What is Alcoholism?
Do you know someone that may be an alcoholic? Are you an alcoholic? As drinking becomes more of a norm and is
socially acceptable for just about any occasion these are good questions to ask
yourself. What once was depicted in
movies as a violent, loud, drunk that always had a drink in hand in their own
home is no longer the only form of alcoholism effecting people today. What about the friend that drinks a couple of
times a year, but once they start they can’t stop. The night becomes a wild ride of alcohol with
no thought of consequences and closing time will be the only stopping point for
this friend. Convincing a person like
this they have a problem isn’t easy.
The Mayo Clinic defines alcoholism as chronic and often progressive disease that
includes problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol,
continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to
get the same effect (physical dependence), or having withdrawal symptoms when
you rapidly decrease or stop drinking. If you have alcoholism, you can't
consistently predict how much you'll drink, how long you'll drink, or what
consequences will occur from your drinking.
Now
that you have read the definition, think about your own life. Does alcohol control any aspect of your
life? What if someone told you never to
drink again, could you do it? Have you
ever walked out that door to meet a friend for a drink and it turned into 4 or
5 drinks? How about after your night
ended, did you drive home after drinking that much because you didn’t make an
alternate plan? Look around, you aren’t
the only one.
What
about at home? You have a glass a wine
with dinner and it makes you sleepy. You
have had a rough week and the kids are driving you crazy so you decide to have
just one more. You sleep really well
that night so a pattern starts and you are now drinking every night just to
cope. Can you stop? It might not seem like a big deal until you
ask yourself that question. If you can’t,
you might have a problem.
People
don’t want to admit they are an alcoholic, and for good reason. It is a negative label that most people
don't want associated with themselves.
As long as they are getting up and going to work and doing otherwise
responsible things they don’t have a problem.
That is what a potential alcoholic could be telling himself or herself.
If you
think your friend or spouse is an alcoholic and you know they don’t want to
believe it, help them out. Don’t create
activities that revolve around alcohol, limit your own alcohol intake when
around them, or get rid of the alcohol in the house. Talk to others about your concerns so you
aren’t alone. Helping someone else can
help you too. Maybe you are headed down
that road too and reflecting on others behavior might rope you back into
reality. Life doesn’t have to revolve
around alcohol. And whatever the reason a person chooses to drink, all forms of alcohol can be involved in alcoholism.
References:
Mayo Clinic Staff (2014). Diseases and Conditions Alcoholism Definition. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcoholism/basics/definition/con-20020866