Do You Have An Alcohol
Problem?
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How
do you identify the fact that you have an alcohol
problem? When is it apparent that you are involving
yourself in excessive drinking? How does a person really
know if he or she is a "problem drinker"? When is the
"correct" time to address your drinking problems and get the
alcohol treatment you need?
If you have ineffectively struggled to discontinue your drinking
or if you have given your word to yourself that your drinking days
are gone and then you realized that you were drinking in an
excessive way just a few days later, the probability is
exceptionally good that you have an alcohol problem.
The fundamental idea is that if you have attempted to quit
drinking and cannot get this done, then your drinking is
controlling you, instead of the other way around.
In a similar manner, if it takes increasingly more amounts of
alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to
realize that you have a drinking problem.
Your Explanation for
Drinking
You may be telling yourself that you drink so that you can
lessen your tension or get rid of the sorrow that you feel.
Likewise, you may be trying to stay away from an unsafe
circumstance and may be looking for something more beneficial, more
positive, or less regretful in your life.
If you keep on drinking in an excessive manner, however, you
will eventually grasp the fact that drinking does not bring about
the same high and you will also comprehend that drinking doesn’t
help do away with whatever triggered your sadness in the first
place.
As you continue to drink in a hazardous way, regrettably, you
may become alcohol dependent and, as a result, you may add another
difficult issue to manage rather than finding more productive and
wholesome ways of dealing with your alcohol induced
predicament.
The Need for an Alcohol
Evaluation
If
you have determined that you have a drinking problem,
perchance the most positive thing you can do for yourself is
to call your doctor or healthcare practitioner and arrange for
an appointment for a complete physical and for an appraisal of
your drinking behavior.
In fact, if you really think that you have a serious drinking
problem, it may also be a good idea to get prepared to find out
that you might need to get alcohol therapy.
When considering your situation at this juncture, what are your
alternatives? You can unquestionably decide against seeing
your doctor and carry on with your pattern of abusive drinking, or
you can own up to the fact that you are a "problem drinker," and
get the rehab or counseling you need.
It really doesn’t take a genius, nonetheless, to have a handle
on the fact that chronic, abusive drinking, if left untreated, will
go downhill over time, almost certainly lead to ill health, and
could potentially result in an early death. For these
reasons, your most beneficial option is to face your drinking
problems and obtain the alcohol counseling that you need.
| According to the substance abuse
research literature, the three leading causes of death for 15- to
24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides and
alcohol abuse is a leading factor in all three fatality
types. |
The Facade of the Functioning Alcohol
Addicted Person
It is somewhat peculiar to note the fact that multitudes of
problem drinkers who are alcoholics lead eventful and dynamic lives
and have vehicles, jobs, pets, houses, families, and numerous
possessions just like people who are not addicted to alcohol.

Many of these “functional” alcohol dependent people may have
never been apprehended for a DWI and may have been lucky enough to
avoid all alcohol-related legal problems. Despite these
fortunate circumstances, however, these problem drinkers need to
drink in order to deal with life on a day-to-day basis while
keeping up their facade as they interact with the outside
world.
Ask anyone who has seen them when they have the shakes or when
they have passed out due to extreme drunkenness or ask a family
member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, however, and
they will be quick to reveal the reality of the drinker's
situation, the particulars about the alcohol dependent person’s
drinking predicament, and the truth about his or her
alcohol-related issues.
| A number of personality traits
have been correlated with drinking greater amounts of alcohol and
drinking more frequently, including sensation-seeking—or the
tendency to seek out new and exciting experiences, risk-taking, and
impulsivity. |
Why Do Alcohol Dependent Individuals Fail
to See Their Drinking Problems?
As the medical and alcoholism research literature has
underlined, no matter how obvious the alcohol generated
difficulties seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted
individual, problem drinkers and alcohol addicted individuals
usually deny that drinking is the cause of their alcohol generated
predicaments. Not only this, but people with a drinking
problem and alcohol dependent people often blame their
alcohol-related issues on other individuals or upon other
circumstances around them instead of seeing their part in their
predicament.
It may be difficult to acknowledge, but the source of the issue
is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. What is
more, once the problem drinker has become addicted to alcohol, he
or she commonly resorts to denial, manipulation, and deceit as a
way of dealing with the fact that his or her drinking is out of
control.
And to make the situation worse, the experience of alcohol
withdrawal symptoms often circumvents the alcohol dependent
person’s rare attempts to stop drinking. As dismal as the
alcohol addicted individual’s existence is, nevertheless, the
positive news is that quality help is usually accessible – if the
alcohol dependent individual admits his drinking problem and
reaches out and seeks alcoholism rehabilitation.
| Substance abuse researchers in
one study found that the largest group of alcoholics in the United
States are young adults. 20% of these problem drinkers were found
to be highly functional and more than half do not have a family
history of alcoholism. |
Do You Have an Alcohol Problem:
Conclusion
Realizing that drinking is producing several difficulties in
your day to day functioning is probably the simplest way to
determine if you have drinking problems. Stated differently,
if your drinking is leading to issues with your health, with your
employment, in your relationships, with your finances, at school,
or with the law, then you more likely than not have quite a few
drinking problems that need to be addressed.
It is also important to emphasize the fact that if you have
alcohol problems, this means that you are probably engaging in
hazardous drinking.
While some problem drinkers may be able to detect their drinking
difficulties and substantially diminish the quantity and frequency
of their drinking, other individuals, nevertheless, need to deal
with their alcohol problems by getting professional alcohol
treatment.
The issue at hand is this: if you have an alcohol problem, it is
without a doubt in your best interest to get the finest alcohol
rehabilitation you can afford so that your drinking problems don’t
end up ruining your life and negatively affecting the lives of your
family members.

| Alcoholism research has shown
that participation in support groups, combined with other treatment
efforts, is more effective in helping alcoholics remain sober than
participating in treatment by itself. For problem drinkers who do
not prefer a 12-step approach (characteristic of Alcoholics
Anonymous, for instance) many other kinds of support groups are
available. |
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| The following three drugs have
been approved in the U.S. for the treatment of alcoholism.
First, Naltrexone (Revia). This medication blocks the effects of
alcohol in the brain and reduces the craving for alcohol that is
experienced by virtually every alcohol dependent person. Second,
Antabuse (disulfiram). This medication functions as a
deterrent and a form of "relapse prevention" against drinking by
making the individual feel nausea and flu-like symptoms if he or
she drinks any alcohol. And third, Acamprosate
(Campral). This medication relieves the discomfort and
distress alcohol dependent individuals suffer when they quit
drinking. |
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