Denny is a fifteen-year-old adolescent who has finally decided to go and see his family healthcare practitioner about his hazardous and careless drinking. At first, Denny thought he would be able to merely go online, look for some straightforward alcohol info and come to a decision whether or not he was dependent on alcohol.
Not unexpectedly, he located quite a few websites that spelled out some of the common alcoholism symptoms. That’s the encouraging news. The bad news, sorry to say, was that Denny showed evidence of more than a few of these alcoholism symptoms.
Illustrations of Alcoholism Symptoms
For example, Denny has been drinking significantly more than customary and he has started to have more intense quarrels with the young lady he is dating. In much the same way, for the first time in his life he has been having sleeping issues. If this wasn’t enough, Denny frequently has felt depressed and on an escalating basis he has been manifesting poor attention to detail in class. In the same way, he has felt highly stressed and more uptight on a daily basis and for the past four or five months he has shown signs of unclear thinking while at school. Given that Denny has been displaying all of these symptoms, he was rightly worried about his abusive and excessive drinking.
So Denny eventually determined that he needed to contact his doctor and ask for an appointment. As it happens, this was rough for Denny because his healthcare practitioner was also his parents’ family healthcare practitioner. The source of his worry was this: at the risk of embarrassing his family, he had to go and make known his careless and abusive drinking behavior to his physician.
When Denny arrived at the family doctor’s office, he candidly notified the family healthcare practitioner about the trepidation he has about his hazardous drinking behavior. When the family healthcare practitioner asked what was triggering this trepidation, Denny acknowledged that he had gone on the Internet and read about alcohol dependency and especially about alcohol dependency symptoms. He then listed all of the alcoholism symptoms that he without a doubt thought he exhibits.
An Inclusive Physical Appraisal and Outpatient Alcohol Rehab
The healthcare practitioner informed Denny that it was smart of him to concentrate on his problem drinking, he gave Denny a thorough physical exam, and suggested that he talk to his parents about entering into an out-patient alcohol treatment center that was managed by Doctor Robbins, one of his doctor accomplices who is a drug and alcohol addiction specialist.
Moreover, when Denny articulated that he has been feeling a sense of melancholy more regularly, the family physician told Denny that depression and alcoholism regularly take place in the same person. Consequently, the healthcare professional also recommended that Denny talk to his parents about getting counseling to tackle his depression. In fact, Denny can go to the local mental health center and make an appointment with Doctor Gallamore, a celebrated clinical psychologist who specializes in treating teenagers.
The Value of Coming To Grips With Your Drinking Difficulties and Getting Motivated About Making Healthy and Positive Changes in Your Life
The doctor made it a point to tell Denny that he might not inevitably be dependent on alcohol, but that he was without a doubt drinking in a careless manner. Stated more precisely, Denny was engaging in teen alcohol abuse. The family physician then told Denny that the reason he recommended alcohol treatment in the first place was because he wanted him to face his drinking issues, make sure that he prevented them from worsening, and start to live in a more healthy manner, even if it meant that he had to thoroughly stop drinking.
To be brief, by effectively treating his problem drinking, Denny would be able to get his problem drinking under control and stop the negative cycle that could almost certainly result in alcohol dependency.
Denny undeniably did not look forward to facing his parents about his depression and his hazardous drinking. And he unquestionably did not want to face the thought of getting registered into an alcohol treatment center. And last of all, he was not overjoyed about going to a clinical psychologist about his sense of gloom. Despite these anxieties, nevertheless, Denny in point of fact experienced some psychological relief for the first time in many months because he ultimately quit making excuses for himself and finally made up his mind to do something productive about his careless drinking.
Filed under Health by on Nov 14th, 2009. 
Jesse had an awfully hard time maintaining a job. Indeed, because of his sluggishness and lack of motivation, he was out of a job far more frequently than he was gainfully employed. And when he did secure a job, he had a hard time getting to work when his shift started, he often got less than satisfactory performance assessments, and he called off sick so frequently that he typically got fired a few weeks after he began working. To no one’s amazement, one of the effects of Jesse’s less than positive work track record was the fact that he was just about flat broke from day-to-day.
Regardless of Jesse’s less than positive work record and financial misconduct, however, somehow he made it his business to drink in an excessive and hazardous manner on a daily basis.
So it came as no big jolt when Jesse received a third DUI. When he went before the court, the magistrate told Jesse that his alcohol-related actions was irresponsible and, as a consequence, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend eight months locked up in jail.
Time In Jail To Think About The Hurtful Effects of Careless Drinking
During his time in jail, Jesse was required to learn more about alcohol facts, about the negative results of abusive drinking, and he was expected to get alcohol treatment. The magistrate underscored the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol counseling and discovers how to live a life of sobriety, he will probably be spending a considerable amount of time in the city jail.
Jesse articulated that he understood what the judge was proclaiming but he still proclaimed that jail was not the proper ruling. The magistrate saw things from an entirely different vantage point and stated that it was his job to keep alcohol dependent people off the streets who drink and drive and who get arrested for a DUI. To corroborate this assertion, the magistrate outlined some respected, thoroughly researched alcohol statistics that underlined some of the destructive effects that are associated with abusive and excessive drinking.
Although Jesse understood that he drank in an irresponsible and hazardous manner, he never believed that he was an individual who was addicted to alcohol. So it was a rude awakening when Jesse started to experience alcohol withdrawals around three hours after getting locked up in jail.
To treat his alcohol withdrawals in a safe manner, Jesse was taken to a rehab center for alcohol detoxification and then returned to the municipal jail. While locked up in the municipal jail Jesse undertook alcohol rehabilitation but since he received this therapy as something that was forced upon him, he was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his irresponsible and abusive drinking.
When his time behind bars was finished, the magistrate without wavering announced to Jesse that he would be under strict observation and would be mandated to take periodic blood alcohol tests.
Jessie’s Abusive Drinking Prevents Him From Living in a Productive and Mature Manner
After hearing how Jesse neglected to take ownership of his drinking situation and how he reluctantly followed the rehab protocol while in the city jail, the judge knew that it was basically a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his irresponsible and hazardous drinking behavior. As the magistrate thought about Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never “connect the dots” and learn how to live in an accountable and productive manner.
Filed under Health by on Nov 6th, 2009.
It is interesting to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcoholism of another family member plainly do not comprehend. It seems that by shielding the alcohol dependent individual with falsehoods 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 addicted person to persevere and press forward with his or her unsafe, destructive way of living.
Undeniably, rather than helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have essentially become enablers who have involuntarily helped worsen the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even more.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent person will continue drinking in a hazardous and irresponsible manner and go through various “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs), diminished mental functioning, deteriorating relationships, serious financial problems, ill health, and employment difficulties.
The Probability of a Relapse is Real
According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcoholism issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent individual has effectively gone through alcoholism rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this circumstance flies in the face of sound thinking and looks so implausible that it forces an individual to wonder why anyone who has gone through the misery of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol rehab and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, without a doubt, many conceivable reasons for this.
It should be highlighted, conversely that alcoholism research that has centered on the long-term consequences of alcohol dependency has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcoholic has discontinued his or her drinking, major transformations in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain works are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol dependent individual has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the changes that have occurred in the brain is to begin drinking once again.
The Need for A Significant Lifestyle Change
There are other reasons why many recovering alcohol dependent persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. In accordance to the alcoholism research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted individual needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more effectively with tough alcohol-related situations that will take place.
Conditions such as returning to the same alcohol addictive atmosphere or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring about memories that can set off psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only counteract long lasting alcohol recovery for the alcoholic but they can also result in relapse and as a result work against one’s sobriety.
The Good News: There’s a Lot of Hope for Lasting Sobriety
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent individual, family members can in fact cause inadvertent destruction by enabling the destructive drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.
The addiction research literature highlights the fact that most people who successfully complete alcohol therapy experience at least one relapse. Alcoholics and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or overwhelmed when a relapse takes place.
Happily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and education have resulted in more productive, long-term alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction therapeutic results, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcoholics reach ongoing sobriety.
Filed under Health by on Nov 5th, 2009.
Denny is a nineteen-year-old adolescent who has finally made up his mind that he needs to go and see his doctor about his careless drinking. At first, Denny thought he would be able to essentially go online, look for some essential alcohol info and come to a decision whether or not he was alcohol dependent.
Not unexpectedly, he discovered numerous websites that highlighted some of the usual alcoholism symptoms. That’s the positive news. The bad news, unfortunately, was that Denny presented quite a few of these alcoholism symptoms.
Examples of Alcoholism Symptoms
For example, Denny has been drinking a lot more than customary and he has started to have more heated squabbles with the young girl he is dating. In much the same way, for the first time in his young life he has been going through sleeping problems. If this wasn’t enough, Denny often has felt depressed and on a growing basis he has been demonstrating poor attention to detail in class. Furthermore, he has felt stressed out and more jumpy on a day-to-day basis and for the past few months he has demonstrated unclear thinking in class. In view of the fact that Denny has been exhibiting all of these symptoms, he was justifiably concerned about his hazardous drinking.
So Denny finally made up his mind to place a phone call to his healthcare practitioner and schedule an appointment. As it happens, this was difficult for Denny because his healthcare professional was also his parents’ family healthcare practitioner. The basis for his disquiet was this: at the risk of embarrassing his family, he had to go and divulge his excessive and careless drinking behavior to his family doctor.
When Denny arrived at the healthcare practitioner’s office, he frankly informed the doctor about the apprehension he has about his abusive drinking behavior. When the healthcare professional asked what was inducing this fear, Denny stated that he had gone on the Internet and read about alcohol addiction and especially about alcohol dependency symptoms. He then listed all of the alcoholism symptoms that he clearly thought he has.
An In Depth Physical Assessment and Outpatient Alcohol Treatment
The healthcare professional notified Denny that it was smart of him to focus on his problem drinking, he gave Denny a thoroughgoing physical exam, and recommended that he talk to his Mother and Father about enrolling in an out-patient alcohol treatment program that was supervised by Doctor Robbins, one of his doctor acquaintances who is an alcohol abuse and alcoholism specialist.
Moreover, when Denny expressed the fact that he has been feeling depressed more often, the physician informed Denny that alcoholism and depression on a fairly routine basis occur in the same person. Accordingly, the physician also suggested that Denny talk to his Mom and Dad about getting counseling in order to concentrate on his depression. In fact, Denny can go to the local mental health clinic and make an appointment with Doctor Anderson, an eminent psychologist who specializes in treating youth.
The Advantage of Dealing With Your Drinking Difficulties and Getting Motivated About Making Healthy and Positive Changes in Your Life
The family physician made it a point to inform Denny that he might not necessarily be alcohol dependent, but that he was unmistakably drinking in an irresponsible manner. Stated another way, Denny was engaging in teen alcohol abuse. The family physician then informed Denny that the reason he suggested alcohol rehabilitation in the first place was because he wanted him to sort out his drinking issues, make sure that he stopped them from deteriorating, and start to live in a more healthy manner, even if it meant that he had to completely abstain from drinking.
In short, by effectively treating his problem drinking, Denny would be able to get his drinking problems under control and refrain from the negative cycle of events that could in all probability result in addiction to alcohol.
Denny undeniably did not look forward to facing his Mom and Dad about his abusive drinking and his depression. And he unquestionably did not want to face the thought of enrolling in an alcohol rehabilitation program. And last but not least, he was not elated about going to a psychologist about his depression. Irrespective of these trepidations, then again, Denny actually experienced some psychological relief for the first time in many months because he ultimately gave up making excuses for himself and at long last made up his mind to do something positive about his excessive and unhealthy drinking.
Filed under Health by on Nov 4th, 2009.
For several years alcohol addiction exploration has demonstrated the fact that there is strong linkage between alcoholism and serious health conditions.
As an illustration, in 2005, scientific examination and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion per year. It may be noted that this massive alcohol-related cost was significantly more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is relevant to emphasize these facts, it is also important to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.
To be more precise, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Definitely, substance abuse examination has shown that alcohol addiction can increase the risk for different types of cancer, particularly cancer of the colon, voice box (larynx), liver, rectum, throat, kidneys, and the esophagus. Hazardous and repetitive drinking can also lead to immune system issues and harm to the fetus during pregnancy.
Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Enfeebles the Individual’s Systems and Organs
What is more, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will likely be affected in a negative manner. For instance, long-term, abusive drinking is especially hurtful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Unwarranted amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This medical circumstance leads to a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can in due course lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and potentially fatal disease.Heavy, long-term drinking not only can result in serious liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this dangerous may be irreparable and may, in turn, lead to severe disease or an early death.
The Significance of Alcohol Rehabilitation
It is essential, then, to know how to recognize the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted individual can be given the opportunity to seek the professional alcohol rehab he or she needs.
Alcohol Addiction and Sophisticated Brain Exploration
Fortunately, scientific research is constantly generating innovative and important information. Recent alcoholism exploration supplies an excellent illustration. More exactly, for roughly the past ten years, sophisticated brain-imaging scanning instruments have shown that repetitive and chronic excessive drinking modifies the configuration of the brain to a great extent, therefore resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perhaps as long as the individual lives.
More exactly, medical investigation has shown that people who have been drinking in an irresponsible manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and substantial transformations in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, to severe liver disease, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Excessive Drinking
As a final illustration of various medical problems that are considerably related to alcohol dependency, take into consideration the fact that according to medical investigation, the excessive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a health problem that limits the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This kind of organ failure is associated with malnutrition and to an array of severe mental and neurological syndromes including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is a long lasting incapacitating medical condition that is typified by persistent learning and memory complications.
Conclusion
It is evident that repetitive, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly associated with a variety of critical medical problems that can and do result in serious ailments and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society so that a massive amount of people will be able to abstain from abusive drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehab they require.
Filed under Health by on Nov 3rd, 2009.