Quit Drinking And Overcome Alcoholism

I was married to my kids father for 7 years. We split up last june because he had not had a job in 5 years and i was tired of dealing with his alcoholism. We shared custody of the kids for awhile but i was still paying all of his bills and taking care of his finatual needs. I am now engaged to a wonderful man and my kids love him and so do i. He has given me and my children everything. My ex-husband went to jail in another state recently and my kids started calling my new boyfriend daddy. I\’m not stopping it but i\’m not encourging it. I have decided that when my ex gets out of prison i\’m going to try to get joint custody with me the primary caretaker and get child support. I Am not going to pay hs bills anymore either. Am i wrong for just completly cutting him off. I\’m so confused about things
the reason he is in prison is for hitting me one night when i went to get the kids

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It\’s a quote that goes something like, \”it\’s only called alcoholism when you\’re out of college\”…

not sure if that\’s entirely it but I thought it was funny. Anyone know of any other good college quotes?

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Interesting content from the web
From \”Rethinking Substance Abuse.\”In the closing chapter of their 2006 book, \”Rethinking Substance Abuse,” editors William R. Miller and Kathleen M. Carroll attempt to sum up what has been learned about the science of addiction. Their useful contribution, entitled Drawing the Science Together, offers \”Ten Principles\” that are designed to synthesize the welter of recent scientific research on addiction and help make sense of what we know.In vastly truncated form, they are as follows:1. Drug Use is Chosen Behavior At least in the beginning, people choose to take drugs, as one of the behavioral options available to them.2. Drug Problems Emerge Gradually \”Dependence emerges over time, as the person\’s life becomes increasingly centered on drug use,\” the authors write. \”The diagnostic criteria for classifying people with \’drug abuse\’ and \’drug dependence\’ represent arbitrary cut points along a gradual continuum\” (p.296).3. Once Well Established, Drug Problems Tend to Become Self-Perpetuating Once regular drug use has caused dysregulation of limbic reward systems, addictive behaviors \”take on a life of their own,\” and become \”surprisingly resistant to ordinary forces of persuasion, religion, punishment, and self-control. It can be challenging to destabilize such a self-organizing system\” (p.296).4. Motivation is Central to Prevention and Intervention Miller and Carroll write: \”Taking action also predicts change. Better outcomes follow from attending more sessions or staying longer in treatment, going to more 12-step meetings, adhering to treatment advice, or faithfully taking one\’s medication. It appears that actively doing something toward change may be more important than the particular actions that are taken\” (p.297).5. Drug Use Responds to Reinforcement \”Drug use tends to be associated with a foreshortening of time perspective, so that longer term delayed rewards are discounted in value…. People who more steeply discount delayed rewards are at higher risk for drug use and problems; moreover, drug use exacerbates discounting. Some effective medications reduce the reward value of drug use, which can enhance the appeal of alternative reinforcers\” (p. 298).6. Drug Problems Do Not Occur in Isolation, but as Part of Behavior Clusters In young people, drug abuse often co-exists with mood disorders, behavioral problems at school or the job, and anti-social behaviors. As Miller and Carroll remind us, the same is true of adults. Family violence, health problems, unemployment, and child neglect are frequently associated with cases of active addiction.7. There Are Identifiable and Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors for Problem Drug Use \”It is clear that heredity contributes to risk for alcohol problems, and evidence is mounting for genetic predispositions for or against other drug use\” (p.299).8. Drug Problems Occur within a Family Context In addition to the evidence pointing to a direct genetic mode of transmission, parental drug use is also a risk factor. Anything that delays an addiction-prone young person from first use of alcohol or other drugs decreases the risk of long-term addiction.9. Drug Problems Are Affected by a Larger Social Context \”Social isolation is both a promoter and a consequence of the progression of drug dependence, and social bonding with nonusers can be an antidote\” (p.301).10. Relationship Matters In formal treatment settings, effectively matching counselor to client is crucial. Confrontational counselor styles are generally \”countertherapeutic.\”Graphics Credit: University of Utah, Genetic Science Learning Center

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Alcohol was discovered thousands of years ago when humans first tried liquids infected with yeasts. Recipes found on ancient tablets prove that the Babylonians were drinkers back in 4300 BC. The Ancient Greeks and the Romans were loved wine and by the Middle Ages alcoholic brews were drunk as a safe alternative to water, which was often contaminated.

In the 19th century the ‘Temperance movement’ began to depict drink as an evil instead of a benefit. Between 1919 and 1933 the US introduced the Prohibition, which banned alcohol and resulted in the creation of underground drinking hideaways.

Nowadays, drinking is an progressively popular social phenomenon and recent research has indicated that there is a health benefit to drinking in moderation. But the risks of drinking are also being more widely appreciated.
Alcohol facts:

• Alcohol is a poisonous substance and can cause permanent damage to the liver

• The liver removes alcohol from the body at the rate of one unit per hour

• Heavy drinking is blamed for up to 33,000 deaths a year in the UK

• Research has indicated that moderate consumption of wine and beer is good for the heart

• In Britain, about one in ten men and one in 20 women drinkers have an alcohol problem
• Moderate consumption of alcohol by young women is thought to prevent high blood pressure

• Â Over 9m people in the UK drink at levels that place their long-term health at risk

• Drinkers are more likely to have casual sex leading to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases

• Alcohol is estimated to be a factor in 20-30% of accidents worldwide

• Long-term alcoholics often suffer from alcoholic myopathy, a muscle-wasting condition that causes extreme tiredness after physical action
• Long-term alcoholics lose bone mass as alcohol affects the way calcium is processed by the body

Are you ready to quit drinking? if you are then continue reading, if not then this information may inspire you to stop.A new world awaits you around the corner, where alcoholism is a thing of the past which you have left behind for good. Imagine what it would feel like if you were completely in control of your addiction, it can be done and I’m living proof of that. I have an addictive personality and I had a long 30 year relationship with alcohol. I couldn’t see how it could be possible to stop drinking, I couldn’t imagine being without alcohol for one day let alone two years. I’ve never had a relapse and I am comfortable having alcohol in the house and around me regardless of the situation. I know I’ll never drink again and I can say that with conviction. I quit alcohol only with the assistance of my Doctor to help me to detox, I didn’t need a support group, I did it all on my own. Nobody I know can believe that I quit drinking, everyone thought I would fail and were delighted when they saw that I was sincere and able to achieve my goals. I had a warm feeling inside when I realised if I could beat alcohol, then the whole world was in my grasp. I tried AA briefly and quit because they told me my attitude would kill me, they called me a dry drunk and that maybe I had quit but I was still damaged. That was true initially but my choice to quit drinking empowered me too and gave me faith in my abilities. So much so that I knew I didn’t need AA and that I could quite comfortably beat my alcohol addiction on my own. I must admit though that I found out some very helpful resources on the way. Two years ago I had nothing and now the world is my oyster. Sign up on this page to join me in a life without Alcohol.

Have you ever thought of your relationship with alcohol as being an affair? Do you remember the first person you ever fell in love with? Do you remember how it felt, the butterflies in your stomach, how you wanted to be with the other person every minute of the day? And how anyone or anything which got in the way would be more than a minor irritation?

It sounds a bit similar to your relationship with alcohol doesn’t it? Relationships can go bad and even though they no longer good for us, still we cling and are unable to let go. The end of a relationship brings pain and the cycle of loss, anger,sadness and mourning commences. However once we’ve been through this cycle things start to get better and we move on until we find a new relationship and the former has become one of life’s lessons which we have learned by.

It’s not going to be easy to stop drinking,but if you can do this you’ll become a better and stronger person and you’ll gain respect from your family, colleagues and peers. When you quit, the world will become your oyster and you will have done wonders for your self-esteem. Just think about all the things that you’ll be capable of, quitting will make you more motivated, you will become a person who takes action and gets things done, it sounds exciting doesn’t it?

Think carefully before joining Alcoholics Anonymous, I mean if this was a relationship with a person would you really want a large group of people knowing all your deepest secrets and your vulnerabilities? It may feel liberating to off load all this personal baggage, but Alcoholics Anonymous is a club and if you join them you have to abide by their rules, there is no room for flexibility. the relapse rate in alcoholics anonymous is considerably high and it is extremely likely that you will return to your addiction.

Alcoholism forces you to put the important things in life in second place, your relationships with alcohol is more important than your family, your children, your job, your wife or husband and your hobbies. You really need to get things in perspective because otherwise the only relationship that you will have in your life will be the one with alcohol because you will lose everything else.

the worst part of your affair with alcohol is your constant preoccupation with it. You think about alcohol when you wake in the morning and throughout the rest of the day. Maybe you don’t start drinking first thing in the morning but it’s in your thoughts with all the time. You may long for the day to end, just so you can have a couple of drinks to unwind, you may even believe that you have your alcoholism in control, but it’s more likely the other way round, alcohol is the one in control and to believe otherwise is to deceive yourself.

I want you to be completely honest with yourself, grab a pen and paper and write down all the things that you love about alcohol. Then write down all of the bad experiences you’ve had as a result of your drinking, all the time you made a fool of yourself, all the people you hurt as a result of your drinking etc

Once you’ve completed your list, look at it again and make a new list of all the reasons why you should continue to drink and all the reasons why you shouldn’t. If you’ve been honest, the new list you have should serve to encourage you to stop drinking, if this is not the case then you are not ready to stop yet. Give it a try doing so may give you the motivation to stop drinking for once and for all.

Treatment of alcoholism concentrates on cutting down on alcohol intake. There are conflicting views as to whether alcoholism is a medical or social condition and hese contrary views produce varied treatments.

Most experts acknowledge that many factors contribute to alcoholism. This means that treatment must address all these different issues to reduce the chances of a relapse. One common method is to apply supportive therapy after the alcoholic undergoes detoxification to combat both the medical and social aspects of the disease.

Abstain

Joining a group who are commited to abstinence is can be helpful. Reducing your alcohol consumption gradually can make the process easier to handle.

How Effective Are The Treatments?

Alcoholism treatments have varied degrees of success. The effectiveness of a program is usually measured by the amount of patients who complete the program, and the amount who relapse.

A study by Dr. Mark Willenbring, of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism revealed that nearly 100% of patients complete treatments. After one year 30% are still sober, 40% still drink heavily but have improved their condition and 25% have relapsed. These figures demonstrate that there is still room for improvement for the treatment of alcoholism and further research will enable treatment to be more effective.

It bugs me when I hear people referring to alcoholism is a disease, if that were the case then anyone could catch it. I really can’t see the point in trying to blame your addiction on something which you have no control over. I attended a few AA meetings and I noticed that the emphasis was on passing control on to an external entity, i.e. one’s higher power rather than the individual taking responsibility for their addiction and its implications. The minute you start blaming something or someone else for your problem, you deny yourself the ability to be able to face your problems. Alcoholism is most definitely not a disease, it’s a massive problem but it’s something that all alcoholics have the ability to beat. I believe that as soon as you deny yourself the opportunity for self empowerment, then you are setting yourself up for a relapse. I’ve been off alcohol for two years now and I will never drink again because I have taken responsibility for my life and my choices. So come on guys, ditch this “alcoholism is a disease nonsense.”

Alcoholism treatment

Alcoholism as you know is a condition where a person is addicted to alcohol. This is a chronic disorder where the alcoholic is unable to avoid consuming excess alcohol because of physical or psychological reasons. The world health organisation is listed alcoholism as one of the three most deadly killer diseases of the 20th century. Alcoholism is also a huge social problem and is responsible for poverty, crime, unhappiness and broken homes, it is also responsible for numerous traffic accidents.

Symptoms of alcoholism

According to the WHO, alcoholics are those excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has attained such a degree that it shows a noticeable mental disturbance or interference with their bodily or mental health, their interpersonal relations and their smooth social and economic functions, or who show the prodormal signs of such development.

An alcoholic has a puffy face, bloodshot eyes, horse voice and a rapid pulse. They are suspicious, irritable and overemotional. Vomiting, delirium impaired judgement and disturbed sleeping patterns are some of the symptoms.

A chronic alcoholic would rather drink and eat and therefore fails to get enough vitamins. Vitamin deficiency can result in delirium tremors, convulsions, eye disorders and impaired memory. Excessive drinking also causes premature greying of the hair, depletion of minerals in the body (especially magnesium) the absence of magnesium produces a tremor in the hands, convulsions and perspiration. Excessive drinking also forces the liver to work really hard resulting in its gradual destruction. Alcoholism causes stomach and bowel disorders and also makes the heart week and oversized.

The causes of alcoholism

Alcoholism can creep up on the individual gradually or after a period of years. People with self-confidence issues may choose alcohol as a means of boosting their self-confidence, but by doing so are putting themselves at great risk of alcoholism. Many people, use alcohol to relax in social situations and to deal with the stresses and strains of life.

Treatment

The first major hurdle is to accept that you have a problem with alcohol and then make plans to stop. Once you have decided to stop make an appointment to see a doctor and to see what help is available for you. I have a detailed self treatment plan which you can receive in a series of weekly e-mails. If you would like to receive the plan, please fill in the subscription box on this site, you may find it was the best decision that you have ever made.

It’s a sad fact that soldiers returning home from war as alcoholics. loneliness and pressure on the battlefield makes soldiers resort to drinking heavily,this not only causea a dependence on alcohol but often drugs as well.

Soldiers should be educated to realise that alcohol and drug abuse can have far-reaching implications and they are  more likely to indulge in pub brawls, abuse their partners, end up being destitute and even die early.

Soldiers like everybody else need to ensure that they eat a good meal before drinking and by eating foods that are rich in protein and starch they can minimise the effects of the alcohol.

Make a point of drinking slowly as drinking quickly will make the person far more intoxicated. It is advisable to drink no more than one drink within an hour .

Try alternating your drinking between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as this will lessen the effects of the alcohol on the system.

There is an acronym “HALT” which stands for never drink if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired and this should be used as a rule of thumb.

Remember to never drive whilst drinking and always ensure that there is a sober individual available to drive, or take a cab at the end of the night.

It’s a fact that soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are at great risk of developing alcoholism and findings have indicated that approximately 80% of war veterans have a problem with alcoholism. There are strong indications that these people are likely to commit suicide if they become depressed and over the age of 65. Binge drinking is also an apparent problem with soldiers and veterans as they use it to block out the trauma of war.

Alcoholism is likely to disrupt your relationship with your partner and you are far more likely to be violent and alcoholism is a major factor of abuse within the families of soldiers. Alcoholism has also been shown to increase the effect of post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment of PTSD will not be as effective if the soldier is an alcoholic. Soldiers need to learn to be responsible drinkers not only for their own safety but for the safety of their loved ones and the people who they seek to protect.