Alcohol Abuse

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Alcohol Abuse
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Alcoholism

• Also known as alcohol dependency
• Alcoholism is drinking alcoholic beverages at a
  level that interferes with physical health,
  mental health, family, social, or job
  responsibilities

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What is Alcohol?

• Alcoholism is a disease
• The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol
  is as strong as the need for food and water
• Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic,
  meaning it usually lasts a persons lifetime
• It follows a pretty predictable course and its
  symptoms that is life ruining

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• The risks of developing alcoholism is a persons
  genes and life style
• Research shows that developing alcoholism does
  indeed run in families
• Just because alcoholism runs in family doesnt
  necessarily mean a child of an alcoholic parent
• Some people develop alcoholism even though there
  are no alcoholism in the family

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Symptoms of Alcoholism

• Confusion
• Abdominal pain
• Drinking alone
• Episodes of violence with drinking
• Hostility when confronted about drinking
• Lack of control while drinking being unable to
  stop or limit your intake
• Making excuses to drink

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Symptoms of Alcoholism

• Nausea and vomiting
• Need for daily or regular use of alcohol to
  function
• Neglecting to eat
• Not caring for physical appearance
• Numbness or tingling
• Secretive behavior to hide alcohol use
• Shaking in the morning

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If Im not an alcoholic I dont have a problem?

• This is not exactly true
• Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful
• A person can drink too much and too often but not
  be dependent on alcohol
• some incidents of alcohol abuse can be not being
  able to meet work, friend or family
  responsibility, drunk driving crashes or arrests,
  drinking related medical conditions

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How Do I know if I have a problem?

• Have you ever felt you should cut down on your
  drinking?
• Have people annoyed you by criticized your
  drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your
  drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the
  morning to rid your body of a hang over?

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Health Risks with drinking

• Cancer of larynx, colon, esophagus and liver
• Depression
• Heart muscle damage
• High blood pressure
• Severe memory loss
• Cirrhosis of the liver scarring and poor
  functioning, a chronic liver disease

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Detoxification

• Detoxing from alcohol usually takes 4-7 days
• Eating a balanced diet with vitamin supplements
  is very important
• After detox is rehab recovery this is a program
  to guide the alcoholic to a life style change