If you have been suffering from alcohol use disorder, you must check out your local AA meetings as they might be the best recourse for you to avoid getting entangled further in the trap of alcoholism.
Getting addicted
One or two drinks at social gatherings are fine and dandy, but when you lose control and start drinking completely in abandon, that’s when the alarm bells should ring loud and clear.
You know you or a loved one can be an alcohol addict if you:
- Are preoccupied with drinking all the time
- Keep on drinking even when it creates problems
- Drink more and more to achieve the same effects
- Start getting withdrawal symptoms when you either stop or reduce your drinking
Some users are binge drinkers. This means they have four-five drinks within a short time span – say two hours.
It is imperative to attend an AA meeting if even a single symptom from the ones stated before is noticed. This is because any sustained drinking pattern can cause myriad distresses and problems in daily life, not just for the drinker but also for their family. While the problems may be mild in the beginning, they can escalate with time and turn severe. That’s the reason early treatment is so important.
Problems with alcohol
When you drink immoderately, you will notice several health issues after some time. The very first one is alcohol intoxication.
This happens when your bloodstream has an increased amount of alcohol in it. It worsens your functioning and the higher this amount, the more impaired you become. It manifests itself further in behavioral problems and mental changes.
Some of these are:
- Mood swings
- Inappropriate/incorrect behavior
- Slurred speech
- Lack of attention/memory lapses
- Poor coordination
You may occasionally find yourself ‘blacking out’ – when you are unable to recall or remember things or events.
A sobering fact is if the alcohol amount is too high in your bloodstream, you may slip into a coma or even die.
The second one is alcohol withdrawal. Many attendees at AA meetings in Delaware say that when they stopped consuming drinks, they suffered from several withdrawal symptoms. This made them crave drinking with a vengeance and, without proper medical support, they kept relapsing again and again.
Withdrawal symptoms can show themselves anytime, from just a few hours to a couple of days. These can be some or all of the ones mentioned here:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sweating
- Insomnia
- Restlessness, anxiety, and agitation
- Hallucinations
- Seizures (sometimes)
Safety issues
Not just health, drinking far too much may also lead to safety concerns. Due to impaired judgment, you may:
- Perform poorly at work
- Face problems in familial, professional, or personal relationships
- Feel like committing violent crimes
- Engage in risky behavior
- Face fiscal problems
- Injure yourself due to a lapse in self-control
The 12 traditions of AA will help you to gain self-responsibility and learn how to avoid triggers that tempt you to keep drinking. Attend a meeting today and take the first step towards sobriety.