Who are alcoholics? Am I one of them? How can i know if i am one? These questions riddle all those people who’re a bit more keen on the bottle than the rest of us. This article discusses the reasons, symptoms, and treatments for this condition.
I’m sure a few hangovers and drunken nights later, you must have asked yourself if you’re turning into an alcoholic. Well, you’ll be glad to know that alcoholism is not a condition which comes up just after a couple of consecutive drinking nights. Moreover, it is something which is a lot more serious and has become a major concern today all over the world.
Why People become Alcoholics
It is a condition which is routinely equated with poor financial conditions, depression, anxiety, and stress. All in all, a not-so-rosy picture of life in general. The common assumption among people who face the above problems is that downing a couple of drinks will ease the pain of their existence. Since their life or their work offers nothing that could give them a ‘high’, people turn to booze for the same. Sooner or later, the overbearing human craving for this high becomes too much, and gradually, without even realizing it, people become raging alcoholics.
Alcoholism is not just drinking a lot. It is usually associated with alcohol-dependence. It’s not as if they particularly like drinking. It is that they need it. It’s a medicine. It’s something they’re addicted to. It’s something that gives them the high that every human needs, but they choose to satisfy that need with alcohol. A man turns to alcohol because his life and his world looks better to him through the booze-tinted glasses. He’s not just addicted to the high associated with the alcohol, he’s addicted to this world, this parallel existence, where he is the king, the emperor, the dictator.
Of course, I’m not saying that only the poor turn to alcohol for the above reasons. The desire to be in a better world is in all of us, rich and poor, just that they choose to pick this path.
Symptoms
- Drinking alone and in secret. Having secret bottled reserves in the house.
- Reduced patience and understanding.
- Reduced interest in hobbies and activities you once enjoyed.
- Alcohol abuse and drinking a lot during social events.
- Being irritated very frequently.
- An insatiable urge to drink when the most trivial of things don’t go your way.
- Domestic and social violence and abusiveness.
Stopping Alcoholism
Fight it Yourself
This may be tough, but if you seriously understand the social and health repercussions of your drinking habit, you may perhaps be tempted out of it without any outside help. Curing alcoholism is no mean feat though. So set a target, set your goals, and set your rewards. The rewards may perhaps help you to stop drinking.
Joining Rehab
Rehab is one of the other popular ways to quit the bottle. Rehabs may be residential, where you stay for some days, meet other alcoholics, discuss your problems, and really carry on a life without alcohol which might help you realize that you can survive without it. For people with a lesser problem, there are regular AA meetings that can help.
Detoxification
Another very popular way to get rid of the addiction is detox. It is a method where the alcoholic is given some medication to avoid the occurrence of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, so that he or she doesn’t feel the need to drink. Detox programs also have medications to reduce the damage caused due to excessive consumption.
The answer is not in how much you have to drink to be an alcoholic, but in how often you need to drink. While I can tell you all about these textbook ways to treat alcoholism, the best way is to have the desire to change from within. Only then can you fix this problem.
