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November 14, 2009

A Young Lady Tries Her Best to Stop Drinking, Goes Through Alcohol Withdrawals, Grasps the Fact That She is an Alcohol Dependent Individual, and Decides to Seek Alcohol Rehabilitation

Jennifer is a twenty-eight-year-old quality improvement consultant who has been ingesting alcohol in a hazardous and excessive manner since she and her boyfriend severed their relationship. In fact, for the past nine months she has been drinking just about one-and-a-half bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking a number shots all through the day. In short, Jennifer has been drinking so excessively and hazardously that it’s a miracle that she hasn’t suffered from alcohol poisoning.

After feeling downcast because she was beginning to let her health go downhill, Jennifer at last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to quit feeling sorry for herself, that it’s time to stop the excessive and abusive drinking, and time to move on with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 8:30 AM, she made up her mind to quit drinking suddenly and completely without planning or preparation.

When She Quit Drinking She Felt Awful, She Had Utterly No Appetite, She Vomited Several Times, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Started to Perspire Extensively, and She Was Extremely Stressed Out and Moody

When Jennifer quit drinking, she reasoned that she would probably be tempted to have a drink or two, but she never inferred that she would feel so terrible. More directly, just about three hours after she quit drinking, she vomited several times, she was extremely nervous and moody, her head was throbbing, she had absolutely no appetite, and she started to perspire profusely.

When she called her best buddy and told her that she had quit drinking and that after a few hours she all of a sudden began having flu-like symptoms, Lori, her best friend, told Jennifer to call her healthcare professional and explain what she was going through.

She Admits to Her Healthcare Practitioner That She Has Been Drinking In an Irresponsible and Excessive Manner, That She Just Tried to Quit Drinking, and That She is Experiencing Dreadful Flu-Like Symptoms

So Jennifer called her family doctor, told him that she has been drinking in an excessive and abusive manner for quite a few months and that when she tried to completely stop drinking earlier in the day, within a couple of hours she felt as if she had the worse flu-like symptoms that she had ever experienced.

Her healthcare practitioner informed her that she may be suffering from 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 alcohol dependent.

Obviously her medical practitioner had phoned ahead and told the emergency room staff to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by a nurse and a paramedic 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 important tests, it was established that Jennifer was in actual fact going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.

An emergency room doctor gave her some meds to lessen the intensity of her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some meds to help eliminate the alcohol that was still in her body.

An Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Physician Explains That She is an Alcoholic and Then Clearly Explains What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcoholism Stages Are

After two or three hours, Jennifer was removed from the emergency room and wheeled to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for approximately two hours, Doctor Brosky, a substance abuse and alcohol abuse specialist, came to talk to her. He took plenty of time and explained that Jennifer had suffered through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking due to the fact that she had become alcohol dependent.

He then discussed the fact that with heavy drinking on an everyday basis, the individual’s brain over time becomes accustomed to the alcohol in order to carry out tasks and operations in a “semi-normal” fashion. When the individual then abruptly abstains from ingesting alcohol, it can be noted, the brain reacts by eliciting alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Not only this, but her medical practitioner also explained in a clear fashion the various alcoholism stages that an alcohol dependent individual usually goes through as the disease gets progressively worse as time goes by.

It is Verified that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcoholism and She Gets a Favorable Projection For a Full Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Dependency Therapy She Needs

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was determined that she was in the first stage of alcoholism and, consequently, she got a good forecast for a total recovery if she obtains the alcohol addiction rehab she needs.

Jennifer told the physician that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to restore her life and her health. She also articulated that she has an outstanding hospitalization insurance plan that will more likely than not pay for most of the treatment costs. It was obvious that Jennifer was quite thankful about her encouraging medical forecast and felt at ease knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol addiction therapy she requires so that she can begin the path to recovery.

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November 13, 2009

An Impatient High School Student Displays A Number of Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Thrown Out of School, and Has to See the School Psychologist

Dante was a sixteen year old high school sophomore who was displaying numerous alcohol-related issues at school. As a result, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be allowed to come back to school.

Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to go over his school discharge with his Mother and Father. His Mother and Father were “fairly old-style” and explained to Dante that getting suspended from school was not a satisfactory educational game plan. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that could quite possibly hinder his educational achievement for the rest of his life. Furthermore, Dante’s Mother and Father were very disturbed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.

His parents told Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to comprehend fairly rapidly that drinking is the path to ill health, financial problems, failure, and pain.

It was apparent that his parents were completely in concurrence with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school psychologist. After his chat with his Mother and Father, Dante at long last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his sixth period class.

The Counselor Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Activities Caused Quite a Bit of Anxiety By the School Administrators

When Dante went to see Miss Johnson, she instantaneously went over all of the alcohol-related difficulties Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior made the school administrators uneasy.

Quite frankly, Dante was unsure why the principal suggested that he see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking activities? Since virtually all of his buddies drink the same amount that he does, primarily, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated another way, if just about everyone is drinking, why is this such a big deal?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older classmates introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his buddies may in fact drink as much as he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting thrown out of school due to alcohol-related delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his classmates. Moreover, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his classmates, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of school every week because of his alcohol related difficulties. Finally, Miss Johnson underlined the fact that due to his drinking situation, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of excessive drinking that can sooner or later wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.

In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was starting to impede his ability to act like a responsible young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your peers drink wine, wine coolers, beer, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the best option for you.”

Dante Learns That In the Long Run He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Unhealthy, Damaging, Destructive, and Dangerous Situations In the Foreseeable Future

Miss Johnson informed Dante that others can definitely influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to sooner or later be responsible for himself or herself in order to avert destructive, damaging, unhealthy, and dangerous consequences down the road.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was well prepared for her appointment with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that summarized different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of data that applied principally to teenagers.

For instance, Miss Johnson stressed the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and explained to Dante that drinkers who continue to drink abusively often become alcohol dependent.

Miss Johnson also discussed the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: consuming four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking five or more drinks in one sitting for males.

The Psychologist States Several Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johnson stated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:

1. Alcohol is an issue in almost fifty percent of America’s suicides, accidental deaths, and suicides.

2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among teenagers.

3. Each year in the U.S., nearly 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die because of underage drinking. This includes about 1,900 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents.

4. Research has shown that U.S. teens who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never drink alcoholic beverages.

5. Roughly 1,700 college students in the United States are killed each year–about 4.65 a day–as a consequence of injuries that are alcohol related.

6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 asserted that they involve themselves in drinking while driving.

7. The World Health Organization projects that around 76 million people throughout the world have disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction.

8. As demonstrated by recent alcohol abuse studies, it has been discovered that approximately 53% of the adults in the United States have claimed that one or more of their close relatives is an alcohol abuser or is addicted to alcohol.

Dante Gets A Much Needed Jolt of Reality Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Effects of Teen Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction

After Miss Johnson stated the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts, it was obvious that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a realization for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to put in plain words the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, but she also made the effort to verify what she was saying with alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to people in general, and principally to underage drinkers.

Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante without pause comprehended why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his classmates anymore. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the information she discussed.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol rehabilitation he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical and to go through a thorough evaluation of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program without pause.

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A Distressed High School Student Displays A Number of Alcohol-Related Difficulties, Gets Discharged From School, and Has to See the School Therapist

Dante was a fifteen year old high school sophomore who was exhibiting a number of alcohol-related issues at school. For that reason, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to come back to class.

Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school expulsion to his Mom and Dad. His parents were “relatively old-style” and explained to Dante that getting kicked out of school was not a practical educational game plan. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would likely be like a lead weight around his ankles that could probably mar his educational achievement for the remainder of his life. Furthermore, Dante’s parents were very displeased that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his classmates in the second.

They informed Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to realize fairly rapidly that drinking is the route to pain, ill health, failure, and financial problems.

It was plain to see that his parents were in total agreement with Dante’s principal and informed Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his dialogue with his parents, Dante in the end agreed to see Miss Johnson the next day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his fifth period class.

The Therapist Asks Dante if He Comprehends Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Gave the School Administrators Room For Alarm

When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she at once reviewed all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior caused quite a bit of apprehension by the school administrators.

Quite frankly, Dante wondered why the principal suggested that he see a school counselor. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking circumstances? Since virtually all of his friends drink as much if not more than he does, primarily, drinking is no big issue. Stated more forcefully, if nearly everyone is drinking, why is this such a major issue?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older friends introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter junior high school.

Miss Johnson informed Dante that while his friends may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting expelled from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his peers. What is more, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least one day of school per week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson emphasized the fact that due to his drinking behavior, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of abusive drinking that can finally ruin his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to foil his ability to behave like a responsible young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your classmates drink beer, wine coolers, hard liquor, or wine does not mean that it is the correct behavior for you.”

Dante Learns That Eventually He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Damaging, Destructive, Unhealthy, and Dangerous Effects In the Future

Miss Johnson told Dante that other people can undoubtedly influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to in the long run be accountable for himself or herself in order to stay away from destructive, damaging, unhealthy, and dangerous outcomes in the foreseeable future.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was well equipped for her scheduled appointment with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that summarized diverse drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a lot of information that applied principally to adolescents.

For instance, Miss Johnson explained the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that people who continue to abuse alcohol often become dependent on alcohol.

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

The Therapist Presents More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johnson stated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:

1. Alcohol is an issue in around half of America’s accidental deaths, suicides, and murders.

2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among teenagers.

3. Each year in the U.S., around 5,000 youth under the age of 21 lose their lives as a result of underage drinking. This includes almost 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes.

4. Research has demonstrated that U.S. teenagers who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never consume alcohol.

5. Approximately 1,700 college students in the United States lose their lives each year–approximately 4.65 per day–as a result of alcohol-related injuries.

6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 reported that they involve themselves in driving under the influence of alcohol.

7. The World Health Organization projects that about 76 million individuals throughout the world suffer from disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcoholism.

8. According to recent drug and alcohol abuse research findings, it has been learned that just about 53% of the adults in the U.S. have reported that one or more of their close relatives is an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic.

Dante Receives A Much Needed Wake Up Call About the Short Term and the Long Term Consequences of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johnson conveyed the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency statistics and facts, it was evident that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to go over the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also took the time to support what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to everyone in general, and mainly to today’s youth.

Definitely, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante promptly grasped why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his pals anymore. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she went over.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol evaluation for the alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a comprehensive physical examination and to go through an extensive assessment of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program without pause.

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November 2, 2009

Enabling, Alcohol Dependency, and Alcohol Relapse

It is remarkable to mention something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member obviously do not comprehend. It seems that by protecting the alcohol dependent person with lies and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have basically created a situation that makes it easier for the alcoholic to persist and press forward with his or her damaging, detrimental style of life.

Undeniably, instead of helping the alcoholic and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcoholic’s drinking problem even more.

Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcoholic will continue drinking in an abusive and hazardous manner and suffer from different “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include diminished mental functioning, deteriorating relationships, serious financial problems, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs), employment difficulties, and ill health.

Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time

According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol dependency issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has fruitfully undergone alcohol dependency rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation flies in the face of rational thinking and seems so doubtful that it forces a person to question why anyone who has gone through the awfulness of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol rehab and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, of course, many likely reasons for this.

It should be highlighted, nevertheless that alcohol dependency research that has focused on the long-term outcomes of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted person has halted his or her drinking, critical transformations in the way in which the alcohol addicted 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 behaviors that correspond with the alterations that have occurred in the brain is to begin drinking once again.

A Requirement for A Radical Lifestyle Modification

There are additional reasons why numerous recovering alcohol dependent individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcoholic needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more competently with tough 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 time when the alcohol dependent person was drinking excessively; 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 addicted person to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these circumstances may not only work against ongoing sobriety for the alcohol addicted person but they can also result in relapse and consequently negate one’s sobriety.

The Good News: Quality Help is Readily Available

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted person, family members can in fact cause inadvertent destruction by enabling the unhealthy drinking behavior of the alcoholic.

The alcoholism research literature highlights the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol treatment experience at least one relapse. Alcoholics and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or stressed out when a relapse takes place.

Luckily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and training have resulted in more successful, long standing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency treatment outcomes, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals reach ongoing sobriety.

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October 28, 2009

When Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Results in Serious Health Problems

For several years alcohol addiction exploration has demonstrated the fact that there is strong linkage between alcohol dependency and serious health conditions.

For example, 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 per year. It may be noted that this massive alcohol-related expense was significantly more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is appropriate to underline these facts, it is also important to emphasize the point that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health problems.

To be exact, 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 boost the risk for different types of cancer, especially cancer of the kidneys, rectum, colon, voice box (larynx), esophagus, throat, and the liver. Hazardous and recurring drinking can also result in immune system issues and abnormality to the fetus during pregnancy.

Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Breaks Down the Problem Drinker’s Organs and Systems

Additionally, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will probably be affected in an unsafe manner. For instance, repeated, abusive drinking is particularly dangerous 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 eradicates the ability of liver cells to redevelop. This medical condition results in a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can ultimately lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and possibly terminal disease.Excessive, long-term drinking not only can lead to critical liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be unalterable and may, in turn, lead to serious illness or an early death.

The Relevance of Alcohol Treatment

It is critical, consequently, to know how to identify the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcoholic can be given the opportunity to seek the professional alcohol counseling he or she needs.

Alcoholism and Sophisticated Brain Exploration

Fortunately, medical exploration is relentlessly finding unique and significant information. Recent alcoholism research supplies a first-rate example. More to the point, for approximately the past ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning devices have shown that repetitive and long-term irresponsible drinking alters the configuration of the brain to a significant extent, as a consequence resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perhaps as long as the individual exists.

Stated another way, medical exploration has demonstrated that people who have been drinking in a hazardous manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and severe changes in the brain.

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

Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Excessive Drinking

As a final illustration of diverse medical problems that are to a large extent correlated to alcoholism, consider that in accordance with medical research, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a medical condition that reduces the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

This kind of organ failure is linked to malnutrition and to an assortment of critical neurological and mental disorders including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is a lasting debilitating condition that is exemplified by recurring memory and learning problems.

Summary

It is evident that repetitive, hazardous drinking is directly or indirectly related to numerous acute medical problems that can and do lead to dangerous illness and premature death. Such information needs to be emphasized and presented to everyone in our society so that most individuals will be able to refrain from irresponsible drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehabilitation they require.

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October 25, 2009

What I Learned About Alcohol and Drug Abuse in High School

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I registered for a drug abuse class. At that time period, I did not realize that alcohol abuse actually was a sub division 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 individuals all over 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 excessive drinking.

Dangerous Results That are Related to Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the damaging effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably worried me. The ruined lives and countless problems experienced by most alcohol dependent individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In a word, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol addicted people almost always experience.

Let this sink in 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 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 difficulties before he or she becomes twenty-one?

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 difficulties in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after an individual 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 focuses on hazardous drinking?

These issues were so meaningful that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright inconceivable to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the detrimental outcomes of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these consequences can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to grasp something that my grandfather used to say to me all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

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

And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how important, beneficial, and enlivening it is in life to stay away from the destructive and unhealthy end results of drug and alcohol abuse.

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October 18, 2009

A Woman Displays Signs of Depression and Alcohol Addiction and Schedules an Appointment to See Her Healthcare Professional About Her Hazardous and Abusive Drinking

Teresa was a thirty-seven-year-old accounts payable manager who knew that she had some drinking issues. As an illustration, within the past three months she has felt the need to have one or two drinks before going to work, a week ago she failed to pass a random blood alcohol test where she works, two months ago she got stopped by the police for a DWI, and finally, for the last five months she has begun to fail to remember what she does and says when she goes out drinking with her friends.

Not unlike many other people, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began at a “snail’s pace” and stayed at this pace for quite a long time because every once in a while she engaged in occasional social drinking. As a matter of fact, for around nine months, every time she went out with her buddies to drink, she made sure to drink responsibly. Something about her pattern of drinking, nonetheless, seemed to fundamentally change when she got divorced.

So She Can Endure the Divorce of Her Husband In a More Pain Free Manner, Teresa Determined That She Will Start Associating More Often With Some of Her Pals Who Love to ”Get Down” and Drink

Teresa got exceedingly despondent about the breakup with her husband, and as a way to quit her preoccupation with her disheartening feelings she came to the conclusion that she would start going out more frequently with some of her friends who love to have fun and drink.

Quite honestly, Teresa figured that having fun just about every day by drinking with her pals would help her rise above the divorce of her husband in a less wearisome manner.

Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Greatly the More Habitually She Goes to Sporting Events, Family Get-Togethers, Private Parties, Happy Hours, and Dinner Dates With Her Buddies

It didn’t take long, however, before her drinking escalated to a significant extent the more habitually she went to and drank at family get-togethers, sporting events, private parties, dinner dates, and happy hours with her buddies. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking buddies were all many years younger than she was and therefore able to party more thoughtlessly was one of the reasons why she didn’t focus more on her increased drinking. In brief, she was having fun drinking just like everybody else in her group of pals without giving too much consideration about the unhealthy results of her irresponsible and abusive drinking.

Yet somewhere in the recesses of her brain she realized that she most likely needed alcohol rehabilitation but stayed away from the thought as much as humanly possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Discloses the Facts About Her Abusive and Hazardous Drinking to Her Physician, and Acknowledges Her Constant Negativity

One afternoon during her yearly physical exam, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell falsehoods to her healthcare practitioner, Teresa admitted that she frequently drinks more than she should. As a matter of fact, she stated that she regularly drinks in a hazardous and abusive manner. Then Teresa informed her healthcare practitioner about her melancholy. More specifically, she articulated that wrecked relationships more often than not started a disheartening cycle of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more negative feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is exactly what took place when her husband and she got divorced six months ago.

When her healthcare professional heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was investigating, alcoholism and depression commonly happen in the same person. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been studying also point out that people who drink in an excessive manner and who also suffer from depression need to get treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Assessment

Teresa’s physician then said the following: “I am not trying to make an overly quick analysis, but with your medical situation we may be dealing with two separate problems. Consequently, I think we ought to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse assessment from my partner, Dr. Ballas, who is an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more associated with alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse is unknown at this time, but I believe that further evaluation is defensible. Then I think we need to schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological assessment from another one of my partners, Dr. Cooke, who is a psychologist. I want to get a better understanding about your depression and see how much your drinking and depression are interrelated.” Teresa expressed her satisfaction with her healthcare professional’s “game plan” and thanked him for his assistance and concern. Now all she had to do was to try to reduce her drinking and wait for her appointments.

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September 27, 2009

Do You Have A Problem With Your Drinking?

How do you identify the fact that you have a drinking problem? When is it clear that you are engaging in hazardous drinking?

If you have hopelessly tried to quit drinking or if you have given your word to yourself that your drinking days are over and then you realized that you were drinking in an abusive manner just a few days later, chances are quite good that you have drinking problems. The key point is that if you have attempted to stop drinking and cannot do this, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.

Similarly, if it takes larger amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to become aware that you have a problem with your drinking.

You may be telling yourself that the reasoning for your drinking is so that you can reduce your stress or get rid of the agony that you feel. Similarly, you may be trying to stay away from an unsafe circumstance and may be looking for something better, more positive, or less mournful.

As you continue to drink, conversely, you will become aware that drinking does not bring about the same high and you will also comprehend that drinking doesn’t help get rid of whatever led to your distress in the first place.

As you continue to drink in an excessive manner, regrettably, you may become addicted to alcohol and, as a consequence, you may add another pivotal predicament to deal with rather than learning about more productive and healthy ways of coping with your alcohol induced predicament.

The Need for an Alcohol Appraisal

If you have figured out that you have a drinking problem, perhaps the healthiest thing you can do for yourself is to call your doctor or healthcare provider and arrange for an appointment for a physical and for an assessment of your drinking circumstances.

If you actually feel 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 counseling.

At this point, what are your alternatives? You can without a doubt say no and refuse to see your doctor and carry on with your pattern of out-of-control drinking.

It actually doesn’t take a nuclear physicist, then again, to comprehend that repeated, excessive drinking, if left untreated, will worsen over time and almost certainly bring about an early death. Therefore, your most beneficial choice is to confront your drinking situation and get the alcohol treatment you need.

The Pretense of the Functioning Alcohol Dependent Person

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

Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted individuals may have never been apprehended for a DUI and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol generated legal problems. Despite this good fortune, to the contrary, these alcohol dependent individuals need to drink in order to deal with life on a daily basis while maintaining 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 addiction, on the other hand, and they will be quick to assert the authenticity of the drinker’s situation and the whole story about the alcohol addicted individual’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol generated difficulties.

Why Do Alcohol Dependent People Fail to Acknowledge Their Drinking Difficulties?

As alcohol dependency research and statistics on alcohol abuse have emphasized, no matter how observable the alcohol induced difficulties seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted individual, alcoholic people regularly deny that drinking is the root of their alcohol induced predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol dependent people regularly blame their alcohol-related difficulties on other people or upon other circumstances that surround them instead of seeing their part in the difficulty.

The source of the difficulty is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the person has become an alcoholic, he or she normally 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 matters worse, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically circumvents the alcohol dependent person’s rare attempts to abruptly quit drinking. As gloomy as the alcohol dependent individual’s life is, nonetheless, the positive news is that quality help is usually accessible – if the alcohol addicted person reaches out and gets alcohol counseling.

Conclusion

Acknowledging the fact that drinking is bringing about difficulties in your day to day functioning is perhaps the most trouble-free way to determine if you have a drinking problem. Stated differently, 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, furthermore, this means that you are involving yourself in hazardous drinking.

While some drinkers may be able to detect their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and greatly reduce the amount and frequency of their drinking, others, nonetheless, need to tackle their drinking problems by getting professional alcohol rehabilitation. What’s more, due to their propensity to deny the facts and alter the truth, alcohol dependent people absolutely need quality alcohol counseling for their hazardous drinking.

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September 26, 2009

The Important Factors in A Productive Alcohol Dependency Intervention

What are the significant issues in a successful alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol addiction interventions succeed as anticipated while others flop?

The Need for a Recognized Track Record of Intervention Accomplishment

Scientific analysis makes evident the fact that a fruitful alcohol addiction intervention needs to be administered by an intervention expert who has a proven track record of intervention success.

Basically this means that instead of opting for an “everyday” alcoholism therapist or psychotherapist for an alcohol addiction intervention, the individual who is selected to administer the intervention needs to be trained in substance abuse intervention techniques and needs to have a record of fruitful alcoholism interventions.

A Few Key Illustrations of The Most Optimal Time For an Alcohol Abuse Intervention

Scientific examination and alcoholism facts about interventions has also revealed that the most fruitful time for an alcoholism intervention is following a consequential event in the life of the alcohol dependent person or abusive drinker. The following represents a few illustrations of these types of significant events:

  • The alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker has been caught stealing something of importance.
  • The alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual has been caught lying about something of significance.
  • The alcohol addicted individual or abusive drinker has been imprisoned for a DWI or DUI.

In situations like these, the alcoholic or alcohol abuser is more apt to be repentant or to feel ashamed, thereby making him or her more receptive to getting the professional alcohol rehab that is needed.

At this time, additionally, it is also essential to highlight the fact that the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person needs to be alcohol-free during the alcohol intervention. To put it briefly, if the abusive drinker or alcohol-dependent person is drunk during an alcohol addiction intervention, failure is in effect guaranteed.

Moreover, scientific inquiry has also revealed the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual has to at least try to listen to what is articulated in an alcohol dependency intervention. Stated more precisely, during an alcohol addiction intervention, the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person needs to listen to what his or her problem drinking has done to those who care for him or her the most.

The Necessity of Alcohol Counseling For the Problem Drinker

And finally, scientific analysis reveals that the essential reason for an alcohol dependency intervention in the first place is to persuade the hazardous drinker or alcohol-dependent person to get the professional alcoholism therapy that is needed. Stated more explicitly, even if the individual who administers the intervention has a magnificent record of successful interventions and even if the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual sincerely listens to every word that is spoken throughout an intervention, if the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person is not inspired to request professional alcohol rehab after the alcohol dependency intervention, then the intervention will be a debacle.

Unmistakably all of these factors are needed for a successful alcohol intervention. If, alternatively, the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual is not motivated to get alcohol addiction therapy after listening to his or her family members state the grief, anger, and discontent they feel about the alcohol abuser’s or alcohol addicted person’s careless drinking behavior and the care they feel for the problem drinker, then every other phase of the alcoholism intervention will fundamentally be inconsequential.

Even Effective Alcohol Addiction Interventions Can Fail Down the Road

It also needs to be accentuated that notwithstanding the fact that the alcohol addiction intervention can be perceived as effective in that it helped put the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual in a more “open” state of mind and truly helped the alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker make a decision that he or she required alcohol rehab or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple reality that the intervention occurred might lead to bitterness, irritation, and doubt in the future.

To be brief, even when addiction interventions are seen as successful in the short term, in the long term, alternatively, they may go wrong and, thus, might make the family and/or the alcohol abuser’s situation even poorer than it was before the alcohol addiction intervention was undertaken.

No matter how unwarranted or paradoxical this seems, try to keep in mind that it is simply one of the key alcohol facts that has to be addressed when conducting an alcohol intervention.

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September 21, 2009

Alcohol Relapse and When Helping the Alcoholic Becomes Risky

It is remarkable to bring up something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcohol addiction of another family member clearly do not comprehend. It seems to be 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 alcohol dependent person to continue and advance with his or her hurtful, detrimental daily life.

Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have essentially become enablers who have mistakenly helped negatively affect the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even further.

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

Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time

According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol dependency issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent individual has successfully gone through alcohol dependency rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this predicament seems contradictory to logical thinking and looks so implausible that it forces an individual to question why anyone who has gone through the dreadfulness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol rehab and in turn after attaining recovery. There are, to be sure, more than a few rational reasons for this.

It should be noted, nonetheless that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the enduring outcomes of alcohol dependency has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcoholic has terminated his or her drinking, major changes in the way in which the alcohol dependent individual’s brain operates are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcoholic has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the alterations that have occurred in the brain is to start drinking once again.

The Necessity for A Drastic Lifestyle Modification

There are even more reasons why quite a lot of recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted person needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more competently with tough alcohol-related situations that will take place.

Situations such as returning to the same alcohol addictive atmosphere or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol addicted person was drinking in a hazardous manner; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring forth memories that can prompt psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in abusive drinking once again. Sadly, all of these circumstances may not only counteract long standing sobriety for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also lead to relapse and consequently go against one’s alcohol recovery.

The Good News: Quality Help is Readily Available

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent person, family members can in fact cause unplanned destruction by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.

The addiction research literature confirms the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol rehab go through at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent persons and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or stressed out when a relapse takes place.

Fortunately, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and education have resulted in more successful, long-term alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency rehab results, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals accomplish enduring sobriety.

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