Rebecca began drinking excessively when she was a freshman in college. Fortunately for her, although she drank excessively and hazardously when she was a teenager and a young adult, when she got beyond the age of thirty she almost always drank in moderation.

After she completed her education she eventually got a job at a local tire manufacturer where she worked her way up from stock person, to office assistant, to purchasing assistant, to purchasing agent. Unlike her other work positions, as the purchasing manager she again and again took existing vendors and potential vendors to lunch and to various sporting events.

Alhough it was not written in concrete, meeting with potential vendors and existing vendors again and again involved circumstances in which alcohol was present. In fact, over the past eleven months, Rebecca had started to significantly increase her work related and her social drinking. This has resulted in quite a predicament. More explicitly, the more successful she became as a purchasing agent, the more heavily she began to drink.

Her Almost Constant Feelings of Depression Also Made Her Question if She Was Becoming an Alcohol Addicted Person

Indeed, it didn’t take very long before Rebecca’s abusive and careless drinking started to adversely affect her work efficiency, her mental health, the money in her savings account, her health, and her relationships. After many weeks of heavy drinking, Rebecca, in reality, began to get anxious about her careless and irresponsible drinking and wondered whether her alcohol related issues were alcoholism signs. To make things worse, her increasing feelings of depression also made her wonder whether she was becoming an alcoholic. In short, Rebecca obviously needed to learn more about the facts about alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

Rebecca Needs Alcohol Detox and Alcohol Rehab For Her Alcohol Addiction and a Medical Assessment Regarding Her Depression

So Rebecca used her intelligence, called her physician, and set up an appointment for a thorough physical exam. A week later after seeing her doctor, Rebecca regrettably discovered that she was dependent on alcohol. Her healthcare practitioner informed Rebecca that she needed to get alcohol detoxification and alcohol treatment for her alcohol addiction and that she also needed to get a medical assessment regarding her depression. In a word, Rebecca needed treatment for her alcoholism and depression.

The Good News is That After Her Treatment For Depression and For Alcohol Addiction, She Felt Like a Different Individual

Her physician recommended to Rebecca that she take a 60-day leave of absence from work and get enrolled in a quality in-patient alcohol rehab clinic where she could also be treated for her depression. This is precisely what Rebecca did. Fortunately after her treatment for depression and for alcoholism, she felt like a different individual. In fact, now that she was living an alcohol-free life she rarely got depressed and she now comprehended how to more productively and efficiently manage her relationships, her finances, her health, and her job.

Not unexpectedly, the biggest “test” Rebecca faced was at the office. More precisely, she still took her existing vendors and potential vendors to various sporting events and to lunch, but after her alcohol rehab she managed to abstain from drinking while entertaining her clients.

It may be noted that Rebecca also found out that none of her potential vendors or her existing vendors thought any less of her because of her non-alcoholic lifestyle. Instead, she learned that her existing vendors and potential vendors respected her for maintaining her convictions.

After Rebecca went through alcohol rehabilitation, however, she found out that she was a person who, for whatever reason, could not drink in moderation. In fact she learned the hard way that if she abstained from drinking, all of the other significant parts of her life would be enhanced. At times, Rebecca missed drinking, but the better finances, work performance, health, and the better relationships she experienced more than made up for her love of drinking.

Work was becoming too chaotic for a young police officer named Gary. Even though he had only been on the police force for two years, he was already known as a hard worker who hardly ever refused working overtime. Actually, he was now working ten to fifteen hours of overtime each week and, as a result, he felt like he was losing his hold on his personal life. What made the situation more complicated, however, was the fact that Gary started going out drinking with a gang of fellow officers after work.

What Began as a Good Time Soon Turned Into Careless and Abusive Drinking

What began as a good time soon turned into irresponsible and careless drinking and then into a negative cycle of feeling tired each morning when he awakened for work, working more overtime hours, and then going drinking with his buddies after work.

Clearly Gary was in a health related and emotional rut and experiencing some negative alcohol effects on the body. Where Gary really experienced drinking related difficulties and alcohol short term effects, conversely, was in his marriage and in his family life. His wife wasn’t really a nag, but she commonly begged him to stay at home more with the family rather than going through all of his money while drinking with his friends.

Gary’s Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Adversely Affects His Personality

In a similar manner, Gary’s careless and excessive drinking also negatively affected his personality. To be more specific, the more abusively he drank, the less patience he had with any difficulties or issues that arose regarding his children or his wife.

It Was Obvious to Gary That His Irresponsible and Careless Drinking Was Adversely Affecting His Work, Pocketbook, Relationship With His Family, and His Health

In his heart of hearts, it was obvious to Gary that his hazardous and excessive drinking was negatively affecting his pocketbook, health, work, and his relationship with his family. So one Tuesday afternoon Gary decided to talk to Jerry, a trusted old police officer buddy that he greatly admired.

Gary told Jerry how hazardous and careless drinking was negatively affecting his relationship with his family, health, pocketbook, and his work. Jerry told Gary that he completely understood because approximately ten years ago, he too got involved in careless and irresponsible drinking. If truth be known, Jerry told Gary that excessive and irresponsible drinking can create so many problems in a person’s life that virtually everything of importance can be destroyed. And finally, Jerry suggested that Gary schedule an appointment with an alcohol therapist at the work-affiliated drug and alcohol addiction treatment clinic.

Due to the fact that his employee’s assistance program was affiliated with this rehabilitation center, it was not only quite convenient but also very affordable to obtain treatment about his careless and excessive drinking. And due to the fact that the personnel at the drug and alcohol treatment center was supportive, competent, and non-judgmental, Gary would be able to get alcohol rehab that made sense to him and something he could accomplish.

After talking to his counselor about how his drinking was ruining his pocketbook, health, work, and his relationship with his family, Gary understood that he was burning the candle at both ends with his crazy work hours and his abusive drinking. Once he comprehended that he was getting himself into a rut, with the assistance of his psychiatrist, and after eleven weeks in treatment, he was at long last able to quit drinking and stop working overtime.

Due to His Alcohol Rehabilitation Gary Felt Better and More Healthy

The result was that Gary perceived life in a different way now that he was in alcohol recovery. More precisely, due to his alcohol counseling he not only was more patient when interacting with his wife and his children, but he actually had more money now even though he was working far fewer hours each week, he had more quality time to spend with his family, and he felt better and more healthy. Strangely enough, now that he quit drinking, Gary and his wife were not only beginning to save some money for a different house but he also felt more energized and alert than anytime since he and his wife were married.

For the past twenty-three years Jenny has been a professional nurse at a large municipal hospital. What is more, she has also been teaching Sunday school at the local Lutheran Church. In spite of the fact that she lived in a small countryside town where it appeared like everybody knew everyone’s business, very little was known about Jenny. It almost goes without saying that virtually everyone knew that she had worked more than a few years as a professional nurse and that she taught Sunday school for as long as she lived in their town. Other than that, then again, it almost appeared as if Jenny was simply a visitor in their community.

You can envisage the commotion that was created when it was found out that one Sunday morning Jenny had passed out because of excessive drinking. In truth, the article in the community daily paper claimed that Jenny not only became unconscious, but that she also was arrested for drunk driving due to the fact that her blood alcohol concentration was significantly more than the legal limit for drunk driving. This is clearly one of the alcohol effects on the body that no Sunday school teacher wants to have made known to the entire town. But this is precisely what occurred, much to the consternation of Jenny.

Jenny Gets Extremely Upset About Her DUI

It almost goes without saying that Jenny was very embarrassed about her arrest for driving while intoxicated. Not only should she have known better about driving while intoxicated because of her nursing profession, but she also should have held herself accountable to a higher standard because of the basic fact that she taught Sunday school.

After her DWI 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 ten thousandth time to the other members of her community. After meeting with her minister, however, she came to a decision that she would get alcohol rehab at a local rehab hospital. She did this for two simple reasons. First, it was convenient for her to drive to a local treatment center. And second, she honesty wanted the message to get disseminated among all the people in town that she was honestly dealing with her unhealthy drinking.

Jenny Goes Through Alcohol Detoxification and Gets an Extensive Physical Examination

After Jenny went through detoxification, she was thoroughly checked by a healthcare professional at the rehabilitation facility. She then underwent a few lab tests where it was verified that she was not alcohol dependent but instead was involving herself in abusive drinking. In short Jenny was engaging in long term alcohol abuse.

Jenny was provided with the alternative of getting admitted as a residential patient or getting alcohol counseling as an outpatient. Jenny, then again, thought that she could still work as a licensed practical nurse and keep her Sunday school teaching job if she were to be registered as an out-patient and this is specifically what she did.

According to her rehab protocol, Jenny went to three counseling sessions every week, she learned a lot about alcohol info, she worked on her out-of-class “projects,” and she found out how to accomplish things in life without having a need for alcohol.

After eight weeks, Jenny realized that her unhealthy and abusive drinking was under control and so she got discharged from the drug and alcohol treatment hospital under the condition that she would return for a refresher course once every three months for the next twelve months. Jenny signed an agreement form and followed through on her “pledge.”

Jenny Comes to a Decision to Stay Away From Any and All Drinking Circumstances and Finds Out That Her Self Worth Increases

After she went through her rehab Jenny reasoned that she would be able to drink more responsibly and in moderation. After thinking about things more carefully, nonetheless, she arrived at a decision that she would absolutely abstain from any and all drinking situations.

When Jenny arrived at this decision, she learned that her self image became more enhanced the more she displayed her power over her life. And as her self-worth grew stronger, it appeared that she became more outgoing and began going to more community activities such as rib roasts, flower festivals, carnivals, strawberry festivals, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, local high school basketball and football games, and music festivals.

Jenny Addresses Her Abusive and Excessive Drinking, Comes to a Decision To Do Something Affirmative About It, and Reaffirms Her Faith

As the years went by, the individuals in the community manifested more affection for Jenny because she was involving herself with them more frequently and also because she faced her excessive and careless drinking and did something productive about it. It may have been her imagination, but it also appeared that her Sunday school pupils manifested more admiration and respect for her.

Jenny is a living example of an individual who faced a hazardous predicament and who did something constructive about it. She is also someone who discovered that her religious faith is not only something that is private, but that it is also something that affects the way in which a person cooperates and works with other individuals.

For a number of years alcohol dependency exploration has demonstrated the fact that there is strong association between alcoholism and serious health conditions.

For example, in 2005, medical research and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion annually. It can be emphasized that this substantial alcohol-related expense was significantly more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is important to emphasize these facts, it is also noteworthy to point to the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.

To be exact, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.

Indeed, substance abuse exploration has demonstrated the fact that alcohol dependency can amplify the risk for various kinds of cancer, particularly cancer of the liver, voice box (larynx), kidneys, colon, esophagus, rectum, and the throat. Abusive and repetitive drinking can also result in immune system difficulties and injury to the fetus during pregnancy.

Abusive and Excessive Drinking Enfeebles the Drinker’s Organs and Systems

Additionally, if alcohol addiction continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in an unhealthy manner. For instance, chronic, excessive drinking is especially harmful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Excessive amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and obliterates the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This medical circumstance results in a progressive inflammatory injury to the liver that can ultimately lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and potentially lethal medical problem.Abusive, long-term drinking not only can lead to critical liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this serious may be unalterable and may, in turn, lead to severe disease or an untimely death.

The Critical Nature of Alcohol Rehabilitation

It is critical, then, to know how to recognize the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted person can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol therapy he or she requires.

Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration

Fortunately, scientific exploration is constantly uncovering new and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration offers an excellent illustration. More correctly, for approximately the last ten years, complex brain-imaging scanning instruments have shown that repetitive and recurring excessive drinking modifies the functionality of the brain to a significant extent, therefore resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perchance as long as the person exists.

More to the point, medical research has demonstrated that people who have been drinking abusively for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing permanent and significant alterations in the brain.

This type of damage may be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health or directly related to severe liver disease or to the alcohol’s effects on the brain.

Malnutrition, Excessive Drinking, and Mental Disorders

As a final example of assorted medical conditions that are considerably related to alcohol dependency, take into consideration the fact that in accordance with scientific research, the excessive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a condition that diminishes the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.

This type of organ failure is associated with malnutrition and to a variety of acute mental and neurological maladies including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is a long lasting debilitating health problem that is typified by persistent memory and learning difficulties.

Conclusion

It is clear that repetitive, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly associated with a number of acute medical conditions that can and do lead to serious illness and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society so that a massive amount of people will be able to abstain from excessive drinking while other individuals who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehabilitation they need.

How do you know that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it evident that you are engaging in excessive drinking?

If you have ineffectively made an effort to quit drinking or if you have given your word to yourself that your drinking days are over and then you recognized that you were drinking in an abusive way just a few days later, the probability is quite good that you have drinking problems. The fundamental idea is that if you have tried to quit drinking and cannot get this accomplished, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.

Similarly, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to realize that you have a drinking problem.

You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can lessen your nervous tension or get rid of the pain or depression that you feel. In a similar manner, you may be trying to avoid an injurious circumstance and may be looking for something better, more favorable, or less sorrowful.

As you keep on drinking, then again, you will comprehend that drinking does not result in the same high and you will also realize that drinking doesn’t help eliminate whatever produced your problem in the first place. You may also notice that the more frequently you drink, the more depressed you feel.

As you continue to drink in a hazardous way, unfortunately, you may become alcohol dependent and, as a consequence, you may add another major predicament to manage rather than finding more productive and wholesome ways of managing your alcohol induced difficulties.

The Requirement for an Alcohol Assessment

If you have determined that you have a problem with your drinking, perchance the most positive thing you can do for yourself is to call your doctor or healthcare professional and arrange for an appointment for a thorough physical and for an assessment of your drinking behavior.

If you sincerely think that you have a dangerous drinking problem, it may be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol counseling.

At this point in time, what are your choices? You can positively refuse to see your health care professional and continue your pattern of hazardous drinking.

It certainly doesn’t take a mastermind, nevertheless, to understand that repeated, excessive drinking, if left untreated, will deteriorate over time and quite probably lead to an early death. Accordingly, your healthiest option is to face up to your drinking circumstance and obtain the alcohol rehabilitation you need.

The Sham of the Functioning Alcohol Dependent Person

It is almost counter intuitive to note the fact that numerous alcohol dependent individuals lead busy and active lives and have jobs, vehicles, pets, families, houses, and any number of material possessions similar to individuals who are not alcohol dependent.

Many of these “functional” alcohol dependent individuals may have never been apprehended for drunk driving and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol-related legal predicaments. Despite this fortunate circumstance, on the other hand, these alcohol addicted people need to drink in order to live on a day to day basis while keeping up their facade as they interact with people outside their family.

Ask anyone who has seen them when they are bingeing or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol dependency, conversely, and they will be quick to articulate the truth of the drinker’s situation and the facts about the alcoholic’s drinking condition and about his or her alcohol produced problems.

Why Do Alcohol Addicted Individuals Fail to Perceive Their Drinking Problems?

As alcoholism research and statistics on alcohol abuse have stressed, no matter how apparent the alcohol-related difficulties seem to those who interact with the alcohol dependent individual, alcohol dependent individuals often deny that drinking is the root of their alcohol induced predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol dependent individuals often blame their alcohol-related problems on other individuals or upon other situations that surround them rather than seeing their part in the problem.

The source of the issue is that alcoholism is a disease of the brain. Once the individual has become dependent on alcohol, he or she often resorts to denial, manipulation, and deceit as a way of dealing with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make the situation more problematic, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically counteracts the alcohol addicted individual’s rare attempts to abruptly quit drinking. As grim as the alcohol dependent person’s way of life is, to the contrary, the positive news is that quality help is extensively obtainable – if the alcohol addicted individual reaches out and seeks alcohol counseling.

Conclusion

Acknowledging the fact that drinking is triggering problems in your day to day functioning is perchance the easiest way to find out if you have a problem with your drinking. Stated another way, if your drinking is triggering difficulties with your health, with your employment, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the law, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be resolved.

If you have a drinking problem, what is more, this means that you are getting involved with hazardous drinking.

While some people may be able to detect their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and greatly diminish the quantity and rate of their drinking, other drinkers, to the contrary, need to tackle their drinking problems by getting quality alcohol rehabilitation. What’s more, due to their propensity to deny the facts and bend the truth, alcohol dependent people undeniably require proficient alcoholism rehabilitation for their abusive drinking.

And lastly, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, you will probably need to obtain treatment for your drinking and for your depression.

For several years alcoholism research has demonstrated the fact that there is strong linkage between alcohol dependency and critical health conditions.

For instance, in 2005, scientific investigation and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics demonstrated the fact that that alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency cost the United States an estimated $220 billion per year. Interestingly, this gigantic alcohol-related cash disbursement was significantly more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is appropriate to emphasize these facts, it is also noteworthy to highlight the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.

More exactly, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are also highly correlated with obesity and with cancer.

Undeniably, substance abuse exploration has demonstrated the fact that alcohol addiction can boost the risk for various types of cancer, particularly cancer of the esophagus, kidneys, throat, rectum, liver, voice box (larynx), and the colon. Hazardous and recurring drinking can also result in immune system issues and damage to the fetus during pregnancy.

Abusive Drinking Deteriorates the Person’s Organs and Systems

Furthermore, if alcohol addiction continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will likely be affected in an unhealthy manner. For example, repeated, excessive drinking is especially injurious to the liver due to the fact that the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Excessive amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and destroys the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This condition results in a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can in due course lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a critical and potentially deadly disease.Excessive, long-term drinking not only can result in dangerous liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this severe may be irreversible and may, in turn, lead to serious illness or an early death.

The Importance of Alcohol Treatment

It is imperative, as a result, to know how to recognize the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcoholic can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol treatment he or she needs.

Alcohol Addiction and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration

Fortunately, medical research is persistently generating innovative and important information. Recent alcoholism research offers an excellent example. Stated another way, for roughly the past ten years, complicated brain-imaging scanning instruments have confirmed that repetitive and long-term irresponsible drinking changes the functionality of the brain to a great extent, thusly resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perchance as long as the person lives.

More specifically, medical exploration has revealed that people who have been drinking abusively for a considerable length of time increase their risk for developing permanent and significant transformations in the brain.

This type of damage may be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health or directly related to severe liver disease or to the alcohol’s effects on the brain.

Hazardous Drinking, Malnutrition, and Mental Disorders

As a final example of various health problems that are largely associated with alcohol addiction, take into consideration the fact that according to medical investigation, the hazardous and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a medical problem that decreases the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

This kind of organ breakdown is linked to malnutrition and to an array of severe mental and neurological maladies including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is a long lasting incapacitating condition that is exemplified by continual learning and memory difficulties.

Conclusion

It is obvious that continued, abusive drinking is directly or indirectly related to a number of dangerous medical conditions that can and do lead to dangerous diseases and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society so that a multitude of individuals will be able to refrain from abusive drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the professional rehab they need.

How do you recognize that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it obvious that you are engaging in irresponsible drinking?

If you have unproductively tried to stop drinking or if you promised yourself that your drinking days are behind you and then you realized that you were drinking in an abusive way just a few days later, chances are incredibly good that you have drinking problems. The key point is that if you have attempted to terminate your drinking and cannot get this accomplished, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.

In a similar manner, if it takes increasingly more amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” you probably need to realize that you have a drinking problem.

You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can decrease your nervousness or get rid of the hurt or depression that you feel. Likewise, you may be trying to stay away from a harmful situation and may be looking for something better, more constructive, or less sorrowful.

As you keep on drinking, however, you will become aware that drinking does not elicit the same high and you will also grasp the fact that drinking doesn’t help eradicate whatever elicited your problem in the first place. You may also notice that the more abusively you drink, the more depressed you feel.

As you continue to drink, regrettably, you may become alcohol dependent and, as a result, you may add another key issue to manage rather than learning about more successful and beneficial ways of dealing with your alcohol generated predicament.

The Need for an Alcohol Assessment

If you have concluded that you have a drinking problem, perchance the most expedient thing you can do for yourself is to call your doctor or healthcare practitioner and arrange for an appointment for a complete physical and for a review of your drinking activities.

If you truthfully believe that you have a serious drinking problem, it may be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol therapy.

At this point, what are your choices? You can surely decide against seeing your physician and persist with your pattern of hazardous drinking.

It actually doesn’t take a wiz kid, nonetheless, to have a handle on the fact that long-term, out-of-control drinking, if left untreated, will deteriorate over time and almost certainly set in motion an early death. For that reason, your most expedient choice is to confront your drinking situation and obtain the alcohol therapy you need.

The Deceit of the Functioning Alcoholic

It is almost counter intuitive to note the fact that several individuals who are addicted to alcohol lead busy and active lives and have pets, vehicles, houses, jobs, families, and any number of material possessions just like individuals who are not alcohol dependent.

Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted individuals may have never been arrested for a DWI and may have been fortunate enough to avoid all alcohol-related legal problems. In spite of this fortunate situation, then again, these alcohol addicted people need to drink in order to live on a regular basis while upholding their facade as they associate with the outside world.

Ask anyone who has seen them when they are bingeing or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcoholism, to the contrary, and they will be quick to assert the validity of the drinker’s situation and the whole story about the alcohol addicted person’s drinking condition and about his or her alcohol produced issues.

Why Do Alcohol Addicted People Fail to Acknowledge Their Drinking Problems?

As alcoholism research and statistics on alcohol abuse have stressed, no matter how apparent the alcohol-related issues seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted person, alcoholic individuals regularly deny that drinking is the root of their alcohol produced predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol addicted people often blame their alcohol induced difficulties on other people or upon other situations that surround them rather than seeing their part in the issue.

The root of the problem is that alcoholism is a disease of the brain. Once the drinker has become addicted to alcohol, he or she commonly resorts to denial, manipulation, and lying as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make matters more complex, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms commonly thwarts the alcohol dependent person’s rare attempts to abruptly refrain from drinking. As grim as the alcohol dependent individual’s life is, on the other hand, the encouraging news is that competent help is widely available – if the alcohol dependent individual reaches out and tries to get alcoholism counseling.

Summary

Conceding the fact that drinking is eliciting difficulties in your day to day functioning is perchance the simplest way to determine if you have a drinking problem. In other words, if your drinking is triggering issues with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the legal system, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be tackled.

If you have a drinking problem, additionally, this means that you are getting involved with abusive drinking.

While some problem drinkers may be able to recognize their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their problems, and greatly diminish the quantity and rate of their drinking, others, nevertheless, need to deal with their drinking problems by getting professional alcohol rehabilitation. Furthermore, due to their tendency to deny the facts and distort the truth, alcohol addicted people positively require professional alcoholism rehab for their excessive drinking.

And finally, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, you will probably need to obtain therapy for your drinking and for your depression.

It is worthy of note to bring up something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member obviously do not grasp. It appears that by shielding the alcohol dependent individual with falsehoods and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have essentially created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to continue and proceed with his or her harmful, detrimental way of living.

To be sure, instead of helping the alcohol dependent person and themselves, these family members have essentially become enablers who have unintentionally helped negatively affect the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even more.

Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol addicted individual will continue drinking in an irresponsible and abusive manner and experience various “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include considerable financial problems, poor health, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), employment difficulties, diminished mental functioning, and deteriorating relationships.

Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time

According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcoholism issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has fruitfully undergone alcohol addiction rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this predicament seems contradictory to logical thinking and seems so doubtful that it forces one to speculate why anyone who has gone through the awfulness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol counseling and in turn after attaining recovery. There are, to be sure, numerous rational reasons for this.

It should be pointed out, however that alcoholism research that has focused on the enduring effects of alcohol dependency has shown that long after the alcohol addicted person has terminated his or her drinking, fundamental alterations in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the modifications that have occurred in the brain is to engage in drinking once again.

A Requirement for A Fundamental Lifestyle Change

There are additional reasons why several recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. According to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcohol dependent person needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more competently with tough alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.

Circumstances such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol dependent person was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these conditions can bring about memories that can set off psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Sadly, all of these circumstances may not only counteract long lasting sobriety for the alcohol dependent person but they can also lead to relapse and consequently circumvent one’s alcohol recovery.

The Good News: There’s a Lot of Hope for a Lasting Recovery

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can essentially cause unintended harm by enabling the harmful drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent individual.

The substance abuse research literature demonstrates the fact that most people who successfully complete alcohol counseling experience at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get depressed 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 productive, lasting alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency rehab outcomes, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcoholics attain long standing alcohol recovery.

Jennifer is a twenty-five-year-old accounts receivable clerk who has been drinking in an abusive and hazardous manner since her fiancée and she severed their relationship. In point of fact, for the past eight months she has been drinking just about a bottle of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking several shots all through the day. In a word, Jennifer has been drinking so hazardously that it’s a wonder that she hasn’t suffered from alcohol poisoning.

After feeling disheartened because she was beginning to neglect her health, Jennifer finally told herself that she’s had enough, that it’s time to stop the self pity routine, that it’s time to quit the irresponsible drinking, and time to get going with her life. So the next 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 Stop Drinking She Felt Terrible, She Started to Perspire Profusely, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Had Absolutely No Appetite, She Was Extremely Anxious and Moody, and She Vomited Several Times

When Jennifer quit drinking, she assumed that she would more likely than not be tempted to sneak a few drinks, but she never envisioned that she would feel so horrific. More directly, just about an hour-and-a-half after she quit drinking, 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 she called her best pal and informed her that she had stopped drinking and that after a couple of hours she without any warning began having flu-like symptoms, Virginia, her best buddy, told Jennifer to call her doctor and explain what was going on.

She Admits to Her Physician That She Has Been Drinking In an Excessive and Hazardous Manner, That She Just Tried to Quit Drinking, and That She is Suffering Through Ghastly Flu-Like Symptoms

So Jennifer called her doctor, informed him that she has been drinking in an abusive and irresponsible manner for a number of months and that when she attempted to suddenly quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the most terrible flu-like symptoms that she had ever experienced.

Her healthcare practitioner informed her that she may be experiencing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have someone drive her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.

As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a neighbor to take her to the emergency room. Interestingly, all the way to the hospital, as sick as Jennifer felt, the only thing she could think about was whether or not she might be an alcoholic.

It seems that her healthcare professional had called ahead and told the emergency room staff to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two nurses who promptly told her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them. After getting wheeled to the emergency room and undergoing a couple of important tests, it was confirmed that Jennifer was in actual fact experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.

A physician administered some meds to address her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some drugs to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her blood.

An Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Physician Discusses That She is Alcohol Dependent and Then Clearly Explains What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Addiction Stages Are

After a few hours, Jennifer was transferred from the emergency room and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for nearly two-and-a-half hours, Doctor Farr, an alcohol and drug abuse specialist, came to talk to her. He took quite a bit of time and explained in laymen’s language that Jennifer had gone through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking due to the fact that she had become dependent on alcohol.

He then mentioned the fact that with excessive drinking on a daily basis, the drinker’s brain gradually gets acclimated to the alcohol in order to function in a “routine” manner. When the individual then all at once quits consuming alcohol, it can be noted, the brain reacts by producing alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, her medical practitioner also went over the various alcoholism stages that a person who is alcohol dependent typically experiences as the disease advances.

It is Discovered that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcohol Addiction and She Gets a Good Forecast For a Complete Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Addiction Rehab She Needs

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was established that she was in the earliest stage of alcoholism and, consequently, she got a favorable projection for a full recovery if she obtains the alcohol rehab she needs.

Jennifer told the physician that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to recover her health and her life. She also stated that she has a very comprehensive hospitalization policy that will almost certainly pay for most of the costs needed for rehabilitation. It was obvious that Jennifer was very happy with her positive prognosis and felt reassured knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol addiction therapy she needs so that she can start on the path to recovery.

What are the significant elements in a productive alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol abuse interventions succeed as projected while quite a few fail?

The Need for a Time-Honored Reputation of Intervention Accomplishment

Scientific research shows that a productive alcohol abuse intervention needs to be conducted by an intervention expert who has a proven track record of intervention achievement.

Essentially this means that rather than choosing a “typical” alcoholism healthcare practitioner or psychotherapist for an alcohol intervention, the person who is selected to conduct the intervention needs to be trained in alcohol dependency intervention procedures and needs to have a track record of successful alcohol interventions.

A Few Rudimentary Examples of The Best Time For an Alcohol Intervention

Scientific research and alcoholism facts about interventions has also demonstrated that the most advantageous time for an alcoholism intervention is following an important event in the life of the alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser. The following represents a few illustrations of these types of important occasions:

• The alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser has been caught stealing something of importance.
• The alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual has been caught lying about something of import.
• The alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker has been placed behind bars for a DUI or DWI.

In situations such as these, the alcoholic or alcohol abuser is more likely to feel sorry or to be embarrassed, therefore making him or her more willing to get the quality alcohol treatment that is required.

At this time, moreover, it is also important to underline the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcoholic needs to be free of alcohol during the alcoholism intervention. To put it briefly, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person is “under the influence” during an alcohol intervention, failure is practically assured.

Furthermore, scientific analysis has also revealed the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person has to at least try to listen to what is said in an alcohol intervention. Stated more exactly, during an alcohol dependency intervention, the abusive drinker 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 Necessity of Alcohol Therapy For the Heavy Drinker

And lastly, scientific analysis demonstrates that the major reason for an alcohol addiction intervention in the first place is to induce the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person to get the professional alcoholism therapy that is needed. Stated more specifically, even if the person who manages the intervention has a tremendous history of effective interventions and even if the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted individual sincerely listens to every word that is spoken during the course of an intervention, if the hazardous drinker or alcohol dependent individual is not moved to get quality alcohol therapy after the alcohol addiction intervention, then the intervention will be a fiasco.

Clearly all of these factors are needed for a productive alcoholism intervention. If, conversely, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual is not stirred to obtain alcohol addiction rehabilitation after listening to his or her family members express the pain, wrath, and frustration they feel about the alcohol abuser’s or alcohol dependent person’s careless drinking behavior and the affection they feel for the problem drinker, then every other aspect of the alcohol abuse intervention will effectively be immaterial.

Even Effective Alcohol Interventions Can Fail In the Future

It also needs to be underscored that irrespective of the fact that the alcohol intervention can be viewed as productive in that it helped put the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual in a more “open” mentality and in truth helped the alcohol dependent individual or abusive drinker conclude that he or she required alcohol rehabilitation or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the plain fact that the intervention happened may result in bitterness, irritation, and mistrust down the road.

Everything considered, even when alcoholism interventions are seen as productive in the short term, in the long term, to the contrary, they may fail to go as planned and, as a result, may make the family and/or the alcohol dependent person’s circumstance even worse than it was before the alcohol dependency intervention was undertaken.

No matter how unwarranted or paradoxical this seems, try to keep in mind that it is merely one of the central alcohol facts that has to be dealt with when undertaking an alcohol intervention.

A Reason For Delight and Joy

Also keep in mind how thrilling and gratifying it can be when an alcoholism intervention is successful. Why? When an alcohol abuse intervention is successful, this means that the problem drinker realizes what he or she has been doing to those who care the most about him or her and is now willing and ready to get therapy and start on the road to recovery.