Sober Resources

Social Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Addiction in any form and kind is dangerous and unattractive. It leaves out a person with unwanted symptoms and signs. In this article, I am going to talk about one of the specific kinds of addiction which is alcohol addiction. Alcohol addiction is common yet trendy these days. There are a lot of expectations and hopes; there is more than enough competition for people to survive in, which is why they seek materialistic pleasure. They tend to avoid all of their woes and worries through these false and wrong means of unconsciousness. Continue Reading »

You might think that there is nothing better than a warm cup of wine or scotch to get warmed up on a cold night or to have a celebration for a special event or to wash away all the troubles and woes you have but wait before you are thinking so. It might get you addicted to it.

The average age up to which people start alcohol consumption in US is about 15 years which is quite young, younger than anybody can imagine. There is a gradual rise in this ratio from the start of the decade as the society has revolutionized rapidly and yet modernizing all the aspects of life. Continue Reading »

Amongst addictions, alcohol addiction is most common. Alcohol detox or withdrawal syndrome is experienced by those who, being regular drinkers, stop drinking abruptly and the intensity of the syndrome can vary from mild to fatal if not treated carefully. Of course the severity of withdrawal symptoms depend upon how the person became “alcohol dependent”; more the dependency worse the symptoms. Alcohol dependency develops by drinking heavily on regular basis, drinking daily even in modicum amount or drinking alcohol heavily but not daily. In all the cases people become chemically dependent on alcohol. Continue Reading »

A drug and alcohol survey given to 12th and eighth grade students in selected counties across the country indicates that usage takes place outside of school. The survey has been used by a number of school corporations nationwide in attempt to find out what kinds of drugs students are taking and when they are most likely to use drugs and alcohol.

As with most surveys that touch on sensitive subjects, the students questioned gave their answers anonymously. The results, compiled from the 297 students who were surveyed, revealed that less than one percent of the students would not take drugs during school hours. The bad news is that 31 percent of the eighth graders and 45 percent of the 12th graders surveyed would consume alcohol at home. Taking drugs was at 8 and 17 percent, respectively.

When it came to using drugs at weekend parties, 17 percent of the eighth graders and 63 percent of the 12 graders would do so. Taking drugs, on the other hand, was lower, with 10 and 26 percent respectively.

Survey administrators said the most startling result is that 10 percent of the 12th graders would take drugs on the way to school, while 16 percent would take drugs right after school. This is of real concern, they said. It’s very safe to say that drug and alcohol usage is almost non-existent while students are in school, but look at what the results say about usage while away from school.

The results also indicated that 4.87 percent of the eighth graders surveyed were in the high risk category, while 14.17 percent of the 12 graders were in the high risk category. According to the report, those students are using drugs or alcohol heavily, to the point that their lives center around substance abuse. Administrators also said the findings are very typical, which might be disturbing to many people in their communities. Anytime you take a sampling such as this one — students living in any rural part of the country, and find that we have the same problems as found in the big city schools, the news is startling.

But there is a positive side, according to experts. Our goal is to get the community involved. If students are involved with in their community, the community simply must be made more aware of the problem.

Nothing is more upsetting than hearing people say schools are the root of the drug problem, they commented. If these results are any indication at all, the problem is nationwide.” Specialty area corporations may also participate in drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs, but these experts believe the situation demands community input.

They also urge parents to come in and review the findings. “We can’t solve the drug and alcohol problem unless all members of our community help to address the problem.”

If your teen has a problem with drugs please vist. www.soberteensonline.com

The Ten Most Common Warning Signs of Alcoholism

There are ten signs of alcohol abuse and dependency that you can look for in your friend or loved one to check if the person is dealing with a drinking problem. Having a couple of drinks a day is not usually considered to be a problem for many people. However, when the drinking is out of control and the person is unable to stop consuming alcohol there is a problem that could include alcoholism and alcohol dependency.

The worst type of alcohol problem a person could have is dependency. There are a couple of warning signs that will indicate whether or not a person is dependent on alcohol. The tolerance level of an alcoholic will eventually rise as they continue to drink. It will take more and more alcohol to bring about intoxication. When the alcohol is reduced or taken away completely, the alcohol dependent person will experience withdrawal symptoms.

There are approximately fourteen million problem drinkers in the United States alone. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that men under the age of sixty five should consume no more than 4 servings of alcohol per day and no more than 14 servings of alcohol in a week. On the other hand, women under the age of sixty five should drink no more than 3 servings of alcohol a day and no more than 12 servings of alcohol in a week.

If you suspect that someone you know may be suffering from alcoholism, check for the ten most common warning signs. Your loved one may be an alcoholic if he:

1. Drinks alcohol by himself
2. Always seems to find reasons to drink
3. Is unable to stop or reduce the consumption of alcohol
4. Is uncaring about his appearance
5. Shows signs of bad nutrition or eating patterns
6. Shakes or trembles especially in the morning
7. Drinks alcohol in secret
8. Becomes violent when he drinks
9. Feels angry or reacts violently when asked about his drinking
10. Needs alcohol just to function

The person who is experiencing dependency on alcohol will also have difficulty remembering what happened the night before. They also feel stress and anxiety when they have to face an event without alcohol available.

Alcoholism also has health consequences. There can be damage to the heart, the brain, and the liver. It can also negatively impact a number of other organs in the body. To make it even worse, many of the problems brought about by alcoholism can be permanent.

If any of the above symptoms are something that you or a loved one is experiencing, the first step to take might be a trip to your doctor for some advice on where to seek help. There are also a number of trained professional counselors who can help with alcoholism and alcohol dependency. Apart from these, there are support groups available to help alcoholics deal with their dependency and the effects of life without alcohol. There is never a bad time to enter treatment programs for alcoholism. There is no such thing as too late.

Alcohol Abuse
What does the term abuse mean?
The term ‘Abuse’ differs slightly from ‘addiction’. The usage of an illegal substance or usage of a legal substance in a wrong way is called substance abuse. One can abuse a drug substance for example alcohol but that does not signify that the person has an addiction to it.

Alcohol Abuse
The term ‘Binge drinking’ is very much important before discussing alcohol abuse. Binge drinking is the common problem among young people. It basically means simply drinking to get drunk. When a person’s consumption of alcohol starts to cause problem and eventually the habit of alcoholism continues, then Binge drinking turns into alcohol alone. When one continues the consumption of alcohol despite social, legal, interpersonal problems then it is alcohol abuse. The consequences of alcohol abuse can lead to mismanaging time at work, educational institutions, and even neglecting household responsibilities and children. It also affects socially.

When does alcohol abuse become alcohol dependence?
Alcohol abuse turns to alcohol dependence when the alcoholics start to have a craving for alcohol, have withdrawal symptoms when they stop consuming alcohol and lose control over their consumption. Alcohol dependence is a progressive disorder that induces strong need to consume alcohol in spite of the negative consequences.

Is alcoholism an inherited disease?
Scientific study on alcoholism shows that genetics play a vital part in problems related to alcohol development. The research also indicates that for a person to become an alcohol dependent the environment of the person and peer influences play a major role. Most of the scientific studies indicate the important role of heredity in alcohol development. Having said that, a family with history of alcoholics does not doom a member of that family into turning an alcohol addict. A person if properly managed can very well overcome the genetic tendency.

Symptoms Related to Alcoholism
There are vast varieties of symptoms associated to alcoholism. Alcoholism is generally perceived as a progressive disorder or disease, which means the effects and symptoms of alcoholism become increased over a period of time. Person, who consumes alcohol, may show initial signs of problem and then over a period of time, symptoms would progress and will be able to witness symptoms of alcohol abuse. If the consumption persists then they show symptoms related to alcoholism.

Symptoms Related To Alcohol Abuse
The primary symptom of alcohol abuse happens when the person repeatedly consumes, even after the person’s consumption level reaches a stage that causes continuous problems. Thus alcohol abuse can be confirmed, when the person continues the intake of alcohol, even after the drinking leads the person to miss school, work, drunken drive, social responsibilities and lands the person in trouble with the law. When blood Alcohol content (BAC) test is conducted a heavy drinker shows the following results. The results include increased carbodydrate deficient transferring, elevated GGT2, moderate increase of ALT and AST and a ratio of 2:1 (AST: ALT), and enlarged MCB known as macrocytosis.

Treatment
The prime focus of the most treatments for alcohol problems is to help the affected person discontinue the alcohol consumption. This is coupled with supporting the person socially so aft to aid them withstand a return to consumption of alcoholic beverages. As a part of the treatment, it is important for the person to get detoxified. Detoxification is an abrupt stop of intake of alcohol coupled with the replacement of drugs that have same effects to stop alcohol withdrawal.

How is the alcoholic treated mentally?
The detoxification treats the physical effects caused due to long term usage of alcohol. But the treatment should have an approach towards the psychological issues related to that particular person. For this purpose psychotherapy or group therapy, which deals with the mental state of person, can be employed. Mutual help group helps the affected person to maintain sobriety. Apart from that treatment, rationing and moderation programs play a vital part to manage the person from relapse to alcoholism.

Varying Medications for Alcoholism
The medications can be considered as part of treatment for alcohol addicts. The medication for alcoholism varies widely. There is medications for detoxification and withdrawal and Medication for long-term usage. Benzodiazepines drugs are the most suitable drugs to reduce the effects of withdrawal symptoms. Baclofen acts as a GABA B receptor agonist, which helps to increase detoxification. The drugs for long-term medication include Antabure, Naltrexone, Acamprosate, Topiramate. It has been known that sodium oxybate which is the sodium salt of GHB – gamma – hydrobutyric acid can be an efficient medication for both alcohol withdrawal and for long term usage.

If you or someone you knows suffers from alcohol abuse visit us at The Sober Village, where we do recover!