The Relevance Of Alcohol Therapy And How Mental Health Problems And Alcoholism Frequently Lead To Commitment And Communication Issues In Friendships And Relationships
Jul0
Miss Benning was a health instructor at the best known parochial high school in the state. Although she had been teaching for only four years, she had already achieved a reputation as a teacher with instructional methods that stimulated and inspired her students to think and to learn.
For example, one Wednesday morning at 8:00 she addressed the pupils in her classroom and said the following: “For the next week we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more broad-based standpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most typical signs of alcoholism from a more detailed point of view.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will without doubt substantiate that a drinker with a drinking problem is an alcoholic, but the more signs that an individual exhibits, the greater the probability that he or she is an alcohol addicted individual.”
Miss Benning then told the the pupils that each pupil would be responsible for researching three alcohol dependence signs and then presenting his or her conclusions to the other class members via a ten minute oral presentation.
The Students are Excited About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Classmates About Alcohol Addiction Signs
After learning about the diverse signs of alcohol addiction for quite a few days, the time had finally arrived for the individual presentations. It was at once clear to see that her students were excited about the topic because the material that they presented was superb. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the passion displayed by the students in her classroom regarding this subject was an understatement.
The day after all of the pupils completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were discussed and presented in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked her students to go over the list and rank the top six alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After about ten minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and explained to the students in her classroom that after she analyzes the results, she will reveal her findings the next school day.
There was some real excitement by the pupils while they were exiting Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her pupils couldn’t wait for the next day to come so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.
The Students Match Their Answers Against the Appraisals From A Board of Substance Abuse Experts
When the next school day finally came, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper that listed the top three alcoholism signs according to the students’ rankings. To the left of these results, she included another column that was labeled “correct response.” She then explained to her students that the numbers in the second column she added were the findings that were put together by a panel of alcoholism authorities.
Miss Benning told her pupils to look over the information on the piece of paper she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, questions, or concerns. Within 20 or 30 seconds, just about every pupil in the classroom raised his or her hand. It was apparent that the students had some concerns, issues, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the authorities. As an illustration, just about every person in the class had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, to be precise, “Do you feel awfully ill when you stop drinking?”
The Principal Difference Between Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Dependency and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then told the students in her classroom why this answer was the most unambiguous indicator of alcohol dependency. She pointed out that the foremost difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcoholism and not with alcohol abuse.
Fundamentally this means that when a person who is alcohol dependent suddenly quits drinking, he or she will go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then explained to the students in her classroom that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the lack of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated differently, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling an alcohol addicted individual that something is very incorrect and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of a number of dangerous, uncomfortable, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can possibly result in an individual’s death if the appropriate treatment is not promptly obtained.
Miss Benning then went over the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when a person who is addicted to alcohol abruptly quits drinking.
The fact that Miss Benning tried to underscore was this: an alcohol abuser can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To state this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the point that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol addicted individuals, are not alcohol dependent and as a result, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Pupils Believe They Have Uncovered An Inconsistency With the Findings From The Board of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Professionals
The pupils also disagreed with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol addiction professionals, that is to say, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?”
Miss Benning explained to her students that this sign does not automatically indicate that the problem is alcohol dependency, but that it does stress the need that alcoholics have to drink in order to avert alcohol withdrawals.
After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcoholic, the pupils started to recognize the major difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.
To add a sense of closure to the topic, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her class to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every person who is addicted to alcohol knew about every one of the alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcohol dependency treatment?”
After approximately four or five minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ answers. While many pupils believed that roughly 80 to 90 percent of people who are addicted to alcohol would ask for alcoholism rehabilitation if they knew about the facts related to alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, most of the students reasoned that this number would not be less than 60 percent.
The Pupils Were Astonished to Discover That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent Individuals in the United States Obtain Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation
To the astonishment of most of the pupils, Miss Benning confirmed that according to different scientific examinations, only 25% of the alcohol dependent individuals in the U.S. obtain alcoholism treatment. This surprised most of the pupils because they believed that first hand experience of the awful statistics and facts related to alcohol dependency would motivate the majority of the alcohol dependent people to ask for alcohol dependency treatment.
Miss Benning then explained that individuals who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol on an everyday basis in order to function but they also need alcohol on a daily basis so they can avoid possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcohol dependent individual’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than logic or facts. Indeed, since the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is addicted to alcohol, this is hard to change.
The Incidence of Alcohol Dependency and Mental Health Issues Regularly Results in Commitment and Communication Difficulties in Relationships and Friendships
Lastly, Miss Benning told pupils that it is relevant to comprehend that alcohol dependency and a range of mental health predicaments like depression are highly related. Furthermore, the incidence of mental health issues and alcoholism frequently result in commitment and communication issues in relationships and friendships.
The Students are Eager to Learn About Alcohol Dependency Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society
A few minutes later the bell rang, signifying the end of the class. Based on the excitement exhibited by the pupils when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning realized that she had inspired and motivated the pupils in her class to stop and think about a vital health and social problem that exists in our society.
A Woman Displays Symptoms Of Depression And Alcoholism, Gets Inspired And Motivated About Making An Appointment To See Her Medical Practitioner About Her Hazardous And Excessive Drinking, And Develops Solid Dating Relationships And Friendships
May0
Teresa was a thirty-three-year-old fashion designer who knew that she had a drinking problem. For instance, within the past two months she has felt the need to have quite a few drinks before going to work, four months ago she failed a random saliva alcohol test where she works, four weeks ago she got stopped by the police for “driving under the influence”, and last but not least, for almost six months she has started to forget what she says and does when she drinks with her pals.
Similar to many other individuals, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began at a “snail’s pace” and remained at this tempo for quite a long time because every so often she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In point of fact, for around four years, every time she drank, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her drinking circumstances, however, seemed to radically change when she divorced her husband.
So She Can Overcome the Divorce of Her Husband More Quickly, Teresa Made Up Her Mind That She Will Begin Palling Around More Regularly With Some of Her Buddies Who Love to Drink
Teresa got dreadfully down in the dumps about the divorce from her husband, and as a way to quit obsessing about her dismal emotions she arrived at a decision that she would start hanging around more frequently with some of her buddies who love to have fun and drink.
Quite frankly, Teresa believed that having fun almost every day by getting a “buzz” by drinking with her buddies would help her rise above the divorce of her husband with less misery.
Teresa’s Drinking Increases Greatly the More Often She Goes to Private Parties, Sporting Events, Happy Hours, Family Get-Togethers, and Dinner Dates With Her Buddies
It didn’t take long, nonetheless, before her drinking increased substantially the more habitually she went to and drank at happy hours, dinner dates, family get-togethers, sporting events, and private parties with her pals. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking pals were all younger than she was and therefore able to party and drink more carelessly was one of the reasons why she didn’t focus more on her increased drinking. In a word, she was drinking and having a great time just like everybody else in her group of buddies without giving too much consideration about the unhealthy results of her excessive and abusive drinking.
Yet somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew that she most likely needed alcohol counseling but sidestepped the thought as much as possible.
Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Owns up to the Truth About Her Abusive and Excessive Drinking to Her Physician, and ”Comes Clean” About Her Depression
One late afternoon during her six-month physical, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell falsehoods to her healthcare professional, Teresa owned up to the truth that she commonly drinks more than she should. In truth, she said that she frequently drinks in an irresponsible and hazardous manner. Then Teresa informed her physician about her depression. More specifically, she mentioned that wrecked relationships commonly set off a dismal progression of events typified by increased drinking which further resulted in more depressing feelings that, in turn, resulted in even more drinking. And this is specifically what happened when she and her husband got divorced eight months ago.
When her healthcare practitioner heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was exploring, alcoholism and depression many times come about in the same person. He then told her that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been looking into also underline the fact that people who drink in a hazardous and excessive manner and who also go through depression need to obtain treatment for both medical circumstances.
Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Makes an Appointment for a Psychological Evaluation and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Evaluation
Teresa’s physician then told her the following: “I am not trying to make a snap judgment, but with your medical condition we may be dealing with two separate issues. As a result, I think we need to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse evaluation from my partner, Dr. Abrams, who is a drug and alcohol addiction specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more associated with alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse is unknown, but I believe that further evaluation is needed. Then I feel we should schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological exam from another one of my partners, Dr. Resnick, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a deeper understanding about your pessimism and see how much your drinking and depression are intertwined.” Teresa expressed her satisfaction with her doctor’s treatment strategy and thanked him for his time and assistance.
In all honesty, Teresa now felt a sense of personal self esteem and happiness because she finally became inspired to do something positive about her excessive and abusive drinking and her depression. Not only this, but Teresa also knew that after alcohol counseling she would be more able to develop solid dating relationships and friendships. Now all she had to do was to try to reduce her drinking and get ready for her appointments.
A Young Female Makes an Effort to Quit Drinking, Suffers Through Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms, Learns That She is Alcohol Dependent, Makes Up Her Mind to Get Alcohol Rehabilitation, and Augments Her Communication Skills in Her Friendships and in Her Relationships
May0
Jennifer is a thirty-eight-year-old loan processor who has been drinking in a hazardous manner since her fiancée and she broke up their relationship. In point of fact, for the past four months she has been drinking nearly two bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking more than a few shots all the way through the day. In a word, Jennifer has been drinking so abusively and hazardously that it’s amazing that she hasn’t suffered from alcohol poisoning.
After feeling dispirited because she was beginning to neglect her health, Jennifer at long last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to stop the self pity party, that it’s time to quit the hazardous drinking, and time to make a new start with her life. So the next Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, she came to a decision that she would quit drinking suddenly and completely without preparation or planning.
When She Attempted to Stop Drinking She Felt Awful, She Vomited Numerous Times, She Was Extremely Moody and uptight, She Started to Sweat Extensively, Her Head Was Pounding, and She Had Utterly No Appetite
When Jennifer stopped drinking, she reasoned that she would probably be tempted to take a few drinks, but she never envisioned that she would feel so sick. More explicitly, about three-and-a-half hours after she quit drinking, she was extremely moody and tense, she had utterly no appetite, she vomited a number of times, she started to sweat profusely, and her head was throbbing.
When she called her best girlfriend and informed her that she had quit drinking and that after a couple of hours she without any warning started to have flu-like symptoms, Mildred, her best buddy, told Jennifer to call her medical doctor and explain what she was going through.
She Admits to Her Physician That She Has Been Drinking Heavily, That She Just Tried to Quit Drinking, and That She is Suffering Through Awful Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her family doctor, told him that she has been drinking in a hazardous manner for many months and that when she attempted to totally quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the worst case of the flu that she had ever gone through.
Her physician told her that she may be experiencing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have a neighbor or friend drive her to the emergency room ASAP.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a family member to drive her to the hospital. Interestingly, as sick as Jennifer was, all she could think about all the way to the hospital was whether or not she might be alcohol dependent.
Apparently her doctor had phoned ahead and informed the emergency room medical team to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two ER employees who promptly asked her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them. After getting transferred to the emergency room and undergoing a few necessary tests, it was substantiated that Jennifer was indeed suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.
An emergency room physician administered some drugs to lessen her flu-like symptoms and also administered some drugs to help eliminate the alcohol that was still in her bloodstream.
An Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Healthcare Practitioner Explains That She is Addicted to Alcohol and Then Discusses What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Addiction Stages Are
After a few hours, Jennifer was transferred from the emergency room and wheeled to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for approximately two hours, Doctor Brill, an alcohol addiction specialist, came to talk to her. He took quite a bit of time and explained that Jennifer had suffered through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking due to the fact that she had become dependent on alcohol.
He then elucidated the fact that with repeated and excessive drinking, the person’s brain gradually adjusts to the alcohol in order to operate in a “normal” fashion. When the drinker then all of a sudden abstains from drinking alcohol, it can be stressed, the brain takes action by creating alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, her doctor also went over the different alcoholism stages that an alcohol addicted individual typically experiences as the disease advances.
It is Verified that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcohol Dependency and She Obtains a Favorable Diagnosis For a Full Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Dependency Treatment She Requires
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was confirmed that she was in the earliest stage of alcohol addiction and, consequently, she got a good prognosis for a full recovery if she gets the alcohol addiction treatment she needs.
Jennifer told the healthcare practitioner that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to regain her life. She also stated that she has a first class hospitalization policy that will more likely than not pay for most, if not all, of the costs needed for rehab. It was clear to see that Jennifer was quite happy with her positive medical forecast and felt free from worry knowing that she will be able to get the alcoholism treatment she needs so that she can begin the road to recovery. After Jennifer talked to her healthcare professional, one thing was clear: addressing her illness and wanting to pursue the healthiest route was good for her self esteem but it also increased her communication skills in her relationships and in her friendships.
Enabling, Alcohol Relapse, And Alcohol Dependency: The Need For Enhanced Friendships And Relationships That Are Not Damaging
May0
It is worthy of note to bring up something that family members who have been unfavorably affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member evidently do not comprehend. It seems to be that by shielding the alcohol dependent person with lies and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in actual fact created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent individual to continue and go forward with his or her negative, destructive style of life.
Clearly, rather than helping the alcohol addicted individual and themselves, these family members have basically become enablers who have unintentionally helped worsen the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even further.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent individual will continue drinking in an abusive and excessive manner and go through a range of “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include poor health, deteriorating relationships, considerable financial problems, employment difficulties, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), and diminished mental functioning.
The Chances of a Relapse are Real
According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcoholism issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent individual has effectively gone through alcoholism rehabilitation and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this situation flies in the face of commonsensical thinking and appears to be so implausible that it forces one to question why anyone who has lived through the misery of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, of course, many possible reasons for this.
It should be highlighted, nevertheless that alcohol addiction research that has focused on the lasting outcomes of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted individual has discontinued his or her drinking, critical modifications in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain functions are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol addicted person has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the modifications that have taken place in the brain is to start drinking again.
A Requirement for A Drastic Lifestyle Transformation
There are other reasons why quite a few recovering alcohol addicted individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. According to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more efficiently with challenging alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.
Circumstances 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 dependent person was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these conditions can bring forth memories that can prompt psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted person to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these circumstances may not only work against lasting sobriety for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also lead to relapse and therefore cancel out one’s alcohol recovery.
The Good News: There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel
In an attempt to “protect” the family’s alcohol dependent individual, family members can essentially cause unplanned damage by enabling the negative drinking behavior of the alcoholic.
The alcohol abuse research literature highlights the fact that most people who successfully complete alcohol treatment go through at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get down in the dumps or beleaguered when a relapse takes place.
Happily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and training have resulted in more successful, lasting alcohol abuse and alcoholism treatment results, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons reach enduring sobriety.