Get Rid Of Alcohol

You can take the alcohol out of alcoholism but what is left is the “ism” part of this disease. The “ism” part of alcoholism is the psychological and personality issues which go hand in hand with the actual over consuming of alcohol.

How do you know if they are an alcoholic?

The question of whether or not someone is suffering from alcoholism is an age old issue. And the truth is, there is not a hard and fast rule. The best answer anyone has been able to come up with is to look at the behavior and the results, or consequences, of that behavior in and on the individual’s life circumstances. Without getting into the entire evaluation process, the three key questions are; one, how much and how often do they drink alcohol. Two, what impact is and has drinking had on their life? And three, when you have a drink (or two) what happens? In other words does the person, once they start to drink alcohol, then end up consuming far more alcohol that they intended? This last question is the disease part of alcoholism. Your body has lost the ability to process alcohol and can no longer tolerate any of it, even in small amounts. Arguments can be made in the age old question of whether it is genetically connected, or not.

There are a variety of clinical tests, assessments and evaluations which can help determine if a person is drinking behavior has crossed the fine line between heavy drinking and alcoholism. According to Alcoholics Anonymous, only the individual can decide for themselves if they are an alcoholic, or not. Medically speaking, the disease of alcoholism is defined by a type of “allergy” to alcohol. The allergic reaction is triggered by drinking even a small amount of alcohol, which causes the person to then drink a far greater amount of alcohol than they initially intended. The other criteria are the consequences the person has suffered as a result of their drinking behavior.

If drinking has resulted in the loss or damage in some area of their life, it is very likely they are well on their way to being an alcoholic.

The process of recovery from alcoholism

Once someone determines they are alcoholic, the process of addressing it can begin. The first step is getting all the alcohol safely out of their system. This is called detox. Once the person is stable, they should attend alcohol rehab, at some level. Rehab is the educational and therapeutic process of addressing their alcoholism. And begins the process of awakening to their disease and what they need to do to keep it in remission. Going to Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, meetings is considered one of the best ways of both staying abstinent. Some people have been able to simple stop drinking, on their sheer will power, but these cases are rare. Most end up drinking again sooner or later, often with disastrous results.

The “ism” piece

What is this “ism” part of alcoholism? Most alcoholics, for whatever reason, can’t seem to cope with the bumpy road of life without drinking considerable amounts of alcohol. This inability to cope with life without alcohol is the “ism” part. Generally, most alcoholics are egotistical and self-centered people. Some are immature, at least for their age. Basically, they use alcohol, which is a drug, to “self-medicate” them as a tried and true method of anesthetizing themselves from the pains of life.

Stopping drinking is never easy, but if an alcoholic is going to stop for good and lead a relatively “normal” life, they need to realize it is process of changing the way they deal with life and all its myriad of problems. It is actually more difficult to heal the “ism” side of the alcoholism problem, but one that must be done successfully if the alcoholic is going to live a good, alcohol-free existence.

Conclusion

Alcoholism is considered a fatal disease. It kills or injuries thousands of people every year. And like other fatal diseases, alcoholism can be treated and kept in remission if the identified person is willing to take certain significant steps. First, is admitting they have the problem. Next, is going through the process of rehab and recovery. The final part is addressing the “ism” part of their alcohol problem by either walking the 12-steps or working on their personality issues.

To know whether someone is an alcoholic with the disease of alcoholism, go to http://www.alcoholalcoholism.org/alcoholism.asp

For more complete information on recovery, rehab, alcohol and alcoholism, visit http://www.alcoholalcoholism.org/alcohol-rehab.asp