How many times have you heard someone say, “Let’s just grab a few drinks?” Then, hours later, you find yourself in a strange place not knowing what took place the night before. Just one more drink can quickly spiral into five, ten, or even fifteen, and that’s when trouble starts.
Overcoming alcohol dependency is an uphill battle and can be a long, tiresome, bumpy road. At times, the journey itself may even seem impossible, but it’s not.
If you’re ready to put an end to your habit and willing to receive help, you can recover from alcoholism and alcohol abuse — no matter how bad the addiction has become. Don’t wait until you hit rock bottom; you can make a change at any time.
We want to help you get started…
Maybe you don’t struggle with addiction, but, instead, you wonder how to help.
Well, people battle alcohol addiction due to a variety of reasons. The most common: peer pressure, stress relief, and the need to feel good.
In some cases, those who drink even choose to drive while impaired. Those reasons include:
- A false sense of relaxation which increases their confidence level.
- Forgetting how many drinks they had.
- Inability to make rational decisions.
- Feeling too embarrassed to ask or call someone for a ride home.
Although you might say to yourself, “I would never drink and drive,” it’s not uncommon for individuals to find themselves in this situation at some point. The best way to ensure your safety if you are faced with this decision is to plan ahead. In other words, before heading out to the party make sure you have a ride home in case you drink too much. If you attend a gathering with a large group, make sure someone in the group is able to drive and that he/she hasn’t had anything to drink.
If you’re feeling an urgent sense of confidence and think you can get away with driving under the influence, just remember that every year approximately 1.5 million people are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The chances of you making it home without being pulled over or wrecking your vehicle are slim to none. A life shouldn’t be gambled with!
So what are ways to overcome this addiction?
Set goals.
Once you’ve made the decision to change, the next step is establishing clear goals. The more specific and clear the goals are, the better. For alcoholics, the goal should be to not drink at all. For those who simply want to cut back on their drinking, the goals could be to decide which days you will drink alcohol and how many drinks you will allow yourself throughout the week.
Fight the temptation.
A good way to ensure you don’t abuse alcohol is by removing all liquor bottles, and other drinking reminders from your home, work environment, and vehicle.
Tell the world.
Brag about it. In other words, let friends, family members, co-workers, and other associates know that you’re trying to stop drinking. If these individuals drink, just ask them if they cannot do so in front of you.
Find a support group.
Despite what the media has to say about addicts when we think about the impact of substance abuse, we often place the majority of our focus on how addiction affects the physical, mental and spiritual health of the addict. But we don’t, however, think about the family and friends affected. Families who endure watching a loved one battle against addiction often feel stressed and drained. Instead of putting your family and friends through the same pain over and over, transition them into being your support group!
Also, joining a group of others who are battling addiction can be a helpful outlet and support.
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Sobering Up the Safe Way
As most of us know, when you drink heavily and frequently, your body subsequently becomes physically dependent on the alcohol in order to function properly. This causes the body to experience withdrawal symptoms that range from mild to severe, and may include:
- Shaking
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Sweating
- Anxiety
- Tremors
- Trouble sleeping and concentrating
Withdrawal symptoms typically start within the first couple hours after you made the decision to stop drinking. A successful treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome doesn’t address the overall underlying disease of addiction, it should also be followed by treatment for alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency.
As a final point, severe alcohol withdrawal should not be attempted without professional help of a detox center, as symptoms can pop up and magnify quickly.
Alcoholism is a hard thing to break, but learning how to overcome is essential to leading the positive life you and your family deserves.
Tell us in the comments how you or your loved one has overcome addiction.
Cody loves exploring the wilderness and finds any excuse to get out and enjoy a good game of baseball. If you can’t find him online, you might be able to catch him walking his dog, or cheering on the Cubs.
