YOU
DON’T HAVE TO BE AN ALCOHOLIC TO HAVE A DRINKING
PROBLEM
YOU
DON’T HAVE TO BE AN ALCOHOLIC TO HAVE A DRINKING
PROBLEM
If you’re like most people, you think that an alcohol problem means alcoholism. If I ask you if you think you have a drinking problem, you probably think I’ve asked you if you are an alcoholic.
While that’s a pretty common idea, it’s silly if you think about it. It assumes that these are just two kinks of drinkers in the world:
ALCOHOLICS (who are blowing it entirely with their drinking and need to quit....and EVERYBODY ELSE (who are doing just fine with their drinking and don’t need to give it a thought)
The fact is that it’s pretty easy to get into trouble behind alcohol even if you are not an alcoholic.
We give lip service to the idea that "Alcohol is a Drug," but we don’t take the implications of this seriously. There are all sorts of ways in which taking this drug can cause problems in our lives.
The following are just a few of the situations in which this can happen.
Alcohol and Medication
Do you read labels? Many over-the-counter cold, pain, and other medicines state that you should not drink while taking them. This is also true of many prescribed medications, including sedatives, tranquilizers and painkillers.
Often alcohol interferes with the action of the medicine ,keeping it from doing its job. Other times, alcohol and the medicine make each other stronger than expected. There may even be danger of overdose.
Taking any medicine without checking with your doctor of pharmacist to see if you should be drinking while taking it is asking for serious trouble.
Drinking and the Law
Do you know the laws about drinking in public? Open containers in cars? Serving alcohol to minors? Buying beer for a graduation party? Alcohol may be legal, but many common practices concerning it are not. Check it out and avoid an unexpected arrest or fine.
Alcohol Dependency
Would a Saturday Night Party with no drinking be a bore for you? If you skipped your after work drinks would it be hard to relax? Would you pass up a weekend visit if you knew your hosts did not serve alcohol in their home?
"Alcohol Dependence" means the inability to party, relax, or feel good without drinking. It may or may not be a sign of alcoholism, but it’s a serious problem just by itself. If life without drinking sounds pretty bleak, it’s time to take a closer look.
Co-Dependency
You don’t have to drink to have an "Alcohol Problem." Those who live with Alcoholics can get so wrapped up with the craziness of the disease that their lives can become miserable. If you’re involved with someone who drinks too much, you may need help to sort things out. Give us a call.
Impairment
You have a few drinks before dinner, two glasses of wine with your meal, and a beer while watching TV. You’re not drunk, but your Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) is around .07 between six and nine o’clock every evening. Your reflexes are okay and you could pass a field sobriety test. What is impaired are things like active listening (attention) and quick memory.
If you’re like many Americans, these hours (6-9 p.m.) are when you interact with your family. A .07 BAL means that if your wife says, "You haven’t heard a word I’ve been saying," she has a 50/50 chance of being right. If your daughter tells you she played with Johnny at school, you don’t remember that she had a fight with him and must have made up—so you miss the chance to praise her for learning to settle differences.
This probably isn’t alcoholism. You’re just doing a "C-" job as an active and involved husband and father. But maybe that IS a problem. If there is a situation in your life where you ought to be doing "A+" work (father/spouse/worker) and drinking keeps you from doing your best, maybe it is time to take a look at it.
D.U.I.
Less that one third of those convicted of First Offense Driving Under the Influence are alcoholic. The rest are people with sloppy drinking habits. Not only that, but 4 out of 5 defendants don’t think they’re drunk when they’re pulled over.
DUI isn’t just for "drunk drivers" and it isn’t just for alcoholics. If you drink at all before you drive you run the risk of an embarrassing arrest and an expensive and time-consuming conviction.
Drinking and Drugs
Many people who try to clean up from drug problems think they can still drink alcohol. It rarely works. Almost always, Druggies who drink either return their "problem drug" or develop an alcohol problem or BOTH. This is true even with addicts who drank without problems in the past.
Some addicts are "dually addicted" to both drugs and alcohol, but even non-alcoholic addicts are at risk if they try and change to "the legal drug." Switching from drugs to alcohol is like changing seats in a crashing airplane.
Not everyone who drinks needs help. But a lot more people should give their drinking serious thought than do so. We’re in the listening business. If drinking is a concern in any way to you, Let’s Talk About It!