Samuel was a forty-year-old loan officer who was sick of feeling depressed everyday of his life and sick of his hazardous and excessive drinking behavior. In a word, he missed his old motivation for doing various things he liked, he was sick of feeling weary every morning, he was tired of going through broken relationship after broken relationship due to his habitual drinking, he hated the hangovers he experienced on a regular basis, and he was annoyed with himself for spending his hard-earned money on a useless habit.
In addition he was irritated with the many times he failed an alcohol test at his place of employment, he was fed up with paying for alcohol-related attorney fees, he was disgusted with how out-of-shape he was, he was bored with his drinking buddies, and he detested the fact that he had to go to court for his first DUI.
In addition to the observable alcohol-related health problems he now experienced, perhaps the worst part of his drinking routine was the undependable and deceitful person he had become. In his heart he realized that he had been dishonest about his drinking behavior to his relatives, family, and friends and he also knew he had been lying to himself about the “healthy” effects of drinking. Not only this but he made excuses for guzzling two or three drinks before going to social events and he also rationalized needing two or three drinks the first thing in the morning so that he could manage the “anxiety” at his job.
His Depression and His Hazardous and Irresponsible Drinking Result in Significant Life Changes
It was apparent that Samuel was sick of putting up with the negative consequences of his depression and his abusive and careless drinking and decided that something significant had to change in his life. So he decided that he would stop drinking, start focusing on becoming a more healthy person, involve himself in some worthwhile hobbies, develop a new circle of friends, get professional counseling, and start exercising. In a word, Samuel got to the point in his life during which he realized that he hit a low point in life and was now ready to begin the gradual and slow path that leads to recovery.
One of the ways that Samuel initiated his “plan” was by asking for a transfer at his workplace. When his request was approved, he moved 400 miles away to a new city. If nothing else, this definitely made making new pals and detaching himself from his old friends simpler. Then he went to see a healthcare professional in his new city and made an appointment for a thorough physical exam.
Samuel Meets With a Doctor About His Abusive and Hazardous Drinking and His Depression
After meeting with the doctor and going through a number of laboratory tests, it was decided that Samuel had made the unfortunate change from alcohol abuse to dependency on alcohol and as a result was in need of alcohol rehab and alcohol detox. At this time, the doctor made it a point to go over the diverse signs of alcoholism, the symptoms of alcoholism, and information about long term effects of alcohol with Samuel. The doctor then told Samuel that it was decided that he was clinically depressed and in need of treatment for this medical condition.
Samuel Makes up His Mind to Build Up His Body by Eating Nutritious Foods, Drinking Distilled Water, Going to the Gym, Living an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle, and Taking Vitamins
Due to his readiness to follow through with the therapy protocol, after nine weeks of residential rehabilitation, Samuel was ready to begin rehab on an outpatient basis. At this point, he began working at his new job and over the weeks began fortifying his body by eating nutritious foods, working out, drinking distilled water, taking vitamins, and living an alcohol-free lifestyle. Samuel also came to grips with his spiritual life by joining the local Congregational church and going to regular services.
After nearly eight weeks of outpatient rehabilitation during which time he never suffered through an alcohol relapse, Samuel quit going to alcohol therapy and instead began going three times per week to local AA meetings. Attending these meetings helped Samuel continue his alcohol-free lifestyle, they provided him with the support he sought after, and they served as a continual reminder of the adverse results that are associated with hazardous and excessive drinking.
After going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings around two months Samuel felt that he was ready for a relationship and so he started dating Esther, a young lady he met at church. It simply surprised Samuel how much more prepared he was for a dating relationship now that he had his abusive and careless drinking under control. Indeed it also astonished Samuel how much better life was now that he wasn’t under the control of his hazardous and abusive drinking. Life was now pleasant and loaded with promise that he could have never yearned for or accomplished when he was involved in excessive and abusive drinking less than a year ago.
A Success Story That is a Testament to the Relevance of Alcohol Treatment and the Power of Positive Thinking
Samuel’s success story is a tribute to the value of alcohol rehabilitation and the power of change. As Samuel thought about his newfound self-respect and drive for involving himself in healthy, worthwhile activities, he was actually thankful that he decided to do something productive about his hazardous drinking rather than giving into his depression and into the lure of his alcoholism. The result: his life now has a positive direction, he is involved in a loving relationship, he likes his new job responsibilities, he has more energy now compared with any time in his adult life, and he is in charge of his life rather than letting himself deteriorate under the control of his alcohol dependency.
Wendy was the mother of three children. Wendy had been feeling quite tense lately and started to “medicate” herself by having three or four glasses of wine each evening after she tucked her children into bed. After approximately eight months of this drinking routine, she at last realized that instead of helping her ”take it easy” and deal with her problems, drinking made her feel less restful when she awakened in the morning. This, in turn, made her feel more anxious throughout the day.
After thinking about her predicament for two or three days, Wendy made up her mind to discuss her drinking problem with her best friend. In actual fact, approximately thirty minutes into their chat, Wendy’s friend, Kassandra, told her that she knew about a very helpful and competent doctor at the local alcohol and drug treatment center. After talking to her friend, Wendy without delay got encouraged to call the rehab facility and make an appointment.
Nine days later she finally got to meet the physician her friend had talked about. After their brief introduction, Wendy explained to the doctor that ever since she and her former husband got divorced, she has been struggling spiritually, financially, and psychologically.
At times, she felt that the divorce was behind her. Recently, though, she has been feeling extremely depressed about the fact that she and her former husband couldn’t “make it”. When asked by the physician how long she and her former husband went together before they got married, Wendy explained to the doctor that she and her former husband, Robert, went out for five years and then lived together for two years before they got married.
As Wendy was talking to the physician, she stressed the point that she frankly thought that she and her former husband waited long enough to know each other well enough before they got married. After the children started to arrive, to the contrary, everything appeared to fall apart. Moreover, both Robert and she started to drink, and their hazardous and abusive drinking negatively affected their relationship, their love for one another, and their finances.
When things went from bad to worse, Robert got a divorce attorney and filed for a divorce. Even though things were noticeably not going well and even though she was habitually depressed, Wendy told the physician that she did not want to bring an end to their relationship. Once she was served her divorce papers, however, she knew that their marriage was over.
The physician told Wendy that the stress, tension, and anxiety that she has been going through regarding her careless and hazardous drinking are some of the more commonplace alcohol abuse effects and that the best solution for this situation is treatment for one’s alcohol abuse. In fact, getting alcohol abuse treatment is critical because chronic drinking can get the drinker into even more severe alcohol and alcoholism difficulties.
After several counseling sessions with her psychiatrist, Wendy was slowly but surely able to see that the real root of her anxiety and her depression was that she had not resolved her resentful feelings she has for her former husband who had divorced her four years ago. With these insights and with the meds her physician prescribed, she eventually quit drinking, she began to feel considerably less depressed, and she started making more time for social activities with her friends and family. A few months after receiving counseling from her doctor, she even began to date once again.
It was clear that Wendy had come a long way. In point of fact, just about five months after she completed her rehab, Wendy had finally laid the harmful thoughts of her ex-husband to rest, she was beginning to feel more self respect, and she was discovering how to feel more successful in her life.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I enrolled into a substance abuse class. At that age, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub category of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and especially 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 quite a bit about alcohol rehabilitation and the various alcohol rehab clinics that are often available to individuals who engage in heavy drinking.
Negative Effects That are Associated With Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the detrimental outcomes associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably alarmed me. The ruined lives and many difficulties 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 ruination that alcohol addicted people almost always encounter.
Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old person 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 teenager 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 young person wants to encounter alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to quit 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 throughout the school year. What was entirely unbelievable to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the injurious results of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with the truth and how these results can wreck their lives. For the first time in my life I started to appreciate a saying that my grandfather used to say to me all through my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
It’s Beneficial, Important, and Liberating to Keep Yourself From the Unhealthy and Damaging End Results of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
And even at my young age, I also began to understand how important, energizing, and beneficial it is in life to stay away from the destructive and unhealthy outcomes of alcohol and drug abuse. And realizing this not only gave me the inspiration and motivation to further develop my self esteem and self worth, but it also helped shape the friendships and relationships I made in school.
