A Woman Exhibits Symptoms Of Depression And Alcohol Abuse, Gets Inspired And Motivated About Making An Appointment To See Her Doctor About Her Hazardous And Excessive Drinking And To Help Her Better Handle The Conflict And The Sexuality Difficulties When She Was Married
Teresa was a forty-two-year-old court reporter who knew that she had some drinking issues. As an illustration, within the past three months she has experienced the need to have one or two drinks before going to work, two months ago she tested positive for a blood alcohol test where she works, four months ago she got stopped by the state highway patrol for a DUI, and last but not least, for nearly five months she has started to forget what she says and does when she drinks.
Like other people, Teresa’s alcohol involvement started out at a “snail’s pace” and continued at this pace for quite a long time because once in a “blue moon” she engaged in sporadic social drinking. As a matter of fact, for almost two years, every time she went out with her pals to drink, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her pattern of drinking, nonetheless, seemed to fundamentally change when she divorced her husband.
In Order To Overcome the Breakup of Her Husband In a Less Troublesome Manner, Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Start Palling Around More Repeatedly With Some of Her Pals Who Love to Have Fun and Drink
Teresa got extremely dejected about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from dwelling on her negative feelings she made up her mind that she would start hanging out more regularly with some of her friends who love to whoop it up and drink.
Quite sincerely, Teresa truly believed that having fun almost every day by partying and drinking with her buddies would help her recover from the breakup of her husband more quickly.
Time, Stress, and Anger Management Problems
Teresa also reasoned that drinking and partying with her buddies would help her stay away from her time, anger, and stress management difficulties.
Teresa’s Drinking Increases Significantly the More Frequently She Goes to Dinner Dates, Happy Hours, Private Parties, Sporting Events, and Family Get-Togethers With Her Buddies
It didn’t take long, nevertheless, before her drinking increased considerably the more habitually she went to and drank at family get-togethers, dinner dates, sporting events, happy hours, and private parties with her buddies. Furthermore, the fact that her drinking friends were all quite a few years younger than she was and therefore able to party and drink more carelessly was one of the reasons that she didn’t center more of her attention on her increased drinking. In a word, she was drinking and having a lot of fun just like everyone else in her group of friends without giving too much thought to the results of her hazardous and irresponsible drinking.
Yet someplace in her mind she knew that she more likely than not required alcohol counseling but kept away from the thought as much as she could.
Teresa Gets a Physical, Discloses the Truth About Her Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking to Her Physician, and Admits Her Melancholy
One morning during her annual physical, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell “stories” to her healthcare practitioner, Teresa ”came clean” and said that she routinely drinks more than she should. In point of fact, she stated that she regularly drinks in a hazardous and excessive manner. Then Teresa told her doctor about her melancholy. More to the point, she mentioned that broken relationships many times initiated a depressing chain of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more disheartening feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is explicitly what happened when her husband and she got divorced nine months ago.
When her healthcare professional heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was researching, alcoholism and depression many times occur in the same individual. He then told her that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been looking into also stress the fact that individuals who drink in an abusive and irresponsible manner and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical situations.
Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Appraisal
Teresa’s physician then stated the following: “I am not trying to make a sudden analysis, but with your medical condition we may be dealing with two separate concerns. As a result, I think we probably need to make an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction evaluation from my partner, Dr. Berringer, who is an alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency specialist. Whether your drinking circumstance is more associated with alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse is unclear, but I feel that further assessment is defensible. Then I feel we should make an appointment for you to get a psychological assessment from another one of my partners, Dr. Castro, who is a psychologist. I want to get a better grip on your dejection and see how much your drinking and depression are interrelated.” Teresa displayed her approval of her healthcare practitioner’s strategy and thanked him for his time and assistance.
Teresa Confronts the Sexuality Issues and the Conflict When She Was Married
In all honesty, Teresa now felt a sense of personal happiness and self esteem because she finally became inspired to do something positive about her excessive drinking and her depression. Not only this, but Teresa also knew that after alcohol counseling she would be more able to manage the sexuality issues and the conflict when she was married. Now all she had to do was to try to cut back on her drinking and get ready for her appointments.
When Drinking Leads To Problems In Your Life That Can Cause Dating And Marital Issues
How do you know that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it obvious that you are involving yourself in hazardous drinking?
If you have unsuccessfully tried to stop drinking or if you have given your word to yourself that your drinking days are over and then you were made aware that you were drinking in an excessive manner just a few days later, the odds are quite good that you have drinking problems. The point to highlight is that if you have attempted to quit drinking and cannot do this, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.
In a similar manner, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” you probably need to recognize the fact 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 agony or depression that you feel. In a similar manner, you may be trying to avoid an unsafe circumstance and may be looking for something more useful, more positive, or less mournful.
As you keep on drinking, then again, you will understand that drinking does not produce the same high and you will also understand that drinking doesn’t help get rid of whatever produced your distress in the first place. You may also notice that the more abusively you drink, the more depressed you feel.
As you continue to drink in an abusive manner, regrettably, you may become addicted to alcohol and, as a consequence, you may add another essential problem to manage rather than finding out about more successful and beneficial ways of coping with your alcohol induced difficulties.
An Alcohol Assessment is Probably Required
If you have figured out that you have a drinking problem, maybe the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself is to call your medical doctor or healthcare professional and arrange for an appointment for a complete physical and for an assessment of your drinking behavior.
If you openly feel that you have a dangerous drinking problem, it might be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol reahbilitation.
At this point, what are your alternatives? You can unquestionably refuse to see your medical doctor and persist with your pattern of irresponsible drinking.
It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist, to the contrary, to understand that chronic, heavy drinking, if left untreated, will degenerate over time and quite probably lead to an early death. Consequently, your most practical alternative is to address your drinking situation and obtain the alcohol therapy you need.
The Pretense of the Functioning Alcohol Addicted Person
It is somewhat paradoxical to note the fact that numerous alcohol dependent people lead busy and active lives and have families, jobs, houses, vehicles, pets, and any number of material possessions just like people who are not alcohol dependent.
Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted people may have never been cited for a DUI and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol generated legal predicaments. In spite of this fortunate circumstance, to the contrary, these alcohol addicted people need to drink in order to operate 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 bingeing or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, nevertheless, and they will be quick to affirm the authenticity of the drinker’s situation and the details about the alcohol addicted person’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol-related problems.
Why Do Individuals Addicted to Alcohol Fail to Deal With Their Drinking Problems?
As alcohol addiction research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underscored, no matter how obvious the alcohol induced predicaments seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted person, alcoholic individuals characteristically deny that drinking is the origin of their alcohol-related difficulties. Not only this, but alcohol addicted individuals typically blame their alcohol induced predicaments on other people or upon other circumstances around them instead of seeing their part in the issue. In a similar manner, alcohol addicted people typically exhibit marital problems such as divorce and especially post divorce difficulties.
The origin of the issue is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the individual has become alcohol dependent, he or she usually resorts to denial, manipulation, and lying as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make things worse, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms regularly counteracts the alcohol addicted individual’s rare attempts to suddenly stop drinking. As miserable as the alcoholic’s way of life is, nonetheless, the encouraging news is that professional assistance is commonly available – if the alcoholic reaches out and tries to get alcoholism counseling.
Summary
Coming to grips with the fact that drinking is causing problems in your daily functioning is conceivably the easiest way to determine if you have a problem with your drinking. More to the point, if your drinking is leading to problems with your health, with your employment, 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 problem with your drinking, what is more, this means that you are engaging in alcohol abuse.
While some individuals may be able to pinpoint their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and significantly decrease the amount and incidence of their drinking, other individuals, conversely, need to tackle their drinking difficulties by getting professional alcohol treatment. Furthermore, due to their tendency to deny the facts and warp the truth, alcoholics absolutely require professional alcoholism counseling for their hazardous drinking.
And lastly, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, you will probably need to get counseling for your drinking problem and for your depression.
How To Know When You Have A Problem With Your Drinking And When You Need To Augment Your Friendships And Relationships
How do you know that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it obvious that you are involving yourself in hazardous drinking?
If you have unsuccessfully tried to stop drinking or if you have given your word to yourself that your drinking days are over and then you were made aware that you were drinking in an excessive manner just a few days later, the odds are quite good that you have drinking problems. The point to highlight is that if you have attempted to quit drinking and cannot do this, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.
In a similar manner, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” you probably need to recognize the fact 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 agony or depression that you feel. In a similar manner, you may be trying to avoid an unsafe circumstance and may be looking for something more useful, more positive, or less mournful.
As you keep on drinking, then again, you will understand that drinking does not produce the same high and you will also understand that drinking doesn’t help get rid of whatever produced your distress in the first place. You may also notice that the more abusively you drink, the more depressed you feel.
As you continue to drink in an abusive manner, regrettably, you may become addicted to alcohol and, as a consequence, you may add another essential problem to manage rather than finding out about more successful and beneficial ways of coping with your alcohol induced difficulties.
An Alcohol Assessment is Probably Required
If you have figured out that you have a drinking problem, maybe the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself is to call your medical doctor or healthcare professional and arrange for an appointment for a complete physical and for an assessment of your drinking behavior.
If you openly feel that you have a dangerous drinking problem, it might be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol reahbilitation.
At this point, what are your alternatives? You can unquestionably refuse to see your medical doctor and persist with your pattern of irresponsible drinking.
It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist, to the contrary, to understand that chronic, heavy drinking, if left untreated, will degenerate over time and quite probably lead to an early death. Consequently, your most practical alternative is to address your drinking situation and obtain the alcohol therapy you need.
The Pretense of the Functioning Alcohol Addicted Person
It is somewhat paradoxical to note the fact that numerous alcohol dependent people lead busy and active lives and have families, jobs, houses, vehicles, pets, and any number of material possessions just like people who are not alcohol dependent.
Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted people may have never been cited for a DUI and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol generated legal predicaments. In spite of this fortunate circumstance, to the contrary, these alcohol addicted people need to drink in order to operate 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 bingeing or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, nevertheless, and they will be quick to affirm the authenticity of the drinker’s situation and the details about the alcohol addicted person’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol-related problems.
Why Do Individuals Addicted to Alcohol Fail to Deal With Their Drinking Problems?
As alcohol addiction research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underscored, no matter how obvious the alcohol induced predicaments seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted person, alcoholic individuals characteristically deny that drinking is the origin of their alcohol-related difficulties. Not only this, but alcohol addicted individuals typically blame their alcohol induced predicaments on other people or upon other circumstances around them instead of seeing their part in the issue. In a similar manner, alcohol addicted people typically exhibit relationship and friendship problems.
The origin of the predicament is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the individual has become an alcoholic, he or she characteristically resorts to denial, manipulation, and lying as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make things more problematic, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically counteracts the alcohol dependent individual’s rare attempts to suddenly abstain from drinking. As dreary as the alcohol dependent individual’s life is, to the contrary, the positive news is that competent assistance is extensively accessible – if the alcoholic reaches out and seeks alcoholism counseling.
Summary
Admitting the fact that drinking is causing problems in your daily functioning is perhaps the simplest way to determine if you have a problem with your drinking. Stated differently, if your drinking is causing issues with your health, with your employment, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the law, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be tackled.
If you have a problem with your drinking, furthermore, this means that you are engaging in alcohol abuse.
While some drinkers may be able to come to grips with their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and greatly diminish the amount and occurrence of their drinking, other individuals, conversely, need to address their drinking difficulties by getting quality alcoholism treatment. Moreover, due to their inclination to deny the facts and twist the truth, alcohol dependent people unquestionably need competent alcoholism rehab for their out-of-control drinking.
And finally, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, you will probably need to obtain counseling for your drinking and for your depression.
Teresa was a forty-two-year-old court reporter who knew that she had some drinking issues. As an illustration, within the past three months she has experienced the need to have one or two drinks before going to work, two months ago she tested positive for a blood alcohol test where she works, four months ago she got stopped by the state highway patrol for a DUI, and last but not least, for nearly five months she has started to forget what she says and does when she drinks.
Like other people, Teresa’s alcohol involvement started out at a “snail’s pace” and continued at this pace for quite a long time because once in a “blue moon” she engaged in sporadic social drinking. As a matter of fact, for almost two years, every time she went out with her pals to drink, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her pattern of drinking, nonetheless, seemed to fundamentally change when she divorced her husband.
In Order To Overcome the Breakup of Her Husband In a Less Troublesome Manner, Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Start Palling Around More Repeatedly With Some of Her Pals Who Love to Have Fun and Drink
Teresa got extremely dejected about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from dwelling on her negative feelings she made up her mind that she would start hanging out more regularly with some of her friends who love to whoop it up and drink.
Quite sincerely, Teresa truly believed that having fun almost every day by partying and drinking with her buddies would help her recover from the breakup of her husband more quickly.
Teresa’s Drinking Increases Greatly the More Frequently She Goes to Sporting Events, Happy Hours, Private Parties, Dinner Dates, and Family Get-Togethers With Her Pals
It didn’t take very long, nonetheless, before her drinking increased significantly the more frequently she went to and drank at family get-togethers, sporting events, happy hours, dinner dates, and private parties with her friends. In addition, the fact that her drinking pals were all much younger than she was and therefore able to drink and party harder and more frequently was one of the reasons why she didn’t concentrate more on her increased drinking. In a word, she was drinking and having lots of fun just like everybody else in her group of pals without spending a lot of time thinking about the unhealthy consequences of her abusive drinking.
Yet somewhere in her mind she knew that she more likely than not required alcohol rehabilitation but stayed away from the thought as much as humanly possible.
Teresa Gets a Physical, Discloses the Facts About Her Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking to Her Healthcare Professional, and Discloses the Truth About Her Melancholy
One late afternoon during her yearly physical exam, her healthcare professional asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell “stories” to her doctor, Teresa acknowledged that she routinely drinks more than she should. In fact, she said that she regularly drinks in an excessive manner. Then Teresa informed her doctor about her general state of despair. More explicitly, she stated that broken relationships many times generated a dismal cycle of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more negative feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is explicitly what happened when her husband and she got divorced six months ago.
When her doctor heard this, he informed Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was reviewing, alcoholism and depression many times arise in the same person. He then informed Teresa that some of the alcohol statistics, facts, and research investigations he has been studying also underline the fact that people who drink in an abusive and excessive manner and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical situations.
Teresa’s Doctor Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse Evaluation
Teresa’s physician then articulated the following: “I am not trying to make a spur-of-the-moment analysis, but with your medical circumstances we may be dealing with two separate concerns. As a consequence, I think we probably should schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency appraisal from my partner, Dr. Johnson, who is an alcohol and drug abuse specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more linked to alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse is unclear, but I think that further assessment is warranted. Then I feel we need to make an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Dubas, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a better read on your dejection and see how much your drinking and depression are intertwined.” Teresa expressed her agreement with her doctor’s plan of attack and thanked him for his help.
In truth, Teresa now experienced a sense of personal satisfaction because she finally got inspired to do something positive about her abusive and excessive drinking and her depression. Now all she had to do was to try to trim down on her drinking and get ready for her appointments.
Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most financially challenged co-educational high school in the state. Although she had been teaching for only one year, she had already gained a reputation as an educator with teaching methods that inspired and motivated her pupils to think and to learn.
For instance, one Thursday afternoon at 1:30 she addressed her pupils and announced the following: “For the next three or four days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging viewpoint and we are also going to learn about a number of the most familiar signs of alcoholism from a less general and more detailed standpoint.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will beyond doubt validate that an individual with a drinking problem is an alcohol addicted individual, but the more signs that an individual displays, the greater the likelihood that he or she is a person who is addicted to alcohol.”
Miss Benning then told the students in the class that each pupil would be accountable for studying four alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her results to the other class members via a twenty-five minute oral presentation.
The Pupils are Enthused About Giving A Comprehensive Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcohol Addiction Signs
After learning about the different signs of alcohol dependency for a number of days, the time had arrived for the individual presentations. It was at once apparent that the pupils were energized about the subject matter because the material that they presented was first-rate. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the passion manifested by her students regarding this subject could not be overstated.
The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were presented and discussed in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked the students in her class to study the list and rank the top seven alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After around five minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and informed the pupils in her classroom that after she tallies the numbers, she will discuss her findings the next school day.
There was a real buzz by the pupils while they were walking out of Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to come so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.
The Students Match Their Results Against the Assessments From A Council of Substance Abuse Professionals
When the next school day came, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper that listed the top five alcohol addiction signs as per the pupils’ rankings. To the left of these results, she added another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then informed the pupils in her class that the numbers in the second column she added signified the answers that were generated by a council of chemical dependency authorities.
Miss Benning asked her students to look over the data on the sheet of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, questions, or concerns. Within 30 or 40 seconds, just about every student in the classroom raised her or his hand. It was apparent that the pupils had some questions, concerns, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the specialists. For instance, just about every pupil disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, specifically, “Do you feel unusually nauseous when you quit drinking?”
The Central Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Addiction and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her classroom why this answer was the most accurate sign of alcohol addiction. She pointed out the fact that the principal difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.
Primarily this means that when a person who is alcohol dependent suddenly quits drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then explained to her pupils that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more explicitly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the body and from the brain telling an alcohol addicted person that something is dreadfully misaligned and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of several painful, uncomfortable, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a person’s death if the proper treatment is not immediately obtained.
Miss Benning then listed the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly stops drinking.
The point that Miss Benning tried to underline was this: an individual who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcoholism signs that the students had ranked, but the one symptom or sign that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To articulate this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol addicted individuals, are not alcohol dependent and consequently, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Pupils Think They Have Uncovered A Contradiction With the Findings From The Group of Chemical Dependency Specialists
The pupils also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol abuse professionals, namely, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?”
Miss Benning told the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not necessarily suggest that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does emphasize the need that alcohol addicted individuals have to drink in order to keep away from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the person who is alcohol dependent, the students started to appreciate the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.
To add a sense of closure to the subject, Miss Benning asked the students in her class to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is addicted to alcohol knew about every one of the alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcohol addiction rehabilitation?”
After roughly four or five minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ answers. While many students reasoned that around 85 to 95 percent of individuals who are addicted to alcohol would obtain alcohol dependency treatment if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs, most of the students reasoned that this number would not be less than 65 percent.
The Students Were Amazed to Learn That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent People in the U.S. Ask For Alcohol Treatment
To the surprise of most of the pupils, Miss Benning mentioned that according to different scientific examinations, only 25% of the people who are addicted to alcohol in the U.S. ask for alcohol dependency treatment. This astonished most of the pupils because they figured that exposure to the disgusting facts and statistics related to alcohol dependency would motivate the majority of the people who are addicted to alcohol to seek alcohol dependency rehabilitation.
Miss Benning then explained that alcohol dependent individuals not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol on a daily basis so they can keep away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Evidently, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than facts or logic. Without a doubt, due to the fact that the thirst for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol dependent person, this is a thorny issue that is difficult to overcome.
The Combination of Mental Health Issues and Alcohol Dependency Often Leads to Relationship, Divorce, Friendship, and Marital Problems
Finally, Miss Benning told her students that it is important to realize that alcoholism and various mental health issues like depression are highly correlated. Additionally, the incidence of mental health difficulties and alcoholism frequently result in relationship, friendship, marital, and divorce problems.
The Students are Eager to Learn About Alcohol Addiction Signs and Symptoms in Today’s Society
A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating the end of the class. Based on the enthusiasm manifested by the students when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning knew that she had encouraged and stimulated her students to stop and think about an important health and social problem that exists in our culture.
Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most financially challenged co-educational high school in the state. Although she had been teaching for only one year, she had already gained a reputation as an educator with teaching methods that inspired and motivated her pupils to think and to learn.
For instance, one Thursday afternoon at 1:30 she addressed her pupils and announced the following: “For the next three or four days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging viewpoint and we are also going to learn about a number of the most familiar signs of alcoholism from a less general and more detailed standpoint.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will beyond doubt validate that an individual with a drinking problem is an alcohol addicted individual, but the more signs that an individual displays, the greater the likelihood that he or she is a person who is addicted to alcohol.”
Miss Benning then told the students in the class that each pupil would be accountable for studying four alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her results to the other class members via a twenty-five minute oral presentation.
The Pupils are Enthused About Giving A Comprehensive Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcohol Addiction Signs
After learning about the different signs of alcohol dependency for a number of days, the time had arrived for the individual presentations. It was at once apparent that the pupils were energized about the subject matter because the material that they presented was first-rate. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the passion manifested by her students regarding this subject could not be overstated.
The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were presented and discussed in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked the students in her class to study the list and rank the top seven alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After around five minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and informed the pupils in her classroom that after she tallies the numbers, she will discuss her findings the next school day.
There was a real buzz by the pupils while they were walking out of Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to come so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.
The Students Match Their Results Against the Assessments From A Council of Substance Abuse Professionals
When the next school day came, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper that listed the top five alcohol addiction signs as per the pupils’ rankings. To the left of these results, she added another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then informed the pupils in her class that the numbers in the second column she added signified the answers that were generated by a council of chemical dependency authorities.
Miss Benning asked her students to look over the data on the sheet of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, questions, or concerns. Within 30 or 40 seconds, just about every student in the classroom raised her or his hand. It was apparent that the pupils had some questions, concerns, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the specialists. For instance, just about every pupil disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, specifically, “Do you feel unusually nauseous when you quit drinking?”
The Central Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Addiction and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her classroom why this answer was the most accurate sign of alcohol addiction. She pointed out the fact that the principal difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.
Primarily this means that when a person who is alcohol dependent suddenly quits drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then explained to her pupils that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more explicitly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the body and from the brain telling an alcohol addicted person that something is dreadfully misaligned and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of several painful, uncomfortable, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a person’s death if the proper treatment is not immediately obtained.
Miss Benning then listed the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly stops drinking.
The point that Miss Benning tried to underline was this: an individual who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcoholism signs that the students had ranked, but the one symptom or sign that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To articulate this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol addicted individuals, are not alcohol dependent and consequently, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Pupils Think They Have Uncovered A Contradiction With the Findings From The Group of Chemical Dependency Specialists
The pupils also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol abuse professionals, namely, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?”
Miss Benning told the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not necessarily suggest that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does emphasize the need that alcohol addicted individuals have to drink in order to keep away from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the person who is alcohol dependent, the students started to appreciate the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.
To add a sense of closure to the subject, Miss Benning asked the students in her class to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is addicted to alcohol knew about every one of the alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcohol addiction rehabilitation?”
After roughly four or five minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ answers. While many students reasoned that around 85 to 95 percent of individuals who are addicted to alcohol would obtain alcohol dependency treatment if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs, most of the students reasoned that this number would not be less than 65 percent.
The Students Were Amazed to Learn That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent People in the U.S. Ask For Alcohol Treatment
To the surprise of most of the pupils, Miss Benning mentioned that according to different scientific examinations, only 25% of the people who are addicted to alcohol in the U.S. ask for alcohol dependency treatment. This astonished most of the pupils because they figured that exposure to the disgusting facts and statistics related to alcohol dependency would motivate the majority of the people who are addicted to alcohol to seek alcohol dependency rehabilitation.
Miss Benning then explained that alcohol dependent individuals not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol on a daily basis so they can keep away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Evidently, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than facts or logic. Without a doubt, due to the fact that the thirst for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol dependent person, this is a thorny issue that is difficult to overcome.
The Combination of Mental Health Issues and Alcohol Dependency Often Leads to Relationship, Divorce, Friendship, and Marital Problems
Finally, Miss Benning told her students that it is important to realize that alcoholism and various mental health issues like depression are highly correlated. Additionally, the incidence of mental health difficulties and alcoholism frequently result in relationship, friendship, marital, and divorce problems.
The Students are Eager to Learn About Alcohol Addiction Signs and Symptoms in Today’s Society
A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating the end of the class. Based on the enthusiasm manifested by the students when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning knew that she had encouraged and stimulated her students to stop and think about an important health and social problem that exists in our culture. It was clear to see that her pupils also learned how to increase their positive attitude, personal success and happiness, and self esteem.
When Irresponsible Drinking Leads To Serious Health Problems And Relationship And Friendship Problems
For a number of years alcohol addiction research has demonstrated the fact that there is strong linkage between alcohol dependency and serious health conditions and mental health issues such as depression.
For instance, in 2005, medical research and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics demonstrated the fact that that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. It may be noted that this enormous alcohol-related cash disbursement was significantly more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is pertinent to emphasize these facts, it is also noteworthy to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.
Stated another way, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Definitely, substance abuse research has shown that alcoholism can augment the risk for different kinds of cancer, particularly cancer of the liver, voice box (larynx), kidneys, colon, esophagus, rectum, and the throat. Hazardous and recurring drinking can also lead to immune system issues and harm to the fetus during pregnancy.
Heavy and Hazardous Drinking Enfeebles the Drinker’s Systems and Organs
Furthermore, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will probably be affected in an unhealthy manner. For instance, long-term, abusive drinking is especially damaging to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to redevelop. This medical circumstance leads to a progressive inflammatory injury to the liver that can sooner or later lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a dangerous and possibly deadly medical problem. Excessive, long-term drinking not only can lead to dangerous liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this serious may be unalterable and may, in turn, result in severe ill health or an early death.
The Importance of Alcohol Rehab
It is vital, consequently, to know how to recognize the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the opportunity to get the professional alcohol treatment he or she requires.
Alcohol Addiction and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration
Fortuitously, scientific examination is relentlessly unearthing innovative and important information. Recent alcoholism research supplies a high-quality example. Stated differently, for approximately the last ten years, sophisticated brain-imaging scanning devices have demonstrated that continuous and long lasting hazardous drinking modifies the constitution of the brain to a substantial extent, consequently resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or possibly as long as the person exists.
More specifically, medical exploration has demonstrated that individuals who have been drinking in an excessive manner for a considerable length of time increase their risk for developing long lasting and serious alterations in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, to severe liver disease, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Malnutrition, Abusive Drinking, and Mental Disorders
As a final example of assorted health problems that are substantially associated with alcohol addiction, take into consideration the fact that according to scientific exploration, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a health problem that decreases the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This type of organ malfunctioning is linked to malnutrition and to an assortment of critical neurological and mental disorders including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical problem is an enduring incapacitating condition that is typified by persistent memory and learning complications.
Abusive Drinking Also Results in Friendship and Relationship Problems
In addition to major health problems, thoughtless drinking also leads to relationship and friendship difficulties. For example, people who involve themselves in hazardous drinking frequently experience marital difficulties, affairs, sexuality problems, and divorce.
Conclusion: The Relevance of Education
It is plain to see that repetitive, abusive drinking is directly or indirectly related to a variety of serious medical conditions that can and do lead to dangerous diseases and premature death. Such information needs to be underlined and presented to everyone in our society, especially to all students, so that a large number of individuals will be able to refrain from abusive drinking while other individuals who have a drinking problem will get the professional rehabilitation they need.
Let us look at this pragmatically. Yes, alcohol therapy is significant, but alcohol counseling is something that is frequently done AFTER the fact. Education, to the contrary, is something that is done BEFORE the problem emerges. Stated differently, whereas alcohol rehab is “reactive,” education is “proactive.” It is asserted that both approaches are needed when discussing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.
The medical community defines numerous illnesses and diseases as “silent killers.” Diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, mesothelioma, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and many kinds of cancer such as lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and rectal cancer are rather well known silent killers.
These medical conditions are known as silent killers due to the fact that early on in the medical problem there are regularly no symptoms to indicate that a problem exists. Then as the medical malady advances, then again, and as the symptoms begin to appear, a medical crisis can take place.
Unhealthy and Abusive Drinking Is a Silent Killer
I avow that hazardous and irresponsible drinking is also a silent killer. In point of fact, some people can drink for many years without going through any major alcohol related issues in their lives. When abusive and irresponsible drinking is repeated over time, it can be emphasized, unhealthy alcohol effects become more conspicuous and more knotty. Perhaps the best example of what I am stating takes place in the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction.
Without a doubt, more than a few alcohol related issues can be camouflaged and fairly well hidden while an individual involves himself or herself in abusive drinking. When the person in fact becomes a chronic problem drinker or an alcohol dependent person, it can be stressed, the unhealthy alcohol effects become very identifiable and more critical. Sadly, this info about alcoholism and alcohol abuse doesn’t appear to be discussed as much as it ought to be.
Areas in Life That are Adversely Affected by Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Over Time
What are a few of the areas in life that are adversely affected over time by continuous excessive and hazardous drinking? When people first begin to involve themselves in hazardous drinking, they are often unaware of what their alcohol abuse is doing to their mental health, to their jobs, to their health, to their relationships, and to their finances.
As the hazardous and heavy drinking is repeated over time, on the other hand, it often leads to friendship, relationship, marital, communication, and commitment problems and many times leads to affairs and divorce. In a similar way, many, if not most individuals who engage in alcohol abuse in due course go through alcohol related health issues such as sleep disturbances, hangovers, a loss of energy, and alcohol poisoning. Other alcohol related medical conditions include the following: sexual problems, stomach ulcers, liver disease, nerve damage, and vitamin deficiency.
Moreover, many, if not most people who engage in alcohol abuse in the end suffer from alcohol related financial difficulties. Ironically, while several alcohol abusers gripe about their financial circumstances, they commonly make their financial circumstances more problematic by spending more of their money on their drinking habit.
In a similar way, excessive and abusive drinking often results in anger management, time management, and stress management difficulties. In addiction, many, if not most alcohol abusers, because of their irresponsible drinking, in the end exhibit work issues such as showing up late for work, making mistakes on the job, alcohol related accidents, poor performance evaluations, and absenteeism.
In addition, excessive drinking in the long run results in a variety of mental health issues like denial, anxiety, obsession, depression, and extreme mood swings. And lastly, it should come as no surprise that people who engage in alcohol abuse can receive a DWI almost any night or day of the week due to their hazardous and abusive drinking and driving.
The Moral of the Story
The bottom line is this: people who engage in irresponsible and hazardous drinking need to learn how to drink in moderation and responsibly or get the alcohol detox and the alcohol therapy they need. This is important for individuals who involve themselves in hazardous drinking so that they can either drink responsibly or begin to live an alcohol-free life and avoid the huge amount of alcohol related predicaments highlighted above. Evidently, obtaining quality alcohol abuse help will be important along these lines.
It is also important for individuals who engage in excessive drinking to either figure out how to drink in moderation or totally refrain from drinking so that they can avoid a life of alcoholism. In a word, people who involve themselves in excessive drinking need to refrain from irresponsible and hazardous drinking so that they can steer clear from the alcohol induced silent killers that are correlated with hazardous and abusive drinking. Again, obtaining high quality alcohol abuse rehab will clearly go a long way toward meeting this goal.
How many individuals lose their lives every year because of drinking problems? How many people lose their lives each year from a condition that is 100% preventable, such as alcohol poisoning? How many people are the victims of alcohol related crime or violence each and every year? How many individuals get injured or lose their lives in alcohol related traffic accidents every year? How many people’s lives are cut short due to abusive and unhealthy drinking? How many children are born each year with fetal alcohol syndrome? On an annual basis, how many alcoholics fail to get the professional alcohol treatment they require? How many individuals face severe consequences in their lives because they received a “drunk driving” conviction? How many junior high, high school, and college students lose their lives every year due to an alcohol overdose?
Why Would Anyone Want to Drink in an Abusive Manner?
So what’s the point in asking these questions? Basically to highlight the destructive and devastating nature of hazardous and abusive drinking. Indeed, and based on the above questions, I wonder why anyone would choose to drink in a hazardous and irresponsible manner.
Stated a different way, with the host of relationship issues, legal proceedings, health dilemmas, financial problems, and employment difficulties that are interrelated with chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, why would any person with average intelligence want to drink in an excessive manner? In fact when some of the above topics are looked at more closely, abusive and excessive drinking makes even less sense and becomes more illogical.
Wouldn’t you think that chronic alcohol abusers would be able to see some of the alcohol symptoms that they manifest? In a similar way doesn’t it seem reasonable to think that more families would involve themselves in an alcohol intervention for the individual in the household who is an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic? What is more, wouldn’t you think that people who drink heavily would try to learn more about their drinking behavior by researching various alcohol related statistics?
After reviewing the alcohol abuse and alcoholism research literature, the point is so relevant that it needs to be said again: With all of the damaging and unhealthy outcomes that are directly or indirectly linked to continuous and repetitive alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction, why would any individual want to engage in abusive drinking?
What Can be Done About the Widespread Nature of Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse in the U.S.?
So what can be done about the extensive nature of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse in the United States?
- Our students need more relevant and more meaningful preventative and educational approaches and methods so that more students at all grade levels, including those at college, are “reached.
- With a similar line of thought, our students need to learn how to become problem solvers in life rather than getting easily drawn to the “instant gratification” and the “quick fix” of an alcohol or drug abuse “buzz” or “high”.
- Individuals who are alcoholics or alcohol abusers need to look look at themselves frankly and ask why they are not getting the professional alcohol treatment they need.
- Society needs to get the message to more people about the damaging and unhealthy effects of abusive and careless drinking.
There’s Room For Hope if Those Who Engage in Excessive Drinking Can Become Encouraged to Get the Alcohol Treatment They Need
There’s room for optimism and hope if individuals can start drinking responsibly and those who engage in careless and excessive drinkingcan become encouraged to get the alcohol rehabilitation they need. Indeed, why put your loved ones through turmoil, suffering and pain because of your excessive and abusive drinking when you have the power to control your life by drinking responsibly or even quitting drinking if you can’t control your drinking? From a different perspective, why not enhance your marital and dating relationships that are the outcomes of alcohol rehab?
The medical community defines numerous illnesses and diseases as “silent killers.” Diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, mesothelioma, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and many kinds of cancer such as lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and rectal cancer are rather well known silent killers.
These medical conditions are known as silent killers due to the fact that early on in the medical problem there are regularly no symptoms to indicate that a problem exists. Then as the medical malady advances, then again, and as the symptoms begin to appear, a medical crisis can take place.
Unhealthy and Abusive Drinking Is a Silent Killer
I avow that hazardous and irresponsible drinking is also a silent killer. In point of fact, some people can drink for many years without going through any major alcohol related issues in their lives. When abusive and irresponsible drinking is repeated over time, it can be emphasized, unhealthy alcohol effects become more conspicuous and more knotty. Perhaps the best example of what I am stating takes place in the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction.
Without a doubt, more than a few alcohol related issues can be camouflaged and fairly well hidden while an individual involves himself or herself in abusive drinking. When the person in fact becomes a chronic problem drinker or an alcohol dependent person, it can be stressed, the unhealthy alcohol effects become very identifiable and more critical. Sadly, this info about alcoholism and alcohol abuse doesn’t appear to be discussed as much as it ought to be.
Areas in Life That are Adversely Affected by Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Over Time
What are a few of the areas in life that are adversely affected over time by continuous excessive and hazardous drinking? When people first begin to involve themselves in hazardous drinking, they are often unaware of what their alcohol abuse is doing to their mental health, to their jobs, to their health, to their relationships, and to their finances.
As the hazardous and heavy drinking is repeated over time, on the other hand, it often leads to friendship, relationship, marital, communication, and commitment problems and many times leads to affairs and divorce. In a similar way, many, if not most individuals who engage in alcohol abuse in due course go through alcohol related health issues such as sleep disturbances, hangovers, a loss of energy, and alcohol poisoning. Other alcohol related medical conditions include the following: sexual problems, stomach ulcers, liver disease, nerve damage, and vitamin deficiency.
Moreover, many, if not most people who engage in alcohol abuse in the end suffer from alcohol related financial difficulties. Ironically, while several alcohol abusers gripe about their financial circumstances, they commonly make their financial circumstances more problematic by spending more of their money on their drinking habit.
Time Management, Stress Management, and Anger Management Problems
In a similar way, irresponsible and heavy drinking commonly leads to stress management, time management, and anger management problems. In addiction, many, if not most individuals who involve themselves in alcohol abuse, because of their drinking behavior, eventually manifest work problems such as absenteeism, alcohol related accidents, making mistakes on the job, showing up late for work, and poor performance evaluations.
Mental Health Issues Such As Depression
In addition, irresponsible and excessive drinking in due course leads to different mental health issues like obsession, anxiety, depression, extreme mood swings, and denial. And lastly, it should come as no shock that people who involve themselves in alcohol abuse can receive a “drunk while driving arrest” almost any night or day of the week due to their hazardous and heavy drinking and driving.
The Moral of the Story
The lesson to be learned is this: individuals who engage in excessive and hazardous drinking need to learn how to drink responsibly and in moderation or get the alcohol detox and the alcohol rehabilitation they require. This is important for people who involve themselves in excessive drinking so that they can either drink responsibly and in moderation or start to lead an alcohol free life and steer clear from the huge number of alcohol induced issues stated above. Obviously, getting quality alcohol abuse help will be important along these lines.
It is also important for people who engage in heavy drinking to either discover how to drink responsibly and in moderation or totally refrain from drinking so that they can stay away from a life of alcohol dependency. To put it briefly, individuals who involve themselves in abusive drinking need to refrain from excessive and hazardous drinking so that they can steer clear from the alcohol related silent killers that are associated with irresponsible and hazardous drinking. Again, obtaining quality alcohol abuse rehab will certainly go a long way toward achieving this goal.
