A Sunday School Teacher Gets Arrested for Driving While Drunk, Gets Motivated and Inspired To Get Alcohol Therapy for Her Hazardous and Abusive Drinking, and Increases Her Self-Worth
For the past sixteen years Jenny has been a registered nurse at a small private hospital. Moreover, she has also been teaching Sunday school at the local Pentecostal Church. Despite the fact that she lived in a medium size country town where it appeared like everybody knew everyone’s business, little if nothing was known about Jenny. To be sure almost everyone knew that she had worked many years as a professional nurse and that she taught Sunday school for as long as she was a resident of their town. Besides that, then again, it almost appeared as if Jenny was merely a visitor in their community.
You can picture the commotion that happened when it was revealed that one Sunday morning Jenny had passed out due to intoxication. In truth, the article in the hometown daily paper stated that Jenny not only passed out, but that she also was arrested for drunk driving due to the fact that her blood alcohol concentration was twice the legal limit for drunk driving. This is evidently one of the alcohol effects on the body that no Sunday school teacher wants to have made public to the entire community. But this is specifically what transpired, much to the dismay of Jenny.
Jenny Gets Quite Saddened About Her DUI
Evidently, Jenny was very embarrassed about her arrest for driving while inebriated. Not only should she have known better about driving while inebriated because of her nursing status, but she also should have conducted herself according to a more lofty benchmark because of the basic fact that she taught Sunday school.
After her arrest for driving while inebriated, Jenny thought about moving out of town so that she would not have to feel displeased about her arrest and also so she wouldn’t have to clarify her actions for the one hundredth time to the people in town. After speaking with her minister, nonetheless, she came to a decision that she would get alcohol treatment at a local drug and alcohol rehab facility. She did this for two straightforward reasons. First, it was relatively convenient for her to drive to a local rehab clinic. And second, she truthfully wanted the word to get out among all the people in the community that she was sincerely addressing her abusive and careless drinking.
Jenny Goes Through Alcohol Detox and Gets a Complete Physical Exam
After Jenny went through alcohol detox, she was completely examined by a healthcare professional at the rehab hospital. She then underwent various laboratory tests where it was concluded that she was not dependent on alcohol but rather was involving herself in irresponsible and abusive drinking. In a word Jenny was engaging in long term alcohol abuse.
Jenny was presented with the option of getting alcohol treatment as a residential patient or getting alcohol rehabilitation as an outpatient. Jenny, nonetheless, thought that she could still work as a registered nurse and go on with her Sunday school teaching position if she were to be admitted as an out-patient and this is precisely what she did.
According to her rehab game plan, Jenny went to three sessions twice per month, she learned quite a lot about alcohol info, she worked on her out-of-class “tasks,” and she discovered how to accomplish things in life that did not have anything to do with alcohol.
After seventeen weeks, Jenny felt like her unhealthy and excessive drinking was under control and so she got released from the alcohol rehab hospital under the stipulation that she would return for follow up treatment once per month for the next seven months. Jenny signed an agreement form and followed through on her “pledge.”
Jenny Decides to Abstain From Any and All Drinking Situations and Finds Out That Her Self Worth Becomes More Enhanced
After she went through her therapy Jenny concluded that she would be able to drink more responsibly and in moderation. After thinking about things more carefully, however, she determined that she would absolutely remove herself from any and all drinking situations.
When Jenny arrived at this decision, she learned that her self-respect increased the more she took charge of her life. And as her sense of worth became more established, it appeared that she became more extroverted and started attending more community activities such as rib roasts, flower festivals, carnivals, strawberry festivals, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, local high school basketball and football games, and music festivals.
Jenny Addresses Her Excessive and Abusive Drinking, Makes up Her Mind To Do Something Affirmative About It, and Rediscovers Her Faith
As time went by, the individuals in the community demonstrated more consideration for Jenny because she was interacting with them more routinely and also because she faced her excessive and abusive drinking and decided to do something productive about it. It may have been her imagination, but it also appeared that her Sunday school pupils manifested more affection and respect for her.
Jenny is a living example of an individual who had a major predicament and who did something affirmative about it. She is also an individual who learned that her religious faith is not only something that is private, but that it is also something that affects the way in which a person interrelates with other people.
When Abusive and Heavy Drinking Leads to Serious Health Problems and the Hope for Recovery After Getting Alcohol Rehab
For a number of years alcoholism exploration has revealed the fact that there is strong association between alcohol addiction and critical health conditions.
For instance, in 2005, scientific research and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics showed that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion per year. Interestingly, this enormous alcohol-related cash disbursement was significantly 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 noteworthy to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.
More exactly, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly associated with obesity and with cancer.
To be sure, substance abuse investigation has revealed that alcoholism can increase the risk for various types of cancer, especially cancer of the liver, voice box (larynx), kidneys, colon, esophagus, rectum, and the throat. Heavy and repetitive drinking can also lead to immune system problems and abnormality to the fetus during pregnancy.
Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking Deteriorates the Problem Drinker’s Systems and Organs
What is more, if alcohol addiction continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will likely be affected in a negative manner. For example, repeated, excessive drinking is particularly detrimental to the liver due to the fact that 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 condition leads to a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and possibly fatal disease.Abusive, long-term drinking not only can result in critical liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this serious may be unalterable and may, in turn, result in severe disease or premature death.
The Importance of Alcohol Rehab
It is imperative, consequently, to know how to recognize the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted individual can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol rehabilitation he or she needs.
Alcohol Addiction and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration
Fortuitously, scientific investigation is persistently discovering unique and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration offers a first-rate example. More specifically, for roughly the last ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning devices have verified that continuous and recurring hazardous drinking transforms the constitution of the brain to a significant extent, consequently resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perhaps as long as the individual lives.
More exactly, medical research has shown that people who have been drinking in an irresponsible manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing long lasting and substantial changes 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 example of assorted medical conditions that are substantially associated with alcohol addiction, take into consideration the fact that in accordance with scientific research, the excessive and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a medical condition that reduces the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This kind of organ failure is associated with malnutrition and to a variety of acute mental and neurological problems including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is a lasting incapacitating health problem that is exemplified by continual memory and learning complications.
The Relevance of Education and the Hope for Recovery That Comes From Alcohol Rehab
It is apparent that repetitive, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly related to many severe medical problems that can and do lead to dangerous diseases and premature death. Such information needs to be underlined and presented to everyone in our society so that most people will be able to refrain from excessive drinking while other people who have a drinking problem develop a positive attitude and get motivated to obtain the professional treatment they need. For without quality rehab most people who drink in an irresponsible and excessive manner will not start the healing process and experience the hope for alcohol recovery.
Is Your Drinking Starting to Become a Problem? and When You Need to Get Inspired and Motivated to Receive Alcohol Counseling
How do you identify the fact that you have a drinking problem? When is it obvious that you are involving yourself in alcohol abuse?
If you have ineffectively tried to quit drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are behind you and then you were made aware that you were drinking in an abusive manner just a few days later, the odds are especially good that you have drinking problems. The point of emphasis is that if you have tried to stop drinking and cannot accomplish this, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.
In a similar manner, if it takes larger amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to become aware that you have a drinking problem.
You may be telling yourself that the rationale for your drinking is so that you can reduce your nervous tension or get rid of the sorrow or depression that you feel. Likewise, you may be trying to steer clear of a negative situation and may be looking for something more useful, more favorable, or less regretful.
As you continue to drink, conversely, you will realize that drinking does not result in the same high and you will also become aware that drinking doesn’t help do away with whatever was causing your distress in the first place. You may also notice that the more often you drink, the more depressed you feel.
As you continue to drink, unfortunately, you may become addicted to alcohol and, as a consequence, you may add another key problem to manage rather than becoming aware of more successful and beneficial ways of managing your alcohol produced predicament.
An Alcohol Assessment is Probably Required
If you have determined that you have a problem with your drinking, possibly 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 appraisal of your drinking activities.
If you honestly feel that you have a critical problem with your drinking, it might be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol therapy.
At this point in time, what are your choices? You can indisputably refuse to see your health care professional and continue your pattern of irresponsible drinking.
It actually doesn’t take a wiz kid, on the other hand, to have a handle on the fact that continuous, out-of-control drinking, if left untreated, will go downhill over time and quite probably result an early death. For that reason, your most positive alternative is to face up to your drinking problem and get the alcohol therapy you need.
The Pretext of the Functioning Alcoholic
It is almost counter intuitive to note the fact that several alcohol addicted individuals lead busy and active lives and have vehicles, jobs, pets, houses, families, and any number of material possessions just like people who are not addicted to alcohol.
Many of these “functional” alcohol dependent people may have never been cited for a DWI and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol generated legal difficulties. Despite this fortunate situation, however, these alcohol dependent individuals need to drink in order to function on a daily basis while upholding their facade as they interact with the outside world.
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 maintain the validity of the drinker’s situation and the whole story about the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking condition and about his or her alcohol generated predicaments.
Why Do Alcohol Addicted People Fail to See Their Drinking Difficulties?
As alcohol addiction research and statistics on alcohol abuse have emphasized, no matter how clear the alcohol generated problems seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted individual, alcohol dependent people regularly deny that drinking is the basis of their alcohol induced problems. Not only this, but alcohol addicted individuals often blame their alcohol-related problems on other people or upon other circumstances that surround them rather than seeing their part in the problem.
The source of the problem is that alcohol dependency is a disease of the brain. Once the problem drinker has become addicted to alcohol, he or she regularly resorts to denial, manipulation, and dishonesty 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 often thwarts the alcohol dependent individual’s rare attempts to suddenly stop drinking. As depressing as the alcohol addicted person’s existence is, to the contrary, the good news is that professional help is generally available – if the alcohol addicted individual reaches out and tries to get alcoholism therapy.
Conclusion
Owning up to the fact that drinking is triggering difficulties in your daily functioning is perchance the easiest way to find out if you have a problem with your drinking. More to the point, if your drinking is bringing about 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 addressed.
If you have a problem with your drinking, furthermore, this means that you are involving yourself in excessive drinking.
While some problem drinkers may be able to pinpoint their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their problems, and greatly decrease the quantity and rate of their drinking, others, then again, need to deal with their drinking difficulties by getting professional alcohol treatment. What’s more, due to their penchant to deny the facts and warp the truth, alcoholics unquestionably need quality alcoholism therapy for their abusive drinking.
And finally, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, it is likely that you will need to get motivated or inspired to receive treatment for your problem drinking and for your depression.
A Distressed High School Student Manifests More Than a Few Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Thrown Out of School, and Has to See the School Psychologist
Dante was a sixteen year old high school junior who was exhibiting more than a few alcohol-related problems at school. Consequently, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be permitted to come back to class.
Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his Mom and Dad. His parents were “relatively traditional” and told Dante that getting suspended from school was not a practical educational game plan. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would most probably be like a lead weight around his legs that could probably impair his educational attainment for the remainder of his life. In addition, Dante’s parents were very let down that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.
His Mother and Father explained to Dante that even though he may be a teen, he needs to understand rather quickly that drinking is the pathway to ill health, failure, pain, and financial problems.
It was apparent that his Mom and Dad were on the same page as Dante’s principal and told Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his talk with his parents, Dante at long last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his third period class.
The Therapist Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior Signaled Such Alarm By the School Administrators
When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she at once examined all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities gave the school administrators room for alarm.
Quite honestly, Dante was unsure why the principal told him he had to see a school psychologist. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking situation? Because virtually all of his pals drink about as much as he does, basically, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated more forcefully, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a major problem?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older buddies introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
Miss Johnson told Dante that while his buddies may indeed drink more than he does and that they may be an unhealthy influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting kicked out of school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his classmates. What is more, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of class per week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson highlighted the fact that due to his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a destructive cycle of excessive drinking that can in time ruin his hopes, dreams and aspirations.
In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was beginning to foil his ability to behave like a responsible young man. As pronounced by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your buddies drink beer, wine, wine coolers, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the healthiest thing for you.”
Dante Learns That In Due Course He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Avert Unhealthy, Dangerous, Destructive, and Damaging Situations In the Future
Miss Johnson informed Dante that one’s peers can definitely influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to sooner or later be responsible for himself or herself in order to keep away from dangerous, damaging, destructive, and unhealthy circumstances down the road.
Fortunately, Miss Johnson was well equipped for her scheduled time with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that summarized different drinking statistics and facts that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a lot of figures and reports that applied particularly to underage drinkers.
For example, Miss Johnson highlighted the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that individuals who continue to drink in an abusive manner commonly become addicted to alcohol.
Miss Johnson also articulated the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: consuming five or more drinks in one sitting for males and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.
The Psychologist Conveys Several Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Facts and Statistics
Then Miss Johnson articulated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. Alcohol is a contributing factor in roughly fifty percent of America’s suicides, murders, and accidental deaths.
2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among young people.
3. Each year in the U.S., approximately 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die because of underage drinking. This includes roughly 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
4. Research has demonstrated that U.S. teens who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never drink alcohol.
5. Roughly 1,700 college students in the U.S. lose their lives annually–approximately 4.65 a day–as a consequence of injuries that are alcohol related.
6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 stated that they involve themselves in drinking while driving.
7. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 76 million people throughout the world have disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency.
8. According to recent alcohol abuse studies, it has been discovered that nearly 53% of the adults in the U.S. have reported that one or more of their close family members is an alcoholic or an alcohol abuser.
Dante Receives A Meaningful Wake Up Call Concerning the Long Term and the Short Term Results of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
After Miss Johnson went over the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics, it was plain to see that what Miss Johnson made known 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 explain the short term and the long term consequences of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also made the effort to validate what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to everyone, and especially to teenagers.
To be sure, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante immediately comprehended why he should not be engaging in excessive and hazardous drinking with or without his pals any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she reviewed.
Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol appraisal for the alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction treatment he would probably need.
Dante thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get a complete physical and to go through a complete appraisal of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol rehabilitation program right away.
A Young Woman Makes an Effort to Quit Drinking, Experiences Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms, Realizes That She is Addicted to Alcohol, and Makes Up Her Mind to Get Alcohol Therapy
Jennifer is a thirty-five-year-old bank cashier who has been ingesting alcohol in an abusive and hazardous manner since she and her boyfriend broke up. In actual fact, for the past eight months she has been drinking nearly a bottle of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking several shots throughout the day. In short, Jennifer has been drinking so hazardously that it’s a miracle that she hasn’t suffered from alcohol poisoning.
After feeling downcast because she was starting to forget about the importance of her health, Jennifer at last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to quit the self pity party, that it’s time to quit the excessive and abusive drinking, and time to make a new start with her life. So the next Saturday morning at 8:00 AM, she came to a decision that she would quit drinking suddenly and completely without planning or preparation.
When She Quit Drinking She Felt Awful, She Vomited Numerous Times, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Started to Sweat Profusely, She Had Absolutely No Appetite, and She Was Extremely Restless and Moody
When Jennifer stopped drinking, she thought that she would quite possibly be tempted to take a few drinks, but she never expected to feel so dreadful. More to the point, about two hours after she stopped drinking, she vomited a number of times, she started to sweat profusely, her head was aching, she had absolutely no appetite, and she was extremely moody and nervous.
When she called her best pal and told her that she had stopped drinking and that after a couple of hours she abruptly began experiencing flu-like symptoms, Ruth, her best pal, told Jennifer to call her doctor and go over what was going on.
She Admits to Her Healthcare Professional That She Has Been Drinking In an Abusive and Irresponsible Manner, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Going Through Ghastly Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her healthcare practitioner, told him that she has been drinking in an irresponsible and hazardous manner for several 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 most dreadful flu-like symptoms that she had ever gone through.
Her physician informed her that she may be going through symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have a friend or family member take her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a neighbor to take 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 alcohol dependent.
It seems that her healthcare practitioner had called ahead and told the emergency room personnel to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by a paramedic and a nurse who without hesitation asked her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them. After getting transported to the emergency room and undergoing two or three basic tests, it was validated that Jennifer was in point of fact going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detoxification.
A physician gave her some medications to reduce her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some drugs to help eliminate the alcohol that was still in her circulation system.
A Chemical Dependency and Substance Abuse Medical Practitioner Goes Over the Fact That She is an Alcoholic and Then Clearly Explains What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Addiction Stages Are
After a couple of hours, Jennifer was transferred from the emergency room and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for roughly an hour, Doctor Schmidt, an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist, came to visit her. He took his time and clearly explained that Jennifer had experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking due to the fact that she had become addicted to alcohol.
He then explained that with excessive drinking on a daily basis, the drinker’s brain steadily adapts to the alcohol in order to perform in a “routine” fashion. When the individual then all at once abstains from ingesting alcohol, as one would expect, the brain takes action by generating alcohol withdrawal symptoms. What is more, her doctor also clearly explained the different alcoholism stages that a person who is alcohol dependent typically goes through as the disease gradually gets worse.
It is Determined that Jennifer is in the Earliest Stage of Alcoholism and She Receives a Good Projection For a Full Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation She Requires
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was verified that she was in the earliest stage of alcohol dependency and, as a consequence, she got a favorable diagnosis for a complete recovery if she gets the alcohol addiction treatment she requires.
Jennifer told the physician that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to re-establish her life. She also mentioned that she has an excellent hospitalization insurance policy that will quite possibly pay for most, if not all, of the treatment costs that will be incurred. It was clear to see that Jennifer was quite grateful about her positive medical prognosis and felt at peace knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol dependency therapy she requires so that she can start on the road to recovery.
Shocking Discoveries About Alcohol and Drug Abuse in High School
When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that time, I did not realize that alcohol abuse in point of fact was a sub classification of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and particularly about alcohol side effects, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for people throughout the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are frequently available to problem drinkers.
Dangerous Outcomes That are Related to Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the detrimental effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class definitely startled me. The ruined lives and frequent problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. More to the point, I did not want to face the disaster and ruination that alcohol dependent people almost always encounter.
Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual 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 teen 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 an adolescent want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on abusive drinking?
These issues were so significant that I discussed some of them in class during the school year. What was utterly astounding to me was the number of students who simply didn’t care about the harmful consequences of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. 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 understand something that my grandfather used to say to me all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
It’s Important, Energizing, and Beneficial to Keep Yourself From the Destructive and Unhealthy Outcomes of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
And even at my young age, I also started to realize how beneficial, important, and energizing it is in life to keep yourself from the debilitating and unhealthy results of drug and alcohol abuse.
Enabling, Alcoholism, and Alcohol Relapse
It is interesting to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member plainly do not grasp. It seems to be that by shielding the alcohol dependent person with untruths and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in essence created a condition that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent person to persevere and press forward with his or her unsafe, detrimental existence.
Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have involuntarily helped negatively affect the alcohol addicted person’s drinking problem even further.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent person will continue drinking in a hazardous and excessive manner and go through various “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs), diminished mental functioning, deteriorating relationships, serious financial problems, ill health, and employment difficulties.
The Likelihood of a Relapse is Real
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol dependency issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcoholic has effectively undergone alcohol dependency therapy and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this predicament flies in the face of commonsensical thinking and seems so unbelievable that it forces one to wonder why anyone who has gone through the misery of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol rehabilitation and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, to be sure, numerous reasonable reasons for this.
It should be explained, on the other hand that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the lasting consequences of alcohol dependency has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted individual has halted his or her drinking, major modifications in the way in which the alcohol addicted person’s brain operates are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcoholic has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the modifications that have occurred in the brain is to start drinking once again.
The Necessity for A Drastic Lifestyle Change
There are additional reasons why several recovering alcoholics return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. In accordance to the alcoholism research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more effectively with tough alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.
Situations such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the days when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring forth memories that can prompt psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in excessive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these circumstances may not only get in the way of lasting sobriety for the alcohol addicted person but they can also lead to relapse and consequently negate one’s alcohol recovery.
The Good News: There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcoholic, family members can in point of fact cause inadvertent harm by enabling the harmful drinking behavior of the alcoholic.
The alcohol abuse research literature validates the fact that most people who successfully complete alcohol rehab experience at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or stressed out when a relapse manifests itself.
Fortunately, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and training have resulted in more productive, lasting alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction rehab outcomes, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons attain enduring sobriety.
The Critical Elements in A Fruitful Alcohol Intervention
What are the necessary issues in a successful alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol abuse interventions succeed as planned while quite a few flop?
The Necessity for a Recognized Reputation of Intervention Accomplishment
Scientific examination shows that a productive addiction intervention needs to be overseen by an intervention expert who has a well-known reputation of intervention accomplishment.
In actual fact this means that instead of making a choice for an “average” alcohol addiction healthcare practitioner or psychotherapist for an alcohol dependency intervention, the individual who is selected to carry out the intervention needs to be educated in alcohol intervention procedures and needs to possess a reputation of productive alcohol dependency interventions.
A Few Elementary Examples of The Most Optimal Time For an Alcohol Addiction Intervention
Scientific study and alcoholism facts about interventions has also revealed that the best time for an alcoholism intervention is following a meaningful “happening” in the life of the alcoholic or hazardous drinker. The following represents a few examples of these types of significant events:
- The alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser has been caught stealing something of value.
- The abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual has been caught lying about something of consequence.
- The alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser has been locked up for a DWI or DUI.
In circumstances like these, the alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser is more likely to feel sorry or to be embarrassed, thereby making him or her more willing to get the professional alcohol therapy that is needed.
At this moment in time, moreover, it is also imperative to accentuate the fact that the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person needs to be alcohol-free during the alcohol intervention. To put it briefly, if the alcohol abuser or alcoholic is “under the influence” during an alcohol addiction intervention, the lack of success is virtually assured.
Moreover, scientific investigation 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 alcohol dependency intervention. Stated more clearly, during an alcohol dependency intervention, the abusive drinker or alcohol dependent individual needs to listen to what his or her problem drinking has done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Critical Nature of Alcohol Counseling For the Heavy Drinker
And lastly, scientific examination demonstrates that the essential reason for an alcohol abuse intervention in the first place is to induce the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person to get the quality alcohol rehabilitation he or she needs. Stated more exactly, even if the person who manages the intervention has a marvelous record of productive interventions and even if the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person in truth listens to every word that is stated throughout an intervention, if the abusive drinker or alcohol-dependent person is not inspired to obtain quality alcohol dependency therapy after the alcohol dependency intervention, then the intervention will be a disappointment.
Obviously all of these factors are needed for a fruitful alcohol intervention. If, alternatively, the hazardous drinker or alcohol dependent individual is not stirred to obtain alcohol addiction treatment after listening to his or her family members communicate the hurt, wrath, and displeasure they feel about the hazardous drinker’s or alcohol addicted person’s careless drinking behavior and the affection they feel for the problem drinker, then everything else that is part of an alcohol dependency intervention will basically be irrelevant.
Even Successful Alcohol Interventions Can Backfire In the Future
It also needs to be accentuated that in spite of the fact that the alcohol dependency intervention can be perceived as productive in that it helped put the hazardous drinker or alcoholic in a more receptive attitude and truly helped the alcohol addicted person or hazardous drinker deduce that he or she required alcohol treatment or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple fact that the intervention happened may result in bitterness, irritation, and suspicion in the long term.
To sum up, even when alcohol dependency interventions are seen as effective in the short term, in the long term, however, they may backfire and, hence, might make the family and/or the alcohol dependent individual’s circumstance even poorer than it was before the alcohol dependency intervention was undertaken.
No matter how unfair or ironic this seems, try to keep in mind that it is essentially one of the main alcohol facts that has to be faced when doing an alcohol intervention.
A Reason For Joy and Happiness
Also keep in mind how exhilarating and moving it can be when an alcohol abuse intervention is successful. Why? When an alcohol intervention is successful, this means that the problem drinker understands what he or she has been doing to those who care the most about him or her and is now ready and willing to get treatment and start on the road to recovery.