Stopping drinking has just become easier
Long-term heavy drinking damages the liver, nervous system, heart, and brain Click here to see an illustration.. It also causes high blood pressure, stomach problems, medicine interactions, sexual problems, osteoporosis, and cancer. Alcohol abuse can also lead to violence, accidents, social isolation, jail or prison time, and difficulties at work and home. Symptoms of an alcohol problem include personality changes, blackouts, drinking more and more for the same "high," and denial of the problem. A person with an alcohol problem may gulp or sneak drinks, drink alone or early in the morning, and suffer from the shakes. He or she may also have family, school, or work problems or get in trouble with the law because of drinking. The use of alcohol with medicines or illegal drugs may increase the effects of each.
What is a sensible drinking limit? If you don't have any problems, it's probably safe for you to drink a limited amount of alcohol without affecting your health. A sensible drinking limit for people who don't have a problem with alcohol is: For men, no more than two drinks per day, For women, no more than one drink per day, For people over 65 years old, no more than one drink per day. If you have any problems with alcohol, ask your doctor how much alcohol is safe for you.
Anecdotal evidence also suggests the first six weeks of the first semester are crucial to freshmen academic success, according to the NIAAA report. And because the early part of freshman year is when many students engage in heavy drinking, it may interfere with successful adaptation to campus life, the report read. About one-third of first-year students fail to enroll for their second year.
There are approximately 10 million alcoholics in the United States. On top of this staggering figure you can also add 20 million alcohol abusers. Most of these alcohol abusers are teens and college students. Figures show that 2 out of 3 adults use alcohol. It has been determined that over half of all suicides, accidental deaths and homicides are related to alcohol. More than 10,000 young people were killed and 40,000 more are injured annually in accidents that involve drinking and driving. As you can see the cost of using alcohol is high and these are just the human costs. Let's also add the cost of productivity and health expenses that occur because of alcohol addiction and abuse. It happens without warning. It creeps into your life and all of a sudden, you're hooked. At first you're the life of the party, and later you're the drunk of the party. When you're young, twenties and thirties, your body can handle all the booze, no problem. But mentally it impairs the way you view and feel the world around you.
This is how alcohol takes control of the alcoholic's life! Their thinking is literally impaired! The alcoholics don't really have a mind of their own. Alcohol speaks for them. Many decisions an alcoholic makes are based on or around drinking. Most alcoholics think they are independent minded, but they are far from being independent thinkers. Unbeknownst to the alcoholic who is in denial is how dependent minded they really are. Always concerned about when and where they are going to get their next drink. Alcoholics will make up acceptable reasons WHY they can drink. It's a fact of their life that seventy five percent of their waking minds are spent on thinking about drinking or drinking alcohol. Alcoholics have a hard time growing up, even when they are adults. Their reasoning is not sound, but foolishness to the ears. Because they are locked in their own little world of alcohol, they never mature into the potential of who they can become because they are being drowned with alcoholic lies everyday.
The slurring phase of being drunk. The next parts of the brain that come into the firing line, the parietal lobes are affected at a blood alcohol level of approximately 0,10 g/100ml. Then your motor skills become impaired, you have difficulty speaking, you speak in slurred fashion (which oddly enough, you cannot hear yourself), you start shivering, and complicated actions become very difficult to execute (I always used to watched alleged drunk drivers trying to fasten their shirt buttons - an everyday activity that suddenly becomes as difficult as threading a needle). At the same time your sensory abilities are hampered. The can't-see-properly phase or being drunk. If the occipital lobe is reached, the alcohol level is usually about 0,20 g/100ml. Your visual perception ability becomes limited. You have increasing difficulty to perceive movement and distance. Your depth perception becomes impaired and your peripheral vision decreases. If you now drive at dusk, you will have great difficulty seeing the little boy running after his ball, or your fellow drinking buddy, staggering by the roadside.
If you just crave the occasional glass of wine or beer, make sure you are aware of the craving and make a conscious choice to have a glass, or skip it. Don't let your cravings or emotions make the decision for you. If you find yourself addicted to alcohol and are unable to not give in to the cravings, please seek professional help. Alcohol addiction is very serious and the earlier you seek treatment, the easier it will be to kick the habit and take control over your alcohol cravings.
Having a difficult time taking care of your drinking problem? With this new report that will help you stay sober
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