ALCOHOL -

DOES IT CAUSE YOU PROBLEMS?

Our culture seems to say that it is “cool”, “macho” or sophisticated to drink alcohol.  Think of ads you see in magazines.  Remember yourself and your friends when you were growing up and how you looked on drinking.  To many teens and young adults a bottle of beer is a way of telling peers that they are “cool” and “belong to the crowd”.  In fact, with some teens it is considered an achievement to get drunk on graduation night, at a party or at a fraternity initiation.

 The value systems and habits we adopt as young people often carry over to adulthood.  Even when we discover that it was a mistake to look at drinking as “cool” or “macho”, the discovery may come too late.  We may now use alcohol (and perhaps other drugs) as “crutches” – ways to escape worry, anxiety, loneliness or stress.  We are “hooked”.  The habit has become so deeply ingrained that we need outside help to deal with our situation – not only with treatment, but even to admit we have a problem.

 ALCOHOLISM AND AMERICA’S WORKFORCE

Between five and ten percent of working people in the United States suffer from alcoholism.  Employees with drinking problems are absent sixteen (16) times more often from their jobs than the average employee.  They have an accident rate four (4) times greater, use a third more sickness benefits and have five (5) times more compensation claims while on the job.  Forty percent of industrial deaths and forty-seven percent of injuries can be traced to alcohol abuse.

 ALCOHOLISM AND THE FAMILY

 The devastation of alcohol abuse likewise impacts the family.   Spouses and children live in constant uncertainty – never sure what changing mood they will encounter – whether it will be with the caring and kind person whom they love, or with the frightening “other self” which emerges after a binge and which they fear because of the scenes of vivid rage, anger and depression.

 Family members of alcoholics tend to carry dysfunctional behavior patterns into adulthood.  Some of the most common are:  an inability to follow through with instructions, problems in expressing emotions or in trusting people, a subconscious need to be immersed in crises, difficulty in maintaining intimate relationships and a tendency to be highly self-critical.

 ALCOHOLISM AND THE INDIVIDUAL

 Above all, alcoholism causes untold mental, physical and spiritual damage to the afflicted individual.

 Physical Effects:  Alcoholics have a life expectancy twelve years less than the average citizen.  Alcoholism ranks with heart disease, cancer and mental illness as one of the major causes of disability in the United States.  The alcoholic is accident-prone.  He or she is also subject to cirrhosis of the liver, peptic ulcers, neuritis, cerebrovascular disease and heart disease.   Taken excessively, alcohol is truly a “killer”.

Emotional Effects:  Alcohol is typically taken as a means of self-medication, a way to drown out or deaden painful emotions.  However, pushing the painful emotions into the background does not get rid of them.  They remain and until they are dealt with, these painful emotions can continue to cause harm to the individual and others who share his or her life.   Likewise, many alcoholics develop a pattern of denial and lying as a way of hiding their addiction.  While they can be pleasant and cheerful friends on the surface, the lying and denying is underneath and carries over into many aspects of their relationships.

 SIGNS OF ALCOHOLISM

 Alcoholism is a dependence on alcohol and lack of control over drinking behavior.  The loss of control may develop very slowly over a long period of time, or it may develop very quickly – almost as soon as a person begins drinking.

 Many people think of an “alcoholic” as someone who is on Skid Row.  That is a misperception.  Only about 3 to 5 percent of alcoholics fit that category.  In reality, alcoholics are found in every segment of American society – rich and poor, young and old, white collar and blue collar workers, men and women.  The greatest majority of alcoholics have jobs and outwardly appear  much like their neighbors and fellow citizens.

 If you are close to someone with an alcohol problem, you can see more than most observers.  Some indicators of an alcohol problem are:

•  Increasing dependence on “having a drink” in order to function.

• Immediate reaction is to pour a drink when a problem arises.

• Problems at home – arguments, problems with spouses and children

• Absenteeism and tardiness at work

• Regular attendance at work, but poorly disguised efforts to conceal liquor on the breath

• Suspension or revocation of a driver’s license

• Getting into trouble with authorities for “no logical reason”

• Involvement in unexplainable accidents

 And if you are wondering if you yourself might have an alcohol problem, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I drink to calm my nerves?

• Do I become increasingly irritable when I drink?

• Do I frequently drink until I become drunk?

• Has my alcohol intake been increasing steadily?

• Do  I lie about drinking?

• Do I take a drink the first thing in the morning?

• Do I miss work or shirk my duties because of drinking?

• Do I neglect my family?

• Have I ever experienced blackouts or memory loss?

• Have I ever lost a job because of drinking?

 If you answered “yes” to just one of the above questions, you have a problem.

 WHAT TO DO

 Alcoholism IS A TREATABLE DISEASE.  These are two important things that must be done to overcome its devastation:

 Stop the Denial.  Denial is the greatest barrier to the problem – denial on the part of the alcoholic and denial on the part of family and loved ones.  Face the truth and seek help.

 Get Help and Treatment. Once the barrier of denial has been crossed, there are many options open for help.  One of the most effective is Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization that  has helped thousands overcome the disease.  AA Chapters are found in virtually every community in the United States and elsewhere in the world.  Your local telephone directory will help you identify Chapters in your own community.  Additionally there are many treatment facilities across the United States that provide detox for those who need it and structured recovery programs for the alcoholic and family members.

 If you want more information on how to deal with problems of alcohol abuse – or any other situation which is hurting your life – help is available.

 Copyright ©  HelpNet, Inc. 2001