The Life of an Alcoholic

The surprising secret about alcoholism is that many more people are suffering from this disease than you could ever imagine. It might surprise you to learn that there are people suffering from alcoholism all around you who are going to extraordinary lengths to hide their alcoholism from the people in their lives.

Frequently parents, children, siblings, grandparents, friends and other loved ones are struggling with alcoholism, but because they are going to such great lengths to hide that fact, nobody around them has noticed. A day in the life of an alcoholic is largely similar to a day in the life of any ordinary person, though there are some differences in their lives, which is something that you should consider.

If someone you know is struggling with alcoholism then you need to get them the help they need so call (800-303-2482) today.

What is Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is defined as a substance abuse problem involving alcohol. Alcohol is perceived by many people to be a disease because it has an emotional and physical hold on the body that impacts all aspects of one’s life. Although alcohol is typically defined as an addiction to consuming alcoholic liquor, and the compulsive behavior and mental illness that result from a dependency on alcohol, alcoholism is also commonly used to define any of a number of problems involving alcohol. What is true across the board is that alcoholism involves the uncontrolled, compulsive and abusive consumption of alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and hard liquor.

A Day in the Life of an Alcoholic

One of the greatest differences between a typical life and the life of an alcoholic is what motivates the person. In many ways, the alcoholic’s life is motivated by the alcohol. Some alcoholics need a drink in the morning before they even get out of bed. Rather than wake up to a cup of coffee like the average American, they are sipping a vodka-infused orange juice to get themselves going first thing in the morning.

Most alcoholics drink as a method of self-medication. They use the depressive effects of the alcohol to numb themselves to whatever is affecting them in the present. What drives them and what motivates them will set them far apart from the rest of society, because in a lot of ways, everything has to do with when they had their last drink.

Becoming an Alcoholic

You do not simply become an alcoholic overnight. Becoming an alcoholic is a gradual progression, something that happens over a lengthy period of time. Typically someone who begins drinking does so for social reasons. For example, they may begin drinking because their friends are drinking.

Drinking socially is generally acceptable, as long as you are drinking in moderation and not overdoing it. People who overdo their drinking tend to end up with a hangover in the morning, or worse. Alcohol poisoning is another important consideration. People who drink too much alcohol can become severely ill and can destroy vital organs such as the liver.

Typically someone who has partaken in social drinking in the past runs into a stressor or an obstacle that drives them to want to drink. They recall that drinking socially caused them to feel relaxed, calm and cool. They want to return to that comfortable, stress free feeling. This is when they start drinking in increasing amounts.

For some people, what this entails is going out with friends on a near constant basis and getting wasted as much as they possibly can. For other people what this entails is bringing alcohol home and drinking in solace. Both of these are bad situations, because drinking excessively is bad for the health and likely to lead to alcoholism.

What Causes Alcoholism

Alcoholism typically begins with a social drink. Nobody simply picks up a bottle for the first time and becomes an alcoholic. Nobody simply decides to start using alcohol as a coping mechanism unless they have experienced drinking for other purposes first and foremost.

For most people, alcoholism begins due to a stressor or an obstacle. Something goes on in the alcoholic’s life that leads them to use alcohol as a means of self-medication. The alcoholic may be stressing over work, school, money, family or it could be a very specific occurrence such as being fired from a job or a family member or friend dying.

This stressor causes so much anxiety and depression in the person that they begin looking for anything that may make them feel better. Self-medication is the act of using a substance like alcohol in order to deal with a problem.

Self-medication typically begins slowly. The other problem with it is that it can begin in different ways for different people. For many people, it becomes normal to drink after a long day. You come home from work, and all you want to do is knock back something sweet and alcoholic, put your feet up and tune out the world.

For a while, this is socially acceptable. Having a drink at home before you go to bed is really not that bad. Unfortunately, as the stressors in your life continue to haunt you and hound you, your need for alcohol consumption as a method of self-medication continues to grow. Over time, it takes a second drink to mellow you out and then a third or fourth. Within a period of time you are suddenly drinking yourself into a stupor every night just to cope. Why? Because alcoholism for self-medication purposes does not work. Alcohol is a depressant, and so it is only going to hamper your ability to deal with personal stress and depression.

The problem with alcoholism is that it grows and grows. With time, the body and the mind both become addicted to the alcohol. As your body becomes addicted to the alcohol, and your mind becomes addicted to the feelings that the alcohol creates, your need for the alcohol is only going to increase. Alcoholism becomes just as bad as a drug addiction, where you crave the substance and need the substance so desperately that you will go to great lengths to acquire it.

Alcoholism can impact all aspects of your life. It can hinder your relationships, destroy family dynamics, cause trouble at work, home and school and it can cause money problems and can alter many other aspects of your life. If you are falling prey to an alcoholism problem, then now is the time for you to start looking for help.

The right help from an alcoholism rehab program (800-303-2482) can go a long way in helping you to establish a new, sober lifestyle where you are healthy and happy. Overcoming your alcoholism is completely possible, but what it requires is a level of dedication to healing that you need to work on for yourself.

When you are ready to get help for your alcoholism problem, the next step is to reach out and commit yourself to a recovery program that is going to drive the results that you seek. The right program is going to go far in helping you to get past your alcoholism and to start recovering once and for all.