Alcoholic Talk

If you or someone you care for is dependent on alcohol and it has come to the point that professional help is needed, there is always the option of choosing an alcohol addiction treatment program. But before you commit yourself to one of these programs, there are some homework to do. Questions you need to ask yourself:

1. Is the program run by state-accredited, licensed and/or trained professionals?
2. Is the facility clean, organized and well-run?
3. Does the program encompass the full range of needs of the individual (medical: including infectious diseases; psychological: including co-occurring mental illness; social; vocational; legal; etc.)?

The more check you conduct, the better your experiences will be and the more successful your treatment will be.

Source: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

If you are drinking too much, you can improve your life and health by cutting down. How do you know if you drink too much? Read these questions and answer “yes” or “no”:

• Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
• Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
• Does your drinking worry your family?
• Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won’t?
• Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?
• Do you get headaches or have a hang-over after you have been drinking?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may have a drinking problem. Check with your doctor to be sure. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether you should cut down or abstain. If you are alcoholic or have other medical problems, you should not just cut down on your drinking–you should stop drinking completely. Your doctor will advise you about what is right for you.

Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

While it’s true that men are more likely to drink alcohol and more likely to drink greater amounts, women have a higher risk of developing problems from alcohol consumption. When a woman drinks, the alcohol in her bloodstream typically reaches a higher level than a man’s even if both are drinking the same amount. This is because women’s bodies generally have less water than men’s bodies. Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol is less diluted in a woman’s body than in a man’s. Women become more impaired by alcohol’s effects and are more susceptible to alcohol–related organ damage. That is, women develop damage at lower levels of consumption over a shorter period of time.

Considering that about one–third of American women report regular alcohol consumption (1) and 2.3 percent, or 2.5 million women, meet the criteria for alcohol dependence (2), it is clear that research to better understand the effects of alcohol in women is critical.

Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Publications Distribution Center

Dealing with underage drinking can be a huge and scary task if you are not ready to deal with it.

First tip I can say is, do not be afraid to talk to your kid about it. Your child will freak out if he/she knows that you know about the drinking, they will calm down if you handle it correctly.

Second, Grounding, yelling, or otherwise trying to discipline your child about drinking solves nothing. In most cases, this causes the minor to drink more in an act of rebelling against you.

Third, inform your kid what can happen to him/her if they drink. Show photos of car crashes, medical pictures, etc. This curbs drinking a lot if they know truly what will happen if they continue. Talk to them and ask why they do it, fitting in with the other kids is high on the list, thou depression can be a reason. If it is depression or issues in the home, take the child to see a professional so he/she can better deal with the issues that are causing the drinking. It might take time but most kids will stop.

Just keep on loving your child and show them that you care.

Anyone at any age can have a drinking problem. Great Uncle George may have always liked his liquor, so his family may not see that his drinking behavior is getting worse as he gets older. Grandma Betty was a teetotaler all her life—she started having a drink each night to help her get to sleep after her husband died. Now no one realizes that she needs a couple of drinks to get through each day.

These are common stories. The fact is that families, friends, and health care professionals often overlook their concerns about older people’s drinking. Sometimes trouble with alcohol in older people is mistaken for other conditions that happen with age. But alcohol use deserves special attention. Because the aging process affects how the body handles alcohol, the same amount of alcohol can have a greater effect as a person grows older. Over time, someone whose drinking habits haven’t changed may find she or he has a problem.

National Institute on Aging