Take a moment though, to sit quietly and contemplate your “relationship” with alcohol. Is it a healthy addition for you, or is it a problem? You alone can truthfully say how drinking affects your life. Your feelings on the topic may be screaming in your ears or hidden deep within. Reflect upon how your life is affected by alcohol. Are you happy? Would you change things if you could?
Try taking the questionnaire at http://www.moderation.org/Questionnaire.shtml. Did you score high on the dependency scale? If so, you are likely to show signs of denial by understating problems and overstating progress toward change. We are all guilty of self-deception in one form or another. With some optimism and courage, you can do something about it.
In truth, people struggling with alcohol often look just like everybody else. There is a fine line between enjoying alcohol regularly and becoming dependent on it. Although the difference may seem like semantics, it's not. Once a person becomes addicted to alcohol, there may be no turning back. Although many do achieve sobriety or make the attempt -- Alcoholics Anonymous has an estimated 1.3 million members in the U.S., for example -- alcoholism can be a life sentence. Conversely, there are some groups, like Moderation Management (http://www.moderation.org/) who promote the modification and management of alcohol use instead of total abstention.
The latest guidelines from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism classify an at-risk drinker as anyone who's had more than three to four drinks (one drink=12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof alcohol) in a single day in the past year or who typically consumes more than seven drinks per week. Approximately 28 percent of American adults are likely to develop or already have a drinking problem.
Classic warning signs of a drinking problem include drinking more, or for longer periods, than intended, or having conflicts with loved ones about drinking. Additionally if the idea of stopping drinking troubles you, then you have to admit you have a more complicated relationship with alcohol than most people. Family history also counts. Children of alcoholics are four times more likely to become alcoholics than the general population.
Alcohol abuse is linked to infertility, osteoporosis, heart disease and depression. It is more common in men, but women -- especially those with kids -- are less likely than men to seek help. Many think they can handle it on their own, so they do not seek treatment as soon as they should.
It would be easy for many to walk over the line between health promoting alcohol consumption and a dependency problem. Awareness of the warning signs and willingness to seek help are of utmost importance.
Michelle Herbert Thomas, PharmD, CDE
Clinical Director, Richmond Apothecaries, Inc.
1/2010
