Excessive and Abusive Drinking, an Enabling Spouse, and Encouragement for Productive Change and Successful Alcohol Dependency Rehabilitation
It took many years but Emily finally made up her mind that she had it with her husband’s careless and hazardous drinking. She was tired of seeing Barry come home after 2:00 AM from drinking rather than spending time with her and the children. She was also worn-out from the second DUI Barry recently got. Furthermore she was weary from generating explanations for her husband when he couldn’t make it to work due to his problems with drinking. Not only this but she was nervous about the fact that their relationship was deteriorating due to Barry’s hazardous drinking. And lastly she was worn-out from the unstable financial dilemma into which he had put his family due to his excessive and careless drinking behavior.
When Irresponsible Drinking Motivates a Person to do Something Constructive About a Person’s Drinking Problem
One Tuesday afternoon when Emily was pondering what she could do about her husband’s unhealthy drinking, she got to the point that she simply had to do something constructive to cut into the negative cycle of Barry’s abusive and excessive drinking behavior.
So she looked on the Internet under “alcohol treatment” and discovered numerous rehab facilities that were all located less than 20 miles away from where she and Barry lived.
Since she didn’t know too much about these rehab centers, she finally determined that she needed to call some of them and ask some pertinent questions. When she called each rehab center she identified who she was and articulated that Barry, her spouse, was engaging in negative drinking behavior. She also articulated that her spouse had a comprehensive health insurance program at his place of employment and that outpatient or inpatient alcohol addiction rehabilitation would be covered if a health care practitioner in the company health program suggested the treatment.
At one rehabilitation facility, Emily was pleasantly surprised that she was able to converse directly with a physician who asked her to come to the rehab center to talk about her husband’s abusive and excessive drinking behavior in much greater detail.
Emily Talks to a Counselor About Her Husband’s Excessive Drinking
When Emily got to the rehab clinic, she filled out some required paperwork and then after about ten or fifteen minutes got to see a healthcare practitioner.
After listening to Emily go over her husband’s abusive and excessive drinking, the doctor in a supportive but firm way told Emily how she may have played a major role in her spouse’s abusive and hazardous drinking through the years by justifying his behavior rather than allowing him to go through the results of his hazardous and abusive drinking behavior.
Emily Discovers She Has Been Enabling Her Husband’s Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking
In a word, the therapist stated to Emily that she may have been unintentionally enabling Barry’s abusive and careless drinking behavior. The psychologist also underscored the fact that although Emily would not be able to control her husband’s actions, with the guidance and encouragement of the treatment team at the treatment center she would not only be able to learn how to refrain from contributing to Barry’s hazardous and excessive drinking but she would also be able to learn how to encourage him to make an appointment at the rehabilitation facility so that he could talk about his careless and abusive drinking behavior with a healthcare professional.
Fortunately after Emily discussed this with Barry, and he saw that she meant business, Barry told her that he had been very nervous regarding his unhealthy and abusive drinking behavior and that he was very comforted to realize that Emily wanted to do something beneficial about his abusive and hazardous drinking behavior. As a result, he scheduled an appointment to see a physician at the local alcohol treatment facility.
Barry Agrees to Meet With a Healthcare Professional About His Excessive and Abusive Drinking
While simply calling a rehab facility does not guarantee that a person’s unhealthy and abusive drinking behavior will stop or that one’s warning signs of alcoholism or the alcohol abuse signs one displays will simply disappear, scheduling an appointment is clearly a crucial factor in the rehabilitation process. And since Barry was serious about getting therapy for his excessive and unhealthy drinking, the likelihood of a successful recovery was significantly increased.
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.
A Young Man’s Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Results In a DUI, Time Behind Bars, and Then Inspiration to Change His devastating and Destructive Lifestyle
Jesse had a particularly difficult time keeping a job. Indeed, because of his sluggishness and lack of incentive, he was unemployed far more often than he was in a state of employment. And when he did secure a job, he had a hard time getting to work when his shift began, he usually received less than optimal performance assessments, and he called off sick so regularly that he typically got fired two or three weeks after he began working. To no one’s amazement, one of the consequences of Jesse’s appalling employment track record was the fact that he was virtually without a dime almost on an everyday basis.
Regardless of Jesse’s irresponsible work record and financial lack of attention, then again, one way or another he managed to drink abusively most of the time.
So it came as no big shock when Jesse got arrested for a fourth DWI. When he went to court, the magistrate clearly stated to Jesse that his alcohol-related behavior was deplorable and, as a consequence, he was going to sentence Jesse to serve five months in the city jail.
Time In Jail To Reflect On The Unhealthy Results of Hazardous and Excessive Drinking
During his time in the county jail, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the hurtful effects of careless drinking, and he was required to get alcohol counseling. The judge highlighted the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol counseling and learns how to live a life of abstinence, he will quite possibly be spending a lot more time placed behind bars.
Jesse stated that he comprehended what the judge was declaring but he still proclaimed that placement in the county jail was not the best verdict. The magistrate saw things from an entirely different orientation and claimed that it was his obligation to keep alcohol addicted individuals off the streets who drive under the influence and who get arrested for one or more DUIs. To support this statement, the judge listed some long-standing, comprehensively researched alcohol statistics that emphasized some of the injurious results that are correlated with irresponsible and abusive drinking.
Although Jesse realized that he drank abusively, he never thought that he was an alcoholic. So it was a real shocker when Jesse began having alcohol withdrawals just about three hours after getting incarcerated.
To deal with his alcohol withdrawals in a safe manner, Jesse was life flighted to a drug and alcohol treatment hospital for alcohol detox and then brought back to the municipal jail. While locked up in the city jail Jesse got alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he got this counseling as something that was imposed upon him, he did not take ownership of his excessive and irresponsible drinking.
When his time in the local jail was over, the magistrate without reservation told Jesse that he would be under careful scrutiny and would be mandated to take periodic random breath alcohol tests.
Jessie’s Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Prevents Him From Living in a Productive and Responsible Manner
After hearing how Jesse failed to take ownership of his drinking situation and how he grudgingly followed the treatment protocol while in the city jail, the judge knew that it was just a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his irresponsible drinking behavior. As the judge reflected on Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never use their intellect and discover how to live in a responsible and mature manner.
An Old Relationship Motivates and Inspires Jesse to Completely Change His Life
But something happened in Jesse’s life that significantly changed his lifestyle. One day when he was at the store buying chewing tobacco, he met Alice, a girl he hadn’t seen since the ninth grade. After exchanging pleasantries, Alice openly told Jesse that due to her alcohol and drug abuse she was fortunate to be alive.
When Jesse asked her what happened that changed her life in such a positive way, she explained to Jesse that when her cousin Jenny passed away from drug poisoning, this made her see the destructive and detrimental life she had been living.
She emphasized the point that the first thing she did after her cousin’s funeral service was to start going back to church. That was five years ago and with the help, support, and guidance of her minister and other people who went to her parish, she started going to Alcoholics Anonymous and she also got drug and alcohol rehab at the local drug and alcohol treatment facility. Alice told Jesse that despite a few rough moments, she is at last on the path to long term recovery and feeling a sense of happiness and bliss for the first time in her adult life. When Jesse accepted Alice’s invitation to attend her church she was pleasantly surprised. After going to roughly four or five church services, for the first time since he was twenty-one years old, Jesse began thinking that maybe there was hope for him and that he could finally confront his alcohol and drug issues and start living a more productive and rewarding life.
An Educational Assessment About a Teacher who Inspired His Pupils to Learn About Alcoholism Symptoms, Alcoholic Symptoms, and Alcoholism Statistics
Mr. Blake was one of the health teachers at a medium size rural high school in the Northern part of the U.S. For “Alcohol Responsiveness Month” he determined that he would consider focusing on the following three topics for a class assignment: alcoholism symptoms, alcoholic symptoms, and alcoholism statistics.
After Mr. Blake finished the topics that would be dispensed to his pupils, he came to a decision that he would supply them with their assignment the following Wednesday morning.
When “assignment day” finally arrived, Mr. Blake met with his class, passed out some related research data, and then told the pupils in his class about the topics he picked.
Why It Is Essential to Become Skilled at Figuring Out How to Link Alcoholism Symptoms, Alcoholic Symptoms, and Alcoholism Statistics with Day-To-Day Situations of People Who Are Alcohol Dependent
He then gave his pupils a general idea of some key alcoholism statistics and alcohol dependency signs and symptoms and highlighted how critical it is to gain knowledge about and learn how to associate these facts, statistics, and symptoms with the day-to-day situations of alcohol addicted people. He then gave the students in his class a short and to the point description about the importance of learning more about alcoholics and how they exist on an everyday basis.
Mr. Blake notified the pupils in his classroom that they could center their attention on one of the three topics or investigate all three topics and how they are interrelated. Essentially this would be comparable to a general summary but done in a more comprehensive way.
Another selection that he provided for the pupils in his class was the following: decide on a topic such as alcohol addiction signs and symptoms, research things in a more inclusive manner, and then discuss two or three signs and symptoms. Mr. Blake then pointed out the fact that the same principals apply to the other two topics, namely, alcoholic symptoms and alcoholism statistics.
The end result of their study would be a three thousand word research paper and then a fifteen minute oral presentation that would be given in front of all the members of the class.
Presenting The Outcome of An Academic Inquiry at the District Drug and Alcohol Dependency Conference
As recognition for their extraordinary intellectual achievement, the students with the top five overall grades on the term paper and on the presentation will be asked to present the findings from their research exploration at the district drug and alcohol addiction convention during the last ten days of May.
After the students in the class were given the facts about their assignment, several of them raised their hands and asked for an example or a demonstration of a sub-topic that they could feature for their project.
In reaction, Mr. Blake decided that he would briefly go over two or three alcohol dependency signs and symptoms that the class could build upon.
As an illustration, Mr. Blake underscored the following alcohol addiction signs and symptoms: boasting and a “big shot” complex, an obsession with drinking, cloudy thinking, and loss of control.
Stating How Alcoholism Statistics, Alcoholic Symptoms, and Alcoholism Symptoms Manifest Themselves in the Life of an Alcohol Addicted Individual
After going over these alcohol dependency symptoms and signs, Mr. Blake then notified the students in the class that they could do some extra investigation on each symptom, gather some related data, give a number of illustrations of each sign or symptom, and articulate how each sign or symptom is manifested in the life of an alcohol addicted person.
As affirmed by Mr. Blake, because there are several alcohol dependency symptoms and signs to select, he discussed the fact that he was not too fretful about different students picking the same signs and symptoms for their research project.
To be sure, even if multiple students were to select virtually the same signs and symptoms, the illustrations that are linked to each sign or symptom would unquestionably add enough multiplicity to stay away from duplicate content.
Mr. Blake then brought up the fact that while there are quite a few alcohol dependency signs and symptoms that could be selected, the quantity of alcohol addiction statistics and facts that could be enumerated were almost unlimited. When the topic of alcoholic symptoms was added to the conversation, moreover, the students comprehended fairly rapidly that the three topics would offer a huge amount of material from which to select.
Why Mr. Blake Chose Alcoholism Statistics, Alcoholism Symptoms, and Alcoholic Symptoms as the Topics For This Undertaking
Why did Mr. Blake choose alcoholism symptoms, alcoholism statistics, and alcoholic symptoms as the topics for this research project? Mr. Blake’s aspiration was that by asking all of his pupils to research one or more of the three alcohol addiction topics, all the students in the class would be inspired and motivated to have greater awareness about a multifaceted yet key topic such as alcoholism.
Mr. Blake also thought that by boosting the awareness of his students about the devastating consequences of alcoholism and the gloomy way of life experienced by alcohol dependent people, his pupils might think more judiciously before they involved themselves in irresponsible and hazardous drinking behavior.
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 Married Couple Becomes Distressed About Their Irresponsible and Excessive Drinking and Wonders If They Exhibit Any Alcohol Addiction Signs and Then Feels Invigorated About Addressing Their Difficulties
Sarah and Jerry have been married for five years. They wanted to have some fun and excitement before they made up their minds to have children and so they willfully established a super vigorous social life.
The major problem, it needs to be stressed, is that practically everything they do with their family and friends is associated with drinking. As an illustration, all of the dinner engagements, sporting events, happy hours, family get-togethers, and parties with friends they go to somehow include drinking.
Jerry and Sarah Begin to See Some Instantly Noticeable Alcohol Related Issues That are Linked to Their Abusive Drinking
If they were moderate or responsible drinkers, this wouldn’t be such a difficult situation. Because they drink quite irresponsibly, however, they are starting to observe some unmistakable alcohol-related issues in their lives.
For instance, just four days ago Jerry got a second DUI and has been taking time off from work due to alcohol-related health issues. What is more, Jerry’s last two performance appraisals at work have been less than commendable and he has begun to fail to recall what he says or does when he drinks. As a final point, Jerry has been experiencing sleep-related problems and his family has begun to exhibit some uneasiness about his drinking activities.
Similar to Jerry’s situation, Sarah has been feeling disheartened with life and to handle these feelings, she has been drinking more often than any time in the past ten months. Moreover, Sarah has been experiencing more than a few migraine headaches and having severe hangovers because of her drinking. Finally, Sarah has been feeling considerably less active when she awakens, she has been getting to work late almost every Monday, and she has been getting some unsupportive criticism from her coworkers, friends, family members, and relatives about her hazardous drinking.
Watching the TV and Flipping the Channels and Finding A Remarkable Documentary About the Signs of Alcohol Dependency
One Sunday evening while watching TV, Sarah and Jerry flipped through the channels and found an interesting documentary about the signs of alcoholism.
This television program was a real eye opener to Sarah and Jerry because numerous alcoholism signs that were listed looked like they were unswervingly correlated with several of the alcohol-related drinking problems Jerry and Sarah had been going through.
A Straightforward Dialogue About Drinking Circumstances Exposes Alcohol Related Legal, Employment, Health, Financial, and Relationship Problems
After watching the TV documentary, Jerry and Sarah determined that they needed to have a truthful conversation about their drinking situation. They both concurred that most, if not all, of their social pursuits somehow involved drinking, that they were drinking irresponsibly, and that as a couple, they were starting to observe alcohol related financial, employment, health, relationship, and legal problems for the first time in their lives.
With thoughts of the TV documentary still imprinted in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcohol addiction signs they have been displaying could be a warning that they are addicted to alcohol or perhaps becoming dependent on alcohol. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s question and so he recommended that they schedule an appointment with one of the healthcare professionals at the local substance abuse rehab clinic to find out more about the severity of their drinking difficulties.
Focusing On Your Drinking Issues Just May Lower Your Anxiety and Give You Some Serenity
Strangely enough, although their drinking circumstances hadn’t yet changed, it was clear that Sarah and Jerry were at least focusing on their drinking problems, they were excited about finding out more about their drinking behavior, and they were interested in learning how they could substantially cut back on or eliminate the alcohol-related difficulties that had begun to get worse.
When Jerry and Sarah went to bed that night, they arrived at a decision that the next morning, Jerry would call and schedule an appointment for both of them at the substance abuse treatment facility located in the next town. After they promised one another that they would do whatever it takes to triumph over the drinking problems that had developed in their lives, they actually had the most peaceful night’s sleep they could think of in the last four weeks.
Just before she fell asleep, Sarah turned to Jerry and observed how painless it is to lessen one’s fear and actually experience a sense of calm by facing one’s problems head-on and deciding to do something constructive about them.
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.