Barry used to boast to his buddies how he could stay employed at a fulltime job and get inebriated nearly every night. Unfortunately, after involving himself in this “party” lifestyle for approximately six years, he began to manifest numerous alcohol related problems.

Barry Starts to Notice Numerous Alcohol Related Difficulties

As an illustration, he had a very hard time getting up for work because he felt so little energy when he awoke. Not only this, but most mornings Barry suffered from a dreadful hangover. In a word, the combination of his lack of energy and his hangovers did not make it easy for him to get up and feel motivated to go to work. To make things worse, he just received his third driving under the influence citation in the past six months.

To further complicate things, at work his last two performance appraisals were less than adequate. And lastly, his relationship with his girlfriend had declined due to his depression, lack of patience, angry outbursts, and his financial difficulties.

Although Barry was only twenty six years old, he frankly started to look like he was in his mid thirties. Sadly, this is what hazardous and abusive drinking can do to an individual. And in truth he comprehended that he was experiencing the adverse consequences of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency and that he was too young to give up his life to unhealthy and abusive drinking. So initially he tried to drink in moderation. Sadly, he soon comprehended the fact that he lost all control after drinking his first alcoholic beverage. Stated in a slightly different way, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get intoxicated. Due to the fact that this was an incident that was repeated every single time he drank, this greatly concerned him. In truth, he began to wonder if he was manifesting some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Barry Decides Schedule an Appointment to See His Healthcare Practitioner

After talking about his excessive alcohol drinking and his careless and abusive drinking with his girlfriend, he finally made up his mind to schedule an appointment to see his family doctor. When Barry saw his physician, he genuinely stated that he has been drinking in an excessive manner, that he may be exhibiting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to stop drinking. He then confirmed that drinking responsibly and in moderation doesn’t work well for him and, as a result, he wants to learn how he can create an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Barry also told his healthcare professional about his depression and how this mental health problem was negatively influencing his relationship with his lady friend. His doctor referred Barry to Doctor Sola, an alcohol and drug addiction therapist, who motivated Barry to enter into a drug and alcohol treatment clinic as an in-patient for alcohol detoxification and alcohol rehabilitation. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get treatment for his depression at this treatment clinic.

Getting and Staying Sober Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made

After five months of comprehensive rehabilitation, Barry left the in-patient rehab center and continued his recovery via outpatient counseling and via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Encouraged to change his life in a more positive way, Barry bought some vitamins at a health store and a cookbook. He then joined a fitness center and began working out three or four times per week. Within four months Barry was a new person. He wasn’t depressed anymore, he was in shape, he was eating nutritious meals, he now looked younger than he was, and most important of all, he remained sober for numerous months. He also became more patient, he didn’t resort to angry outbursts, and he became a more caring individual in his relationship with his girlfriend. In a word, quitting drinking was the best decision Barry had ever made.

For the past eighteen years Jenny has been a nurse practitioner at a large public hospital. What is more, she has also been teaching Sunday school at the local Congregational Church. Despite the fact that she lived in a small rural town where it seemed like every person knew everyone’s business, almost nothing was known about Jenny. Without a doubt almost every person in town knew that she had worked several years as a nurse practitioner and that she taught Sunday school for as long as she was a resident of their small community. Besides that, however, it almost seemed as if Jenny was simply a visitor in their town.

You can visualize the excitement that took place when it was learned that one Sunday morning Jenny had lost consciousness because of inebriation. Indeed, the article in the local weekly newspaper claimed that Jenny not only became unconscious, but that she also was arrested for driving under the influence because her blood alcohol concentration was considerably higher than the legal limit for drunk driving. This is evidently one of the alcohol effects on the body that no Sunday school teacher wants to have announced to the whole town. But this is precisely what occurred, much to the disappointment of Jenny.

Jenny Gets Quite Saddened About Her Arrest For Driving While Inebriated

It almost goes without saying that Jenny was quite letdown about her arrest for driving while intoxicated. Not only should she have known better about driving while inebriated because of her nursing profession, but she also should have held herself accountable to a more lofty benchmark because of the simple fact that she taught Sunday school.

After her arrest for driving while under the influence, Jenny thought about moving out of town so that she would not have to feel dismayed about her arrest and also so she wouldn’t have to explain her actions for the five hundred thousandth time to the people in town. After speaking with her reverend, nonetheless, she finally determined that she would get alcohol therapy at a local alcohol rehabilitation hospital. She did this for two basic reasons. First, it was relatively easy for her to drive to a local counseling clinic. And second, she frankly wanted the message to get circulated among all the people in town that she was truly addressing her excessive and hazardous drinking.

Jenny Goes Through Alcohol Detox and Gets a Complete Physical Exam

After Jenny went through alcohol detox, she was completely examined by a doctor at the drug and alcohol rehab hospital. She then underwent several laboratory procedures where it was ascertained that she was not addicted to alcohol but instead was involving herself in abusive and irresponsible drinking. In short Jenny was engaging in long term alcohol abuse.

Jenny was provided with the choice of getting registered as an in-patient or getting alcohol rehab as an outpatient. Jenny, nevertheless, thought that she could still work as a registered nurse and continue with her Sunday school teaching position if she were to be registered as an out-patient and this is exactly what she did.

According to her rehabilitation protocol, Jenny went to two sessions every four weeks, she learned quite a bit about alcohol info, she worked on her out-of-class “assignments,” and she discovered how to do things in life without having the need for drinking.

After ten weeks, Jenny thought that her abusive drinking was under control and so she got released from the rehab hospital under the stipulation that she would return for a refresher course once every three months for the next twelve months. Jenny agreed and followed through on her “word.”

Jenny Finally Determines to Abstain From Any and All Drinking Circumstances and Discovers That Her Positive Attitude About Herself Grows

After she went through her rehab Jenny reasoned that she would be able to drink in moderation. After thinking about things more completely, nevertheless, she arrived at a decision that she would completely refrain from any and all drinking circumstances.

When Jenny made this decision, she found out that her self esteem became more augmented the more she was in command of her life. And as her self-worth became more established, it appeared that she became more extroverted and began attending more community events 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 Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking, Comes to a Decision To Do Something Affirmative About It, and Reaffirms Her Faith

As the years went by, the people in the town manifested more fondness for Jenny because she was involving herself with them more regularly and also because she faced her excessive and abusive drinking and made up her mind to do something beneficial about it. It may have been her imagination, but it also appeared that her Sunday school students displayed more affection and respect for her.

Jenny is a living illustration of someone who had a serious problem and who did something productive about it. She is also an individual who learned that her religious faith is not only something that is intrinsic, but that it is also something that affects the way in which an individual cooperates and works with other people.

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that time, I did not realize that alcohol abuse actually was a sub category of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and particularly 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 people throughout the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehabilitation and the diverse alcohol rehab clinics that are repeatedly available to individuals who engage in excessive drinking.

Detrimental End Results That are Linked to Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the detrimental effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably worried me. The ruined lives and many serious issues experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the damage and ruination that alcohol addicted individuals almost always encounter.

Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old person wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What teenager wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that ingesting 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 issues before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What adolescent wants to experience alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would an individual engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause difficulties 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 an adolescent want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on abusive drinking?

These issues were so significant that I discussed some of them in class during the school year. What was utterly amazing to me was the number of students who simply didn’t care about the dangerous consequences of hazardous drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about the facts and how these effects can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to grasp a saying that my grandfather used to tell me all through my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

It’s Liberating, Beneficial, and Important to Stay Away From the Damaging and Unhealthy Results of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how important, energizing, and beneficial it is in life to keep away from the unhealthy and debilitating effects of drug and alcohol abuse.

Jennifer is a forty-one-year-old legal assistant who has been drinking in a hazardous manner since she and her live-in boyfriend decided to break off their relationship. In actual fact, for the past four months she has been drinking nearly two bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking several mixed drinks all the way through the day. In a word, Jennifer has been drinking so hazardously and excessively that it’s a miracle that she hasn’t suffered from alcohol poisoning.

After feeling depressed because she was beginning to disregard her health, Jennifer at last told herself that she’s had enough, that it’s time to quit feeling sorry for herself, that it’s time to stop the hazardous and irresponsible drinking, and time to make a new start with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 8:00 AM, she made up her mind to stop drinking completely and suddenly without planning or preparation.

When She Attempted to Quit Drinking She Felt Horrific, Her Head Was Pounding, She Started to Perspire Profusely, She Had Absolutely No Appetite, She Vomited Numerous Times, and She Was Extremely Moody and Stressed Out

When Jennifer stopped drinking, she thought that she would most likely be tempted to sneak a few drinks, but she never visualized that she would feel so dreadful. More to the point, just about an hour after she stopped drinking, her head was aching, she was extremely moody and restless, she had utterly no appetite, she started to sweat extensively, and she vomited several times.

When she called her best friend and told her that she had quit drinking and that after a couple of hours she suddenly began having flu-like symptoms, Julia, her best buddy, told Jennifer to call her medical doctor and go over what was transpiring.

She Admits to Her Healthcare Professional That She Has Been Drinking In an Excessive and Hazardous Manner, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Going Through Nasty Flu-Like Symptoms

So Jennifer called her medical practitioner, informed him that she has been drinking in an excessive and irresponsible manner for many months and that when she attempted to abruptly quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the nastiest flu-like symptoms that she had ever experienced.

Her family doctor told her that she may be experiencing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have a neighbor or relative drive her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.

As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a family member to drive her to the hospital. Interestingly, as sick as Jennifer was, all she could think about all the way to the hospital was whether or not she might be an alcoholic.

It appears that her healthcare professional had called ahead and told the emergency room treatment team to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two emergency room workers who immediately asked her to get in the wheelchair they had with them. After getting transported to the emergency room and undergoing a couple of necessary tests, it was validated that Jennifer was in truth going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detoxification.

An emergency room doctor gave her some meds to lessen the intensity of her flu-like symptoms and also administered some medications to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her circulation system.

A Drug and Alcohol Abuse Doctor Clearly Explains That She is an Alcoholic and Then Clearly Explains What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Dependency Stages Are

After a couple of hours, Jennifer was taken from the ER and wheeled to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for about three-and-a-half hours, Doctor Manning, a drug and alcohol addiction specialist, came to talk to her. He took his time and explained that Jennifer had suffered through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking due to the fact that she had become addicted to alcohol.

He then explained that with heavy drinking on a daily basis, the individual’s brain little by little adapts to the alcohol in order to execute tasks and operations in a “normal” way. When the individual then suddenly abstains from ingesting alcohol, however, the brain responds by producing alcohol withdrawal symptoms. In addition, her doctor also discussed the various alcoholism stages that an individual who is alcohol dependent almost always suffers through as the disease gets progressively worse over time.

It is Verified that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcoholism and She Obtains a Good Forecast For a Total Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Addiction Therapy She Requires

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was verified that she was in the first stage of alcoholism and, consequently, she got a favorable forecast for a full recovery if she gets the alcohol therapy she requires.

Jennifer told the healthcare professional that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to reclaim her health and her life. She also stated that she has an exceptional hospitalization policy that will probably pay for most of the costs required for rehab. It was apparent that Jennifer was very happy with her positive prognosis and felt at peace knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol treatment she requires so that she can begin the road to recovery.

How do you identify the fact that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it evident that you are engaging in alcohol abuse?

If you have ineffectively tried to quit drinking or if you promised yourself that your drinking days are gone and then you were made aware that you were drinking abusively just a few days later, the probability is extremely good that you have a drinking problem. The point to highlight is that if you have tried to terminate your drinking and cannot complete the task, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.

In much the same way, if it takes larger amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” you probably need to become aware that you have a problem with your drinking.

You may be telling yourself that the reason for your drinking is so that you can reduce your apprehension or get rid of the distress that you feel. In a similar manner, you may be trying to steer clear of a hurtful situation and may be looking for something more useful, more constructive, or less mournful.

As you keep on drinking, nevertheless, you will realize that drinking does not result in the same high and you will also grasp the fact that drinking doesn’t help eliminate whatever led to your sorrow in the first place.

As you continue to drink in a hazardous way, sadly, you may become alcohol dependent and, as a consequence, you may add another major predicament to manage rather than becoming aware of more effective and wholesome ways of managing your alcohol generated problems.

The Necessity for an Alcohol Appraisal

If you have concluded that you have a drinking problem, perhaps the most positive thing you can do for yourself is to call your physician or healthcare provider and schedule an appointment for a complete physical and for a review of your drinking situation.

If you openly think that you have a crucial problem with your drinking, it may be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol rehab.

At this point, what are your choices? You can positively say no and refuse to see your medical doctor and persevere with your pattern of excessive drinking.

It really doesn’t take a wiz kid, on the other hand, to comprehend that chronic, excessive drinking, if left untreated, will degenerate over time and in all probability bring about an early death. Thus, your most beneficial option is to address your drinking situation and get the alcohol rehabilitation you require.

The Deceit of the Functioning Alcohol Dependent Individual

It is somewhat peculiar to note the fact that many individuals who are alcohol dependent lead busy and active lives and have jobs, vehicles, pets, families, houses, and any number of material possessions similar to people who are not addicted to alcohol.

Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted people 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 dependent people need to drink in order to function on a day to day basis while upholding their facade as they associate with people outside their family.

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 dependency, nonetheless, and they will be quick to affirm the validity of the drinker’s situation and the particulars about the alcohol addicted person’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol-related predicaments.

Why Do Alcohol Dependent Individuals Fail to Focus On Their Drinking Problems?

As alcohol dependency research and statistics on alcohol abuse have stressed, no matter how observable the alcohol induced predicaments seem to those who interact with the alcohol dependent person, alcoholic people characteristically deny that drinking is the source of their alcohol-related predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol addicted people commonly blame their alcohol-related predicaments on other people or upon other circumstances around them instead of seeing their part in the problem.

The source of the predicament is that alcohol dependency is a disease of the brain. Once the person has become alcohol dependent, he or she commonly resorts to denial, manipulation, and dishonesty as a way of dealing with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make matters more complex, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms regularly circumvents the alcohol dependent person’s rare attempts to abruptly stop drinking. As miserable as the alcohol dependent person’s life is, however, the positive news is that competent assistance is typically accessible – if the alcoholic reaches out and tries to get alcohol rehab.

Conclusion

Conceding the fact that drinking is eliciting issues in your day by day functioning is perchance the most straightforward way to determine if you have a drinking problem. Stated more precisely, if your drinking is leading to issues with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the law, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be addressed.

If you have a problem with your drinking, furthermore, this means that you are involving yourself in excessive drinking.

While some drinkers may be able to come to grips with their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their problems, and substantially decrease the amount and occurrence of their drinking, others, to the contrary, need to manage their drinking problems by getting professional alcohol treatment. Furthermore, due to their propensity to deny the facts and twist the truth, alcohol addicted individuals absolutely require quality alcohol counseling for their excessive drinking.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not realize that alcohol abuse actually was a sub category of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse, 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 centers that are habitually available to individuals who engage in abusive drinking.

Some of the negative effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably alarmed me. The ruined lives and abundant problems experienced by most alcoholics made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol addicted people almost always encounter.

Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What adolescent wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teen wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related issues before he or she becomes an adult?

What teenager wants to deal with alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause serious issues 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 an adolescent want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that revolves around irresponsible drinking?

These issues were so important that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was utterly unbelievable to me was the number of students who simply didn’t care about the negative effects of irresponsible drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered with the truth and how these results can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to appreciate a saying that my grandfather used to say to me throughout my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.