How Could Knowing The Signs of Alcoholism Save Your Life?

The question is pretty simple, "how could knowing the signs of alcoholism save your life?" but for many there is a fine line between social drinking, and alcoholism especially if attending business luncheons, dinners and parties are not an option but part of the job. If your business life demands that alcohol be consumed in order to please the client or your boss, alcohol becomes a big part of your life. When does drinking for work turn into a disease called, alcoholism? What signs could tell a person when they are crossing the line between social drinking and alcoholism? Why would your life be at risk if you drink alcohol? These questions are all very important to have answered if you or someone you know drinks an excessive amount of alcohol.

How many people believe that getting drunk is a right that teens and young adults must indulge in as they travel into the world of adults? Why is binge drinking and alcohol at college parties an acceptable assumption by college students and parents? The availability of alcohol makes it a given that there will be those who abuse alcohol and those who will succumb to the disease, alcoholism, because of long-term drinking and what that does to certain brain chemicals and the effect alcohol has on organs of the body.

There are many health consequences of alcohol abuse and alcoholism including excessive caloric consumption leading to obesity, and obesity leads to many diseases including heart disease and diabetes. Drinking alcohol also can lead to vitamin deficiencies, loss of appetite, liver damage, increased risk of heart disease and complications to those with diabetes. If you have problems with alcohol and are pregnant you risk birth defects and fetal alcohol syndrome and developmental delays or mental retardation for the baby born to a mom who drank during her pregnancy.

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism is a huge problem according to a 2007 study done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The study found that one in three Americans would either abuse alcohol or become dependent on alcohol (alcoholism) at some point in their lives. That is a scary statistic!

If you use alcohol repeatedly and it leads to negative consequences in relationships, at work, school or with the law or your finances you are probably abusing alcohol. Alcoholism on the other hand is a chronic and progressive disease that starts with cravings for alcohol that cannot be denied or controlled. The individual with alcoholism suffers withdrawal symptoms if alcohol is denied or unavailable.

There are many warning signs of alcoholism including if the person drinks alone or in secret, stashes alcohol in unusual places to hide the evidence of alcohol, suffers both cravings and withdrawal symptoms, becomes irritable when alcohol is unavailable or the normal drinking time is disturbed. They may have a problem if they prefer to drink over participating in activities and hobbies that they used to prefer to do before alcohol became important to them. Another sign of alcoholism is that they refuse to stop drinking even though alcohol has caused health problems, relationship problems, financial problems or problems with the law.

When signs of alcoholism are ignored and drinking continues the individual is likely to lose a job, lose one or more important relationship, get into serious trouble with the law, develop liver disease, complications of diabetes, alcohol poisoning, go into a alcohol-related coma or even die from alcohol poisoning or from a alcohol-related traffic accident. Knowing the signs of alcoholism can avoid these severe and often deadly consequences of drinking alcohol.

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