Alcohol Abuse and Dependence
Almost all of us have an occasional drink to relax. Some of us may have a glass of wine with our daily dinner or lunch. Sometimes the occasional habit crosses over into dependence. How is it possible for an ordinary person like you or me to recognize that we are getting dependent on alcohol and we require it daily? Signs of Alcohol Dependence Alcoholism is a very severe form of alcohol dependence. There are many stages in between when a person goes from an occasional drink a week to a bottle a day. More than 14 million Americans are dependent on alcohol or actively addicted. However, the faster you recognize that a problem exists, the faster you can get treatment. If you feel you have become dependent on alcohol, we suggest you step back and evaluate yourself completely through these criteria.
1. Tolerance – Most people who drink recreationally do not need to increase their alcoholic intake. Do you need to drink more than normal to get the same buzz or relaxed feeling? This is a common sign that your body is getting used to alcohol. It now requires more alcohol to create the same buzz which you were able to achieve with a single drink. This quality of the body getting used to a certain substance is called as tolerance. Tolerance levels increase with time and eventually, you will have to drink more and more to get the same buzz.
2. Loss of control – Most people who are not dependent on alcohol know when to stop drinking. That means they may have a single glass or wine or a single beer and then they stop as they have to go to work in the morning or they have to care for children. Loss of control about the amount of alcohol you are drinking and drinking despite the fact that you promised yourself that you wouldn’t are strong signs of alcohol dependence.
3. Drink regardless of situations – Patients who have developed a dependence on alcohol drink irrespective of the situation and it takes up a large amount of their time, energy and focus. They continue to drink irrespective of the fact that they have told that the drinking is affecting their work and their performance. They often reach a point where they only want to attend occasions where drinking is involved, and eventually, end up only going to bars where drinking all the time is perceived by them as most acceptable.
4. Denial – Denial is one of the biggest problems that seem to affect patients and they refuse to accept that they have a problem. Patients underplay how much they drink and they also refuse to accept the negative effects of their drinking. They also complain about friends and family exaggerating the problem and actually blame their drinking problems on their friends and family. They may even go so far to say that it is the stress from those that are close nagging all the time that causes them to drink, where it is obvious to everyone around them that the opposite is true.
5. Family history – People with a family history of drinking are more likely to justify the drinking or succumb to the problem. Genetic studies have shown that the problem may run in families and an alcoholic home may create the habit in children or justify the habit in the eyes of children. Children of alcoholic mothers are more likely to develop alcohol-related problems.
If you answered yes or related to any of these above-mentioned points, do consider getting treatment by asking for help 800-303-2482. Recognize and accept that you have an alcohol dependence problem. This is the first step towards treating yourself. Remember that you are not alone and friends and family have your best interests at heart. If you ask for help, they will step forward to help you through this difficult time. You will meet some amazing people that are also sober, and you will find that being sober really isn’t all that bad, and in fact, you will likely start to have better days and buzzes than you ever did through drinking.
Almost all of us have an occasional drink to relax. Some of us may have a glass of wine with our daily dinner or lunch. Sometimes the occasional habit crosses over into dependence. How is it possible for an ordinary person like you or me to recognize that we are getting dependent on alcohol and we require it daily? Signs of Alcohol Dependence Alcoholism is a very severe form of alcohol dependence. There are many stages in between when a person goes from an occasional drink a week to a bottle a day. More than 14 million Americans are dependent on alcohol or actively addicted. However, the faster you recognize that a problem exists, the faster you can get treatment. If you feel you have become dependent on alcohol, we suggest you step back and evaluate yourself completely through these criteria.
1. Tolerance – Most people who drink recreationally do not need to increase their alcoholic intake. Do you need to drink more than normal to get the same buzz or relaxed feeling? This is a common sign that your body is getting used to alcohol. It now requires more alcohol to create the same buzz which you were able to achieve with a single drink. This quality of the body getting used to a certain substance is called as tolerance. Tolerance levels increase with time and eventually, you will have to drink more and more to get the same buzz.
2. Loss of control – Most people who are not dependent on alcohol know when to stop drinking. That means they may have a single glass or wine or a single beer and then they stop as they have to go to work in the morning or they have to care for children. Loss of control about the amount of alcohol you are drinking and drinking despite the fact that you promised yourself that you wouldn’t are strong signs of alcohol dependence.
3. Drink regardless of situations – Patients who have developed a dependence on alcohol drink irrespective of the situation and it takes up a large amount of their time, energy and focus. They continue to drink irrespective of the fact that they have told that the drinking is affecting their work and their performance. They often reach a point where they only want to attend occasions where drinking is involved, and eventually, end up only going to bars where drinking all the time is perceived by them as most acceptable.
4. Denial – Denial is one of the biggest problems that seem to affect patients and they refuse to accept that they have a problem. Patients underplay how much they drink and they also refuse to accept the negative effects of their drinking. They also complain about friends and family exaggerating the problem and actually blame their drinking problems on their friends and family. They may even go so far to say that it is the stress from those that are close nagging all the time that causes them to drink, where it is obvious to everyone around them that the opposite is true.
5. Family history – People with a family history of drinking are more likely to justify the drinking or succumb to the problem. Genetic studies have shown that the problem may run in families and an alcoholic home may create the habit in children or justify the habit in the eyes of children. Children of alcoholic mothers are more likely to develop alcohol-related problems.
If you answered yes or related to any of these above-mentioned points, do consider getting treatment by asking for help 800-303-2482. Recognize and accept that you have an alcohol dependence problem. This is the first step towards treating yourself. Remember that you are not alone and friends and family have your best interests at heart. If you ask for help, they will step forward to help you through this difficult time. You will meet some amazing people that are also sober, and you will find that being sober really isn’t all that bad, and in fact, you will likely start to have better days and buzzes than you ever did through drinking.
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