People at Alcohol Anonymous will not tell you whether you are an alcoholic or not. So it is up to you to judge if you are one, in case there are any doubts. If you feel the urges or cravings to lay hands on your favorite poison, always end up drinking more than what you wanted to, or are physically dependent on alcohol to get you through the day or the night, then you are what can be termed an alcohol dependent or alcoholic person. Self-supporting: Alcohol Anonymous is a self supporting, non- professional organization that is founded, run and managed by past or even current alcoholics, and everybody is free to join in. There are no requirements to be met to become a member, apart from the inclination to kick alcoholism. Alcohol Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous has the distinction of being the world's largest self help organization. Branches and AA groups can be found in almost every city in the world. The group's members meet almost every week, where they discuss the problems that they are facing as a result of being alcohol dependent, how they want to kick the habit, how they have managed to get out of the quick sands of alcoholism and what are the positive and negative changes in their lives as a result of alcoholism and as a result of getting rid of it.
Double Fist Your Drinks: If you are drinking an alcoholic beverage it is a great idea to have a glass of water there as well and drink the two together. Drinking the water in between sips of your alcohol can help to keep the concentration of the alcohol down in your blood stream. You are also less likely to have a hangover the next day if you keep hydrated as well. Designate a Driver: If you are going out and plan on drinking, always make sure that someone is designated to drive and that they have no alcohol whatsoever. If there is no designated driver, you should be the responsible one and abstain from drinking. Remember that driving under the influence, no matter how little, can kill. Having responsible drinking habits is very important if you are planning to consume alcohol. Being responsible while drinking can keep you healthy, keep you out of embarrassing situations, and most important of all - it can save your life.
Drunk driving is no accident. There were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 - 39 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term 'alcohol-related' does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol." The statistics reveal that most fatal alcohol-related crashes do indeed involve drunk drivers and far fewer of these fatalities involve intoxicated pedestrians or "bicyclists and other cyclists". Nationwide in 2005, alcohol was present in 24 percent of the drivers involved in fatal crashes (BAC .01-.07, 4 percent; BAC .08 or greater, 20 percent). The 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 (39% of total traffic fatalities for the year) represent a 5-percent reduction from the 17,732 alcohol related fatalities reported in 1995 (42% of the total). The 16,885 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes during 2005 represent an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes.
It happens every day to a lot of people. Well, then, why can't people stop drinking? The first reason is fear. They are afraid of what they are going to do without alcohol in their lives. Much like a smoker quitting cigarettes doesn't know what they're going to do without a cigarette in their hand. But, although a smoker is endangering their lives, a drinker alters the way their brain thinks, and does things, and acts in ways that are inappropriate and unacceptable. A cigarette doesn't do that to you. You don't leave your purse in a bar because you had a cigarette. Or a pack of cigarettes. A drinker can easily drive home on the wrong side of the road, sideswipe the garage door, and yell and scream for scrambled eggs and cheese! And then have to get up and go to work in the morning. So why not stop? Number one, it's usually an addiction, so it's not as easy as it sounds. Number two, without the proper guidance, it's very hard to do alone. Number three, who wants to not only have to quit doing something they love to do, but do it in front of strangers, as in a twelve step program?
There are psychical and mental diseases. Alcoholism and drug addiction are mental diseases. It falls into the category of obsession - compulsion disorder. Is O.C.B. classified as a disease? There is evidence of studies that has been going on for years that show it can be hereditary. Studies in the 90's show there is a gene that predisposes one to be a alcoholic, but they have a chose. Sometimes all it takes is a few times drinking to unleash the obsession, the compulsion to have a drink comes next. Over time that O.C. becomes stronger and they give up the ability to stop on their own. Some people do stop on their own, very few, most continue on the road where their lives are centered on getting and using more. They may cover it up with denial,that "I can handle it" or " I can stop when I want to", as they pour another drink. Some people feel they control their drinking by only having a few when they come home from work, but through out the day that's all they think about (obsession) the compulsion is when they come home from work "to unwind", and they may do this for years and never miss work and their life is not unmanageable, They are called functional alcoholics. Over time they will be taking "liquid lunches", just a few to hold them over, or it may be in their desk,locker or car. It is not a personality or weak will person as to why they drink. Look how many presidents, C.E.O.'s, famous people are alcoholics.?
Just ask yourself these four quick questions. 1 - Is your drinking habit getting on your spouse's nerves? 2 - Do you feel that your family is slowly drifting away from you? 3 - Is your life moving in a direction that you otherwise don't want to go? 4 - Are you one of the millions of people suffering from alcoholism? Often times it is difficult to accept the fact that one is already suffering from the symptoms of alcoholism. Sometimes this starts out as light indulging with a group of friends. Sometimes work dictates the occasion of alcohol consumption, maybe a few shots of alcohol with important clients, but sometimes this innocent indulging can progress into chronic bouts of heavy alcohol drinking and before you can say no to another drink you are already deep into the habit.
Craving alcohol is a complicated process that involves several different factors. We are usually first introduced to alcohol at a young age (in our teens). Since no-one under the age of 21 (in the US) is allowed to purchase alcohol, it becomes "cool" and desirable for young adults under 21 to give drinking a try. Later on people grab a bottle of booze to feel better, gain more confidence in a social setting or to forget about their problems. Since the alcohol makes them feel better, at least temporarily, they start to crave it.
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