Barry used to boast to his drinking pals how he could stay employed at a difficult and fulltime job and get drunk virtually every night. Unfortunately, after engaging in this destructive lifestyle for around four-and-a-half years, he started to display various alcohol related difficulties.

Barry Begins to Experience Several Alcohol Related Issues

As an illustration, he had a very hard time getting up for work because he felt so little energy when he got up. Moreover, most mornings Barry suffered through a horrible hangover. In short, the combination of his hangovers and his lack of energy did not make it easy for him to get up and feel like he wanted to go to work. To make things more difficult, about a week ago he received his second DWI in the past four months.

To complicate things further, at his job his last two work evaluations were less than tolerable. And finally, his marriage with his wife had declined due to his depression, angry outbursts, financial difficulties, and his lack of patience.

Even though Barry was only twenty-four years old, he frankly started looking like he was in his mid forties. Sadly, this is what irresponsible and abusive drinking can do to an individual. And in truth he understood that he was experiencing the adverse consequences of alcohol abuse or alcoholism and that he was too young to throw away his life to unhealthy and abusive drinking. So initially he tried to drink responsibly and in moderation. Sadly, he soon grasped the fact that he lost all control after consuming his first drink. Stated somewhat more forcefully, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get intoxicated. Due to the fact that this was an event that was repeated every single time he drank, this greatly disturbed him. In fact, he began to wonder if he was manifesting some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Barry Makes up His Mind To Make an Appointment to See His Doctor

After mentioning his excessive alcohol drinking and his abusive drinking with his wife, he eventually decided to make an appointment to see his physician. When Barry saw his healthcare professional, he openly confirmed that he has been drinking in a hazardous manner, that he may be exhibiting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to stop drinking. He then said that drinking in moderation doesn’t work for him and, consequently, he wants to learn how he can live without drinking alcohol.

Barry also told his family doctor about his depression and how this mental health issue was adversely influencing his relationship with his wife. His family doctor referred Barry to Doctor Welty, an alcohol and drug addiction therapist, who convinced Barry to enroll in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility as an in-patient for alcohol detoxification and alcohol rehabilitation. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get medical attention for his depression at this treatment center.

Stopping Drinking Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made

After six months of comprehensive treatment, Barry left the residential treatment center and continued his recovery via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and via outpatient counseling. Encouraged to change his life in a healthier way, Barry bought some vitamins at a health store and a cookbook. He then joined a fitness center and began working out three or four times per week. Within four months Barry was a new man. He now looked younger than he was, he wasn’t depressed anymore, he was in shape, he was eating nutritious meals, and most important of all, he remained sober for numerous months. He also didn’t resort to angry outbursts, he became more patient, and he became a more compassionate person in his relationship with his wife. Stated simply, refraining from drinking was the best decision Barry had ever made.

Diane drank on a usual basis with her pals. One Friday after all of her classes were finished, she started reflecting on the amount of alcohol she drank on a fairly regular basis and the excessive and irresponsible drinking of her buddies. As a consequence of this, she courteously asked all of her drinking buddies the following question: “what do we really know about alcohol poisoning, binge drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism? Stated more explicitly, how much alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse information do we really know? For our young age, we surely drink in an excessive and abusive manner and I am really beginning to wonder if all of us are headed for a life filled with alcohol-associated problems when we become older.

I believe that we need to go on the Internet and find out all that is possible about alcohol abuse, alcohol poisoning, alcoholism, and binge drinking. And then if we have any relevant issues that we can’t comprehend after we complete our online research, we can drive to the student health center at the college and ask Nurse Jones to help us understand what we don’t know.”

It Shouldn’t Come as a Great Surprise That What Diane Mentioned Would Lead to a Heated Discussion

It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that what Diane stated would start a heated discussion. For instance, her best friend since the third grade, Angie, said that they are too healthy and too young to be worried about abusive drinking. Another friend named Brayden claimed that since most young adults drink there’s no logical reason why they should be any different. Another classmate named Katherine said that all she wants to do is to have fun drinking with her friends. And still another friend named Max actually agreed with Diane primarily because both of his parents abused alcohol and both of his parents had a history of alcohol related issues.

Diane explained to her pals that she comprehended everything that they had stated but that getting involved in abusive and unhealthy drinking at such a risky age really can’t be very healthy or conducive toward establishing a meaningful life. When some of her drinking buddies asked what kind of alcohol difficulties Diane was discussing, Diane articulated the following: alcohol-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver and other alcohol-related problems like alcohol poisoning (which can be fatal in some instances), alcoholism, and alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities.

Hazardous and Abusive Drinking Frequently Results in Drinking Problems

When Diane then stressed that careless drinking commonly results in financial, legal, relationship, and school problems, some of her pals finally started to understand how extensive and how debilitating abusive and careless drinking can be. To be sure some of her pals opened up and started to reveal how these alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse effects had adversely affected some of their friends and their parents.

After discussing some of the alcoholism and alcohol abuse problems that are related to abusive drinking, the vast majority of her drinking friends seemed to agree to the idea about getting information on the web. They were, on the other hand, cautious about discussing their drinking behavior with the administrators at school. As Diane thought about this she told herself, “at least they are somewhat excited about leaning more about their excessive and hazardous drinking. This is an excellent start.”

Russ got suspended from high school when he was sixteen years old and eventually found employment at a local landfill. For the past six years he has gained a reputation as a hard-working and reliable person who almost never calls off work due to sickness.

Nearly four months ago he started dating a young woman named Emma. They seemed to get along real well immediately and gave people the impression that they had a lot of fun with one another.

The Hazardous Drinking Begins

When Russ met Emma, he almost never drank. This circumstance totally changed when they began seeing each other on a regular basis. If truth be told, their relationship was going great until Emma called Russ one night around 4:30 AM and said that she had to call off their relationship and that she couldn’t explain the reason at that moment.

The next morning before he went to work, Russ drove to Emma’s apartment and found out almost immediately that she had already moved out. Russ took this extremely hard. Actually, he was astounded because they appeared to be getting along so very well.

When Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Leads to Work Problems

So what did Russ do about Emma’s departure? Instead of working through his pain, he began getting inebriated just about every night. It didn’t take long for his buddies at work or for his boss to notice that Russ was coming to work late at least once per week and that he constantly called off sick. Moreover, some of his fellow employees made an appointment with staff in the HR Department and mentioned that Russ often came to work with a strong smell of alcohol on his clothes or on his breath.

Russ’s boss heard about all of this from Human Resources and also from Russ’s fellow employees. So one Monday morning he called Russ into his office. He told Russ that he had recently noticed an extreme change in his attendance, behavior, work performance, and in his sick time.

When a Manager Can Encourage a Worker to Get Help For His or Her Hazardous and Heavy Drinking

Russ’s manager also articulated that a number of his co-workers reported him to Human Resources because he had been coming to work with a noticeable smell of alcohol. His manager then stated the following: “Russ, your co-workers are not reporting you to the Human Resources Department to get you into any trouble or because they dislike you but rather because they are concerned about you. And I care too. I don’t want to pry into your life outside this company, but it seems very clear that you are displaying some of the common signs and symptoms of a drinking problem. Consequently, I want you to go and see a psychologist in the employee’s assistance program to discuss your drinking behavior and your depression.”

“Russ, I’m no doctor or a counselor, but I have seen several of my friends and relatives experience some very negative alcohol side effects. Furthermore, I have also experienced the signs of alcoholism first-hand in my own family. When people suffer from problems with drinking, these issues not only affect the drinker, but they also make an impact on his or her relatives, neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends.”

Russ respected his boss quite a lot and as a consequence followed through with his recommendation the very next day when he called and scheduled an appointment with someone in the employee’s assistance program.

Russ is Still Depressed But Experiences Some Hope That He Will Get His Life Back on Track

Even though Russ didn’t automatically feel any better or less depressed about the loss of Emma, he felt some comfort knowing that his boss and his fellow employees wanted what’s best for him and cared about him. This gave him some psychological relief for the first time in a number of weeks and he actually felt some hope that he would get his life back on track.

Brooke was a forty-year-old bookkeeper who was sick of feeling depressed everyday and fed up with her hazardous and excessive drinking behavior. Stated simply, she was irate with herself for spending her hard-earned money on a worthless habit, she missed her old enthusiasm for doing the things she liked, she was sick of feeling weary every morning, she hated the hangovers she experienced on a recurring basis, and she was tired of going through failed relationship after failed relationship because of her heavy drinking.

In addition she was disgusted with how out-of-shape she was, she was fed up with paying for alcohol-related attorney fees, she was bored with her drinking friends, she was annoyed with the many times she failed to pass an alcohol test at work, and she hated the fact that she had to go to court for her second DUI.

As well as the obvious alcohol-related health difficulties she was going through, conceivably the unhealthiest part of her drinking routine was the untrustworthy and deceitful person she had turned into. In her heart of hearts she knew that she had been untruthful about her drinking behavior to her relatives, friends, and family and she also knew she had been less than truthful with herself about the “healthy” effects of drinking. Not only this but she rationalized wolfing down three or four drinks before going to social events and she also made excuses for needing two or three drinks the first thing in the morning so that she could deal with the “anxiety” at her place of employment.

Her Depression and Her Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Lead to Significant Changes in Her Life

It was apparent that that Brooke was sick of putting up with the adverse effects of her depression and her abusive and unhealthy drinking and finally made up her mind that something significant had to change in her life. So she determined that she would abstain from drinking, develop a new circle of friends, involve herself in some worthwhile hobbies, get professional counseling, start exercising, and start focusing on becoming a more healthy person.

Stated simply, Brooke got to a pivotal time in her life during which she comprehended that she hit the bottom of the barrel in her life and was now ready to commence the slow path that leads to recovery.

One of the ways that Brooke operationalized her “plan” was by requesting a transfer at her place of employment. When her request was granted, she moved 250 miles away to a new part of the U.S.. If nothing else, this unquestionably made making new friends and pals and disconnecting herself from her old pals much simpler. Then she phoned a healthcare practitioner in her new city and made an appointment for a comprehensive physical exam.

Brooke Meets With a Physician About Her Heavy and Excessive Drinking and Her Depression

After meeting with the physician and going through a number of laboratory tests, it was determined that Brooke had crossed the line from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction and therefore was in need of alcohol treatment and alcohol detox. At this time, the healthcare professional made it a point to discuss the various signs of alcoholism, the symptoms of alcoholism, and information about long term alcohol effects with Brooke.

The doctor then told Brooke that it was decided that she was clinically depressed and in need of treatment for this medical issue.

Brooke Makes up Her Mind to Fortify Her Body by Exercising, Taking Vitamins and Minerals, Living an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle, Drinking Spring Water, and Eating Nutritious Foods

Due to her eagerness to follow through with the therapy program, after four weeks of residential rehabilitation, Brooke was ready to begin rehab on an outpatient basis. At this point in time, she began working at her new job and over the weeks began building up her body by drinking distilled water, living an alcohol-free way of life, going to the gym, eating wholesome foods, and taking vitamins.

Brooke also tackled her spiritual concerns by joining the local Pentecostal church and going to regular services.

After approximately seven months of outpatient rehabilitation during which time she never suffered through a relapse, Brooke stopped going to alcohol rehab and instead began going three times every week to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Going to these meetings helped Brooke follow through with her alcohol-free way of life, they provided her with the support she needed, and they served as a persistent reminder of the destructive results that are linked to unhealthy and abusive drinking.

After going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings about five-and-a-half months Brooke felt that she was ready for a relationship and so she started going out with Lucas, a young gentleman she met at church. It clearly amazed Brooke how much more ready she was for a dating relationship now that she had her unhealthy and excessive drinking under control. In point of fact it also amazed Brooke how much better life was now that she wasn’t under the control of her excessive and careless drinking. Life was now pleasurable and full of potential that she could have never longed for or attained when she was engaged in hazardous drinking less than a year ago.

A Success Story That is a Testimony of the Value of Alcohol Rehab and the Power of Change

Brooke’s success story is proof of the relevance of alcohol rehabilitation and the power of change. As Brooke reflected on her newfound positive self image and motivation for involving herself in worthwhile, healthy activities, she was actually appreciative that she made up her mind to do something productive about her hazardous and careless drinking rather than giving into her depression and into the lure of her alcoholism. The result: she is in control of her life rather than letting herself stay under the control of her alcoholism, she enjoys her new job responsibilities, she has more energy now compared with any time in her adult life, she is involved in a caring relationship, and her life now has a positive direction.