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Am I an Alcoholic?
| This is a question
millions have come to ask themselves over the years. It is often
avoided because the question suggests a character defect or other
negative implication that is often rejected out of hand. If this
article was given to you by a friend or acquaintance, it was probably
done not to be mean but with a desire to help.
One might think of alcohol use as a spectrum. If a person has not had
any alcohol for a month or even had the desire for a drink, alcohol
plays a relatively minor role in their life. However, at the other end
of the spectrum, if a person cannot go an hour or two without thinking
about the next drink, alcohol may have reached addictive proportions.
Many WWII combat veterans used alcohol to self-medicate. Others found
in alcohol a liberation that allowed more expansive social interaction.
Some found in alcohol a balm to sooth social or family distress.
Regardless of how someone comes to use alcohol, for some it is a path
that draws them into increasing usage. On this path one can become
increasingly self-focused until friends and then even family avoids
you. One can even be unaware of the decrease in function until one
loses employment.
Some are able to detect the negative effects and stop before real
damage is done. Others will continue even when they have lost
everything. Since the process of alcoholism often continues
because the person believes it is what makes things feel better, there
is a great reluctance to discontinue that which is regarded as
“helping”.
Each person has to decide if they have a problem and if they need help.
Often the first step in the process is to try to stop on your own. This
often proves difficult and one can give in to temptation even
convincing themselves they are “managing it”. If a person concludes
that they need help, often the first attempt is to attend an AA
(alcoholics anonymous) meeting. This can at first seem strange and sort
of ritualized. Some can be intimidated by a group but find that a one
on one connection to be more helpful. This is where an AA sponsor can
be an advantage.
It is often said when one starts AA that they should attend 90 meetings
in the first 90 days. This usually exposes one to various groups which
can have their own personalities and allows people to find the group in
which they feel more comfortable. As people gain a little distance with
sobriety, they often begin to see how their drinking effected others.
This often brings shame or guilt. These can be useful emotions if they
motivate us to ask forgiveness from others in an attempt to repair and
restore relationships.
Humility is an often under appreciated trait. There is freedom from
having to prove oneself, if not perfect, then independently capable.
There can also be freedom from the distortions of truth that we comfort
ourselves with that can lead to even more bad decisions.
For the person that is considering the question “if he is an alcoholic”
the first step is to quit or cut back in both frequency and amount so
that one can gauge for himself the degree of control he has. This test
can reveal to him how much of a problem he has. |
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