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.
The Alcohol Related Deaths and Alcohol Related Problems That Are Associated With Hazardous and Excessive Drinking
How many individuals lose their lives every year because of drinking problems? How many people lose their lives each year from a condition that is 100% preventable, such as alcohol poisoning? How many people are the victims of alcohol related crime or violence each and every year? How many individuals get injured or lose their lives in alcohol related traffic accidents every year? How many people’s lives are cut short due to abusive and unhealthy drinking? How many children are born each year with fetal alcohol syndrome? On an annual basis, how many alcoholics fail to get the professional alcohol treatment they require? How many individuals face severe consequences in their lives because they received a “drunk driving” conviction? How many junior high, high school, and college students lose their lives every year due to an alcohol overdose?
Why Would Anyone Want to Drink in an Excessive and Abusive Manner?
So what’s the point in asking these questions? Basically to highlight the destructive and devastating nature of careless and excessive drinking. Indeed, and based on the above questions, I wonder why anyone would choose to drink in an abusive manner.
Stated more precisely, with the host of health issues, financial problems, employment difficulties, legal proceedings, and relationship dilemmas that are correlated with chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism, why would any individual with a good sense of logic want to drink in a hazardous and excessive manner? Indeed when some of the above topics are put under the microscope more closely, excessive and careless drinking makes even less sense and becomes more illogical.
Wouldn’t you think that heavy drinkers would be able to see some of the alcohol symptoms that they manifest? In a similar manner doesn’t it seem plausible to think that many more families would involve themselves in an alcohol intervention for the individual in the household who is an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic? Not only this but wouldn’t you think that people who drink heavily would try to learn more about their drinking behavior by reading about various alcohol related statistics?
After reviewing the alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency research, the point is so critical that it needs to be repeated: With all of the dangerous and disastrous outcomes that are directly or indirectly linked to repetitive and continuous alcohol abuse and alcoholism, why would any individual want to engage in hazardous and abusive drinking?
What Can be Done About the Pervasive Nature of Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency in Our Country?
So what can be done about the extensive nature of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse in the United States?
- Our students need more meaningful and more relevant preventative and educational methods and approaches so that more students at all grade levels, including those at college, are “reached.
- With a similar line of thought, our students need to learn how to become problem solvers in life rather than resorting to the “instant gratification” and the “quick fix” of a drug or alcohol abuse “buzz” or “high”.
- Individuals who are alcohol abusers or alcohol dependent need to look in the mirror and ask why they are not getting the professional alcohol therapy they need.
- Society needs to get the message to more people about the destructive and unhealthy effects of excessive and hazardous drinking.
There’s Room For Hope if Those Who Engage in Abusive and Excessive Drinking Can Become Motivated to Get the Alcohol Rehabilitation They Require
There’s room for optimism and hope if people can start drinking responsibly and those who engage in careless and abusive drinkingcan become encouraged to get the alcohol treatment they need. Indeed, why put your loved ones through turmoil, suffering and pain because of your careless and excessive drinking when you have the power to control your life by drinking responsibly or even abstaining from drinking if you can’t control your 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.