What Kind of Drinker Are You? Turn on your radio and scan the channels while driving home from work any day of the week. Chances are you will hear at least one boisterous advertisement for happy hour specials or ladies' nights out at a local hot spot. Look at the passing billboards. How many beer companies are appealing to you with pictures of chilled bottles dripping wet as if they were perspiring, and beautiful people gathered together laughing and sharing good times? How many of these advertisements hang about in bus stops and subway stations? Companies that market beer, wine and liquor spend a lot of money deciding exactly where to place their signs and when to run their radio spots and television commercials. The message is: "Drink our brand and your life will be full of fun. You'll be attractive. You'll be like everyone else-happy." Have you ever doubted this message? Does alcohol really elevate your mood? Does it make you feel more confident? Do you find that it relaxes you? Have you ever worried about the way your drinking effects you? Most people can drink one or two drinks socially and not want or need more alcohol, but others have a hard time knowing when or how to stop. Do you know that statistics show one in nine people in the United States has, as an added complication to their drinking habits, a disease that affects the way their body reacts to alcohol? We call the disease alcoholism. Generally people aren't informed about the stages of the illness, nor the symptoms. While their lives are spiraling out of control, alcoholics use alcohol to self-medicate, thinking that drinking will help them cope. In actuality, the drinking is worsening their problems. Alcohol changes the body's chemistry so that a vicious cycle sets in. Alcoholics drink to feel better, but doing so advances their disease. As their disease advances, their bodies tell them they need more alcohol. They respond by drinking more, and so on. Meanwhile, their normal lives dwindle away. Their important relationships deteriorate, their job performance slips, they withdraw "into the bottle." Alcoholics lose control for some it happens quickly and for others the process is very gradual. But they can't stop their urge to drink, and are usually very reluctant to seek help. What Are the Stages of Alcoholism? Early "Adaptive" Stage This is when the liver and central nervous system adapt to alcohol, affecting the way alcohol is metabolized (taken into the system).
"Physical Dependence" Stage Withdrawal symptoms are the first sign of physical dependence. There is increasing evidence that many alcoholics develop withdrawal symptoms early in their drinking career, before extensive drinking has occurred. One thing is for sure: it's this dependence, and not any situational or psychological stress, which motivates the bulk of alcoholic drinking. Once withdrawal symptoms begin, it's only a matter of time before the alcoholic discovers that more alcohol will eliminate, or at least alleviate, them.
"Late Stage" This stage lasts indefinitely, depending on treatment.
Tolerance: Something to Brag About or a Red Flag? We tend to admire people who have a capacity for alcohol in our society, particularly if they are male. It's supposed to be a sign of character strength to be able to drink a lot without showing the effects. Unfortunately, having a tolerance for alcohol actually indicates the presence of alcoholism, or the eventual likelihood of developing the disease. Tolerance represents not strength of will but physical adaptation to the intoxicating properties of alcohol. Not everyone who has a tolerance for alcohol becomes an alcoholic, but just about every alcoholic shows an abnormal tolerance for the drug. Ironically, the "advantage" of tolerance is that it enables the alcoholic to hide, from himself and others, the extent of his drinking after the appearance of the second primary symptom, physical dependence. Life Problems Last but not least among the common symptoms of alcoholism are the numerous life problems it generates. Alcoholic drinking so profoundly affects everything the individual does, thinks, or feels, that it quite frequently controls the lives of its victims. Alcoholics commonly lose jobs, marriages, families and their very lives through the effects of their drinking. Remember though, that the disease is often long established before these overt problems appear. They are a result of its progression. Here are some examples of how alcohol influences the alcoholic's behavior. Broken promises and resolutions about drinking. Drinking habits are governed by increasingly severe withdrawal symptoms. The alcoholic is fighting a physical craving for a drink but thinks it is a test of his/her will power. Gulping and sneaking drinks. These are the behaviors of someone who is driven by a need to drink, yet lives or socializes with others who disapprove of excessive drinking. Irritability, sleeplessness, neglect of food. These are three common withdrawal symptoms. Fluctuating moods and emotions. Alcohol has an effect on the brain centers of the limbic or "emotional center" of the brain. The alcoholic rides an up and down "mood elevator." What Causes the Disease? Basically two factors cause the disease: being physiologically susceptible to the disease and then using enough alcohol to trigger the disease. Alcoholism is not caused by an unhappy childhood, stress, or even overindulgence in alcohol. There are many overindulgent drinkers who aren't alcoholic. Finally, research has also proven that alcoholism very definitely runs in families. Given the facts about drinking which are available to us today, ask yourself: "What kind of drinker am I?"
Alcoholism builds through these various stages of need. If you have the genetic trait which triggers alcoholism, then what starts out as "good time" drinking will inevitably turn into problem drinking. If someone you know, yourself , your father, mother, sister, brother, best friend, boss, or co-worker needs help with a drinking problem, that person must become informed about the disease they have. Being informed is the first step in changing attitudes toward alcoholism. Its also the first step toward getting help. Take the following quiz about drinking behaviors. If you answer yes to more than two of the questions, you may want to consult your COPE counselor for an evaluation.
Edited by: Helene W. King Ph.D., CEAP Alcohol Assessment
Drinking Indicators Checklist
Additional Resources Don't Help: A Positive Guide To Working With The Alcoholic, Ronald L. Rogers & Chandler Scott McMillin. Bantam Books, New York, 1984. Recovering: How to Get and Stay Sober., L. Ann Mueller, M.D., and Katherine Kechum, New York, Bantam, 1987
Alcoholics Anonymous - Metropolitan Washington: Call
(202)966-9115 The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI): www.health.org
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