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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

For the past eighteen years Jenny has been a nurse at a county hospital. Furthermore she has also been teaching Sunday school at the local Presbyterian Church. Although she lived in a medium size country community where it seemed like every person knew everyone’s business, very little was known about Jenny. Without a doubt virtually everyone knew that she had worked several years as a registered nurse and that she taught Sunday school for as long as she was a resident of their small town. Besides that, however, it almost seemed as if Jenny was simply a visitor in their community.

You can envisage the fervor that took place when it was revealed that one Sunday morning Jenny had passed out due to intoxication. In fact, the article in the local daily paper stated that Jenny not only passed out, but that she also received a DUI because her blood alcohol content was substantially more than the legal limit. This is certainly one of the alcohol effects on the body that no Sunday school teacher wants to have broadcasted to the entire community. But this is precisely what occurred, much to the chagrin of Jenny.

Jenny Gets Quite Embarrassed About Her Arrest For Driving While Intoxicated

Needless to say, Jenny was extremely dismayed about her DWI. Not only should she have known better about driving while inebriated because of her nursing profession, but she also should have held herself accountable to a more lofty benchmark because of the basic fact that she taught Sunday school.

After her arrest, Jenny thought about moving out of town so that she would not have to feel distraught about her arrest and also so she wouldn’t have to give details about her actions for the millionth time to the other members of her community. After speaking with her pastor, then again, she decided that she would get alcohol treatment at a local rehab center. She did this for two specific reasons. First, it was relatively easy for her to drive to a local rehabilitation hospital. And second, she genuinely wanted the word to get out among all the people in town that she was truly dealing with her careless and abusive drinking.

Jenny Goes Through Alcohol Detox and Gets a Thorough Exam

After Jenny went through alcohol detoxification, she got extensively examined by a healthcare practitioner at the drug and alcohol treatment facility. She then underwent various lab procedures where it was established that she was not an alcoholic but instead was engaging in excessive and abusive drinking. In a word Jenny was engaging in long term alcohol abuse.

Jenny was given the choice of getting alcohol treatment as an in-patient or getting alcohol counseling as an outpatient. Jenny, nonetheless, believed that she could still work as a registered nurse and retain her Sunday school teaching job if she were to be admitted as an out-patient and this is specifically what she did.

According to her rehab action plan, Jenny went to three counseling sessions every two weeks, she learned quite a lot about alcohol info, she worked on her homework “projects,” and she learned how to do things in life that did not involve alcohol.

After fourteen weeks, Jenny realized that her unhealthy and excessive drinking was under control and so she got discharged from the drug and alcohol rehabilitation hospital under the stipulation that she would return for follow up counseling once per month for the next nine months. Jenny agreed and followed through on her “pledge.”

Jenny Finally Determines to Refrain From Any and All Drinking Situations and Finds Out That Her Self Confidence Increases

After she completed her rehabilitation Jenny reasoned that she would be able to drink more responsibly and in moderation. After reflecting on things more thoroughly, nonetheless, she figured out that she would totally remove herself from any and all drinking situations.

When Jenny arrived at this conclusion, she found out that her self-worth increased the more she took control over her life. And as her positive attitude about herself grew more pronounced, it seemed like she became more extroverted and started going to more town functions such as flower festivals, local high school football and basketball games, music festivals, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, strawberry festivals, rib roasts, and carnivals.

Jenny Faces Her Abusive Drinking, Comes to a Decision To Do Something Productive About It, and Reaffirms Her Faith

As the time passed, the people in the community manifested more affection for Jenny because she was interacting with them more frequently and also because she addressed her hazardous drinking and did something constructive about it. It may have been her imagination, but it also seemed as if her Sunday school pupils displayed more affection and respect for her.

Jenny is a living example of someone who faced a major issue and who did something productive about it. She is also a person who discovered that her religious faith is not only something that is intrinsic, but that it is also something that affects the way in which an individual interrelates with other individuals.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Larry was a seventeen year old high school junior who was manifesting several alcohol-related problems at school. For that reason, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to return to class.

Later that afternoon when Larry went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his parents. His parents were “fairly conventional” and informed Larry that dropping out of school was not a doable educational plan of action. They explained to Larry that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that may hurt his educational attainment for the rest of his adult life. Furthermore, Larry’s Mom and Dad were quite displeased that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.

His parents explained to Larry that even though he may be young, he needs to comprehend fairly rapidly that drinking is the route to failure, pain, financial problems, and ill health.

It was plain to see that his Mom and Dad were absolutely in concurrence with Larry’s principal and explained to Larry that he had to see Miss Johns, the school psychologist. After his talk with his Mom and Dad, Larry at long last agreed to see Miss Johns the next school day. So Larry phoned the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johns the next morning before school.

The Therapist Asks Larry if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Activities Caused Quite a Bit of Apprehension By the School Administrators

When Larry went to see Miss Johns, she instantly analyzed all of the alcohol-related problems Larry had gotten into and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities were such a cause for concern.

Quite honestly, Larry was unsure why the principal informed him that he had to see a school counselor. As he stated to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking circumstances? In view of the fact that virtually all of his peers drink the same amount that he does, in essence, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated another way, if almost everybody is drinking, why is this such a major concern?

Miss Johns asked Larry when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older pals introduced him to drinking hard liquor when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.

Miss Johns told Larry that while his classmates may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting discharged from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his friends. What is more, Miss Johns also underlined the fact that Larry, and not his peers, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of class per week because of his alcohol related problems. Finally, Miss Johns stressed the fact that due to his drinking circumstances, Larry is getting into a negative cycle of alcohol abuse that can finally wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.

In a word, Larry’s involvement with adolescent alcohol abuse was beginning to impede his ability to conduct himself like a responsible young man. As stated by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your friends drink wine coolers, wine, hard liquor, or beer does not mean that it is the best thing in the world for you.”

Larry Learns That Ultimately He Must Take Responsibility For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Dangerous, Destructive, Damaging, and Unhealthy Consequences Down the Road

Miss Johns explained to Larry that one’s friends can undeniably influence an individual in a negative way, but that the person herself or himself has to in due course take responsibility for herself or himself in order to stay away from unhealthy, dangerous, damaging, and destructive consequences in the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Miss Johns was extremely well equipped for her scheduled meeting with Larry. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that listed different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Larry quite a bit of data that applied especially to teens.

For instance, Miss Johns emphasized the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction and explained to Larry that individuals who continue to drink in a hazardous manner continually become alcoholic.

Miss Johns also discussed the concept of binge drinking that she defined as follows: ingesting four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.

The Therapist Presents Several Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Facts and Statistics

Then Miss Johns presented the following eight alcoholism facts and alcohol abuse statistics:

1. Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse cost the U.S. an estimated $220 billion in 2005. This dollar amount was more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion.

2. More than one-half of U.S. adults have a close relative or family member that has or has had alcoholism.

3. More than 75% of female victims of nonfatal, domestic violence stated that their assailant had been using drugs or drinking.

4. In the U.S. on an annual basis, more than one third of pedestrians killed by cars were legally intoxicated.

5. One national research study discovered that students are less likely to drink alcohol if they are socially accepted by individuals at school and believe that teachers treat students in a fair manner.

6. Research indicates that youth who use alcohol may remember 10 percent less of what they have learned than teens who don’t drink.

7. Around ten to twenty percent of the individuals who drink heavily ultimately develop cirrhosis of the liver (i.e., a scarring of the liver that can be fatal).

8. Up to forty percent of the U.S. industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries are related to alcohol abuse or alcoholism.

Larry Receives An Important Wake Up Call About the Short Term and the Long Term Consequences of Youth Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johns listed the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was plain to see that what Miss Johns revealed to Larry was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to explain the short term and the long term consequences of alcoholism and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to substantiate what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to everyone, and especially to teenagers.

Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry at once comprehended why he should not be engaging in hazardous and abusive drinking with or without his peers any longer. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the material she presented.

Miss Johns then asked Larry how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency treatment he would probably need.

Larry thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical examination and to go through a thorough assessment of his drinking circumstances so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program immediately.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most financially challenged co-educational high school in the district. Although she had been teaching for only five years, she had already established a reputation as a teacher with a teaching approach that motivated and encouraged her students to think and to learn.

For example, one Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 she addressed the pupils in her classroom and said the following: “For the next three or four days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more broad-based viewpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most highly researched signs of alcoholism from a less general and explicit standpoint.

Not all of these alcoholism signs will positively prove that a drinker with a drinking problem is an alcoholic, but the more signs that a person exhibits, the greater the probability that he or she is a person who is alcohol dependent.”

Miss Benning then informed the students in the class that each individual would be accountable for examining three alcohol addiction signs and then presenting his or her results to the other members in the class via a ten minute oral presentation.

The Students are Enthused About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Students About Alcohol Addiction Signs

After learning about the different signs of alcoholism for a number of days, the time had come for the oral presentations. It was instantaneously evident that the students were enthused about the subject matter because the information that they presented was superb. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the fervor manifested by the pupils in her classroom concerning this topic was an understatement.

The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were discussed and presented in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked her students to go over the list and rank the top nine alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcohol dependency. After roughly twenty minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and told the students in her classroom that after she analyzes the results, she will present her findings the next school day.

There was some real anticipation by the pupils while they were exiting Miss Benning’s class. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.

The Pupils Contrast Their Numbers With the Assessments From A Team of Chemical Dependency Specialists

When the next school day came, Miss Benning handed out a piece of paper that listed the top four alcohol addiction signs according to the students’ rankings. Next to these results, she included another column that was labeled “correct response.” She then informed her pupils that the numbers in the additional column she added stood for the answers that were given by a council of substance abuse authorities.

Miss Benning told her students to look over the information she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any concerns, questions, or issues. Within 10 or 20 seconds, almost every pupil in the classroom raised his or her hand. It was evident that the students had some concerns, questions, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For example, just about every person in the class had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, to be precise, “Do you feel unusually nauseous when you abstain from drinking?”

The Major Difference Between Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is the Physical Dependency That is Experienced With Alcoholism and Not With Alcohol Abuse

Miss Benning then explained to the students in her class why this answer was the most accurate sign of alcohol addiction. She pointed out the fact that the central difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.

Basically this means that when an individual who is alcohol dependent abruptly stops drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated more precisely, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling a person who is alcohol dependent that something is terribly out of kilter and needs to be fixed. These signals consist of several uncomfortable, painful, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a fatality if the appropriate therapy is not promptly obtained.

Miss Benning then discussed the many different alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when a person who is alcohol dependent abruptly stops drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to underscore was this: a person who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one symptom or sign that few, if any, alcohol abusers ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To explain this as precisely as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the point that alcohol abusers, unlike people who are addicted to alcohol, are not alcohol dependent and as a consequence, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Students Think They Have Found An Inconsistency With the Findings From The Group of Alcohol Addiction Specialists

The pupils also disagreed with the second ranked answer given by the alcohol dependency professionals, to be exact, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?”

Miss Benning informed the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not inevitably mean that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does point to the need that alcohol addicted individuals have to drink in order to avert alcohol withdrawals.

After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the person who is alcohol dependent, the pupils started to grasp the basic difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

To add a sense of closure to the subject matter, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her class to take out a piece of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is alcohol dependent knew about every one of the alcohol addiction signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcohol addiction rehabilitation?”

After approximately two or three minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ predictions. While many pupils believed that approximately 85 to 95 percent of individuals who are addicted to alcohol would seek alcohol addiction rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs, most of the students thought that this number would not be less than 65 percent.

The Students Were Astonished to Discover That Only 25% of Alcohol Addicted Individuals in the U.S. Obtain Alcohol Rehab

To the amazement of most of the students, Miss Benning acknowledged that according to various scientific investigations, only 25% of the people who are alcohol dependent in the United States obtain alcohol dependency rehab. This shocked most of the pupils because they reasoned that first-hand knowledge of the disgusting statistics and facts correlated with alcoholism would motivate the majority of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol to obtain alcohol dependency treatment.

Miss Benning then explained that alcohol addicted people not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also require alcohol on an everyday basis so they can stay away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcohol addicted person’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than facts or logic. To be sure, since the thirst for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol dependent individual, this is a challenging issue that is hard to change.

A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating that the end of class had arrived. Based on the buzz manifested by the students when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning knew that she had encouraged and inspired her pupils to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our country.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!