Posts Tagged ‘alcohol dependency’
Jennifer is a thirty-eight-year-old benefits coordinator who has been drinking quite extensively since she and her live-in boyfriend decided to discontinue their relationship. Indeed, for the past six months she has been drinking nearly two bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking more than a few cans of beer all through the day. In short, Jennifer has been drinking so abusively and excessively that it’s a wonder that she hasn’t suffered from alcohol poisoning.
After feeling downcast because she was starting to overlook her health, Jennifer at last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to quit the self pity party, that it’s time to quit the hazardous drinking, and time to make a new start with her life. So the next Saturday morning at 8:00 AM, she came to a decision that she would quit drinking suddenly and completely without planning or preparation.
When She Stopped Drinking She Felt Dreadful, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Had Absolutely No Appetite, She Started to Sweat Profusely, She Was Extremely Nervous and Moody, and She Vomited a Number of Times
When Jennifer stopped drinking, she figured that she would most likely be tempted to take a couple of drinks, but she never expected to feel so awful. More precisely, approximately two-and-a-half hours after she quit drinking, she had absolutely no appetite, her head was aching, she started to sweat extensively, she was extremely moody and restless, and she vomited a number of times.
When she called her best friend and informed her that she had stopped drinking and that after a few hours she suddenly started to have flu-like symptoms, Gina, her best friend, told Jennifer to call her healthcare professional and clearly explain what was taking place.
She Admits to Her Family Doctor That She Has Been Drinking Excessively, That She Just Tried to Quit Drinking, and That She is Experiencing Extremely Painful Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her healthcare practitioner, told him that she has been drinking in an irresponsible manner for several months and that when she attempted to completely quit drinking earlier in the day, within a couple of hours she felt as if she had the worse flu-like symptoms that she had ever gone through.
Her healthcare practitioner told her that she may be going through symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have someone drive her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a family member to drive her to the hospital. Interestingly, as sick as Jennifer was, all she could think about all the way to the hospital was whether or not she was dependent on alcohol.
It appears that her healthcare practitioner had called ahead and told the emergency room treatment team to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two emergency room workers who immediately asked her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them. After getting taken to the emergency room and undergoing a couple of basic tests, it was validated that Jennifer was in truth going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.
An emergency room physician administered some meds to lessen the discomfort of her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some medications to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her system.
A Substance Abuse and Alcohol Abuse Medical Practitioner Clearly Explains That She is an Alcoholic and Then Goes Over What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Dependency Stages Are
After two or three hours, Jennifer was transferred from the ER and wheeled to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for nearly two hours, Doctor Robbins, a substance abuse and chemical dependency specialist, came to visit her. He took quite a bit of time and explained in a clear fashion that Jennifer had experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking because she had become addicted to alcohol.
He then explained that with excessive drinking on an everyday basis, the person’s brain little by little adapts to the alcohol in order to operate in a “normal” fashion. When the individual then abruptly quits ingesting alcohol, understandably, the brain takes action by bringing forth alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Not only this, but her medical practitioner also went over the different alcoholism stages that a person who is alcohol dependent commonly goes through as the disease advances.
It is Verified that Jennifer is in the Earliest Stage of Alcohol Dependency and She Receives a Favorable Prognosis For a Full Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Treatment She Requires
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was established that she was in the earliest stage of alcohol addiction and, as a result, she got a good forecast for a complete recovery if she will get the alcohol dependency treatment she requires.
Jennifer told the medical practitioner that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to restore her life and her health. She also mentioned that she has an exceptional hospitalization insurance policy that will almost certainly pay for most, if not all, of the costs required for rehab. It was clear to see that Jennifer was extremely pleased with her positive medical prognosis and felt reassured knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol rehab she needs so that she can start on the path to recovery.
Jesse had an unusually difficult time keeping a job. If truth be told, due to his lethargy and lack of drive, he was out of work far more often than he was in a job situation. And when he did find a job, he had an extremely difficult time getting to work on time, he characteristically got less than passing performance reviews, and he called off sick so regularly that he usually got fired three or four weeks after he started working. Obviously, one of the results of Jesse’s irresponsible employment track record was the fact that he was virtually broke almost on a daily basis.
Despite Jesse’s less than stellar work record and financial lack of attention, however, by some means he managed to drink in an excessive manner from day-to-day.
So it came as no big surprise when Jesse received a fifth DWI. When he went to court, the judge stated to Jesse that his alcohol-related conduct was terrible and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to serve twelve months in the local jail.
Time Behind Bars To Reflect On The Disruptive Results of Excessive and Hazardous Drinking
During his time in the municipal jail, Jesse was required to learn more about alcohol facts, about the distressing effects of excessive drinking, and he was required to get alcohol rehab. The magistrate emphasized the fact that unless Jesse receives professional alcohol treatment and learns how to live a life of sobriety, he will most probably be spending a lot more time placed behind bars.
Jesse articulated that he understood what the magistrate was declaring but he still felt that placement in the municipal jail was not the most productive decision. The magistrate disagreed and asserted that it was his obligation to keep individuals off the streets who drive and drink and who get arrested for one or more DWIs. To substantiate this assertion, the judge quoted some revered, thoroughly researched alcohol statistics that emphasized some of the negative results that are linked to abusive drinking.
Even though Jesse realized that he drank in a hazardous and abusive manner, he never believed that he was an alcohol addicted person. So it was a rude awakening when Jesse began experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms nearly eight hours after getting locked up in the local jail.
To monitor his alcohol withdrawals in a safe and sound manner, Jesse was taken to a rehabilitation center for alcohol detox and then returned to the local jail. While locked up in the municipal jail Jesse received alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he received this rehab as something that was imposed upon him, he did not take ownership of his hazardous and irresponsible drinking.
When his time in the city jail was completed, the magistrate without hesitation told Jesse that he would be under careful scrutiny and would be mandated to take random breathalyzer alcohol tests.
Jessie’s Irresponsible Drinking Prevents Him From Living in a Productive and Responsible Manner
After hearing how Jesse did not take ownership of his drinking problem and how he grudgingly followed the therapy procedures while in jail, the magistrate knew that it was essentially a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his hazardous drinking behavior. As the magistrate reflected on Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never ”get it” and discover how to live in an accountable and effective manner.
How do you know that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it evident that you are engaging in hazardous drinking? If you have unproductively made an effort to discontinue your drinking or if you promised yourself that your drinking days are behind you and then you realized that you were drinking in an abusive manner just a few days later, the probability is extremely good that you have drinking problems. The point of emphasis is that if you have tried to terminate your drinking and cannot get this accomplished, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around. Read the rest of this entry »
Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
For a number of years alcohol dependency exploration has revealed the fact that there is strong relationship between alcohol dependency and critical health conditions.
As an illustration, in 2005, medical examination and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics demonstrated the fact that that alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. It can be emphasized that this considerable alcohol-related cash outlay was substantially more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is important to give emphasis to these facts, it is also noteworthy to point to the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health problems. Read the rest of this entry »
How do you recognize that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it obvious that you are engaging in abusive drinking?
If you have hopelessly attempted to stop drinking or if you promised yourself that your drinking days are finished and then you realized that you were drinking in an excessive way just a few days later, the probability is especially good that you have drinking problems. The point of emphasis is that if you have tried to quit drinking and cannot accomplish this, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around. In a similar manner, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to realize that you have a drinking problem. Read the rest of this entry »