The Relevance Of Alcohol Treatment And How Alcohol Addiction And Mental Health Difficulties Frequently Result In Relationship, Divorce, Friendship, And Marital Problems
Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most underfinanced co-ed high school in the state. Even though she had been teaching for only four years, she had already gained a reputation as a teacher with a teaching methodology that encouraged and stimulated the pupils in her class to learn and to think.
For example, one Friday morning at 8:00 she addressed the pupils in her class and articulated the following: “For the next week we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a general viewpoint and we are also going to learn about a number of the most typical signs of alcoholism from a less general and more specific standpoint.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will undeniably show that an individual with a drinking problem is a person who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that an individual displays, the stronger the probability that he or she is an alcoholic.”
Miss Benning then informed the the students that each person would be accountable for researching three alcohol addiction signs and then presenting his or her findings to the other members in the class via a six minute oral presentation.
The Students are Enthused About Giving A Comprehensive Presentation to Their Fellow Students About Alcoholism Signs
After learning about the different signs of alcohol dependency for quite a few days, the time had come for the individual presentations. It was at once obvious that the pupils in her class were enthused about the subject because the material that they presented was excellent. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the interest exhibited by the pupils in her class concerning this subject was an understatement.
The day after all of the pupils completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were presented and discussed in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked the pupils in her class to go over the list and rank the top nine alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After approximately fifteen minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and told the students in her class that after she assesses the numbers, she will present her findings the next school day.
There was some real anticipation by the pupils while they were walking out of Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her pupils couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could find out the outcome of their in-class research.
The Pupils Contrast Their Results With the Results From A Board of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Experts
When the next school day finally arrived, Miss Benning gave out a sheet of paper that listed the top five alcohol addiction signs as per the students’ rankings. To the right of these results, she added another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then informed the students in her class that the numbers in the extra column she added represented the conclusions that were given by a group of chemical dependency specialists.
Miss Benning asked her pupils to look over the information on the piece of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any concerns, issues, or questions. Within a minute or two, just about every student in the class raised his or her hand. It was obvious that the students had some concerns, issues, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the authorities. As an illustration, almost every pupil disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, namely, “Do you feel extremely sick when you refrain from drinking?”
The Primary Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency is the Physical Dependency That is Experienced With Alcohol Addiction and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then explained to the students in her classroom why this answer was the most correct sign of alcohol addiction. She underlined the fact that the chief difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcohol addiction and not with alcohol abuse.
Basically this means that when an alcohol dependent person abruptly quits drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated more forcefully, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the brain and from the body telling a person who is addicted to alcohol that something is very misaligned and needs to be fixed. These signals consist of a number of dangerous, painful, and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that can potentially result in a person’s death if the proper treatment is not promptly obtained.
Miss Benning then went over the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an individual who is addicted to alcohol abruptly stops drinking.
The point that Miss Benning tried to emphasize was this: an individual who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To explain this as precisely as possible, Miss Benning underscored the point that alcohol abusers, unlike people who are alcohol dependent, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they quit drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Students Think They Have Discovered A Variance With the Findings From The Council of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Professionals
The students also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the alcohol dependency professionals, that is, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?”
Miss Benning told the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not automatically denote that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does underline the need that alcohol dependent individuals have to drink in order to steer clear of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the individual who is alcohol dependent, the pupils started to comprehend the basic difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.
To add a sense of closure to the subject, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her classroom to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is alcohol dependent knew about every one of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcohol addiction rehab?”
After about one or two minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ answers. While many students figured that around 85 to 95 percent of individuals who are alcohol dependent would get alcoholism treatment if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol addiction signs, most of the students believed that this number would not be less than 55 percent.
The Pupils Were Astonished to Discover That Only 25% of Alcoholics in the U.S. Ask For Alcohol Dependency Rehab
To the surprise of most of the students, Miss Benning acknowledged that according to various scientific investigations, only 25% of the alcoholics in the U.S. get alcohol dependency treatment. This shocked most of the students because they figured that first-hand knowledge of the disgusting statistics and facts correlated with alcohol addiction would motivate the majority of the alcohol addicted people to get alcohol dependency treatment.
Miss Benning then stated that alcohol addicted individuals not only need alcohol on an everyday basis in order to function but they also require alcohol on an everyday basis so they can steer clear of possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Evidently, the alcohol dependent individual’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. Undeniably, since the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is alcohol dependent, this is a demanding issue that is hard to counteract.
The Combination of Mental Health Issues and Alcohol Dependency Commonly Leads to Friendship, Relationship, Divorce, and Marital Problems
Finally, Miss Benning told students that it is important to conceptualize that alcohol dependency and different mental health issues like depression are highly related. Not only this but the combination of alcohol dependency and mental health difficulties regularly result in friendship, divorce, relationship, and marital problems.
The Students are Encouraged to Learn About Alcoholism Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society
A few minutes later the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Based on the enthusiasm manifested by the students when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning realized that she had encouraged and motivated the pupils in her class to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our society.
An Alcoholic Gentleman Registers For Rehab, Gets Alcohol Detoxification and Treatment For His Depression and His Alcohol Addiction, and Begins to Improve Upon His Relationship With His Wife
Barry used to talk big to his buddies how he could work at a challenging and fulltime job and get intoxicated virtually every night. Unfortunately, after maintaining this destructive lifestyle for around three years, he began to observe several alcohol related issues.
Barry Starts to Display a Variety of Alcohol Related Difficulties
For example, he had a very hard time getting up for work because he felt so exhausted when he awoke. Moreover, virtually every morning Barry suffered from a severe hangover. Undoubtedly, the mixture of his hangovers and his lack of get-up-and-go did not make it easy for him to get up and feel motivated to go to work. To make things more difficult, nearly a week ago he got his third driving under the influence citation in the past nine months.
To compound things further, at his job his last two work assessments were less than satisfactory. And lastly, his three-and-a-half-year marriage with his wife had deteriorated due to his depression, financial difficulties, lack of patience, and his angry outbursts.
Though Barry was only twenty-four years old, he honestly started to look like he was in his mid forties. Unfortunately, this is what unhealthy and excessive drinking can do to an individual. And in all honesty he understood that he was suffering from the negative outcomes of alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and that he was too young to squander his life to irresponsible and careless drinking. So at first he tried to drink responsibly and in moderation. Unfortunately, he soon comprehended the fact that he lost all control after consuming his first drink. Stated somewhat more forcefully, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get intoxicated. Due to the fact that this was a situation that was repeated every time he went out to drink, this distressed him greatly. In actual fact, he started to wonder if he was exhibiting some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
Barry Makes up His Mind To Schedule an Appointment to See His Doctor
After going over his excessive alcohol ingestion and his excessive and hazardous drinking with his wife, he finally made up his mind to schedule an appointment to see his doctor. When Barry saw his healthcare professional, he actually mentioned that he has been abusing alcohol, that he may be manifesting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to abstain from drinking. He said that drinking in moderation doesn’t seem to work for him and, consequently, he wants to learn how he can live an alcohol-free life.
Barry also told his physician about his depression and how this mental health issue was adversely influencing his relationship with his wife. His physician referred Barry to Doctor Posch, an alcohol and drug addiction therapist, who motivated Barry to register in a drug and alcohol rehab facility as an in-patient for alcohol detoxification and alcohol rehab. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get medical treatment for his depression at this treatment center.
Getting and Staying Sober Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made
After six months of intensive treatment intensive rehabilitation, Barry left the residential rehabilitation facility and continued his recovery via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and via outpatient counseling. Encouraged to change his life in a more positive way, Barry bought some vitamins at a health store and a cookbook. He then joined a gym and began working out three or four times per week. Within four months Barry was a new man. He was eating nutritious meals, he wasn’t depressed anymore, he now looked younger than he was, he was in shape, and most significant of all, he maintained his sobriety for many months. He also didn’t resort to angry outbursts, he became more patient, and he became a more compassionate person in his relationship with his wife. Stated simply, abstaining from drinking was the best decision Barry had ever made.
A Young Man Gets a DWI Arrest, Decides to Hire a DWI Attorney, Gets Inspired to Always Drink Responsibly, and Discovers His Self Esteem
Ralph had just received his second DWI. He was thinking about representing himself in court, but his father, Sam, told him that this would be a really big mistake. When Ralph heard this, he asked Sam why he should even consider getting a ”driving under the influence” attorney.
Although Sam wasn’t a lawyer, he told his son that he learned the hard way when as a young man he received a DWI, represented himself in court, paid twenty-five hundred dollars in fines and penalties, and served six months in the local city jail. As he mentioned to his son, after he got out of jail, he found out from an attorney friend that had he hired a DWI lawyer to represent him in court, he more likely than not would have had his penalties and fines substantially reduced and he may have never served any time in the local jail.
What a DWI Attorney Can Do in a DUI Arrest.
When Ralph heard this he knew he needed more DUI facts so he asked his father for more information about what a ”drunk driving” attorney can do in a DWI arrest. His dad then articulated the following: “When you place yourself in the hands of a DUI attorney, it is very possible that you will be treated with respect and treated fairly while you will receive the best defense that is possible. DUI lawyers understand how critical a good defense is to your case and so they try to do everything they can to protect your legal rights.”
When Ralph listend to his father explain this, it was as if his eyes were opened for the first time about the relevance of hiring a DWI lawyer. Stated differently, Ralph realized that he needed a DUI lawyer.
The Whole Story About Taking Field Sobriety Tests
He then told his father that he had heard a lot about field sobriety tests. Consequently, he asked his father what a field sobriety test was.
His dad responded with the following: “Ralph, field sobriety tests are administered by the police in order to find out if a person has been operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or both. Field sobriety tests are often based on coordination and agility. The ‘rationale’ underlying these tests is that if a person is impaired from drugs, alcohol, or from both, his or her coordination and agility will be negatively affected and the person’s ‘performance’ on these tests will suffer.”
Ralph’s father then wanted to accentuate the following: “Ralph, remember that you cannot be legally forced to take any field sobriety tests when you are stopped by the police. The police officer that administers the tests is the only ‘evaluator’ of your performance and is therefore frequently documenting only the things that you do incorrectly or fail. As a result, in the vast majority of cases, a polite refusal to take any field sobriety test is appropriate.”
Near the end of their conversation, Ralph said that was beginning to grasp the importance of “drunk driving” laws and what DUI attorneys can do for a person who has received a ”drunk driving” arrest, but he was still wondering why he was pulled over by the police in the first place. In his own words Ralph asked his father the following question: “Dad, why was I pulled over by the police? Specifically what were they looking for”?
His dad answered Ralph in the following way: “Ralph, there are many different reasons why you could have been ‘pulled over’ by the police. Some illustrations include the following: weaving in and out of traffic, missing a front license plate, tinted windows, speeding, involvement in a traffic accident, driving erratically, and expired registration tags. What is more, an anonymous individual may have reported you to the police after seeing you leaving a restaurant, a sporting event, a party, or a bar ‘under the influence’ and getting behind the wheel of your vehicle. In short, there are many possible reasons why you were ‘pulled over’ by the police.”
After getting “educated” about “driving under the influence” arrests, the role of DUI attorneys, and the fact that he didn’t have to agree to take any field sobriety tests at the time of his arrest, Ralph decided that he would definitely hire a ”drunk driving” lawyer to represent him in court.
Ralph Becomes Encouraged That He Will Always Drink In Moderation and Never Go Through Another DUI Arrest
Something else, however, happened after he had talked to his father. Ralph at last began to realize the critical nature of “drunk driving” arrests and as a consequence, he decided that from this moment forward, he would always drink in moderation so that he would never again have to go through another DWI arrest.
His dad smiled at Ralph and told him the following, “son, it took me until I was forty-five years old to realize what you just told me. I am really proud of you.
This did wonders for his self worth and so Ralph thanked his father and then said, “if I can always drink in moderation, I will never need to hire a DUI attorney again!”
Does Ralph Need Alcohol Rehabilitation For His Alcoholism or For His Alcohol Abuse?
There was, however, one thing that neither Ralph nor his father thought about, namely, if Ralph needs alcohol treatment for his alcoholism or for his alcohol abuse. In fact, Ralph may be required by the court to get rehab for his drinking behavior.
A Supervisor Helps a Worker Address His Depression and His Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking After a Destroyed Relationship
Russ dropped out of high school when he was seventeen years old and eventually got a job at a local copper smelting plant. For the last eight years he has gained a reputation as a conscientious and hard-working individual who infrequently calls off work due to sickness.
Around eight months ago he started going out with a young lady named Emma. They seemed to hit it off immediately and looked as if they had a lot of good times together.
The Heavy and Irresponsible Drinking Begins
When Russ met Emma, he hardly ever drank. This situation totally changed when Emma and Russ started seeing one another on a fairly regular basis. In actual fact, their relationship was going great until Emma called Russ one night approximately 3 AM and said that she had to breakup and that she couldn’t explain the reason at that moment.
The next morning before he went to work, Russ drove to Emma’s apartment and found out almost immediately that she had already moved out. Russ took this exceptionally hard. As a matter of fact, he was dismayed because they appeared to be getting along so very well.
When Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Leads to Problems at Work
So what did Russ do about Emma’s departure? Rather than working through his suffering and pain, he started getting inebriated just about every night. It didn’t take long for his pals at work or for his boss to notice that Russ was coming to work late at least once per week and that he time after time called off sick. What is more, some of his fellow employees made an appointment with staff in Human Resources Department and said that Russ over and over again came to work with a noticeable smell of alcohol on his breath or on his clothes.
Russ’s manager heard about all of this from Human Resources and also from Russ’s fellow employees. So one Thursday afternoon he asked Russ to come into his office. He told Russ that he had recently noticed a clear-cut change in his sick time, attendance, behavior, and in his work performance.
When a Manager Can Motivate an Employee to Get Help For His or Her Heavy and Excessive Drinking
Russ’s supervisor also stated that a number of his fellow employees reported him to Human Resources because he had been coming to work with the strong odor of alcohol. His manager then stated the following: “Russ, your fellow employees are not reporting you to the HR Department to get you into trouble or because they don’t like you but instead because they are concerned about you. And I am concerned too. I don’t want to interfere with your life outside this company, but it is obvious that you are manifesting some of the typical symptoms and signs of alcohol abuse. As a consequence, I want you to go and see a healthcare practitioner in the employee’s assistance program to discuss your drinking and your depression.”
“Russ, I’m no medical doctor or a counselor, but I have seen many of my relatives and friends go through some extremely negative alcohol side effects. What is more, I have also seen the signs of alcoholism first-hand in my own family. When individuals have problems with drinking, these issues not only affect the drinker, but they also make an impact on his or her co-workers, relatives, friends, neighbors, and family.”
Russ admired his manager very much and as a consequence followed through with his suggestion the next morning when he called and scheduled an appointment with a counselor in the employee’s assistance program.
Russ is Still Depressed But Experiences Some Hope That He Will Get His Life Back on Track
Even though Russ didn’t automatically feel any better or less depressed about the hurt he still has about Emma, he felt some comfort knowing that his supervisor and his co-workers wanted what’s best for him and cared about him. This gave him some emotional relief for the first time in quite a few weeks and he frankly felt some hope that he would get back on track with his life.