When Fire Water Causes Conflagration

About alcoholism

"Alcoholism is the number one cause of death in the United states," says Gerald Frank, MD.  "Cirrhosis by itself is the number five cause of death, and when we add in deaths from automobile accidents and other medical conditions that are exacerbated by alcohol, we end up with the disease that presents the most serious threat to the health of our patients..."

"Almost everyone knows a problem drinker---a friend, relative, or a coworker.  Symptoms of alcohol dependency range from the obvious---consistent drinking beyond one's intention---to the subtle---frequent absenteeism or depression." (author unknown).  Maybe you are worried about the drinking habits of someone in your life or, how you, yourself, use alcohol in a way that worries you or those close to you.  I wrote a post called, simply, Addiction, (http://therapiststhoughts.blogspot.com/2010/08/addiction.html) in which I discussed how addictions of all kinds get started in a person and what the result is.  Here, I have selected just one substance to illuminate.  It is a health problem that I have seen ruin, ruin and destroy, so many lives, in the people who have come to my practice.  Some are or have been, in the path of the destruction when they seek help and, some are there still not able to acknowledge what is making chaos of their lives, and some come to recover from their own already decimated lives.
"If drinking is interfering with your work, you're probably a heavy drinker.  If work is interfering with your drinking, you're probably an alcoholic."  ~Author Unknown

It is important to understand that alcoholism is chronic and progressive.

Currently alcoholism is understood by health care professionals to be a disease, not a moral failing.  It is treatable.

Here are a few facts on alcoholism from Doctors Hospital:
1 in 10 drinkers will develop alcoholism.
80% of suicide victims had been drinking at the time of the event.
The rate of suicide is 39 times higher for alcoholics than non-alcoholics.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the 3rd leading cause of mental retardation in the U.S. and is 100% preventable.
1 in 5 of teenage drinkers has a serious drinking problem.
%20 of American families are affected by the alcoholism of a member.
1/3 of all child abuse cases are alcohol related.
60% of all domestic violence incidents involve alcohol.

Alcoholism and social drinking are two different things.  I will give the definition in a future post.

Heavy drinking damages the body.  I will be writing more on this topic as it is so important, and in future posts I will tell about how alcohol affects the body.

For now, please remember, alcoholism is treatable, recovery is possible, a stable personal life is a real experience for many recovering alcoholics.  More to come