Alcoholism and Alcohol Issues

Warning Signs

If you recognise some of the following you may well have a problem or at least be significantly on the path to one.

• Drinking every day even if only one or 2
• Regular drinking to avoid facing up to problems or stressful situations
• Regular drinking when upset by, or angry at other people, family members and friends
• Often drinking alone rather than with others
• Skipping work or calling in sick because of alcohol or hangovers
• Have you already tried to stop or drink less and failed?
• Do you drink in the morning, before work?
• Do you ever have a loss of memory due to your drinking?
• Do you avoid being honest with others about your drinking?
• Do you ever get into trouble when you are drinking?
• Do you often get drunk when you drink, even when you do not mean to?

Various degrees of Alcohol Problems

Regular drinker

The regular drinker drinks 4+ days per week but perhaps only a “few” on most occasions. This is the thin end of the wedge on the alcoholism spectrum, it is the regularity that would be the concern and of course the potential for the habit to worsen.

Binge Drinker

The “Binge” drinker may well spend more days per week consuming alcohol than days when they do, but on special occasions and perhaps weekends, drink to excess with an intention to get drunk. When they do start drinking, they cannot stop and invariably end up intoxicated to the point where they forget what they have done. This not only puts them in various types of danger (depending on the gender and the environment) and certainly is doing physical harm to their bodies.

If this is a regular and/or long-term pattern then it is almost certainly indicative of an alcohol problem.

Heavy drinker

With the heavy drinker, the habit may well be sufficient to gradually impair him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time, but if a sufficiently strong reason presents itself such as ill-health, falling in love, changing of environment, he can stop or moderate his drinking despite finding it difficult.

Functional Alcoholic

A functional alcoholic usually drinks pretty much constantly from the time he wakes up, but only small amounts distributed throughout the day, drip-feed if you like, he may well consume a bottle of spirit every day and has done for years. He knows he can’t stop but has it under enough “control” to not allow it to affect his livelihood and/or family life too much.

Is this a problem?

Undoubtedly it is only a matter of time before it DOES affect his/her work and family life and the damage being done to the body (particularly the liver) will be immense.

Non-functioning Alcoholic (full-blown alcoholism)

The full-blown alcoholic may well have started as a heavy drinker or functional alcoholic, but at some stage of his drinking career, he began to lose all control of his alcohol consumption once he starts to drink.

The common sense and willpower he is able to still display at times, with respect to some other matters, seems to have completely disserted him.

He is regularly and visibly intoxicated.

He/she may well have experienced the loss of their job or livelihood, faced drink driving charges, and or experienced relationship breakdowns etc.

For this person, the fact they have a problem and need help should have become obvious.

If you think you need one to one support call us now on 07790 333431

Denial

Many alcoholics seriously underestimate the severity of their problem, they are adept at convincing themselves (and trying to convince close family) they have it all under control and just enjoy a good drink.

Most former alcoholics will tell you that before finally seeking help, they were in denial, grossly underestimating the extent to which they had an issue.

Common misconceptions at this stage include but are not limited to thinking such as:-

• I have it under control
• I am a heavy drinker but not an alcoholic
• I can stop anytime I choose to
• I can stop sometimes
• I am just going through a particularly tough time right now, it will be fine

Another common indication of this stage is switching drinks eg switching eg from hard spirits to wine or beer – this is a little bit like attempting to be “half pregnant”!

Alcoholism and Depression

Whilst I have no doubt that such cases probably exist, in 27+ years of clinical practice, I have never personally treated an alcoholic who was not also simultaneously suffering from at least moderate depression. In my experience, the two conditions invariably exist side by side.

Alcohol is used (at least at the outset) as self-medication leading to a downward spiral.

The problem is that using alcohol to numb the pain of depression is a double-edged sword –because whilst looking at life through the bottom of a glass, may temporarily ease the symptoms, alcohol is, in itself, a depressant and so a vicious circle ensues.

Alcoholism and PTSD

Furthermore, along with most addictions, alcoholism is often a bi-product of trauma.

All children who have experienced abuse, whether it be physical, mental and or sexual will be suffering from complex PTSD and will be particularly predisposed to get caught up with addictions of one form or another.

Alcohol Dependency is all too easy

Perhaps more than any other addiction, it is all too easy to slip into the trap of alcohol dependency.

Almost everyone drinks alcohol, at least socially, on occasion.

And so, for those with a predisposition to alcoholism e.g. those with a family history of alcohol dependents or those who have experienced sufficient trauma, it is a very easy step to fall into the rabbit hole.

No one sets out to become an alcoholic, it creeps up on them and before they know it they are hooked!

Complications

Whilst the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse on the body are bad in themselves, alcohol addiction often comes with complications such as: -

Financial problems (directly or perhaps indirectly after losing a job).

Family and relationship issues that may or may not involve violence.

Criminal prosecutions or brushes with the law.

The problem is that alcohol is a great disinhibitor, if for example, have problems with anger, it will be far tougher to keep a lid on that after a few drinks.

YET list

Perhaps it's time to make a “YET” list.

A YET list is simply a list of things that have happened to others and could happen to you, as a result of your drinking levels, but fortunately have not happened yet.

A yet list is used to define your personal definition of being out of control. This is a list of experiences that you feel would show you, that you needed to quit drinking.

First write down all the negative consequences of drinking, that you can think of, which you have NOT (yet) experienced.

Now, look at this list. Which of these experiences have you escaped through luck (for example, driving under the influence and escaping arrest)?

Which experiences from your list of things that haven’t yet happened to you, would you consider to be definite evidence, that your behaviour was unsafe or out of control, and why?

The Most Common Question

The most common question I am asked as a therapist by those with alcohol issues is:-

Can you get me to just drink normally again, like other people, I don’t want to stop, I just have some control over my intake…

The definition of an addiction is something which once someone starts they cannot stop and they cannot stop starting.

Furthermore, once we hit a certain point, alcohol has become a toxin and any introduction of it into the body will start a chain reaction.

To quote once again from the AA fellowship

“We understand now, that once a person has crossed the invisible line from heavy drinking to compulsive alcoholic drinking, they will always remain alcoholic. So far as we know, there can never be any turning back to "normal" social drinking. "Once an alcoholic - always an alcoholic" is a simple fact we have to live with.”

So the basic answer to the question is NO!

However, If you don’t take that first drink, you cannot get drunk!

For help with alcohol issues and hypnotherapy for alcoholism in the Bournemouth and Dorset area contact us now

Please be aware that whilst hypnotherapy for alcoholism is a useful tool in treatment, it is not a magic pill and is usually used by us in combination with appropriate counselling and other interventions.

Further Reading

The AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) Big Book

Freedom From Addiction by Deepak Chopra

Further help and information

AA website https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

AA Meetings in the Bournemouth area

Alcohol advisory service

UK clinic Abbeycare has released a new online tool - the Alcohol Demotivator - designed to curb the desire to drink, in those short term moments of pain we all experience.

The tool shows the negative consequences of your alcohol intake, on finances, health, and wellbeing.

This includes the likelihood of developing liver complications, the risk of being in an accident, and how much money you'll spend over time.

Try the tool out by entering your alcohol intake level here: https://www.abbeycarefoundation.com/alcohol/alcohol-demotivator/