Alcohol Dependency, Enabling, and Alcohol Relapse
It is worthy of note to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcoholism of another family member evidently do not grasp. It appears that by shielding the alcohol dependent individual with untruths and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have essentially created a situation that makes it easier for the alcoholic to continue and advance with his or her injurious, destructive existence.
Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have involuntarily helped worsen the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even more.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent individual will continue drinking in a hazardous and irresponsible manner and go through a variety of “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include deteriorating relationships, considerable financial problems, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), employment difficulties, diminished mental functioning, and poor health.
Relapses Can and Do Happen
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol dependency issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has successfully gone through alcoholism rehabilitation and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation flies in the face of logical thinking and sounds so implausible that it forces an individual to speculate why anyone who has experienced the dreadfulness of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, to be sure, many rational reasons for this.
It should be explained, then again that alcoholism research that has centered on the long standing outcomes of alcoholism has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcoholic has discontinued his or her drinking, significant transformations in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain functions 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 transformations that have taken place in the brain is to begin drinking once again.
A Requirement for An Essential Lifestyle Modification
There are additional reasons why quite a few recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent person needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more competently with taxing alcohol-related situations that will take place.
Circumstances such as returning to the same alcohol addictive atmosphere or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the days when the alcohol dependent person was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring forth memories that can trigger psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in excessive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these circumstances may not only negate long-term alcohol recovery for the alcohol addicted person but they can also result in relapse and therefore short-circuit one’s sobriety.
The Good News: There’s a Lot of Hope for a Lasting Recovery
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent individual, family members can in fact cause inadvertent damage by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcoholic.
The alcohol abuse research literature confirms the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol rehab 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.
Happily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and education have resulted in more productive, long standing alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction treatment outcomes, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals accomplish long lasting alcohol recovery.
When Hazardous Drinking Leads to Serious Health Problems
For several years alcohol dependency research has demonstrated the fact that there is strong linkage between alcoholism and dangerous health conditions.
As an illustration, in 2005, scientific research and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. It can be stressed that this immense alcohol-related expenditure was significantly more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is relevant to give emphasis to these facts, it is also noteworthy to emphasize the point that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.
More to the point, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Definitely, substance abuse exploration has revealed that alcohol dependency can amplify the risk for various kinds of cancer, especially cancer of the voice box (larynx), esophagus, liver, rectum, colon, kidneys, and throat. Hazardous and recurring drinking can also lead to immune system issues and damage to the fetus during pregnancy.
Heavy and Hazardous Drinking Weakens the Drinker’s Organs and Systems
Furthermore, if alcohol addiction continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will likely be affected in a harmful manner. For instance, repeated, excessive drinking is especially harmful to the liver due to the fact that the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and destroys the ability of liver cells to reproduce. This medical circumstance leads to a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can at the end of the day lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a critical and potentially terminal medical problem.Heavy, long-term drinking not only can lead to serious liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this severe may be irreversible and may, in turn, lead to severe illness or an early death.
The Significance of Alcohol Therapy
It is important, therefore, to know how to recognize the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol rehab he or she requires.
Alcohol Addiction and Sophisticated Brain Research
Fortuitously, scientific examination is persistently generating innovative and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration provides an excellent illustration. Stated differently, for roughly the past ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning devices have shown that continuous and chronic irresponsible drinking alters the constitution of the brain to a significant extent, thereby resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perhaps as long as the person exists.
More accurately, medical examination has shown that individuals who have been drinking in an irresponsible manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing long-term and severe changes in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, to severe liver disease, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Hazardous Drinking, Malnutrition, and Mental Disorders
As a final illustration of assorted medical problems that are significantly correlated to alcoholism, take into account the fact that according to scientific investigation, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a medical problem that reduces the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
This form of organ failure is correlated with malnutrition and to a variety of serious mental and neurological syndromes including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is a lasting incapacitating medical condition that is typified by incessant memory and learning problems.
Summary
It is apparent that continued, abusive drinking is directly or indirectly linked to a variety of critical medical conditions that can and do lead to dangerous illness and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society so that most individuals will be able to refrain from excessive drinking while others who have a drinking problem will get the professional therapy they need.
A Thursday Night Out With Friends From School at a Local Bar and Grill Leads To Hazardous and Abusive Drinking and Symptoms of an Alcohol Overdose
When Janice was in high school, she had established a reputation as a person who studied much of the time and who rarely, if ever, let her hair down by drinking with her classmates. She seemed driven to “stand out” academically so that she would be able to secure a career that she not only liked but one that also gave her some security from a financial point of view.
After much thought, in time she came to a decision that she wanted to be a trial lawyer. In order to achieve this goal, nonetheless, she would first have to complete four years of undergrad education.
After Completing High School Janice Gets Accepted Into A Greatly Admired Undergrad University as Preparation For a Career as an Attorney
After Janice completed high school, she applied to and was accepted into a famous program in economics. Her logic for this decision was that this area of study would be good preparation for law school and wouldn’t be comparable to the majority of law school applicants who major in political science at the undergraduate level.
After graduating with a 3.75 GPA at the undergrad level, she applied to and was accepted at an esteemed law school at one of the Big East universities.
She was energized by her legal studies but occasionally she was flooded with all the work that had to be undertaken at law school. Reminiscent to the way she handled herself in her high school and undergraduate days, nevertheless, she made buddies quite easily but very infrequently got involved in social activities until the semester had ended.
After Being Elated With the Fact That She Had Done a Super Job on Her Exams, Janice Wanted to Let Her Hair Down and Do Something Besides School Work For a Change
Janice was the kind of individual who worked vigorously to complete what she was doing and then would take a couple of days off when she could. As is the case, nonetheless, virtually all of the things she did between terms or during her summer vacations did not involve drinking. Evidently, Janice was anything but a partygoer. Now that her finals for her second year in law school were finished and feeling proud of the fact that she had done extremely well on her exams, nonetheless, she wanted to let her hair down and do something besides school work for a change.
Drinking at a Local Watering Hole Leads to Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning, Calling The Emergency Number, and a Visit to An Alcohol Rehab Facility
So Janice and some of her classmates went to a local tavern where they had a few shots. As the hours went by, Janice persisted in drinking without having a care in the world about homework the next day. Indeed, Janice told her friends how thrilled she was to ”get down” and drink with her friends.
As the evening went by, Janice and her buddies continued to drink. Indeed, she was having such a magnificent time that she didn’t want the night to come to an end. It was almost like she was making up for lost time and trying to pack a year’s worth of fun and enjoyment into a single evening. Such a “game plan,” it needs to be stressed, seldom works. As a matter of fact, when Janice went to the lady’s room and threw up, her pals started to feel uneasy about her health.
Around thirty minutes later when Janice started to talk in a confused manner, slur her speech, and then fall unconscious, in spite of this, her friends instantly knew that they needed to call the emergency number and ask for medical assistance because they believed that Janice was exhibiting alcohol poisoning symptoms.
Once Janice was in the hospital, the presiding emergency room doctor validated what her pals had thought, to be precise, that Janice drank substantially more alcohol than her body could metabolize and, as a result, she suffered from an alcohol overdose.
After the medical team pumped her stomach until no gastric contents were visible, Janice was placed in the recovery room. After staying about two hours in recovery, Janice was then wheeled to one of the regular hospital rooms. Fortunately, the most precarious part of her hospitalization was over and all of her vital signs were back to normal.
In response to Janice’s situation, her pals attentively phoned her Mother and Father. As a result, early the next morning, her Mother and Father and her best buddies went to the hospital to visit Janice and look into her medical condition.
Janice Comes an Inch From Losing Her Life, is Grateful to be Alive, and Promises to Never Again Drink in an Irresponsible and Excessive Manner
Janice was conscious of the fact that she came close to dying and, as a consequence, was thankful to be alive. Her Mother and Father knew how relentlessly she worked in graduate school and how little she permitted herself to socialize with her classmates. Nevertheless, they also knew that Janice needed to avoid abusive drinking.
As a consequence, they recommended that down the road, whenever a drinking occasion presents itself, that she always drink in moderation. Janice was of the same opinion and promised her parents and her friends that she would never again drink in an irresponsible and excessive manner. In Janice’s own words, “I never had a clue that I would become one of the alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics in the local city newspaper. I now grasp the fact that excessive and hazardous drinking is not for me. I proclaim that this will never happen again.”
Fortunately, Janice was not only “school smart” but she also possessed common sense. Stated more explicitly, she instantaneously knew that she had made a mistake and made up her mind that she would never make the same error in judgment again. If truth be told, she now grasped the fact that she had involved herself in “binge drinking” and that even one instance of this kind of abusive drinking can end in death.
What I Learned About Alcohol and Drug Addiction in High School
When I was a sophomore in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that time period, I did not understand that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub classification of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and above all about alcohol side effects, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for individuals all through the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are repeatedly available to people who engage in hazardous drinking.
Damaging Results That are Related to Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the detrimental effects associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly worried me. The ruined lives and abundant problems experienced by most alcohol addicted people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the disaster and devastation that alcohol addicted individuals almost always go through.
Let this sink in for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What young person wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What adolescent wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related problems before he or she becomes an adult?
What adolescent wants to go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause problems in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after a person has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that revolves around hazardous drinking?
These issues were so important that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was completely astonishing to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the detrimental results of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with the truth and how these consequences can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to figure out a saying that my grandfather used to say to me throughout my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
It’s Beneficial, Important, and Liberating to Keep Away From the Damaging and Unhealthy Effects of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
And even at my young age, I also began to comprehend how liberating, important, and beneficial it is in life to keep yourself from the unhealthy and damaging effects of drug and alcohol abuse.
A Young Man Makes an Appointment to See His Family Physician About His Drinking Problems and His Depression
Denny is a fifteen-year-old teenager who has decided to go and see his family doctor about his abusive and hazardous drinking. At first, Denny thought he would be able to essentially go on the Internet, look for some straightforward alcohol info and decide whether or not he was addicted to alcohol.
Not unexpectedly, he discovered more than a few websites that specified some of the well-known alcoholism symptoms. That’s the positive news. The bad news, sadly, was that Denny manifested a host of these alcoholism symptoms.
Illustrations of Alcohol Addiction Symptoms
As a case in point, Denny has been drinking significantly more than usual and he has begun to have more highly charged squabbles with his girlfriend. In the same way, for the first time in his life he has been suffering through sleeping problems. If this wasn’t enough, Denny frequently has felt depressed and on a growing basis he has been displaying less than usual concentration while at school. What is more, he has felt highly stressed and more anxious on a regular basis and for the past five or six months he has shown evidence of unclear thinking at school. Since Denny has been exhibiting all of these symptoms, he was understandably apprehensive about his abusive and hazardous drinking.
So Denny decided to make a phone call to his physician and schedule an appointment. Actually, this was rough for Denny because his doctor was also his parents’ physician. The source of his anxiety was this: at the risk of embarrassing his family, he had to go and expose his careless and abusive drinking behavior to his family physician.
When Denny arrived at the doctor’s office, he truthfully notified the physician about the trepidation he has about his irresponsible drinking behavior. When the family physician asked what was setting off this fear, Denny affirmed that he had gone on the Internet and read about dependency on alcohol and especially about alcohol dependency symptoms. He then outlined all of the alcohol addiction symptoms that he without a doubt thought he possesses.
A Complete Physical Assessment and Outpatient Alcohol Treatment
The family physician informed Denny that it was intelligent of him to address his drinking difficulties, he gave Denny an exhaustive physical assessment, and recommended that he talk to his Mom and Dad about entering into an out-patient alcohol rehab center that was supervised by Doctor Berger, one of his doctor colleagues who is an alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency specialist.
What is more, when Denny said that he has been feeling a sense of despair to a greater degree, the family physician informed Denny that alcoholism and depression on a fairly regular basis occur in the same person. For that reason, the healthcare practitioner also suggested that Denny talk to his parents about obtaining counseling to tackle his sense of despair. In fact, Denny can go to the local mental health center and make an appointment with Doctor Arndt, an eminent clinical psychologist who specializes in treating teenagers.
The Significance of Coming To Grips With Your Drinking Problems and Getting Encouraged About Making Healthy and Positive Changes in Your Life
The family doctor made it a point to inform Denny that he might not necessarily be alcohol dependent, but that he was certainly drinking in a careless manner. In other words, Denny was engaging in teen alcohol abuse. The doctor then told Denny that the reason he suggested alcohol rehabilitation in the first place was because he wanted him to come to terms with his drinking issues, make sure that he prevented them from intensifying, and start to live in a more healthy manner, even if it meant that he had to completely stop drinking.
To put it briefly, by effectively treating his drinking difficulties, Denny would be able to get his drinking issues under control and stop the negative sequence of events that could in all probability lead to alcohol dependency.
Denny undeniably did not look forward to facing his parents about his hazardous drinking and his depression. And he surely did not want to face the thought of getting registered into an alcohol treatment facility. And finally, he was not ecstatic about going to a psychologist about his excessive sadness. In the face of these anxieties, then again, Denny in fact experienced some emotional relief for the first time in quite a few months because in the end he quit making excuses for himself and finally determined that he needed to do something positive about his excessive and careless drinking.
A Ninth Grader Suffers From An Alcohol Overdose
Jeffrey was a high school ninth grader who commonly seemed to be living on the edge. Jeffrey had an adventurous personality and as a rule wanted to do what his older brothers were doing for fun. The underlying holdup with this was that all three of his brothers were at least 21 years old and were as a result able from a legal vantage point to operate a car and to consume alcohol.
Jeffrey, on the other hand, had a tough time accepting the truth that as a fifteen-year-old youth he should not be drinking. In fact, then again, Jeffrey commonly drank with his guy friends after school, especially on the weekends.
One weekend, Jeffrey decided to drive around with some of his older guy friends. One of his pals was old enough to purchase alcohol. After buying some wine coolers, beer, and wine, Jeffrey and all of his buddies went to a public recreational area and drank for around two hours.
A Young Man Loses Consciousness
After drinking approximately ten glasses of wine, Jeffrey started to feel woozy and then threw up. When he became unconscious on the baseball field, one of his friends called 911 for immediate assistance. It was fortunate that the call for emergency help was made because when his guy friends went to the hospital to see Jeffrey, they learned that Jeffrey had been manifesting alcohol poisoning symptoms. Stated briefly, Jeffrey had experienced a case of alcohol poisoning.
When Your Pals Drink Excessively
Jeffrey had learned that drinking in a hazardous manner can lead to an alcohol overdose but he never thought that this could ever affect him. After all, some of his guy friends time after time stated that they could drink twenty four or more bottles of beer at one sitting without feeling any serious difficulties.
Armed with this information, Jeffrey was frankly taken aback to hear that he had overdosed on alcohol because he “only” had more or less ten drinks. When he stated this to the attending physicain at the hospital, however, the doctor notified Jeffrey that drinking ten glasses of wine over a two or three hour time frame could in reality be quite a bit more alcohol than can be processed by the body. The doctor further expressed how significant amounts of alcohol can cause the brain to shut down an individual’s respiratory system and that when this transpires, a person can pass away.
The First Warning of Hazardous Drinking
This was the first warning to Jeffrey that he was drinking in a harmful manner and that there is a price tag for such behavior. The healthcare practitioner told Jeffrey that he was a fortunate young man because he almost lost his life from an alcohol overdose the previous night.
The doctor also talked to Jeffrey’s parents and suggested that they get alcohol treatment for Jeffrey. His parents were relieved that Jeffrey was safe and informed the physicain that they would look into getting Jeffrey alcohol therapy.
While conversing with his parents, Jeffrey informed them that there must be a solid reason why he did not expire and that he felt thankful that he was still alive. He also informed his parents that the weirdest part about the entire drinking situation was that he had learned about alcohol poisoning the previous six week grading period in Mr. Franklin’s health class.
When Learning Something in Class Can Make a Difference
At the time, what his health instructor, Mr. Franklin, was teaching didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to Jeffrey. Since he almost died, however, he felt that he should have listened more closely in class and applied what he had learned to his life.
Jeffrey informed his parents that he couldn’t wait to go back to the classroom and express regret to Mr. Franklin for not demonstrating more attention to a topic that was as pertinent as learning about alcohol abuse and how to keep away from alcohol poisoning.
His parents smiled at Jeffrey and said that they were overjoyed with the way he was being accountable for his unsafe actions. All he had to do now was to let this near-death experience affect his life in a positive manner so that he would never again experience a case of alcohol poisoning.
A Health Teacher in the Largest Parochial High School in the Local Community Teaches Her Students About the Significance of Alcohol Addiction Signs
Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most financially challenged co-ed high school in the state. Even though she had been teaching for only two or three years, she had already gained a reputation as a teacher with instructional techniques that inspired and stimulated the pupils in her class to learn and to think.
For example, one Friday morning at 10:00 she addressed the pupils in her class and stated the following: “For the next few days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging standpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the best known signs of alcoholism from a less general and more explicit viewpoint.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will beyond doubt demonstrate that someone with a drinking problem is an alcoholic, but the more signs that a drinker displays, the stronger the probability that he or she is a person who is alcohol dependent.”
Miss Benning then told the class that each person would be accountable for studying two alcohol addiction signs and then presenting his or her results to the class via a thirty minute oral presentation.
The Students are Energized About Giving An In-Depth Presentation to Their Fellow Classmates About Alcohol Dependency Signs
After learning about the different signs of alcohol dependency for a number of days, the time had come for the oral presentations. It was immediately clear to see that her pupils were thrilled about the topic because the information that they presented was first class. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the eagerness displayed by the pupils in her classroom regarding this subject could not be overstated.
The day after all of the pupils completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were presented and discussed in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked her pupils to study the list and rank the top ten alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After approximately twenty minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and told her pupils that after she goes over the results, she will discuss her findings the next school day.
There was a real buzz by the students while they were exiting Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to come so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.
The Students Match Their Results Against the Assessments From A Council of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Authorities
When the next school day finally arrived, Miss Benning gave out a sheet of paper that listed the top three alcoholism signs according to the pupils’ rankings. Next to these results, she included another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then told the students in her classroom that the numbers in the additional column she added signified the conclusions that were stated by a group of chemical dependency specialists.
Miss Benning told the students in her class to look over the information on the piece of paper she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, questions, or concerns. Within a minute or two, just about everyone in the classroom raised his or her hand. It was noticeable that the pupils had some issues, concerns, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the authorities. As an illustration, almost every person in the class disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, namely, “Do you feel very sick when you quit drinking?”
The Essential Difference Between Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse is the Physical Dependency That is Experienced With Alcohol Addiction and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her class why this answer was the most unambiguous sign of alcoholism. She underscored the fact that the basic difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcoholism and not with alcohol abuse.
In effect this means that when an individual who is alcohol dependent all of a sudden quits drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then told the pupils in her classroom that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the deficiency of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated differently, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling a person who is addicted to alcohol that something is exceedingly wrong and needs to be rectified. These messages consist of a number of dangerous, painful, and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that can possibly lead to a fatality if the appropriate treatment is not promptly received.
Miss Benning then listed the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly quits drinking.
The fact that Miss Benning tried to emphasize 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 articulate this as precisely as possible, Miss Benning underscored the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike alcoholics, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they quit drinking, they almost never suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Students Feel They Have Discovered An Abnormality With the Findings From The Council of Alcohol Dependency Authorities
The students also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the alcohol dependency authorities, namely, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?”
Miss Benning informed the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not inevitably denote that the problem is alcohol addiction, but that it does point to the need that individuals who are addicted to alcohol have to drink in order to steer clear of alcohol withdrawals.
After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the person who is alcohol dependent, the students started to understand the key difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.
To add a sense of closure to the topic, Miss Benning asked the students in her class to take out a piece of paper and answer the following question: “if every person who is addicted to alcohol knew about every one of the alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcohol addiction treatment?”
After approximately three or four minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ responses. While many pupils figured that roughly 70 to 80 percent of people who are alcohol dependent would seek alcohol dependency rehabilitation if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol addiction signs, most of the students figured that this number would not be less than 55 percent.
The Pupils Were Astonished to Find Out That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent People in the United States Obtain Alcohol Dependency Treatment
To the amazement of most of the pupils, Miss Benning acknowledged that according to various scientific examinations, only 25% of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol in the United States get alcohol addiction treatment. This surprised most of the pupils because they figured that first-hand knowledge of the gruesome facts and statistics linked to alcohol addiction would motivate the majority of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol to obtain alcohol addiction rehab.
Miss Benning then stated that individuals who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol on an everyday basis so they can avoid possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Clearly, the alcohol dependent individual’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than facts or logic. As a matter of fact, because the need for alcohol is “reality” to the individual who is alcohol dependent, this is very hard to counteract.
A few minutes later the bell rang, meaning that the end of class had arrived. Based on the excitement manifested by the students when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning realized that she had inspired and encouraged her pupils to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our culture.
A Twenty-Four Year Old Bouncer at A Private Bar and Grill Discovers Why Alcohol Poisoning Signs and Symptoms are So Significant and How They Can Save An Individual’s Life
Just a few days ago, Frank applied for a job as a bouncer at one of the local clubs. He had studied aikido, judo, karate, ninjitsu, and gatka for two years; he was a body builder; he took daily minerals, vitamins, and supplements; he was into health foods and healthy eating; and he seemed like a natural for such a position. As a matter of fact, since he was concerned about his health, he started drinking in moderation about two years ago and then totally quit drinking alcohol approximately fifteen months ago.
When Frank received the word that he had been picked for the job, he was especially delighted. Since this was an elite disco, nevertheless, he had to go through a four week training class.
Drinkers At Clubs Who Drink Excessively and Alcohol Overdose Symptoms and Signs
On the first day of class, the teacher started talking about drinkers who drink in a hazardous manner and what the bartenders, bouncers, and barmaids should do when this condition arises. When the lecturer started talking about alcohol poisoning, Frank was pleased to find out that all of the new employees had to learn about alcohol poisoning and what they should do when they witnessed a drinker who was showing evidence of alcohol poisoning symptoms or displaying the signs of alcohol poisoning.
More explicitly, all the new bouncers, barmaids, and bartenders learned that nausea and vomiting were almost without exception the first signs of alcohol poisoning and that unconsciousness was in all probability the most highly obvious alcohol poisoning sign or symptom. The trainer also made it a point to accentuate the fact that alcohol poisoning symptoms were messages from the body and from the brain that the drinker has consumed more alcohol than his or her body can process.
There were, nevertheless, more than a few other symptoms and signs of alcohol poisoning that all the new bartenders, barmaids, and bouncers were taught to be conversant with. For example, the members of the class were made aware that individuals who experience alcohol poisoning often have seizures, are difficult to awaken, exhibit poor reflex responses, and they exhibit confusion.
Additionally, the members of the class discovered that many people who suffer from alcohol poisoning also manifest slow, shallow or irregular breathing; blue tinged or pale skin; slurred speech; and little response from painful stimuli, for instance from pinching.
Additionally, drinkers who suffer from alcohol poisoning habitually display erratic behavior, they usually feel very ill and exhibit excessive vomiting, often pass out, and they exhibit an inability to make eye contact or sustain a conversation.
An Instructor Spells Out Why Alcohol Poisoning is Not Necessarily Experienced Only by People Who Are Alcohol Dependent
The lecturer then explained that alcohol poisoning is not necessarily experienced only by people who are alcohol dependent.
More specifically, the instructor told the members of the class that most instances of alcohol poisoning were most likely experienced by alcohol abusers and that a specific form of alcohol abuse known as “binge drinking” was in all probability the main precipitating factor in most situations involving alcohol poisoning. The instructor then defined binge drinking as follows: drinking five or more alcoholic beverages at one sitting for males and consuming four or more alcoholic drinks at one sitting for females.
To exemplify the impact that binge drinking has on alcohol poisoning, the instructor told the students in the class that a drinker who gets inebriated just once on an annual basis, is by definition engaging in abusive drinking, is almost certainly not alcohol addicted, but is in all likelihood engaging in binge drinking. As expressed by the lecturer, engaging in binge drinking even once, regrettably, can result in alcohol poisoning that in some circumstances can be deadly.
The Instructor Spells Out Why Letting An Individual With Alcohol Poisoning Sleep is Not The Correct Course of Action
One of the members of the class raised his hand and asked the instructor if it is a good idea to let a person with alcohol poisoning “sleep it off.” The teacher commented that letting an individual with alcohol poisoning sleep is exactly what should not be done because doing so places the drinker at risk due to the fact that he or she is no longer being observed. Moreover, letting the person go to sleep when she or he experiences alcohol poisoning is an erroneous response because the individual may never awaken.
The instructor then informed the class that the most fitting response for alcohol poisoning is the following: if it is suspected that a drinker has alcohol poisoning, call 911 and ask for emergency medical assistance, even if the individual is underage. By pursuing this course of action, the individual will get the prompt alcohol poisoning treatment he or she requires.
Conclusion
After learning about alcohol poisoning and especially about the symptoms and signs of alcohol poisoning, it may be pointed out, Frank understood that he had learned some essential information that might save a person’s life in the distant future. Without a doubt, Frank learned that knowledge of the mainstream alcohol poisoning symptoms and signs and knowing how to properly and quickly react to such signs and symptoms (by immediately calling 911 and asking for urgent medical assistance) can help a person avoid a lethal case of alcohol poisoning.
The Fundamental Components in A Successful Alcohol Addiction Intervention
What are the significant elements in a fruitful alcohol intervention? Why do some alcoholism interventions work while others fail?
The Need for a Distinguished Reputation of Intervention Success
Scientific inquiry reveals that an effective alcohol dependency intervention needs to be supervised by an intervention expert who has an acclaimed reputation of intervention achievement.
Fundamentally this means that instead of making a choice for a “normal” addiction counselor or psychologist for an addiction intervention, the individual who is decided upon to administer the intervention needs to be educated in alcohol dependency intervention procedures and needs to have a record of “winning” alcoholism interventions.
A Few Basic Illustrations of The Best Time For an Alcoholism Intervention
Scientific investigation and alcoholism facts about interventions has also displayed that the most advantageous time for an alcoholism intervention is following an important occasion in the life of the alcohol dependent person or hazardous drinker. The following represents a few examples of these types of noteworthy events:
- The alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker has been caught stealing something of value.
- The alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person has been caught lying about something of substance.
- The alcohol dependent individual or abusive drinker has been locked up for a DWI or DUI.
In situations like these, the alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser is more likely to be regretful or to feel guilty, thereby making him or her more willing to get the professional alcohol rehabilitation that is necessary.
At this point in time, moreover, it is also important to draw attention to the fact that the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual needs to be free of alcohol during the alcohol intervention. In a nutshell, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual is drunk during an alcoholism intervention, failure is effectively assured.
Additionally, scientific investigation has also revealed the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person has to at least try to listen to what is communicated in an alcohol intervention. That is, during an alcohol abuse intervention, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual needs to listen to what his or her drinking problems have done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Significance of Alcohol Rehab For the Abusive Drinker
And lastly, scientific study reveals that the main reason for an alcohol abuse intervention in the first place is to convince the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person to get the quality alcoholism rehabilitation that is necessary. In other words, even if the individual who directs the intervention has a wonderful track record of productive interventions and even if the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual openly listens to every single word that is stated for the duration of an intervention, if the abusive drinker or alcohol-dependent person is not encouraged to get quality alcohol dependency therapy after the alcohol addiction intervention, then the intervention will be a debacle.
Obviously all of these factors are needed for a fruitful alcohol dependency intervention. If, nevertheless, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual is not motivated to get alcohol abuse treatment after listening to his or her family members articulate the hurt, anger, and displeasure they feel about the alcohol abuser’s or alcohol addicted individual’s irresponsible drinking behavior and the affection they feel for the problem drinker, then every other facet of the alcohol abuse intervention will basically be irrelevant.
Even Fruitful Alcohol Addiction Interventions Can Fail Down the Road
It also needs to be noted that notwithstanding the fact that the alcoholism intervention can be perceived as productive in that it helped put the abusive drinker or alcohol-dependent person in a more receptive framework and genuinely helped the alcohol-dependent person or hazardous drinker deduce that he or she required alcohol therapy or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple fact that the intervention took place may lead to resentment, anger, and mistrust down the road.
When all’s said and done, even when alcoholism interventions are seen as successful in the short run, in the long term, conversely, they may fail to go as planned and, hence, may make the family and/or the problem drinker’s situation even poorer than it was before the alcohol abuse intervention occurred.
No matter how unwarranted or ironic this seems, try to keep in mind that it is basically one of the key alcohol facts that has to be faced when undertaking an alcohol intervention.
Do You Have A Problem With Your Drinking?
How do you recognize that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it evident that you are engaging in excessive drinking?
If you have hopelessly attempted to discontinue your drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are behind you and then you recognized that you were drinking excessively just a few days later, the odds are exceedingly good that you have drinking problems. The major point of emphasis is that if you have tried to quit drinking and cannot bring this about, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around.
In a similar manner, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to become aware that you have a drinking problem.
You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can lessen your apprehension or get rid of the hurt that you feel. In much the same way, you may be trying to avoid an injurious circumstance and may be looking for something more beneficial, more positive, or less regretful.
As you keep on drinking, however, you will become aware that drinking does not bring forth the same high and you will also become aware that drinking doesn’t help remove whatever produced your sorrow in the first place.
As you continue to drink, regrettably, you may become an alcoholic and, as a consequence, you may add another pivotal problem to cope with rather than becoming aware of more effective and healthy ways of coping with your alcohol generated problems.
The Necessity for an Alcohol Evaluation
If you have figured out that you have a problem with your drinking, maybe the most practical thing you can do for yourself is to call your physician or healthcare practitioner and schedule an appointment for a thorough physical and for an assessment of your drinking behavior.
If you truly think that you have a crucial drinking problem, it might be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol therapy.
At this point in your life, what are your choices? You can certainly refuse to see your health care practitioner and persevere with your pattern of abusive drinking.
It certainly doesn’t take a genius, nevertheless, to comprehend that repeated, abusive drinking, if left untreated, will get worse over time and in all probability result an early death. Therefore, your most expedient choice is to confront your drinking circumstance and obtain the alcohol rehabilitation you need.
The Deception of the Functioning Alcoholic
It is almost counter intuitive to note the fact that several alcohol addicted people lead busy and active lives and have jobs, vehicles, pets, families, houses, and any number of material possessions similar to people who are not alcohol dependent.
Many of these “functional” alcohol dependent individuals may have never been cited for drunk driving and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol induced legal issues. In spite of this fortunate circumstance, then again, these alcoholics need to drink in order to operate on a daily basis while upholding their facade as they interact with the outside world.
Ask anyone who has seen them when they are engaging in one of their drinking binges or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, nevertheless, and they will be quick to articulate the validity of the drinker’s situation and the details about the alcohol dependent person’s drinking condition and about his or her alcohol generated problems.
Why Do Alcohol Dependent Individuals Fail to Focus On Their Drinking Difficulties?
As alcohol dependency research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underlined, no matter how apparent the alcohol-related issues seem to those who interact with the alcoholic, alcohol dependent people often deny that drinking is the source of their alcohol generated predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol dependent people frequently blame their alcohol-related difficulties on other people or upon other situations around them instead of seeing their part in the issue.
The root of the difficulty is that alcohol dependency is a disease of the brain. Once the person has become addicted to alcohol, he or she characteristically resorts to denial, manipulation, and deceit as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make things more problematic, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms commonly counteracts the alcohol dependent individual’s rare attempts to abruptly quit drinking. As miserable as the alcohol dependent person’s existence is, nevertheless, the positive news is that competent help is usually available – if the alcohol addicted individual reaches out and tries to get alcoholism treatment.
Summary
Owning up to the fact that drinking is triggering problems in your day by day functioning is conceivably the easiest way to find out if you have a drinking problem. Stated another way, if your drinking is bringing about problems 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 problem with your drinking, additionally, this means that you are involving yourself in excessive drinking.
While some people may be able to come to grips with their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and significantly reduce the quantity and occurrence of their drinking, other drinkers, conversely, need to manage their drinking difficulties by getting quality alcoholism counseling. Additionally, due to their propensity to deny the facts and alter the truth, alcoholics positively need quality alcoholism therapy for their hazardous drinking.