Do Alcoholics Have Any Choice About Drinking?

It’s very simple. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your choices. When you make choices that are good for you, you feel good about yourself, do good things for yourself, and have many good experiences. When you make choices that are bad for you, you feel bad about yourself, do bad things to yourself, and have many bad experiences. One road leads to pleasure, the other, pain…

Have you ever wondered why people do things that are clearly harmful to their health? Perhaps it’s because they really don’t feel they have a choice.

This is why the alcoholic reaches for booze, the junkie for drugs, the sex-addict for porn. It’s because deep in their hearts they have a subconscious need that must be satisfied, and the bottom line is, they haven’t learned to meet that need in a way that truly serves them. Since they can’t see any other way, they haven’t got a choice.

The dictionary defines the word habit as “an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.” An addiction meanwhile, can be defined as a habit you can’t break without feeling some adverse effects. At that point it becomes a matter of accurately assessing those effects, and then making your decision accordingly. In either case, there is one thing you must know before dealing with an alcohol addiction…

There is always a choice.

The Biggest Choice of All: Personal Responsibility.

The good news is, you already have everything you need to get where you want to go. You have a mind that thinks, a body that feels, and a soul that knows the way. The challenge is getting them all to agree, especially when your mind keeps trying to control the show. But who is really in charge of your life? Is it you, or is it your mind? Are you the master of your thoughts and behavior? Or are you a slave to your own mental impulses?

Consider your actions in life. Everything you do can be attributed to one of two things: Your need to avoid pain, or your desire to gain pleasure. Test this out for yourself. Think of anything you might do today, and see if it can’t be reduced to one of these primary motivations. Here’s a few examples:

Read a book? Gain pleasure.

Pay a bill? Avoid pain.

Go for a walk? Gain pleasure.

Lie to your boss? Avoid pain.

Sleep in? Watch a movie? Answer the phone? Maybe a little of both.

The point is, all your actions, even the actions you really don’t like, originate from either a positive or negative impulse. And every impulse is nothing more than a suggestion that your mind has served up for you to do with as you will. The problem is, being unaware of the essential relationship between yourself and your mind, you react to every thought as if it were a command.

Consider your thoughts for a moment. You have both negative and positive thoughts to choose from. You have negative thoughts to protect you from danger, and you have positive thoughts to bring you delight. The best way to think of this is having a negative mind that wants to avoid pain, and a positive mind that wants to experience pleasure.

But then you have a conflict. To your negative mind, all the potential pleasures in life involve some kind of risk, so it doesn’t want you to go there. And to your positive way of thinking, you can’t fully experience the pleasures in life while you keep holding yourself back, so you disregard the danger.

Imagine an overweight woman standing in front of her refrigerator. On the outside she appears quite calm. But inside, there’s a battle raging over whether or not she’s going to reach in there and grab that slice of chocolate cake. Her positive mind is saying “MMMMM! YES! That cake is gonna taste YUMMY!” While her negative mind keeps saying “NO! Don’t do it! You’re already big as a whale!”

Can you think of a similar example for yourself? A time when you were torn between two possible courses of action? In that situation, what was the pleasurable experience you wanted, and what was the pain or danger you perceived?

Personal response ability means the ability to respond. It is the ability to see various points of view, decide what serves your purpose, and take effective action. It means having the confidence and maturity to figure things out for your self. This way, you can actually move forward instead of feeling stuck or trapped.

The Challenge is…

If you only have two options – pain or pleasure – then it’s not really a choice. It’s a dilemma. So that’s when you have to be clear. Sometimes it is good to think in negative terms, carefully considering the potential threats. Sometimes it is good to think in positive terms, focusing on the potential opportunities. And your third option is to simply stop and be neutral for a moment. To look at both sides equally and objectively before deciding what serves you best.

The reason you struggle is because you have not yet learned how to effectively direct your mind. You are bouncing back and forth between extremes, with no stability in between. Because you have no neutral way to assess your situation, you can’t see all your options. Because you can’t see any options, you remain a victim of your fears and desires.

But there is a path with your name on it. One that takes into consideration both the positive and negative points of view, and enables you to make decisions according to your vision, values and objectives. To find that path, there is one decision that must be made before any other decision will matter:

Is your mind going to serve you? Or are you going to serve your mind?

Either you are going to find a way to master your thoughts, or you will always be a victim of your own mental impulses. Either you are going to learn how to control your thoughts, or your thoughts will always be in control of you. There is no way to succeed without addressing this simple truth.

http://HighsteadAlcoholTreatment.com Mike Highstead is an expert on Alcohol Rehab & Treatment. With a private practice quietly serving many well-known people around the world, his professional success is founded on the personal success of overcoming his own addictions and helping others do the same. Get his free videos for alcoholism and binge drinking at http://highsteadalcoholtreatment.com/alcoholtreatmentprogram/

Getting Professional Help For Alcoholism

If you or someone you know is suffering from signs or symptoms of alcoholism it is important to take that important first step of getting professional help. Alcoholism is a serious disease that will not go away on its own. The very nature of the disease is that it will become progressively worse as the intolerance for alcohol builds and the individual needs more and more alcohol to achieve the same level of intoxication.

Denial of a problem with alcohol is a very common characteristic of the disease, alcoholism, so it is not all that uncommon to encounter a problem with getting the individual to see the importance of seeking professional help when it comes to drinking. It typically takes concerned family members, friend’s even co-workers to persuade the individual to go for a medical diagnosis and to accept treatment for alcoholism.

Individuals, who drink in excess, often feel guilty about the drinking but are unable to control the habit and usually will try to disguise the drinking or at least the extent of drinking that they do. If those who are concerned speak with a professional they can often be given guidelines as to how to approach the individual and offer options for being able to obtain help.

If you or someone you know feels that they are becoming dependent upon alcohol, that they crave alcohol and are unable to limit how much they drink or to stop drinking when they should and if they experience withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is unavailable such as sweating, being nauseous or noticing that they shake when alcohol is not available they may have a problem with alcohol and should seek help. Alcoholism is a disease that can have some serious health issues associated with it.

Alcoholism also can wreck havoc on relationships, finances and the ability to be successful in a job or career. When drinking has a negative impact on your life it is time to see a professional for help being diagnosed and treated for alcoholism.

There are certain criteria that must be met when a diagnosis of alcoholism is suspected. The diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as published by the American Psychiatric Association outlines these criteria. There must be a pattern of alcohol abuse that leads to a significant impairment as indicated by at least three or more of the following indicators of the disease:

There is a clear tolerance that is indicated by increasing amounts of alcohol that is needed in order to feel the same level of intoxication. As damage is done to the liver or central nervous system this amount may actually decrease but only after the disease has taken a toll on the body.

The person experiences withdrawal symptoms when they try to limit the number of drinks or when they try to stop drinking. These symptoms may include insomnia, nausea, anxiety, tremors and sweating.

The individual may drink more alcohol or drink over a longer period of time than they originally intended.

Making unsuccessful attempt to cut down or stop drinking.

Spends a lot of time in the effort to obtain alcohol, using alcohol or recovering from the use of alcohol.

A person continues to drink alcohol even when the physical symptoms of alcohol use or negative consequences of alcohol use are obvious such as getting in trouble with the law or not being able to afford to drink and pay bills, or when relationships suffer because of the drinking.

The doctor may use a short questionnaire and discuss symptoms with the patient when making the diagnosis. There are usually no tests that are reliable in determining if a person is suffering from alcoholism. The diagnosis is usually made on medical history, symptom history and physical examination. Denial by the patient is a typical scenario unfortunately and usually delays the help and treatment.

What is Alcoholism Intervention Like?

It is a serious matter when the family of someone undertakes alcoholism intervention. Intervention must be entered in with counsel from a professional who thoroughly understands the disease, alcoholism. Intervention includes family members and friends of the person as well as the person him/herself suspected of suffering from alcoholism. This individual is confronted with the evidence of alcoholism including the symptoms that others have witnessed the individual experiencing. Sometimes the legal process initiates the intervention if the individual was in trouble with the law and the incident was alcohol-related.

The intervention is a confrontation between those who are concerned about the individual and feel the need for medical diagnosis and treatment of the symptoms of alcoholism and the person with the alcohol problem. The goal of intervention is that the confrontation and evidence of symptoms of alcoholism along with the consequences of drinking is to convince the individual that help is needed in order to prevent further damage to his/her health, relieve the symptoms of alcoholism and to prevent further damage to finances, relationships or work-related issues, and possibly to stop further alcohol related violence or brushes with the law.

There are steps that can be taken that will facilitate a successful alcohol intervention that are outlined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism they include the following:

Those who care about the person with alcoholism need to stop making excuses for the individual (shielding him or her from the consequences of their alcohol-related actions) so that the individual can experience the full impact of the alcohol-related behavior.

Interventions to be successful need to be timed correctly usually immediately after a alcohol-related problem such as a traffic accident, major run-in with the law, or an incidence of domestic or other violence that is alcohol-related. The timing is important because the individual needs to feel the full impact of the consequences of his/her drinking and be able to relate the consequences with the drinking in an undisputable manner.

The individual should be sober when the intervention takes place. It is imperative that all persons remain as calm as possible during the intervention and that the intervention be done in private with those involved in the intervention meeting before the intervention to discuss the need for the intervention and to come with a plan for how to proceed with the intervention and who will be involved in the intervention.

There should be very specific examples of the alcohol-related incidents that caused problems with others, or with the law, finances, relationships etc., and facts should be discussed not opinions.

It should be made clear the steps that will be taken to protect all those who are involved if the person should decide not to seek professional help for the alcoholism.

It should also be made clear that the intervention and the necessary medical treatment are not punishment for having alcoholism but that the treatment is necessary to help the individual recover from the disease of alcoholism.

Those participating in the intervention should arrive at the intervention with information about available treatment programs in the area, preferably with an appointment already made at the treatment facility should the individual agree to get help for the alcoholism.

Those who care about the individual should offer to accompany the individual to the treatment program for the initial appointment.

It is important not to give up if the first attempt at an alcohol intervention is met with resistance or is unsuccessful.

Interventions are usually successful if they are conducted in a compassionate and nonjudgmental manner with clear, concise evidence of how the alcohol related behavior is harming the individual and/or others.

It is also imperative that interventions be planned and that they have the guidance of a professional who is experienced in substance abuse.

There are many support groups available for the individual and family members to utilize including Al-Anon, and Alateen.

Treatment Options for the One Suffering From Alcoholism

It is not easy to overcome addiction to any drug and alcohol is a drug that to too many individuals becomes a habit that is not easy to stop because of the strong cravings for alcohol that they experience. It is a difficult task to become sober and to stay sober. A task that requires strong support from as many people as possible and one that requires professional assistance. There are many treatment options open to the person has agreed to undergo treatment for alcoholism. Treatment typically includes detoxification, recovery, support and treatment.

Typically there is an event that triggers the acceptance that treatment is required. The drinker must come to this realization and accept the need for treatment if he/she is to be successful. Being forced to accept treatment usually leads to failure and more problems. Interventions are often planned and executed in an attempt to force a drinker into realizing and accepting that alcoholism has claimed his/her life and that if treatment is not started they are headed for serious health, psychological and emotional consequences. Some of these events may include the boss giving an ultimatum that they get treatment for alcoholism or they are fired, a spouse giving the choice between treatment or divorce, being locked up for vehicular homicide after getting behind the wheel and driving drunk or filing bankruptcy or foreclosure on a home due to financial problems caused directly from drinking alcohol. One or more of the events listed may have occurred before the individual is brought to the realization that treatment is the only option besides going further and further into hell which may ultimately lead to the drinker’s own death from suicide or health issues such as a heart attack or liver failure.

When someone suffers from the disease alcoholism, medical treatment is required in order to find relief from withdrawal symptoms that can include cravings, elevated blood pressure, headaches, nausea, rapid heart rate, shakes, sweats, and vomiting. The detoxification process should be one that is medically monitored for an individual with alcoholism because detoxing without medical monitoring can be dangerous for the drinker. The process of detoxification can at times be done on an outpatient basis but is usually done on an inpatient basis or at an alcohol treatment facility that is set up for safely monitoring and supporting the process.

There are many support groups locally and online that is geared for alcoholics such as Alcoholics Anonymous. AA meetings are free and are run by fellow addicts who can have empathy and give support because they have been there themselves and totally understand the process of becoming sober and staying sober. AA has a 12-step program that those in the AA program follow to help them on the journey to recovering from alcoholism or alcohol abuse.

The drinker that has the support of fellow drinkers, family, friends and the community through support programs is more likely to be successful.

Natural Remedies and Herbal Treatments For Those Suffering From Alcoholism

If you or someone you know suffers from alcoholism you know that alcoholism can affect the entire body especially the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver. Alcohol can also dull the senses over time creating sensory losses that can become permanent. Alcohol can also interfere with the digestive process, starving the body of necessary nutrients.

Knowing the serious consequences of alcoholism creates an immediate need for treatment that is effective yet gentle on an already ravaged body. This type of treatment can be natural remedies and herbal treatments.

Herbal treatments:

Aloe Vera can strengthen the liver and help to prevent liver cirrhosis.

Ashwagandha can stimulate natural physical coordination.

Using the herb, gotu kola can revitalize the brain of the alcoholic.

Musk, or jatamansi can also help your body recover from the effects of alcoholism through its cooling effect.

Natural treatments:

Ayurvedic treatments include eating cold food, using cold packs of mud for the body and if the symptoms of alcoholism are more severe ayurvedic medicines to aid in digestion are necessary. Citrus fruit juices are excellent for hangovers, and apples and bananas help to remove toxins from the bloodstream. Drinking carrot juice can help to curb the cravings for alcohol.

When trying to recover from being an alcoholic it is easier to stop drinking slowly rather than all at once (cold turkey). Here are some tips for slowing down:

Switch from hard liquor to beer or wine

Participate in an active sport to curb your urge for alcohol

Join a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous for support from those who understand your cravings.

Apples also help to reduce the cravings for alcohol. Did you know that grapes contain a pure form of alcohol? Someone wishing to stop the craving for alcohol should eat grapes every 4 to 5 hours for the first 4 weeks of abstinence from alcohol.

If your liver has already sustained some damage from alcoholism, make a drink of 3 teaspoons of the juice from bitter gourd leaves and place in a glass of buttermilk and drink up to your good health.

Biochemical repairs include detoxification, repairing the damage to the body. During detoxification the individual should also avoid other illegal drugs, caffeine, sugar and nicotine because nicotine is also a drug that perpetuates the addiction cycle.

It is vital that the person who is trying to avoid alcohol stay away from others who are drinking alcoholic drinks.

Taking supplements during the detoxification stage can be very helpful. Your doctor should approve supplements before starting them.

The following are helpful supplements for the recovering alcoholic:

• Amino Acids
• Calcium
• Essential Fatty Acids
• Glutamine
• Multivitamins
• Mineral supplements
• Pancreatic Enzymes
• Vitamin C

Severity Determines Alcoholism Treatment

If you or someone you love will be entering alcohol treatment, the severity of the disease will determine the course of the treatment and the medications and therapies used. The severity is often impacted by other substance abuse disorders in particular an addiction to nicotine, or anxiety or mood disorders, or antisocial personality disorder. The sad fact is that many individuals suffering from alcoholism go undiagnosed because even medical professionals do not recognize the disease. The disease is chronic getting progressively worse over time if treatment is not started. Eventually the severity of the symptoms will necessitate a diagnosis and treatment will finally begin. The treatment plan for the alcoholic is commensurate with the severity of the symptoms that the client presents with at the time of hospitalization or enrollment in the treatment program.

It is vital that when treatment plans is devised for the alcoholic client that the underlying cause for the alcoholism be treated also. If stress if a factor than it must be determined what is causing the stress and how can the cause be alleviated? If other medical conditions are contributing to the severity of the health condition of the client, these too must be addressed when devising the treatment plan.

There are many signs that should be watched for and addressed that can help determine the severity of the alcoholism including:

The amount and frequency of alcohol consumption

Are there other addictions involved such as amphetamines, anxiolytics, cocaine, heroin, hypnotics, sedatives, and tobacco?

Are there signs of personal neglect or poor nutrition?

Have there been incidents of accidents, burns, suicide attempts, and violence including domestic violence?

Is there a history of antisocial personality disorder, childhood conduct disorder, or an alcoholic parent?

Have there been brushes with the law?

Have there been any negative life events within the last few years such as a death of a family member, loss of a job, loss of a serious relationship?

Not only is the severity of the alcohol problem key to treatment but the client’s motivation to change behavior, and pattern of drinking that should influence the doctor’s choice in how severe the intervention and treatment plan should be. The number of interventions and the length of each intervention will also be determined by the severity of the alcoholic problem as well as the willingness of the alcoholic to participate and take an active role in alcohol recovery.

How severe the problem is will determine how long it will take to clear the 3 major hurdles of alcoholism treatment. The 3 hurdles include overcoming physiologic dependence and the handling of symptoms of withdrawal, psychological dependence on alcohol including treatment for anxiety, depression and stress and lastly, the severity and scope of the alcohol habit (how involved in life are the patterns of alcohol consumption)?

Alcoholism Recovery and Treatment

There are many factors to effective alcoholism recovery and treatment typically requiring intensive approaches to address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the disease. Effective treatment commonly includes intervention to get the individual into treatment, treatment at a residential facility, and later on treatment as an outpatient, psychosocial therapy, and support in peer groups and medication.

Medication is used to complement the other treatment factors and to help achieve treatment objectives quicker. The role of medication is not to cure alcoholism but to ease symptoms including withdrawal symptoms of the disease. Three drugs in particular are commonly used during the course of treatment for alcoholism and include acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone. There is no medication that can be given that will help a person to stop drinking alcohol. The medication is only prescribed after the individual has been in a period of abstinence from alcohol and are currently in a treatment program that includes therapy.

Staying sober is paramount to the success of the medication to be effective in alleviating the symptoms experienced by the individual.

Acamproste helps to reduce the physical signs as well as the emotional discomfort that occur when the individual goes through the process of detoxification. Common physical distress and emotional discomfort includes anxiety, sweating, tremors and sleep disturbances.

Disulfiram is used as a deterrent for alcohol usage. If they drink while on the drug they will experience severe reactions including increase in blood pressure, facial flushing, increased heart rate, nausea, throbbing headache, and vomiting.

Naltrexone reduces the craving to drink alcohol by blocking neurotransmitters in the brain so that the person does not feel intoxicated or "high" while drinking alcohol.

Residential treatment programs include a detoxification in which the person will experience symptoms of withdrawal. This period usually lasts for 4 to 7 days. Medications may be used to prevent withdrawal seizures or delirium tremors. After the detoxification period comes the medical assessment and treatment phase. The individual suffering from alcoholism may have medical problems that are related to their alcohol consumption or non-alcohol related medical conditions. The most common medical problems are elevated blood sugar levels, heart and liver disease, and alcohol related high blood pressure.

Psychological support and psychiatric treatment is typically an essential part of the treatment program and continues through as part of the support for recovery. Many of the treatment programs in the larger communities also include therapy for couples and families because the support of the family is a critical part of successful recovery from alcoholism. When a spouse or other significant family member is involved in therapy and supports the individual in a positive manner it increases the chances for a successful recovery from alcoholism.