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.

Jerry and Sarah have been married for four years. They wanted to experience some fun and excitement before they decided to have children and so they by design developed an exceptionally active social life.

The major issue, it needs to be emphasized, is that practically everything they do with their family and friends somehow includes drinking. As an illustration, all of the family get-togethers, sporting events, parties with friends, dinner engagements, and happy hours they patronize are associated with drinking.

Sarah and Jerry Start to Notice Some Definite Alcohol Related Problems That are Linked to Their Hazardous Drinking

If they were responsible or moderate drinkers, this wouldn’t be a major problem. Given the fact that they drink in an irresponsible manner, nevertheless, they are beginning to perceive some instantly recognizable alcohol-related issues in their lives.

As an illustration, just a week ago Jerry was arrested for a second DUI and has been calling off from work due to alcohol-related health problems. In addition, Jerry’s last two performance appraisals at his place of employment have been less than average and he has started to fail to remember what he does or says the times that he drinks. Lastly, Jerry has been experiencing sleep-related problems and his family is starting to display anxiety about his drinking circumstances.

Sarah, on the other hand, has been feeling down in the dumps about life and to come to grips with these feelings, she has been drinking more regularly than any time in the past eight months. In addition, Sarah has been experiencing quite a few throbbing migraine headaches and experiencing dreadful hangovers due to her drinking. Finally, Sarah has been feeling considerably less active when she awakens, she has been getting to work late at least once per week, and she has been receiving some insensitive criticism from her family members, relatives, coworkers, and friends about her abusive drinking.

Watching the Television and Going Through the Channels and Finding An Enchanting Documentary About the Signs of Alcohol Addiction

One Friday evening while watching TV, Jerry and Sarah went through the channels and discovered an interesting documentary about the signs of alcoholism.

This television program was a real source of revelation to Sarah and Jerry because some of the alcoholism signs that were featured seemed like they were unwaveringly associated with more than a few of the alcohol-related drinking problems Sarah and Jerry had been experiencing.

A Candid Chat About Drinking Situations Brings to Light Alcohol Related Health, Employment, Legal, Financial, and Relationship Problems

After watching the TV documentary, Sarah and Jerry determined that they needed to have a frank conversation about their drinking condition. They both agreed that most, if not all, of their social functions included drinking, that they were drinking in a hazardous manner, and that as a couple, they were beginning to see alcohol related legal, relationship, employment, financial, and health problems for the first time in their lives.

With thoughts of the TV program still fresh in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcohol dependency signs they have been exhibiting could mean that they are addicted to alcohol or maybe becoming alcohol dependent. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s question and so he recommended that they make an appointment with one of the healthcare professionals at the nearby drug and alcohol treatment center to find out more about the gravity of their drinking situation.

Coming to Grips With Your Drinking Problems Might Lessen Your Anxiety and Give You A Sense of Calm

Paradoxically, although their drinking circumstances hadn’t yet changed, it was apparent that Sarah and Jerry were at least dealing with their drinking problems, they were ready to find out more about their drinking situation, and they were interested in learning how they could notably lessen or do away with the alcohol-related difficulties that had begun to worsen.

When Sarah and Jerry went to bed that night, they made up their minds that the next afternoon, Jerry would call and make an appointment for both of them at the drug and alcohol abuse rehab clinic located just South of the State Capital. After they promised one another that they would do whatever it takes to triumph over the alcohol-related problems that had become apparent in their lives, they in point of fact had the most refreshing night’s sleep they could bring to mind in the last six weeks.

Just before he fell asleep, Jerry turned to Sarah and pointed out how effortless it is to reduce one’s sense of dread and actually experience some serenity by facing one’s problems straight on and coming to a decision to do something positive about them.