Alcoholism is defined as the compulsive need to drink, even when the practice of drinking begins to hamper your health, cause strains and tensions in the family and when you need to resort to ever increasing quantities to derive that ‘high’ that alcohol gives you. It also involves you worrying about not having enough alcohol to consume and obsessing about ways to wean out more sources. Similarly, if you feel the need to be intoxicated in order to function ‘normally’ then you might be in the category of people who are not indulgent, but dependent on alcohol.

The most worrying of all symptoms of alcoholism is that the victim is more often than not, in the state of denial. This means that he is nor only defensive about his habit, but resentful about others commenting on it, simply because he himself is trying hard to convince himself that there’s nothing wrong about how much he drinks, or worse, he just doesn’t find anything abnormal about it. Also, many alcoholics are deceptively natural in their appearance and interactions, thus alleviating any cause of worry about just how dependant on alcohol they are until they’re overcome by their addiction.

There are several factors which determine how susceptible you are to addiction. Although many of these causes are rooted in your psychological patterns of behavior, it could also depend on how genetically pre-disposed you are to teetering on the verge of alcohol abuse. Hence, if you have had several instances of alcoholics up your family tree then chances are that you’re pretty close to becoming one yourself. Also, if you tend to restart to numbing yourself with a round of drinks when the stress is simply too high, or have been experiencing an emotional slump, then you are more likely to fall prey to alcoholism.

The physical manifestations of alcohol addiction can be severe to the point of being life threatening. By itself, alcohol is deemed responsible for a majority of deaths around the world, be they through diseases stem out of excessive consumption, or mishaps that take place under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol abuse can single-handedly lead to liver cirrhosis, renal failure and several gastrointestinal complications. Alcohol also makes your blood pressure shoot up, which puts your heart at a greater risk of failure or stroke. Alcoholics may find themselves to be hypoglycemic, as alcohol disrupts the release of glucose to the blood stream. Over time, alcohol can even cause severe neurological impairments like distorted thinking and even dementia. Psychologically, alcohol abuse also leads to the individual becoming estranged from his family and even resorting to domestic violence or even pathological patterns of behavior, either to fund their consumption of alcohol, or under the effects of its intoxication.

The most important aspect of your treatment for alcohol addiction is to just talk. Your physician will be the best person to gauge your drinking patterns and can suggest an appropriate counselor as per your level of dependence. If you are just at the higher end of the indulgence phase, your counselor will recommend that you simply cut down on your habit. However, for later stages, absolute abstinence is considered mandatory. Your physician may also recommend medication such as Valium and Campral to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms like palpitation and nausea. The most important part of your treatment is the phase which follows your therapy sessions. Here, sharing your own experiences and learning those of others proves to be of invaluable support in encouraging you to stick to your decision. It is also essential that during the initial phases of your recovery, you avoid any situations which may involve a round of drinks like ‘nights out with the boys’ or even cocktail events. There are also several other alternative therapies which have been known to considerably aid the process of de-addiction like hypnosis or even acupuncture. So, the next time you reach into the refrigerator for an ice cold beer or decide to head back to the bar for the second round of drinks take a minute to consider whether you really want to go that way. It’s just a single step that leads you to cross the fine line between celebrating an event with a drink, and creating an event which will celebrate the drink. As they say, it’s never too late to begin. So, take that first step to a healthy and fruitful journey down life’s myriad lanes and let’s not raise a toast to that!

Bookmark with

Hide Sites