Undeniably, rather than helping the alcohol dependent person and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have inadvertently helped negatively affect the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even further.

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

Relapses Can and Do Occur

According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol addiction issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcoholic has effectively gone through alcoholism therapy 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 improbable that it forces one to wonder why anyone who has gone through the awfulness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol rehab and in turn after attaining sobriety. There are, to be sure, numerous credible reasons for this.

It should be explained, on the other hand that alcoholism research that has centered on the lasting effects of alcoholism has shown that long after the alcohol addicted person has discontinued his or her drinking, significant changes in the way in which the alcoholic’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcoholic has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the modifications that have occurred in the brain is to engage in drinking again.

The Necessity for A Critical Lifestyle Change

There are additional reasons why more than a few recovering alcohol dependent persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted person needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more successfully with taxing alcohol-related situations that will take place.

Issues such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol addicted person was drinking irresponsibly; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring forth memories that can prompt psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these circumstances may not only get in the way of ongoing alcohol recovery for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also result in relapse and consequently go against one’s sobriety.

The Good News: First-Class Help is Available Almost Everywhere

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

The alcohol abuse research literature demonstrates the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol counseling experience at least one relapse. Alcoholics and their family members need to know this so that they do not get crestfallen or beleaguered when a relapse occurs.

Luckily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and training have resulted in more effective, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction therapeutic outcomes, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals achieve long standing alcohol recovery.

Dangerous End Results That are Related to Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the injurious outcomes related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably startled me. The ruined lives and frequent difficulties experienced by most alcohol dependent individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated differently, I did not want to face the disaster and ruination that alcohol dependent people almost always experience.

Reflect on this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What adolescent wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that drinking 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 twenty-one?

What adolescent wants to deal with alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to quit 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 a person has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that revolves around excessive drinking?

These issues were so important that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was completely astounding to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the detrimental results of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with the facts and how these outcomes can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend something that my grandfather used to articulate throughout my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

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

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

After feeling disheartened because she was beginning to disregard her health, 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 abusive and hazardous drinking, and time to get on with her life.  So the next Saturday morning at 9:30 AM, she determined that she would quit drinking suddenly and completely without planning or preparation.

When She Stopped Drinking She Felt Dreadful, She Was Extremely Moody and Nervous, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Started to Sweat Profusely, She Had Absolutely No Appetite, and She Vomited a Number of Times

When Jennifer stopped drinking, she figured that she would more likely than not be tempted to take a couple of drinks, but she never supposed that she would feel so dreadful.  More directly, roughly four hours after she quit drinking, she was extremely moody and uptight, she had utterly no appetite, her head was aching, she started to perspire extensively, and she vomited numerous times.

When she called her best girlfriend and told her that she had quit drinking and that after a few hours she suddenly started to experience flu-like symptoms, Julia, her best pal, told Jennifer to call her doctor and discuss what she was going through.

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

So Jennifer called her healthcare practitioner, told him that she has been drinking excessively for a number of months and that when she honestly tried to abruptly quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the worse flu-like symptoms that she had ever experienced.

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

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

It seems that her family doctor had phoned ahead and informed the emergency room personnel to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by a nurse and a paramedic who immediately asked her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them.  After getting moved to the emergency room and undergoing a few necessary tests, it was confirmed that Jennifer was in actual fact suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.

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

A Chemical Dependency and Substance Abuse Healthcare Professional Explains That She is an Alcoholic and Then Goes Over What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Dependency Stages Are

After two or three hours, Jennifer was removed from the emergency room and transported to the recovery room.  After she was in recovery for just about an hour-and-a-half, Doctor Gordon, an alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction specialist, came to visit her.  He took his time and explained in a clear fashion that Jennifer had gone through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking because she had become dependent on alcohol.

He then stated that with repeated and excessive drinking, the drinker’s brain in a step-by-step fashion becomes accustomed to the alcohol in order to carry out tasks and operations in a “semi-normal” fashion.  When the drinker then abruptly quits drinking alcohol, however, the brain responds by generating alcohol withdrawal symptoms.  Moreover, her doctor also went over the various alcoholism stages that an alcohol dependent person usually goes through as the disease gets worse over time.

It is Confirmed that Jennifer is in the Earliest Stage of Alcoholism and She Obtains a Favorable Diagnosis For a Complete Recovery if She Gets the Alcoholism Rehab She Needs

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was verified that she was in the first stage of alcohol dependency and, as a consequence, she obtained a good projection for a complete recovery if she gets the alcoholism therapy she needs.

Jennifer told the healthcare practitioner that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to get back her health and her life.  She also articulated that she has an excellent hospitalization policy that will quite possibly pay for most of the costs needed for rehabilitation.  It was obvious that Jennifer was extremely pleased with her optimistic medical prognosis and felt free from anxiety knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol dependency rehabilitation she needs so that she can start on the road to recovery.

As an illustration, in 2005, scientific investigation and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. Interestingly, this substantial alcohol-related cost was substantially more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is pertinent to emphasize these facts, it is also important to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.

More accurately, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly associated with obesity and with cancer.

Definitely, substance abuse investigation has revealed that alcohol addiction can augment the risk for various types of cancer, especially cancer of the kidneys, rectum, colon, voice box (larynx), esophagus, throat, and the liver. Heavy and recurring drinking can also result in immune system difficulties and abnormality to the fetus during pregnancy.

Abusive and Excessive Drinking Enfeebles the Individual’s Systems and Organs

Additionally, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will likely be affected in a harmful manner. As an illustration, repeated, abusive drinking is especially dangerous to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and destroys the ability of liver cells to redevelop. This medical circumstance results in a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can at the end of the day lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a grave and potentially terminal medical problem.Abusive, long-term drinking not only can lead to critical liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be irreparable and may, in turn, result in severe disease or an early death.

The Significance of Alcohol Therapy

It is important, therefore, to know how to identify the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted individual can be given the opportunity to get the professional alcohol rehabilitation he or she requires.

Alcoholism and Sophisticated Brain Exploration

Fortunately, medical research is persistently generating new and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration provides a first-rate illustration. More precisely, for roughly the last ten years, sophisticated brain-imaging scanning devices have confirmed that repetitive and recurring abusive drinking modifies the constitution of the brain to a significant extent, thusly resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or conceivably as long as the individual lives.

More to the point, medical investigation has revealed that people who have been drinking excessively for a sizeable length of time increase their risk for developing permanent and serious transformations in the brain.

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

Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Abusive Drinking

As a final illustration of different medical conditions that are considerably related to alcoholism, take into consideration the fact that according to scientific exploration, the hazardous and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a health problem that diminishes the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

This kind of organ breakdown is related to malnutrition and to a variety of serious mental and neurological maladies including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is a lasting debilitating health problem that is epitomized by continual learning and memory difficulties.

Summary

It is clear that repetitive, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly related to a variety of severe medical problems that can and do lead to dangerous ailments and premature death. Such information needs to be underlined and presented to everyone in our society so that most individuals will be able to abstain from abusive drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the professional rehabilitation they need.

After feeling downcast because she was beginning to disregard her health, Jennifer at last told herself that she’s had enough, that it’s time to stop the self pity party, that it’s time to stop the excessive and irresponsible drinking, and time to make a new start with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 10:30 AM, she decided to quit drinking completely and suddenly without planning or preparation.

When She Attempted to Quit Drinking She Felt Awful, She Was Extremely Restless and Moody, She Started to Perspire Profusely, Her Head Was Aching, She Vomited Numerous Times, and She Had Absolutely No Appetite

When Jennifer quit drinking, she reasoned that she would most likely be tempted to ”steal” a couple of drinks, but she never envisioned that she would feel so sick. More exactly, about three hours after she quit drinking, she started to sweat profusely, she had absolutely no appetite, she was extremely tense and moody, she vomited numerous times, and her head was aching.

When she called her best girlfriend and informed her that she had quit drinking and that after a couple of hours she suddenly began having flu-like symptoms, Janet, her best buddy, told Jennifer to call her physician and discuss what she was experiencing.

She Admits to Her Family Doctor That She Has Been Drinking In an Excessive Manner, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Suffering Through Extremely Unpleasant Flu-Like Symptoms

So Jennifer called her family doctor, informed him that she has been drinking in an abusive manner for several months and that when she made an effort to totally quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the worse flu-like symptoms that she had ever suffered through.

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

As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a friend to take her to the emergency room. 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.

It appears that her family doctor had called ahead and informed the emergency room medical team to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two paramedics who without hesitation asked her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them. After getting taken to the emergency room and undergoing a couple of necessary tests, it was substantiated that Jennifer was in fact going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.

A healthcare professional administered some meds to lessen the intensity of her flu-like symptoms and also administered some meds to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her blood.

An Alcohol Dependency Healthcare Practitioner Goes Over the Fact That She is Alcohol Dependent and Then Clearly Explains What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcoholism Stages Are

After a few hours, Jennifer was taken from the ER and wheeled to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for approximately an hour, Doctor Jordan, an alcohol and drug addiction specialist, came to see her. He took plenty of time and clearly explained that Jennifer had suffered through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking because she had become alcohol dependent.

He then elucidated the fact that with heavy drinking on an everyday basis, the individual’s brain gradually becomes accustomed to the alcohol so that it can process things in a “semi-normal” way. When the person then all of a sudden stops drinking alcohol, it can be noted, the brain reacts by generating alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, her physician also went over the various alcoholism stages that an alcoholic commonly goes through as the disease gets worse over time.

It is Discovered that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcoholism and She Receives a Favorable Projection For a Full Recovery if She Gets the Alcoholism Rehabilitation She Requires

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was discovered that she was in the earliest stage of alcoholism and, as a result, she obtained a good prognosis for a total recovery if she receives the alcoholism therapy she needs.

Jennifer told the healthcare professional that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to restore her health. She also mentioned that she has a very comprehensive hospitalization policy that will quite possibly pay for most, if not all, of the costs needed for rehab. It was apparent that Jennifer was quite pleased with her optimistic prognosis and felt at peace knowing that she will be able to get the alcoholism rehabilitation she requires so that she can begin the path to recovery.

The Requirement for a Well-Known Reputation of Intervention Success

Scientific exploration shows that a productive alcohol dependency intervention needs to be administered by an intervention expert who has a well-known reputation of intervention success.

In actual fact this means that instead of making a choice for a “normal” alcohol abuse counselor or psychologist for an alcoholism intervention, the individual who is chosen to direct the intervention needs to be trained in drug abuse intervention techniques and needs to have a record of successful alcohol addiction interventions.

A Few Elementary Illustrations of The Most Productive Time For an Alcohol Intervention

Scientific examination and alcoholism facts about interventions has also shown that the most worthwhile time for an alcoholism intervention is following a noteworthy “happening” in the life of the alcoholic or hazardous drinker. The following represents a few examples of these types of important events:

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

In circumstances such as these, the alcohol dependent individual or abusive drinker is more apt to be regretful or to be embarrassed, thusly making him or her more receptive to getting the quality alcohol rehab that he or she needs.

At this moment in time, moreover, it is also imperative to draw attention to the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person needs to be alcohol-free during the alcohol intervention. In short, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual is drunk during an alcohol intervention, the lack of success is almost guaranteed.

In much the same way, scientific inquiry has also demonstrated the fact that the abusive drinker or alcohol-dependent person has to at least try to listen to what is stated in an alcohol addiction intervention. Stated more precisely, during an alcohol addiction intervention, the abusive drinker or alcoholic needs to listen to what his or her drinking behavior has done to those who care for him or her the most.

The Need for Alcohol Rehab For the Heavy Drinker

And lastly, scientific exploration makes evident the fact that the main reason for an alcohol intervention in the first place is to induce the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual to get the quality alcohol rehab that is needed. Stated more accurately, even if the person who manages the intervention has a magnificent reputation of productive interventions and even if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual genuinely listens to every single word that is mentioned all the way through an intervention, if the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted person is not motivated to ask for professional alcohol abuse therapy after the alcohol dependency intervention, then the intervention will be a disaster.

Without a doubt all of these factors are needed for a productive alcohol dependency intervention. If, nonetheless, the hazardous drinker or alcohol dependent individual is not moved to seek alcohol abuse rehabilitation after listening to his or her family members communicate the hurt, anger, and displeasure they feel about the hazardous drinker’s or alcoholic’s irresponsible drinking behavior and the affection they feel for the problem drinker, then every other phase of the alcohol intervention will effectively be a waste of time.

Even Fruitful Alcoholism Interventions Can Fail Down the Road

It also needs to be accentuated that regardless of the fact that the alcohol addiction intervention can be viewed as successful in that it helped put the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person in a more receptive mindset and openly helped the alcohol addicted person or hazardous drinker decide that he or she required alcohol therapy or quality help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the mere fact that the intervention took place may result in acrimony, irritation, and suspicion down the road.

Briefly, even when addiction interventions are seen as successful in the short run, in the long run, to the contrary, they may go wrong and, for that reason, might make the family and/or the alcohol addicted person’s situation even worse than it was before the alcoholism intervention occurred.

No matter how unjust or ironic this seems, try to keep in mind that it is essentially one of the key alcohol facts that has to be faced when doing an alcohol intervention.

Not unlike other drinkers, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began little by little and remained at this level for quite a long time because every now and again she engaged in occasional social drinking. In truth, for about six months, every time she drank, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her drinking behavior, nevertheless, seemed to radically change when her husband divorced her.

In Order To Rise Above the Breakup of Her Husband More Rapidly, Teresa Made Up Her Mind That She Will Begin Hanging Around More Regularly With Some of Her Buddies Who Love to ”Get Down” and Drink

Teresa got exceedingly gloomy about the loss of her husband, and as a way to abstain from fixating on her discouraging feelings she arrived at a decision that she would start palling around more repeatedly with some of her buddies who love to have fun drinking.

Quite honestly, Teresa thought that having fun almost every day by getting a “buzz” by drinking with her pals would help her recover from the loss of her husband more rapidly.

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

It didn’t take long, nevertheless, before her drinking escalated substantially the more habitually she went to and drank at happy hours, sporting events, family get-togethers, private parties, and dinner dates with her buddies. Furthermore, the fact that her drinking buddies were all younger than she was and therefore able to party more recklessly was one of the reasons that she didn’t allocate more of her attention to her increased drinking. In brief, she was drinking and having a ton of fun just like everyone else in her group of buddies without giving much thought to the unhealthy consequences of her excessive drinking.

Yet someplace in her mind she knew that she most probably needed alcohol rehabilitation but kept away from the thought as much as she could.

Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Discloses the Facts About Her Excessive and Hazardous Drinking to Her Healthcare Practitioner, and Owns Up to the Truth About Her General State of Despair

One afternoon during her yearly physical, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell “stories” to her physician, Teresa ”came clean” and stated that she regularly drinks more than she should. In truth, she said that she frequently drinks in a hazardous manner. Then Teresa informed her physician about her general state of gloom. More precisely, she mentioned that broken relationships more often than not sparked a discouraging progression of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more discouraging feelings that, in turn, resulted in more drinking. And this is specifically what took place when she and her husband got divorced eleven months ago.

When her healthcare practitioner heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was researching, alcoholism and depression routinely arise in the same individual. He then told her that some of the alcohol statistics, facts, and research investigations he has been reading about also underscore the fact that people who drink in a hazardous manner and who also experience depression need to receive treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Healthcare Professional Makes an Appointment for a Psychological Evaluation and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Assessment

Teresa’s physician then said the following: “I am not trying to make an overly quick judgment, but with your medical circumstances we may be dealing with two separate issues. As a consequence, I think we ought to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcoholism assessment from my partner, Dr.
Glosik, who is an alcohol abuse and alcoholism specialist. Whether your drinking circumstance is more linked to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction is not clear at this time, but I believe that further exploration is defensible. Then I think we ought to make an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Miller, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a deeper understanding about your sadness and see how much your drinking and depression are related.” Teresa showed her agreement with her healthcare practitioner’s “game plan” and thanked him for his assistance. Now all she had to do was to try to trim down on her drinking and get ready for her appointments.

After feeling unhappy because she was starting to close her eyes to her health, Jennifer at long last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to stop the self pity routine, that it’s time to quit the excessive and hazardous drinking, and time to get on with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, she made up her mind to stop drinking completely and suddenly without planning or preparation.

When She Quit Drinking She Felt Sick, Her Head Was Pounding, She Vomited a Number of Times, She Was Extremely Moody and Anxious, She Had Utterly No Appetite, and She Started to Sweat Extensively

When Jennifer stopped drinking, she thought that she would most likely be tempted to ”steal” a couple of drinks, but she never guessed that she would feel so terrible. More explicitly, approximately an hour-and-a-half after she quit drinking, she started to perspire profusely, her head was throbbing, she had absolutely no appetite, she was extremely anxious and moody, and she vomited several times.

When she called her best girlfriend and told her that she had stopped drinking and that after a couple of hours she abruptly began experiencing flu-like symptoms, Sarah, her best buddy, told Jennifer to call her physician and discuss what was going on.

She Admits to Her Medical Practitioner That She Has Been Drinking In an Irresponsible and Hazardous Manner, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Suffering Through Dreadful Flu-Like Symptoms

So Jennifer called her physician, told him that she has been drinking in an abusive and hazardous manner for many months and that when she tried to totally quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the most horrible flu-like symptoms that she had ever suffered through.

Her healthcare practitioner told her that she may be suffering from symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have a neighbor or friend 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 emergency room. Interestingly, all the way to the hospital, as sick as Jennifer felt, the only thing she could think about was whether or not she might be addicted to alcohol.

Apparently her physician had phoned ahead and informed the emergency room personnel to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two nurses who without hesitation asked her to get in the wheelchair they had with them. After getting moved to the emergency room and undergoing two or three essential tests, it was corroborated that Jennifer was in truth suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.

An emergency room healthcare professional administered some medications to address her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some medications to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her bloodstream.

An Alcohol Addiction Healthcare Practitioner Discusses That She is Dependent on Alcohol and Then Discusses What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Addiction Stages Are

After a few hours, Jennifer was taken from the ER and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for roughly an hour, Doctor Reyes, an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse specialist, came to talk to her. He took plenty of time and explained in laymen’s language that Jennifer had experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking due to the fact that she had become an alcoholic.

He then explained that with excessive drinking on a daily basis, the drinker’s brain slowly but surely gets acclimated to the alcohol in order to carry out tasks and operations in a “semi-normal” way. When the individual then suddenly quits consuming alcohol, understandably, the brain reacts by producing alcohol withdrawal symptoms. What is more, her physician also clearly explained the various alcoholism stages that an alcoholic almost always goes through as the disease gets progressively worse over time.

It is Confirmed that Jennifer is in the Earliest Stage of Alcoholism and She Obtains a Good Projection For a Complete Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Dependency Rehabilitation She Requires

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was confirmed that she was in the earliest stage of alcohol dependency and, as a result, she was given a favorable prognosis for a total recovery if she will get the alcohol dependency 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 stated that she has a first-rate hospitalization policy that will almost certainly pay for most, if not all, of the costs required for treatment. It was obvious that Jennifer was very pleased with her optimistic prognosis and felt at ease knowing that she will be able to get the alcoholism rehab she needs so that she can start on the path to recovery.

If you have hopelessly tried to quit drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are gone and then you recognized that you were drinking in a hazardous way just a few days later, the odds are quite good that you have drinking problems. The point of emphasis is that if you have tried to terminate your drinking and cannot accomplish this, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around.

In a similar manner, if it takes increasingly more amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” you probably need to recognize the fact that you have a drinking problem.

You may be telling yourself that the rationale for your drinking is so that you can lower your stress or get rid of the hurt that you feel. In a similar manner, you may be trying to steer clear of a harmful situation and may be looking for something more useful, more constructive, or less mournful.

As you maintain your drinking, nevertheless, you will grasp the fact that drinking does not produce the same high and you will also understand that drinking doesn’t help remove whatever triggered your problem in the first place.

As you continue to drink in an excessive manner, unfortunately, you may become alcohol dependent and, as a consequence, you may add another essential problem to manage rather than finding out about more successful and wholesome ways of coping with your alcohol-related difficulties.

An Alcohol Appraisal is Probably Warranted

If you have decided that you have a drinking problem, perchance the best thing you can do for yourself is to call your physician or healthcare provider and schedule an appointment for a thorough physical and for a review of your drinking situation.

If you actually think that you have a serious problem with your drinking, it may be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol therapy.

At this point in your life, what are your choices? You can definitely decide against seeing your health care practitioner and carry on with your pattern of abusive drinking.

It really doesn’t take a wiz kid, nonetheless, to understand that chronic, heavy drinking, if left untreated, will degenerate over time and almost certainly set in motion an early death. Accordingly, your most positive choice is to address your drinking situation and obtain the alcohol rehabilitation you require.

The Sham of the Functioning Alcohol Dependent Individual

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

Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted individuals may have never been apprehended for drunk driving and may have been fortunate enough to avoid all alcohol induced legal problems. In spite of this fortunate situation, then again, these alcohol addicted people need to drink in order to operate on a day by day basis while continuing their facade as they interact with the outside world.

Ask anyone who has seen them when they are out on a drunken binge 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 affirm the authenticity of the drinker’s situation and the essentials about the alcoholic’s drinking circumstances and about his or her alcohol induced issues.

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

As alcohol dependency research and statistics on alcohol abuse have emphasized, no matter how apparent the alcohol generated difficulties seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted individual, alcohol addicted individuals frequently deny that drinking is the root of their alcohol-related difficulties. Not only this, but alcohol dependent individuals characteristically blame their alcohol-related problems on other people or upon other circumstances around them rather than seeing their part in the problem.

The source of the predicament is that alcoholism is a disease of the brain. Once the alcohol abuser has become alcohol dependent, he or she normally resorts to denial, manipulation, and deceit as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make the situation more complex, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically circumvents the alcohol addicted individual’s rare attempts to suddenly stop drinking. As cheerless as the alcohol dependent individual’s way of life is, however, the encouraging news is that professional help is usually available – if the alcohol addicted person reaches out and seeks alcohol rehab.

Conclusion

Owning up to the fact that drinking is leading to difficulties in your daily functioning is perchance the easiest way to find out if you have a drinking problem. Stated another way, if your drinking is triggering problems with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the law, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be tackled.

If you have a problem with your drinking, additionally, this means that you are engaging in hazardous drinking.

While some individuals may be able to come to grips with their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and greatly decrease the quantity and incidence of their drinking, other drinkers, on the other hand, need to manage their drinking problems by getting quality alcohol therapy. What’s more, due to their tendency to deny the facts and alter the truth, alcoholics definitely require competent alcoholism rehab for their out-of-control drinking.

Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school suspension to his Mother and Father. His Mother and Father were “fairly conventional” and explained to Dante that getting thrown out of school was not a tolerable educational option. They explained to Dante that failing to graduate from high school would likely be like a lead weight around his feet that could probably inhibit his educational attainment for the rest of his life. What is more, Dante’s parents were very dismayed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.

His Mother and Father explained to Dante that although he may be a teen, he needs to realize fairly promptly that drinking is the pathway to pain, ill health, failure, and financial problems.

It was plain to see that his Mom and Dad were absolutely in accord with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he had better come to the realization that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his conversation with his Mom and Dad, Dante eventually agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next morning before school.

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

When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she promptly examined all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had experienced and asked him if he understood why his recent alcohol-related actions caused quite a bit of concern by the school administrators.

Quite sincerely, Dante questioned why the principal told him he had to see a school therapist. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking activities? Since almost all of his friends drink about as much as he does, for all intents and purposes, drinking shouldn’t be such a big thing. Stated more explicitly, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a big thing?

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

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his friends may indeed 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 expelled from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his pals. What is more, Miss Johnson also underscored the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least two days of class per week due to his alcohol related difficulties. Finally, Miss Johnson stressed the fact that due to his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a damaging cycle of hazardous drinking that can finally ruin his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was starting to thwart his ability to conduct himself like an accountable young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your friends drink wine coolers, hard liquor, wine, or beer does not mean that it is the best thing to do for you.”

Dante Learns That Sooner or Later He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Avoid Unhealthy, Dangerous, Destructive, and Damaging Situations In the Future

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that others can undoubtedly influence an individual in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to ultimately be accountable for herself or himself in order to prevent damaging, unhealthy, dangerous, and destructive outcomes in the future.

Fortunately, Miss Johnson was very organized for her meeting with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had highlighted that summarized various drinking facts and statistics that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante a lot of figures and reports that applied especially to adolescents.

As an illustration, Miss Johnson underscored the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism and explained to Dante that drinkers who continue to drink in a hazardous manner regularly become alcohol dependent.

Miss Johnson also explained the concept of binge drinking that 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 Presents More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Statistics and Facts

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

1. Alcohol is a factor in approximately half of America’s murders, accidental deaths, and suicides.

2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of deaths among young people.

3. Each year in the United States, approximately 5,000 youth under the age of 21 lose their lives due to underage drinking. This includes roughly 1,900 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents.

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

5. Approximately 1,700 college students in the United States are killed each year–around 4.65 per day–as a result of injuries that are alcohol related.

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

7. The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 76 million people throughout the world suffer from alcohol-related disorders.

8. As shown by recent drug and alcohol abuse research findings, it has been learned that around 53% of the adults in the United States have stated that one or more of their close relatives is a problem drinker.

Dante Gets An Important Jolt of Reality About the Long Term and the Short Term Consequences of Youth Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johnson verbalized the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics and facts, it was apparent that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to give an explanation of the short term and the long term effects of alcoholism and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to validate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency statistics and facts that related to everyone, and mainly to underage drinkers.

In actual fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante immediately realized why he should not be engaging in excessive and abusive drinking with or without his buddies any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the materials she discussed.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction 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 a thorough assessment of his drinking behavior so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction rehab program promptly.