Jennifer is a forty-two-year-old data warehouse manager who has been drinking in an excessive and irresponsible manner since she and her live-in boyfriend discontinued their relationship. In point of fact, for the past five months she has been drinking just about a bottle of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking more than a few shots all the way through the day.
After feeling downcast because she was beginning to neglect her health, Jennifer finally told herself that she’s had enough, that it’s time to quit the self pity routine, 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 10:00 AM, she came to a decision that she would stop drinking suddenly and completely without planning or preparation.
When She Attempted to Stop Drinking She Felt Dreadful, Her Head Was Aching, She Vomited Numerous Times, She Had Utterly No Appetite, She Started to Perspire Extensively, and She Was Extremely Moody and Nervous
When Jennifer quit drinking, she assumed that she would quite possibly be tempted to ”steal” a few drinks, but she never visualized that she would feel so dreadful. More directly, approximately an hour-and-a-half after she stopped drinking, she had absolutely no appetite, her head was aching, she started to sweat extensively, she was extremely moody and restless, and she vomited a number of times.
When she called her best pal and told her that she had stopped drinking and that after a few hours she without any warning started to have flu-like symptoms, Lisa, her best pal, told Jennifer to call her healthcare practitioner and go over what she was feeling.
She Admits to Her Family Doctor That She Has Been Drinking In an Excessive and Hazardous Manner, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Going Through Extremely Unpleasant Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her medical practitioner, informed him that she has been drinking excessively for a number of months and that when she tried to totally stop drinking earlier in the day, within a couple of hours she felt as if she had the nastiest flu-like symptoms that she had ever suffered through.
Her physician informed her that she may be experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and that she should have a neighbor or relative take her to the emergency room ASAP.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a relative to take her to the hospital. 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 an alcoholic.
Obviously her healthcare professional had called ahead and told the emergency room treatment team to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two paramedics who immediately told her to get in the wheelchair they had with them. After getting wheeled to the emergency room and undergoing two or three necessary tests, it was verified that Jennifer was in actual fact going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.
A medical practitioner administered some medications to diminish her flu-like symptoms and also administered some meds to help eliminate the alcohol that was still in her system.
An Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Medical Practitioner Explains in a Clear Manner That She is an Alcoholic and Then Goes Over What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Addiction Stages Are
After a couple of hours, Jennifer was removed from the ER and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for nearly an hour, Doctor Hauser, a drug and alcohol abuse specialist, came to talk to her. He took his time and clearly explained that Jennifer had gone through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking due to the fact that she had become addicted to alcohol.
He then mentioned the fact that with excessive drinking on an everyday basis, the drinker’s brain slowly gets acclimated to the alcohol so that it can function in a “routine” manner. When the person then all at once refrains from drinking alcohol, as one would expect, the brain responds by creating alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, her physician also clearly explained the different alcoholism stages that an alcohol dependent individual typically goes through as the disease advances.
It is Confirmed that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcohol Addiction and She Obtains a Favorable Diagnosis For a Total Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Treatment She Needs
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was established that she was in the first stage of alcohol addiction and, as a result, she received a favorable diagnosis for a full recovery if she gets the alcohol therapy she requires.
Jennifer told the healthcare professional that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to reclaim her life and her health. She also articulated that she has an excellent hospitalization insurance policy that will almost certainly pay for most of the costs required for rehab. It was apparent that Jennifer was very pleased with her optimistic medical forecast and felt free from worry knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol dependency rehabilitation she requires so that she can begin the path to recovery.
Mail this postTeresa was a forty-five-year-old insurance agent who knew that she had some drinking issues. For example, within the past month she has felt the need to have a drink or two before going to work, four months ago she failed to pass a random urine alcohol test where she works, five weeks ago she got stopped by the police for a DWI, and finally, for going on six months she has started to fail to remember what she says and does when she goes out drinking with her friends.
Like hosts of other people, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began gradually and stayed at this speed for quite a long time due to the fact once in a “blue moon” she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In truth, for about four years, every time she drank, she made sure to drink in moderation. Something about her drinking behavior, nevertheless, seemed to completely change when she got divorced.
So She Can Come to Terms With the Divorce of Her Husband With Less Grief, Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Start Hanging Around More Repeatedly With Some of Her Pals Who Love to Have Fun and Drink
Teresa got exceedingly “down” about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from dwelling on her negative emotions she determined that she would start hanging around more often with some of her buddies who love to have fun and drink.
Quite forthrightly, Teresa believed that having fun almost every day by partying and drinking with her pals would help her get beyond the divorce of her husband with less grief.
Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Significantly the More Habitually She Goes to Private Parties, Family Get-Togethers, Dinner Dates, Sporting Events, and Happy Hours With Her Buddies
It didn’t take long, however, before her drinking escalated to a significant degree the more routinely she went to and drank at family get-togethers, sporting events, happy hours, dinner dates, and private parties with her pals. Moreover, the fact that her drinking friends were all quite a few years younger than she was and therefore able to drink and party more thoughtlessly was one of the reasons that she didn’t concentrate more on her increased drinking. In a word, she was drinking and having fun just like everyone else in her group of friends without much forethought about the negative effects of her hazardous and irresponsible drinking.
Yet somewhere in her awareness she knew that she probably needed alcohol counseling but stayed away from the thought as much as possible.
Teresa Gets a Physical Examination, Discloses the Facts About Her Excessive Drinking to Her Healthcare Practitioner, and Discloses the Truth About Her Depression
One afternoon during her annual physical, her doctor asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to lie to her healthcare practitioner, Teresa acknowledged that she regularly drinks more than she should. In fact, she said that she commonly drinks in a hazardous manner. Then Teresa told her healthcare professional about her sadness. More specifically, she stated that shattered relationships usually elicited a negative cycle of events characterized by increased drinking which further resulted in more discouraging feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is explicitly what happened when she and her husband got divorced three months ago.
When her doctor heard this, he told Teresa that according to various facts and statistics on alcoholism he has been exploring, alcoholism and depression routinely arise in the same person. He then told Teresa 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 and abusive manner and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical circumstances.
Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Evaluation
Teresa’s healthcare professional then told her the following: “I am not trying to make an impulsive analysis, but with your medical condition we may be facing two separate problems. As a consequence, I think we should make an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcoholism assessment from my partner, Dr. Warner, who is a substance abuse and chemical dependency specialist. Whether your drinking circumstance is more related to alcoholism or alcohol abuse is not clear at this time, but I think that further exploration is needed. Then I feel we probably should schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological exam from another one of my partners, Dr. Myers, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a better understanding about your pessimism and see how much your drinking and depression are interrelated.” Teresa displayed her agreement with her healthcare practitioner’s strategy and thanked him for his time and assistance. Now all she had to do was to try to cut back on her drinking and get ready for her appointments.
Mail this postWhat are the basic elements in a fruitful alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol addiction interventions succeed while several bomb?
The Necessity for a Celebrated Track Record of Intervention Success
Scientific study makes obvious the fact that a productive addiction intervention needs to be directed by an intervention specialist who has a celebrated record of intervention success.
Essentially this means that instead of opting for an “average” alcoholism healthcare professional or psychologist for an addiction intervention, the person who is chosen to direct the intervention needs to be educated in alcohol abuse intervention procedures and needs to possess a reputation of fruitful alcohol interventions.
A Few Straightforward Illustrations of The Most Productive Time For an Alcohol Intervention
Scientific inquiry has also shown that the most productive time for an alcohol addiction intervention is following a noteworthy occasion in the life of the alcohol dependent individual or hazardous drinker. The following represents a few examples of these kinds of special occasions:
In circumstances such as these, the alcoholic or abusive drinker is more likely to be regretful or to feel ashamed, thusly making him or her more open to getting the quality alcohol counseling that is necessary.
At this point in time, additionally, it is also necessary to state that the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual needs to be free of alcohol during the alcohol intervention. To put it briefly, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person is inebriated during an alcohol addiction intervention, the lack of success is in effect certain.
What is more, scientific study has also made evident the fact that the abusive drinker or alcohol dependent individual has to at least try to listen to what is articulated in an alcoholism intervention. Stated differently, during an alcoholism intervention, the hazardous drinker or alcohol-dependent person needs to listen to what his or her drinking difficulties have done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Importance of Alcohol Treatment For the Heavy Drinker
And finally, scientific inquiry demonstrates that the major reason for an alcohol intervention in the first place is to convince the abusive drinker or alcohol dependent individual to get the quality alcohol therapy he or she needs. Stated differently, even if the person who supervises the intervention has a superlative track record of fruitful interventions and even if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual honestly listens to every single word that is mentioned all the way through an intervention, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person is not stimulated to obtain quality alcoholism rehabilitation after the alcohol intervention, then the intervention will be a disaster.
Obviously all of these factors are needed for a fruitful alcoholism intervention. If, on the other hand, the alcohol abuser or alcoholic is not stimulated to get alcohol abuse treatment after listening to his or her family members express the agony, irritation, and discontent they feel about the alcohol abuser’s or alcoholic’s irresponsible drinking behavior and the affection they feel for the problem drinker, then every other phase of the alcohol addiction intervention will basically be futile.
Even Productive Alcohol Dependency Interventions Can Fail to Go As Planned In the Long Term
It also needs to be noted that in the face of the fact that the alcohol dependency intervention can be viewed as fruitful in that it helped put the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted individual in a more receptive way of thinking and openly helped the alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser decide that he or she required alcohol counseling or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the sheer fact that the intervention took place might result in bitterness, anger, and mistrust in the future.
Everything considered, even when alcohol abuse interventions are seen as fruitful in the short run, in the long term, then again, they may fail to go as planned and, therefore, may make the family and/or the alcohol addicted person’s circumstance even worse than it was before the alcohol intervention was initiated.
No matter how inequitable or paradoxical this seems, try to keep in mind that it is simply one of the fundamental alcohol facts that has to be faced when undertaking an alcohol intervention.
Mail this postFor a number of years alcoholism exploration has revealed the fact that there is strong linkage between alcohol dependency and dangerous health conditions.
As an illustration, in 2005, scientific research showed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion annually. It can be stressed that this very large alcohol-related expense was significantly more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is important to give emphasis to these facts, it is also noteworthy to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.
Stated another way, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly correlated with obesity and with cancer.
Certainly, substance abuse examination has revealed that alcohol addiction can augment the risk for various forms of cancer, particularly cancer of the colon, voice box (larynx), liver, rectum, throat, kidneys, and the esophagus. Abusive and recurring drinking can also lead to immune system problems and damage to the fetus during pregnancy.
Abusive Drinking Breaks Down the Problem Drinker’s Organs and Systems
What is more, if alcohol addiction continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will likely be affected in a harmful manner. As an illustration, long-term, excessive drinking is particularly damaging to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Unwarranted amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to reproduce. This condition results in a progressive inflammatory injury to the liver that can in the end lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and possibly deadly disease.
Abusive, long-term drinking not only can result in dangerous liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be unalterable and may, in turn, lead to serious ill health or an untimely death.
The Critical Nature of Alcohol Treatment
It is important, therefore, to know how to identify the different alcoholism signs and symptoms so that the alcoholic can be given the opportunity to get the professional alcohol rehabilitation he or she needs.
Alcohol Dependency and Sophisticated Brain Research
Fortuitously, medical examination is constantly uncovering new and important information. Recent alcoholism research supplies a good illustration. More accurately, for roughly the last ten years, complicated brain-imaging scanning devices have shown that continuous and long lasting excessive drinking alters the configuration of the brain to a significant extent, thereby resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or maybe as long as the person exists.
More correctly, medical exploration has shown that individuals who have been drinking in a hazardous manner for a substantial length of time increase their risk for developing permanent and severe modifications 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 Excessive Drinking
As a final example of different medical conditions that are to a large extent related to alcohol dependency, take into consideration the fact that in accordance with medical examination, the excessive and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a medical problem that limits the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
This form of organ breakdown is linked to malnutrition and to an assortment of acute mental and neurological disorders including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is an enduring incapacitating health problem that is exemplified by persistent memory and learning difficulties.
Summary
It is obvious that continued, abusive drinking is directly or indirectly related to many severe medical problems that can and do lead to serious illness and premature death. Such information needs to be underlined and presented to everyone in our society so that a massive amount of individuals will be able to refrain from hazardous drinking while others who have a drinking problem will get the professional treatment they require.
Mail this postHow do you know that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it apparent that you are involving yourself in irresponsible drinking?
If you have hopelessly attempted to discontinue your drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are over and then you recognized that you were drinking irresponsibly just a few days later, chances are especially good that you have a drinking problem. The fundamental idea is that if you have tried to stop drinking and cannot do this, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around.
Similarly, if it takes larger amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to realize that you have a drinking problem.
You may be telling yourself that the rationale for your drinking is so that you can decrease your tension or get rid of the pain that you feel. Likewise, you may be trying to stay away from an injurious circumstance and may be looking for something more useful, more favorable, or less regretful.
As you continue your drinking, however, you will understand that drinking does not elicit the same high and you will also comprehend that drinking doesn’t help eliminate whatever produced your discomfort in the first place.
As you continue to drink in an abusive manner, sadly, you may become an alcoholic and, as a consequence, you may add another fundamental problem to deal with rather than becoming aware of more productive and wholesome ways of dealing with your alcohol produced difficulties.
An Alcohol Assessment is Probably Required
If you have figured out that you have a drinking problem, perchance the best thing you can do for yourself is to call your doctor or healthcare practitioner and arrange for 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 might be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol therapy.
At this juncture, what are your choices? You can certainly decide against seeing your medical doctor and persist with your pattern of abusive drinking.
It truly doesn’t take a nuclear physicist, to the contrary, to realize that long-term, heavy drinking, if left untreated, will deteriorate over time and more likely than not result an early death. Thus, your most expedient choice is to face your drinking circumstance and get the alcohol counseling you require.
The Charade of the Functioning Alcohol Dependent Person
It is somewhat odd to note the fact that many alcoholics 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 dependent people may have never been cited for drunk driving and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol induced legal difficulties. Despite this fortunate situation, however, these alcoholics need to drink in order to live on a day by day basis while continuing their facade as they interact with people outside their family.
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 dependency, nonetheless, and they will be quick to articulate the legitimacy of the drinker’s situation and the facts about the alcohol dependent person’s drinking circumstances and about his or her alcohol-related difficulties.
Why Do Individuals Addicted to Alcohol Fail to Deal With Their Drinking Problems?
As alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse research has accentualted, no matter how apparent the alcohol induced problems seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted individual, alcohol dependent individuals commonly deny that drinking is the root of their alcohol produced problems. Not only this, but alcohol addicted individuals typically blame their alcohol-related issues on other people or upon other circumstances that surround them rather than seeing their part in the problem.
The origin of the difficulty is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the problem drinker has become alcohol dependent, he or she usually 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 difficult, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms regularly circumvents the alcoholic’s rare attempts to abruptly quit drinking. As grim as the alcohol addicted individual’s life is, nonetheless, the positive news is that competent help is extensively obtainable – if the alcohol addicted individual reaches out and seeks alcoholism counseling.
Conclusion
Acknowledging the fact that drinking is producing difficulties in your daily functioning is perhaps the most straightforward way to determine if you have a problem with your drinking. Stated more precisely, if your drinking is producing difficulties 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 dealt with.
If you have a drinking problem, moreover, this means that you are getting involved with hazardous drinking.
While some individuals may be able to pinpoint their drinking problems and substantially decrease the amount and rate of their drinking, other individuals, nonetheless, need to deal with their drinking difficulties by getting quality alcoholism treatment. What is more, due to their penchant to deny the facts and warp the truth, alcohol addicted people without a doubt need competent alcohol rehabilitation for their hazardous drinking.
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