abstain from drugs and alcohol through alcohol and drug rehabilitation and get the counseling he needs for his severe depression, he can turn his life around and start living with direction, self-respect, and passion.
More solid relationships, beneficial change, self respect, and a wonderful life are certainly possibilities for Alexander if only he could become inspired to get the professional rehab he requires, follow through with his therapy regimen, live his life in an addiction-free and healthy manner, and learn how to cultivate a more positive attitude about life.
Jesse had an exceedingly hard time maintaining a job. To be sure, due to his indolence and lack of motivation, he was jobless far more regularly than he was in work. And when he did land a job, he had a particularly hard time getting to work when his shift began, he characteristically got less than passing performance reviews, and he called off sick so often that he almost always got fired a few weeks after he began working. To no one’s surprise, one of the results of Jesse’s awful work record was the fact that he was virtually without a dime on a day-to-day basis.
In spite of Jesse’s less than great work history and financial misconduct, on the other hand, somehow he made it a point to drink in an abusive and irresponsible manner on an everyday basis.
So it came as no big shock when Jesse got a second DWI. When he went before the court, the judge explained to Jesse that his alcohol-related behavior was appalling and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend nine months in the city jail.
Time In Jail To Reflect On The Harmful Consequences of Excessive Drinking
During his time in the municipal jail, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the destructive results of irresponsible and excessive drinking, and he was expected to get alcohol counseling. The magistrate stressed the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol treatment and discovers how to live a life of sobriety, he will quite possibly be spending a considerable amount of time placed behind bars.
Jesse said that he understood what the judge was pronouncing but he still proclaimed that placement in the city jail was not the right sentence. The magistrate saw things from an entirely different vantage point and declared that it was his job to keep alcohol addicted people off the streets who drive under the influence and who get multiple DWIs. To substantiate this statement, the magistrate listed some respected, extensively researched alcohol statistics that underscored some of the disruptive effects that are associated with hazardous and excessive drinking.
Although Jesse grasped the fact that he drank in a hazardous and abusive manner, he never believed that he was an alcohol addicted individual. So it was a real bombshell when Jesse started suffering from symptoms of withdrawal just about four-and-a-half hours after getting incarcerated.
To monitor his alcohol withdrawals in a safe and secure manner, Jesse was transferred to a drug and alcohol rehab center for alcohol detox and then returned to the county jail. While behind bars Jesse undertook alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he received this rehabilitation as something that was imposed upon him, he was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his excessive drinking.
When his time behind bars was over, the magistrate without indecision told Jesse that he would be under careful observation and would be mandated to take random blood alcohol tests.
Jessie’s Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Stops Him From Living in a Productive and Mature Manner
After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his drinking situation and how he unenthusiastically followed the therapy procedures while in jail, the magistrate knew that it was essentially a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his excessive drinking behavior. As the judge thought about Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some individuals never ”get it” and discover how to live in a responsible manner.
Jerry and Sarah have been married for five years. They wanted to have some fun and excitement before they made up their minds to have children and so they willfully developed a very dynamic social life.
The basic difficulty, it needs to be stressed, is that virtually everything they do to have fun includes drinking. For instance, all of the parties with friends, dinner engagements, happy hours, sporting events, and family get-togethers they patronize are related to drinking.
Jerry and Sarah Begin to Take Note of Some Instantly Recognizable Alcohol Related Issues That are Without a Doubt Related to Their Irresponsible Drinking
If they were moderate or responsible drinkers, this wouldn’t be such a major problem. Because they drink quite irresponsibly, nonetheless, they are starting to notice some clearly identifiable alcohol-related problems in their lives.
For example, just two weeks ago Jerry was arrested for his first DWI and has been ignoring responsibilities at work due to alcohol-related health problems. Moreover, Jerry’s last two or three performance reviews at the office have been less than creditable and he has begun to forget what he does or says when he drinks. Finally, Jerry has been experiencing sleep-related problems and his family is starting to exhibit anxiety about his drinking difficulties.
Similar to Jerry’s circumstances, Sarah has been feeling down in the dumps about life in general and to cope with this, she has been drinking more than any time in the past eight months. Moreover, Sarah has been getting a lot of headaches and suffering from painful hangovers after drinking. As a final point, Sarah has been feeling substantially less energetic when she awakens in the morning, she has been getting to work late at least once per week, and she has been getting some negative criticism from her family members, friends, coworkers, and relatives about her heavy drinking.
Watching the Television and Inadvertently Discovering An Attention-Grabbing Documentary About the Signs of Alcohol Addiction
One Friday evening while watching TV, Sarah and Jerry happened upon an interesting program about the signs of alcoholism.
This TV special was a real surprise to Jerry and Sarah because quite a few of the alcoholism signs that were listed gave them the impression that they were unwaveringly linked to several of the alcohol-related drinking problems Jerry and Sarah had been suffering through.
A Truthful Conversation About Drinking Circumstances Reveals Alcohol Related Relationship, Legal, Financial, Employment, and Health Problems
After watching the television special, Jerry and Sarah made up their minds to have a truthful conversation about their drinking behavior. They both were in agreement that most, if not all, of their social functions were associated with drinking, that they were drinking in an excessive manner, and that as a couple, they were beginning to observe alcohol related relationship, financial, legal, employment, and health problems for the first time in their lives.
With thoughts of the television documentary still running through her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcoholism signs they have been displaying could be a warning that they are addicted to alcohol or possibly becoming addicted to alcohol. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s inquiry and so he recommended that they make an appointment with one of the physicians at the local alcohol abuse rehabilitation facility to find out more about the severity of their drinking difficulties.
Concentrating On Your Drinking Issues Just May Lower Your Trepidation and Give You Some Quietude
Ironically, although their drinking circumstances hadn’t yet changed, it was clear to see that Sarah and Jerry were at least facing their drinking problems, they were ready to find out more about their drinking behavior, and they were interested in learning how they could substantially cut back on or eliminate the drinking-related difficulties that had started to emerge.
When Sarah and Jerry went to bed that evening, they made up their minds that the next day, Jerry would call and schedule an appointment for both of them at the substance abuse treatment facility located just North of the State Capital. After they made a promise to one another that they would do whatever it takes to rise above the alcohol-related difficulties that had emerged in their lives, they truly had the most refreshing night’s sleep they could recollect in the last nine months.
Just before he fell asleep, Jerry turned to Sarah and remarked how painless it is to decrease one’s trepidation and actually experience some peace of mind by handling one’s problems with conviction and making up one’s mind to do something affirmative about them.
It is remarkable to point out something that family members who have been negatively affected by the alcoholism of another family member apparently do not know. It seems that by shielding the alcohol dependent person with lies and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in effect created a situation that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to continue and press forward with his or her injurious, devastating daily life.
Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol dependent individual and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have mistakenly helped negatively affect the alcohol addicted individual’s drinking problems even more. It appears that this is not a great help to problem drinkers.
Relapses Can and Do Transpire
Another key alcohol dependency issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has effectively gone through alcohol addiction therapy and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this predicament seems contradictory to logical thinking and looks so unrealistic that it forces an individual to question why anyone who has lived through the misery of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol treatment and in turn after attaining recovery. There are, for sure, many likely reasons for this.
It should be mentioned, nevertheless that alcohol addiction research that has focused on the enduring consequences of alcohol dependency has revealed that long after the alcohol addicted individual has discontinued his or her drinking, critical changes in the way in which the alcohol addicted person’s brain operates are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol dependent individual has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the alterations that have come about in the brain is to engage in drinking once again.
A Requirement for A Fundamental Lifestyle Transformation
There are additional reasons why many recovering alcohol dependent persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcoholic needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more effectively with demanding alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.
Issues such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the days when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can elicit memories that can trigger psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted person to engage in abusive drinking once again. Sadly, all of these situations may not only counteract enduring alcohol recovery for the alcoholic but they can also result in relapse and as a result counteract one’s alcohol recovery.
Summary
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can in fact cause inadvertent damage by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent person.
The drug abuse research literature highlights the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol rehabilitation go through at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or overwhelmed when a relapse manifests itself.
Luckily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and education have resulted in more successful, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction therapeutic results, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcoholics reach ongoing sobriety.
What are the critical issues in a productive alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol interventions succeed as anticipated while several bomb?
The Necessity for a Time-Honored History of Intervention Accomplishment
Scientific research displays that a “winning” alcoholism intervention needs to be carried out by an intervention professional who has a celebrated reputation of intervention achievement.
In actual fact this means that rather than deciding upon a “normal” alcoholism therapist or psychotherapist for an alcohol intervention, the person who is decided upon to conduct the intervention needs to be trained in alcohol intervention procedures and needs to possess a track record of productive alcohol interventions.
A Few Fundamental Examples of The Most Optimal Time For an Alcohol Addiction Intervention
Scientific research has also displayed that the most optimal time for an alcohol addiction intervention is following an important occasion in the life of the alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker. The following represents a few illustrations of these types of significant happenings:
The alcohol-dependent person or alcohol abuser has been caught stealing something of worth
The abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person has been caught lying about something of consequence
The alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser has been placed behind bars for a DUI or DWI.
In circumstances like these, the alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser is more likely to be repentant or to be embarrassed, thusly making him or her more interested in getting the professional alcohol rehabilitation that he or she needs.
At this time, additionally, it is also essential to stress the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcoholic needs to be free of alcohol during the alcoholism intervention. In a few words, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual is intoxicated during an alcoholism intervention, failure is in effect guaranteed.
In the same way, scientific analysis has also made obvious the fact that the abusive drinker or alcoholic has to at least try to listen to what is said in an alcohol addiction intervention. Stated more exactly, during an alcoholism intervention, the alcohol abuser or alcoholic needs to listen to what his or her drinking problems have done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Value of Alcohol Therapy For the Problem Drinker
And finally, scientific study makes obvious the fact that the main reason for an alcohol abuse intervention in the first place is to entice the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted individual to get the quality alcoholism therapy he or she needs. Stated more clearly, even if the individual who oversees the intervention has a splendid profile of effective interventions and even if the hazardous drinker or alcoholic genuinely listens to every word that is declared for the duration of an intervention, if the alcohol abuser or alcoholic is not motivated to ask for quality alcohol abuse counseling after the alcohol addiction intervention, then the intervention will be a disaster.
Without a doubt all of these factors are needed for a fruitful alcohol addiction intervention. If, on the other hand, the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person is not stimulated to ask for alcohol addiction treatment after listening to his or her family members communicate the grief, anger, and frustration they feel about the hazardous drinker’s or alcohol addicted person’s hazardous drinking behavior and the concern they feel for the problem drinker, then every other phase of the alcoholism intervention will in the main be unimportant.
Even Fruitful Alcohol Interventions Can Flop Down the Road
It also needs to be emphasized that despite the fact that the alcohol abuse intervention can be perceived as fruitful in that it helped put the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted individual in a more “open” mindset and in truth helped the alcohol addicted person or hazardous drinker decide upon the fact that he or she required alcohol treatment or quality help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple reality that the intervention transpired might lead to resentment, anger, and mistrust down the road.
In short, even when alcoholism interventions are seen as productive in the short term, in the long term, conversely, they may flop and, therefore, may make the family and/or the alcohol dependent person’s circumstance even poorer than it was before the alcohol intervention occurred.
No matter how unjust or incongruous this seems, try to keep in mind that it is simply one of the central alcohol facts that has to be faced when engaging in an alcohol intervention.
Teresa was a thirty-eight-year-old interior designer who realized that she had a drinking problem. As an illustration, within the past five months she has felt the need to have more than a few drinks before going to work, a week ago she tested positive for a urine alcohol test where she works, two weeks ago she got stopped by the state highway patrol for a DWI, and finally, for the past four months she has started to fail to remember what she says and does when she goes out drinking.
Like huge numbers of other individuals, Teresa’s alcohol involvement began slowly and remained at this pace for quite a long period of time because at times she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In truth, for nearly six months, every time she went out to drink, she made sure to drink in moderation. Something about her drinking situation, nonetheless, seemed to drastically change when she got divorced.
So She Can Come to Terms With the Breakup of Her Husband In a less Painful manner,Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Begin Going Out More Repeatedly With Some of Her Friends Who Love to ”Get Down” and Drink
Teresa got very dejected about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from dwelling on her disheartening emotions she determined that she would begin associating more often with some of her friends who love to have fun drinking.
Quite candidly, Teresa concluded that having fun nearly every day by drinking with her buddies would help her overcome the loss of her husband in a less wearisome manner.
Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Greatly the More Often She Goes to Private Parties, Family Get-Togethers, Happy Hours, Dinner Dates, and Sporting Events With Her Buddies
It didn’t take very long, nevertheless, before her drinking increased to a significant extent the more habitually she went to and drank at private parties, dinner dates, happy hours, sporting events, and family get-togethers with her buddies. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking buddies were all much younger than she was and therefore able to drink more irresponsibly was one of the reasons why she didn’t focus more on her increased drinking. To be brief, she was having lots of fun drinking just like everyone else in her group of buddies without giving much thought to the unhealthy results of her abusive and excessive drinking.
Yet somewhere in the recesses of her mind she realized that she probably needed alcohol rehab but sidestepped the thought as much as humanly possible.
Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Acknowledges Her Irresponsible to Her Physician, and Owns Up to the Truth About Her Melancholy
One morning during her six-month physical, her healthcare professional asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to lie to her physician, Teresa owned up to the fact that she regularly drinks more than she should. If truth be told, she said that she frequently drinks in an abusive manner. Then Teresa informed her healthcare professional about her general state of gloom. More explicitly, she articulated that shattered relationships commonly initiated a depressing sequence of events characterized by increased drinking which further resulted in more dismal feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is exactly what happened when her husband and she got divorced two years ago.
When her healthcare professional heard this, he informed Teresa that according to various facts and statistics on alcoholism he has been researching, alcoholism and depression routinely take place in the same person. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been looking into also point out that individuals who drink excessively and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical circumstances.
Teresa’s Physician Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Evaluation
Teresa’s healthcare professional then told her the following: “I am not trying to make a spur-of-the-moment diagnosis, but with your medical situation we may be facing two separate concerns. As a consequence, I think we need to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse evaluation from my partner, Dr. Poulos, who is a substance abuse and chemical dependency specialist. Whether your drinking circumstance is more linked to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction is unknown at this time, but I believe that further assessment is justifiable. Then I think we probably should make an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Castro, who is a counseling psychologist. I want to get a deeper understanding about your sadness and see how much your depression and drinking are intertwined.” Teresa showed her approval of her doctor’s plan of attack and thanked him for his help. Now all she had to do was to try to lessen her drinking and wait for her appointments.
Jennifer is a thirty-eight-year-old bank cashier who has been ingesting alcohol in an excessive and irresponsible manner since she and her boyfriend decided to discontinue their relationship. Indeed, for the past eleven months she has been drinking very nearly two bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking more than a few wine coolers all the way through the day.
After feeling dejected because she was beginning to disregard her health, Jennifer at long last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to quit feeling sorry for herself, that it’s time to quit the hazardous and excessive drinking, and time to get on with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 8:30 AM, she made up her mind to stop drinking completely and suddenly without planning or preparation.
When She Attempted to Quit Drinking She Felt Ill, She Had Utterly No Appetite, She Was Extremely Restless and Moody, She Started to Perspire Profusely, She Vomited Numerous Times, and Her Head Was Pounding
When Jennifer quit drinking, she figured that she would most likely be tempted to have a couple of drinks, but she never assumed that she would feel so awful. More accurately, roughly two hours after she quit drinking, she had utterly no appetite, she vomited numerous times, she started to sweat extensively, her head was aching, and she was extremely moody and anxious.
When she called her best pal and told her that she had quit drinking and that after a few hours she suddenly started to have flu-like symptoms, Dawn, her best pal, told Jennifer to call her doctor and go over what she was feeling.
She Admits to Her Healthcare Professional That She Has Been Drinking Excessively, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Going Through Horrible Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her healthcare practitioner, informed him that she has been drinking in an abusive manner for quite a few months and that when she honestly tried to suddenly stop drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the worst case of the flu that she had ever suffered through.
Her physician informed her that she may be suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and that she should have someone take her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a neighbor to drive her to the hospital. Interestingly, all the way to the hospital, as sick as Jennifer felt, the only thing she could think about was whether or not she was dependent on alcohol.
It seems that her family doctor had called ahead and told the emergency room staff to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two paramedics who without hesitation told her to get in the wheelchair they had with them. After getting moved to the emergency room and undergoing a few important tests, it was verified that Jennifer was indeed experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.
A medical practitioner gave her some drugs to address her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some meds to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her system.
An Alcohol Abuse and Substance Abuse Physician Clearly Explains That She is Addicted to Alcohol and Then Discusses What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Dependency Stages Are
After a few hours, Jennifer was taken from the ER and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for around two hours, Doctor Myers, an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist, came to see her. He took plenty of time and explained in laymen’s language that Jennifer had suffered through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking because she had become an alcoholic.
He then elucidated the fact that with repeated and excessive drinking, the individual’s brain in a step-by-step fashion adjusts to the alcohol so that it can carry out tasks and operations in a “normal” fashion. When the individual then suddenly refrains from ingesting alcohol, it can be noted, the brain takes action by bringing forth alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, her physician also explained in a clear fashion the different alcoholism stages that an alcoholic commonly suffers through as the disease gets progressively worse as time goes by.
It is Confirmed that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcoholism and She Obtains a Good Forecast For a Total Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Dependency Rehab She Requires
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was established that she was in the first stage of alcohol dependency and, as a consequence, she obtained a favorable prognosis for a complete recovery if she will get the alcohol dependency rehab she requires.
Jennifer told the healthcare professional that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to restore her life and her health. She also stated that she has an excellent hospitalization plan that will more likely than not pay for most, if not all, of the costs needed for treatment. It was apparent that Jennifer was quite grateful about her optimistic medical prognosis and felt at ease knowing that she will be able to get the alcoholism rehab she requires so that she can start on the road to recovery.
