Alcoholism is an emotional disease coupled with a physical allergy to alcohol. If you are consuming too much alcohol, you need to ask yourself why, as alcohol is only a symptom of an underlying problem.

If you are drinking because you are depressed, then you may not realize it but you are exacerbating your depression as alcohol is a depressant.

Alcoholism has a four stage progression and the first problems to appear are mood swings. A person is introduced to alcohol or another drug and discovers that it has the power to produce a mood swing. The mood swing is experience as positive, fun and rewarding. There is no pain, emotional cost or unpleasant consequences associated with using alcohol.

The alcohol dependent person begins to trust alcohol to give him/her a “quick fix” and they can, in the early stages, control just how far they can go. When the “high” wears off, the person returns to normal feelings and normal living.

During the second stage, the person realizes that if he/she continues to binge on alcohol in an effort to reward or drown out their sorrows, it will end in addiction. The person starts making some self-imposed rules to govern his or her use of alcohol. For example:  “I will only drink when I’m out socially” or “I’ll never drink on week-days” and the most common of all self-imposed mantra: “I will only have 2 drinks and then stop.” Have you ever tried to control diarrhea? Some people tell me that they might be a “little bit alcoholic” and my standard reply is:  “have you ever been a little bit pregnant.”   You either are pregnant or you are not pregnant. We can’t use this statement on the guys but I still use it as an analogy and they do comprehend the statement.

Another analogy used is with women who have had children.  Ask them how did they feel immediately after giving birth (naturally, without an epidural) and  get 100% response with “it was the worse experience of my life and I’m never going to have another baby.” See them 2 or 3 years later and they are ready to give birth again.  Then remind them of the pain and suffering they went through during their labor and they always (100%) dismiss that pain, because they have forgotten just how painful giving birth can be.

It’s the same with the alcoholic.  After a period of abstinence, they pick up a drink and when questioned about this deadly act, they often say: “Oh, it wasn’t that bad and I can now handle my drinking.”  They forget the pain and suffering they went through and the words they uttered several years ago: “I’ll never drink again.”

The third phase signals the presence of the disease of alcoholism.  The alcoholic begins to suffer losses in his or her life that are directly related to drinking alcohol.

Behavioral changes are more intense during the third phase of alcoholism.  There is more intense preoccupation with alcohol and a growing rigidity around rituals of using, increased tolerance, more ingenuity in getting and using alcohol and repeated breaking of self-imposed rules like: “I won’t drink today.”

The alcoholic is now in denial, will argue with anyone about their misuse/abuse of alcohol. They become very defensive and will justify and rationalize the amount they drink and when they drink.  One of my clients this week thought that a blackout was just that – asleep.  I explained that a blackout in abuse of alcohol is doing and saying things that you don’t remember.  Driving kids home from school (in a blackout) is one of the most common of blackouts. Mum has started drinking mid-afternoon and by 4.00 pm, she’s consumed more than a bottle of wine and does not remember getting the car out of the garage, let alone driving to the school, double parking, arguing with another mother then driving out the “In” gate of the college free parking zone, sustaining a head-on collision with another mother driving in the right entrance.

Try explaining why you were driving in the wrong direction and hit another car head on, endangering not only your own children, but the lives of other children in the car you have collided with – in a blackout!

Stage 4 is drinking to try and feel normal or what the alcoholic perceives to be normal. Deterioration continues in all areas of his or her life.  Relief, when it is found, is temporary. The emotional pain is overwhelming. Thoughts of suicide occur and attempts may be made. This is the last stage of alcoholism and unless an intervention is done, the person will die prematurely.

Being in a relationship with an alcoholic can leave you feeling angry, ashamed, hurt, afraid, uncertain and lonely. To shield yourself from these feelings, you may strive for perfection, try to control the person’s use of alcohol or cover up your feelings with apathy and pretend not to care.

You may get so caught up in worrying about the alcoholic that you forget your own needs. Your self-esteem may plummet. You may feel powerless to help or because you believe that you are to blame.  There is very strong evidence of an association between the consumption of alcohol and violence. Conservative estimates suggest that costs attributable to alcohol-related crime in Australia was $1.9 billion and in the United States, the figure is astronomical with every 15 seconds an American woman is battered in the U.S. by her husband, boyfriend or live-in partner.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44, and more common that automobile accidents, muggings and rapes combined according to the findings by the former U.S.

If you live with an alcoholic-dependent person, gather up all the information you can about their behavior. Video them during one of their rages.  Take a photo of them with your mobile phone. Get your relatives and friends to help you confront the alcoholic, when they are sober; not when they are drinking, bashing, smashing everything in sight.  Ring 911 (or 000 if you live in Australia). Then get help for yourself by attending Alanon Meetings being held in your area. You can Google this information and talk to someone who can help you.

We often advise patients to supplement their diet when detoxing from alcohol by including Tyrosine and L-Glutamine, to help balance their brain chemistry.

L-Glutamine supports efficient brain function and is the body’s most potent antioxidant and detoxifier.

Tyrosine Mood Food is necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood.

Magnesium Ultra Potent to help them reduce stress and assist with a deep and restful sleep without having to use drugs or alcohol.

LivaTone Plus supports phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification pathways, ensuring optimum detoxification of many toxic substances and also supports liver function and metabolism.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.