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• Alcohol - At the bottom of every bottle....

Alcohol - At the bottom of every bottle....

At the bottom of every bottle.....     
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IN BRIEF: For most people, alcohol is a pleasant accompaniment to social activities. But for others, alcohol causes severe problems in their daily functioning and relationships. The consequences of frequent alcohol misuse are serious, and sometimes even fatal. It is vital to get treatment as soon as possible, even though it may be the hardest thing you've ever had to do.

According to Diane Knapp, author of Drinking: a love story, the dynamics are quite simple in some ways: "alcohol makes everything better until it makes everything worse".

For most people who drink, alcohol is a pleasant accompaniment to social activities. Moderate alcohol use (up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people) is generally not harmful.

Nonetheless, a large number of people get into serious trouble because of their drinking. Currently, millions of people abuse alcohol. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems. These patterns include binge drinking and regular heavy drinking.

The consequences of alcohol misuse are serious and often life threatening. Heavy drinking increases the risk for certain cancers, especially those of the liver, oesophagus, throat, and larynx (voice box).

Abusing alcohol can also cause liver cirrhosis, immune system problems, brain damage and harm to the foetus during pregnancy. In addition, drinking increases the risk of death from car accidents, recreational and on-the-job injuries.

Furthermore, both murders and suicides are more likely to be committed by persons who have been drinking. In purely economic terms, alcohol-related problems cost societies billions per year. In human terms, the costs cannot be calculated.

What is alcoholism?

Alcoholism, or "alcohol dependence", is a disease that includes four symptoms:

Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink
Loss of control: The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion
Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking
Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to "get high"
Those who don't have a drinking problem sometimes don't understand why an alcoholic can't just "use a little willpower" to stop drinking. However, alcoholism has little to do with willpower. Alcoholics are in the grip of a powerful "craving", or uncontrollable need for alcohol that overrides their ability to stop drinking. This need can be as strong as the need for food or water.

But genes are not the whole story. In fact, scientists now believe that certain factors in a person's environment influence whether he ever develops the disease. Such factors include where and how he or she lives; family, friends and culture; peer pressure and even how easy it is to get alcohol.

What is alcohol abuse?

Alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism in that it does not include an extremely strong craving for alcohol, loss of control over drinking or physical dependence. It is defined as a pattern of drinking that results in one or more of the following situations within a 12-month period:

Failure to fulfil major work, school, or home responsibilities
Drinking in situations that are physically dangerous, such as while driving a car or operating machinery
Having recurring alcohol-related legal problems, such as being arrested for driving under the influence or for physically hurting someone while drunk
Continued drinking despite having ongoing relationship problems that are caused or worsened by the drinking
Although alcohol abuse is different from alcoholism, alcoholics also experience many effects of alcohol abuse.

What are the signs of a problem?

How can you tell whether you may have a drinking problem? Answering the following four questions can help you find out:

Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning (as an "eye opener") to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
One "yes" answer suggests a possible alcohol problem. If you answered "yes" to more than one question, it's highly likely that a problem exists. In either case, it's important that you see your doctor or other health care provider right away to discuss your answers to these questions. He or she can help you determine whether you have a drinking problem and, if so, recommend the best course of action.

Even if you answered "no" to all the above questions, if you have drinking-related problems with your job, relationships, health or the law, get professional help. The effects of alcohol abuse can be extremely serious, even fatal, to you and to others.

Alcoholism treatment

The type of treatment you receive depends on how sever your alcoholism is and the resources available in your community. Treatment may include detoxification (the process of safely getting alcohol out of your system); taking doctor-prescribed medications to help prevent a return (or relapse) to drinking once drinking has stopped; and individual and/or group counselling.

There are promising types of counselling that teach alcoholics to identify situations and feelings that trigger the urge to drink and to find new ways to cope, that don't include alcohol use. These treatments are often provided on an outpatient basis.

Virtually all alcoholism treatment programs also include Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. AA describes itself as a "worldwide fellowship of men and women who help each other to stay sober".

Although AA is generally recognised as an effective mutual help program for recovering alcoholics, not everyone responds to AA's style or message, and other recovery approaches are available. Even people who are helped by AA usually find that AA works best in combination with other forms of treatment, including counselling and medical care.

Because the support of family members is important, many programmes also offer brief marital counselling and family therapy as part of the treatment process. They may also link individuals with vital community resources, such as legal assistance, job training, childcare and parenting classes.

However, even people who are determined to stay sober may suffer one or several "slips" or relapses, before achieving long-term sobriety. Relapses are very common and don't mean a person has failed or cannot recover from alcoholism.

Remember that every day a recovering alcoholic stays sober before relapse is extremely valuable time, both to the person and to his or her family. If a relapse occurs, it's very important to try to stop drinking once again and to get whatever additional support you need to abstain from drinking.

Accepting the fact that help is needed for an alcohol problem may not be easy. But keep in mind that the sooner you get help, the better are your chances for a successful recovery.