Why do people drink alcoholic
beverages (beer, distilled spirits, or wine)?
Positive reasons for drinking alcoholic
beverages include:
Celebrating significant occasions with friends or loved ones.
Enhancing enjoyment of social activities and relaxation.
Complementing certain meals.
Participating in religious ceremonies.
Enjoying the taste as a beverage of choice.
Negative reasons
for drinking alcoholic beverages include:
Escaping from tension or worries.
Blocking out painful feelings such as fear, loneliness, and self-doubt.
Attempting to relate better to people.
As a substitute for meaningful relationships with people.
Finding courage or strength to face certain situations.
What are symptoms of alcoholism?
Only a qualified professional can determine
if an individual is alcoholic. However, the following warning signals
may indicate the presence of alcohol-related problems. Generally,
these signals involve later stages of alcoholism and involve symptoms
that may be unrelated to time periods and drinking patterns.
- Drinking increasing amounts of alcohol and
becoming intoxicated often.
- Being preoccupied with drinking, to the exclusion
of other activities.
- Making, but readily breaking, promises to
quit or control drinking.
- Experiencing "black outs", i.e.,
unable to remember what he/she said or did when drinking.
- Experiencing personality changes, i.e., tense,
irritable, denies or conceals drinking, wide mood swings.
- Making excuses for drinking.
- Drinking alone, in the morning or before a
party.
- Refusing to admit to excessive drinking and
becoming angry if someone mentions it.
- Having trouble on the job or at school, i.e.,
misses work or school, is frequently tardy, has conflicts with
coworkers or fellow students.
- Changing jobs frequently and/or is usually
demoted, rarely promoted.
- Losing interest in personal appearance or
hygiene.
- Suffering from poor health, e.g., loss of
appetite, respiratory infections, nervousness.
- Having several arrests for drunken driving
or other alcohol-related incidents.
- Suffering from family, marital, academic,
and/or economic hardships.
- Spending a great deal of time overcoming hangovers.
In final stages, experiencing grave social, financial, and personal
damage.
Is the person who regularly takes a cocktail before dinner an alcoholic?
Not necessarily. Drinking every day - in and
of itself - does not indicate alcoholism. Many people drink every
day for a variety of reasons with no subsequent problems. The
question to ask is: "Do I need that drink?" If the answer
is "No" and you can control the amount of alcohol you
drink, then more than likely you are not an alcoholic.
Is there such a thing as a weekend alcoholic?
Yes. Alcoholism is a complex illness and involves
symptoms that may be unrelated to time periods and drinking patterns.
Not everyone exhibits the same symptoms.
What is social drinking? How much does a social
drinker drink?
Social drinking is not based on - nor defined
by - a certain number of drinks. While lacking an exact definition,
social drinking usually takes place with two or more participants,
is satisfying to the drinker and participants, and does not impede
the drinker's health, interpersonal relations, or economic functioning.
A social drinker respects alcohol and its effect on the body,
consumes alcohol according to family and social customs, and realizes
that alcohol complements the pleasures of life. For the social
drinker, drinking is not an end in itself but an accompaniment
to other activities.
What distinguishes a social drinker from an alcoholic?
Loss of control. A social drinker has control
over when, where, and how much he/she drinks. An alcoholic has
lost this ability and after beginning to drink, usually drinks
to intoxication.
What type of person is an alcoholic?
There is no typical alcoholic. Anyone can abuse
alcohol and become and alcoholic. Current studies show an increasing
number of alcoholic women, teenagers, and children, some as young
as 10 years old. There is also a rising number of alcoholics among
senior citizens. It is estimated that as many as one out of ten
people over age 60 have alcohol-related problems.
What is denial?
Denial occurs when a person refuses to believe
that alcohol-related symptoms are caused by excessive drinking.
Denial is a major obstacle to alcoholic recovery.
What is the difference between denial and rationalization?
With denial, the alcoholic believes that drinking
has nothing to do with his/her problems. With rationalization,
the alcoholic attempts to find logical reasons for drinking, by
confining drinking to certain occasions - e.g., "I'll drink
because it's my birthday" or "I'll drink because it'll
help me unwind" - without the ability to control drinking
during any of these occasions.
Why do alcoholics refuse to recognize their problem
with alcohol?
The effects of chronic intoxication interfere
with thinking and impairs attitude, behavior, and personality.
The alcoholic is incapable of recognizing the serious harm caused
by heavy, repeated use of alcohol. Until drinking stops, the brain
does not function normally. These effects may last for weeks or
months, but they are mostly reversible.
How can you help an alcoholic who does not want
help?
First, learn as much about alcohol, alcohol
abuse, and alcoholism so that you may be better able to deal with
the problems of alcoholism and some of your own feelings about
the problem. Next, talk to the person about their behavior changes
that result from drinking. Be firm, considerate, single-minded,
and focus on the drinking behavior, not the reasons for drinking.
Some alcoholics always find a reason to drink. Be specific: point
out times when drinking interfered with the person's life.
Offer hope. Alcoholism is a treatable illness.
Between one-third to two-thirds of all people who seek help actually
recover from alcoholism when the first step is taken to stop all
alcohol consumption. Since many alcoholics lapse again into heavy
drinking, patience and encouragement can help the alcoholic regain
sobriety.
Finally, remember that the worst thing to do
is to ignore the problem and hope that it will go away.
What is an intervention?
In the book Intervention, Vernon E. Johnson
describes intervention as a "process by which the harmful,
progressive, and destructive effects of chemical dependency are
interrupted and the chemically dependent person is helped to stop
using mood-altering chemicals [e.g., alcohol] and to develop new,
healthier ways for coping with his or her needs and problems."
The ultimate goal of an intervention is to get the alcoholic into
a treatment program.
How does an intervention work?
Intervention occurs when the alcoholic person
is in denial or does not seem to want to accept any help and loved
ones, relatives, and even employers decide that it is time to
step in and take action. They do this to help the alcoholic to
recover a sober and healthy life.
Under the guidance of a professional, an intervention
team forms, made up of two or more people who are concerned and
close to the alcoholic and who have first-hand knowledge of the
alcoholic's symptoms or behavior.
The team meets and, in an objective and caring way, the alcoholic
is confronted with the facts about his/her drinking. By using
specific examples of the alcoholic's drinking behavior, the team
attacks the alcoholic's wall of defenses. the alcoholic meets
head-on with the reality of the effects of alcoholism. This process
causes discomfort and upset. The alcoholic is shaken out of denial
and this may lead to agreement to seek help.
What attitude should I have toward a problem
drinking spouse?
Don't blame yourself for your spouse's alcoholism.
An alcoholic can be very clever in shifting the responsibility
for drinking to others and may use your feelings of caring to
cause feelings of guilt within you. You are not responsible for
the illness that affects your spouse and you cannot control or
change alcohol-related behavior. Seek professional help for your
spouse, yourself, and other family members.
How do you handle children experimenting with
alcohol if one or both parents is a recovering alcoholic?
One way to prevent alcohol abuse is to give
children accurate information about alcohol, its properties, and
its effects on the body. If a child is well informed about the
important aspects of alcohol and has a feeling of self-confidence,
chances of abusing alcohol are greatly reduced. "Scare tactics"
should not be used to change undesirable behavior. Clear expectations
and rules are important and discipline should be consistent if
rules are broken. Finally, seek professional help.
What if I'm the child of an alcoholic?
Just remember that you are not the cause of
your parent's drinking; it is an illness. You are not responsible
for their actions. It does not mean that you are a "bad"
person and you should not feel guilty. If you are really upset
about a parent's drinking, you should try to get professional
help.
How does an alcoholic recover from alcoholism?
Alcoholism is a chronic progressive illness.
While there is no medical cure for the illness, many alcoholics
do "arrest" it; i.e., stop its progress with medication
and training.
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