Click Partners

One of the major villains of the modern world is none other than Alcoholism. This disease, which was once considered a harmless inability to curtail one’s extravagances, today accredited the responsibility of destroying millions of homes and devastating an even more shocking number of lives. However, it is not uncommon to find many people disregarding this disease as, “Something that happens to other people” or even justifying their excesses as only “a passing phase.” And it is this attitude that organizations and even governments are fighting against, as these notions are the very roots of the vicious disease that is alcoholism.

One of the most dangerous of all the symptoms of alcoholism is the victim’s inability to recognize that there is something amiss with his patterns of drinking. If you find yourself reaching for that fifth drink at the end of the day, or if your consumption of alcohol exceeds 14 drinks a week, then it’s time you sat up and took notice. Also, if you often find solace in drowning your sorrows in a bottle of scotch, or drink more than you should simply, because you are used to it, you may want to talk to your doctor about your drinking habit. As the victim, you may not be entirely objective in your assessment of whether your habit is veering towards addiction. And this is why you may concoct innumerable reasons to defend your consumption patterns or simply think that those around you are exaggerated in their judgment of how much you are drinking.

Another prominent way to access whether you are indeed going overboard, is to gauge what the people closest to you are saying. If, for even an instant, you are struck by the possibility that there is some truth to their observations, don’t dismiss the thought. Make that call to your doctor and set up your appointment without any further delay. The most important reason for you to give up on that bottle is ‘you’. Think of all the physical ailments that alcohol abuse could cause you and those which already afflict you. From liver cirrhosis, to gastrointestinal disorders to even cardiovascular problems, alcohol literally wreaks havoc on your body. Also, if you are resorting to alcohol to alleviate your tensions, you may be surprised to know that alcohol, in itself is a depressant. The momentary high that you feel in followed by rapidly increasing bouts of depression, to the point that it becomes a vicious cycle where you have to drink to rid yourself of the depression that alcohol has brought on to you.

Once you have made the decision to quit, reinforce your resolve in every possible way. Firstly, draw up a list of all the reasons why you want to give up on your habit. This could be your physical health, the estranged ties that have developed with those who were once dearest to you, and even the negative impact your addiction has on your performance at work. Then, put up this list somewhere you can see it often to remind yourself of what prompted you to make the decision to quit. The second most important thing to do is talk. Draw your family and your friends into your confidence and let them talk you through the toughest phases of your de-addiction. If your problem lies, not in alcohol per se, but in other deeper rooted psychological concerns, availing of the guidance of a trained therapist may also prove immensely beneficial. You can also attend group therapy sessions to interact with others like you who are also struggling to overcome similar demons.

Divide your process of recovery into milestones and reward yourself with every one that your achieve. Your rewards could be anything that means the most to you a quiet dinner or a movie with your family, or even buying yourself something you’ve always wanted. Your new way of life will invariably result in you saving on all the money that you formerly spent on alcohol. You can make use of this money as an enticement to stick to your resolution, until it blends into your daily routine. There are several other techniques you can use to alleviate your withdrawal symptoms like hypnosis or acupuncture or simply a relaxing massage.

The first month of your de-addiction program is bound to be the most difficult. However, once you’ve eased through that crucial phase, make it a point to redesign your social and personal interactions to avoid any circumstances which may prompt relapses. This could involve avoiding those weekend “Let’s get sloshed” sessions with your colleagues from work, or even keeping away from all the people you associated with, during your addiction. Many of these associates may be in the denial phase themselves, and hence not recognize the need for you to take the drastic step to curtail your drinking habits at all. What’s more, they may even try, in all innocence, to coerce you to break your program “Just once,” assuring you that a single drink will not do you any harm. And before you know it, the one drink multiplies into two and then four and before you know it, you’re back right where you began.

Although the difficulties and obstacles, which crop up when you take that first step towards de-addiction, seem overwhelming at first, don’t let them weaken your resolve. As they say, perseverance pays and yours will too keep moving towards your goal relentlessly and you will discover the many beautiful facets of life which your addiction blocks out.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 18th, 2008 at 7:50 pm and is filed under Health.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.