Quitting Alcohol To Get Your Life Back On Track

Quitting Alcohol To Get Your Life Back On Track

By Dr. Fourkan Ali

The use of illegal drugs is against the law, and those addicted to them are generally frowned upon by society. It is often a completely different viewpoint in terms of those suffering with alcohol issues. Such problems are either excused or partially understood due to the legal nature of this highly addictive beast.

A legal, sociably acceptable way of life:

In countries that do not forbid alcohol the act of enjoying a drink while relaxing, on special occasions, and as a social pastime is accepted as part and parcel of normal daily life.

There is a long list of how alcohol plays a part in a person’s life. This can be a glass of wine or two with lunch or dinner, a couple of drinks while socializing after work or at a local bar, celebratory events such as weddings and anniversaries, when entertaining friends and family, or simply sipping on your drink of choice while relaxing after a long day.

These examples are merely the tip of the iceberg in relation to drink related opportunities.

Everything in moderation:

Sensible, moderate drinking can certainly enhance the enjoyment of a social occasion. It can help relax, and also work to lower inhibitions between loving partners, but the key here is moderation. Many people are unaware of just how addictive alcohol can become.

The Pleasure Zone:

Alcohol works by releasing chemicals known as endorphins into the brain. Amongst many other things endorphins are responsible for pleasurable feelings and rewarding sensations similar to those received from a job well done or an achievement reached.

Feelings of euphoria and happiness are common, as are contentment and positivity. These feelings are all well and good when produced by consuming alcohol on an occasional basis and should do no harm at all, but regular and excessive drinking can cause unwanted effects. One of these is:

Tolerance:

Those regularly drinking alcohol will find their body quickly builds up a tolerance for it, but the pleasurable feelings mentioned above will not be achieved by consuming the same amount as previously. To achieve such feelings larger quantities are required.

It’s time to quit:

If you are currently finding this increased need is beginning to become more of a necessity you still have the chance to step away from alcohol. To do this a very conscious effort to cut down on drinking is required.

Examples are to stop drinking on consecutive days, and when you do have a drink, stick to a reduced, sensible intake.

The reality of maintaining such a regimen is nowhere as easy to do as it is to say, but it can be achieved.

Some will join a gym or non-drinking social club, others will return to old hobbies or try new ones, but being in the same environment that is causing drink problems does make it hard to get the drinking mentality and routine out of your system.

Increased tolerance means deeper dependence:

If you continue to ignore the warning signs of increased tolerance your dependence upon alcohol will deepen.

Just two of the many warning signs will be a deterioration in your general health and a loss of interest in things that used to please, this cycle of ‘drink more to feel the same’ quickens and leaves another very unwanted problem waiting in the wings:

Full-blown alcoholism:

These more frequent and heavier drinking bouts please your mind so much that dependence upon alcohol leads you into full blown alcohol addiction.

Where once you only drank in the evenings, you will feel the need to have a couple of drinks at lunchtime or early afternoon to top up those regular evening sessions. From here it will be a ‘livener’ with breakfast or a mid-morning tonic, which in reality is anything but a tonic.

As dependence deepens you will find that you cannot do without a drink if you are to function normally.

Surely it’s time to quit?

If you are suffering from the uncontrollable urge to drink, cannot control the amount you are drinking, and in many cases will drink whatever is at hand, then this highly damaging and dangerous obsession with alcohol confirms alcoholism.

This certified illness needs urgent and long term assistance. While you will never be cured of the illness you can learn to successfully control it.

Such assistance is best achieved by the help and professional treatment available to you from well-established rehabilitation establishments. The process can include ‘drying out’, or detoxification as it is formally known, followed by a stay as an inpatient.

During this time qualified councilors will help in a wide variety of ways. This includes helping you to understand the underlying reasons that have caused your illness, facing up to the consequences, how to avoid potentially critical relapse temptations and making amends where possible.

Once a stay at such a centre has been successfully completed, it is then recommended that aftercare counselling and the regular attendance of voluntary group meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous be the order of the day.

Failure to seek help can lead to such things as the destruction of relationships, job loss, financial hardship, destitution, and serious physical as well as mental health problems that often prove fatal.

Sources: Website

(This article is intended to be used by the general public for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a reference for educational research papers, nor is it a reflection of the services available through our Rehab Program in Thailand.)