Getting Sober

"If you drink to an excess, you may consume more alcohol than your body can metabolize and eliminate. Under these circumstances, the body and the brain may become "overloaded" and result in alcohol poisoning. If the amount of alcohol is great enough, the body and the brain will 'shut down' and the person can die as a result."

"Are you pregnant or are trying to become pregnant and drink? Do you mix alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medicine? Do you drink and drive, or operate machinery after drinking? Do you drink alcohol while you are in charge of the lives of others, especially small children? Do you fail to inform your doctor that you are a regular drinker? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are taking risks with alcohol and quite probably, you are a problem drinker."

"It seems that a lot of people focus more on the treatment of alcoholism than on the treatment of alcohol abuse. Clearly, one of the reasons for this is that alcoholism is a more serious medical condition than alcohol abuse. There is, however, a convincing argument for the treatment of alcohol abuse BEFORE an individual's abusive and hazardous drinking escalates and becomes alcohol dependency."

"A dysfunctional family is a family in which misbehavior, abuse, or conflict by individual family members takes place on a regular basis, leading other members of the family to enable, reinforce, and perpetuate such behaviors."

"Studies have shown that inpatient detoxification programs are more effective and longer lasting than outpatient detox programs. The important issue here, however, is the following: the more severe the alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms, the more likely that inpatient detox programs should be used."

"Society views alcoholics as responsible for their problems. To some extent, this is true. Like most of their peers, the alcohol abuser made the early choice to drink but once addiction kicks in, choice is removed. The person must drink to feel normal."

"Medical research continues to reveal greater health risks for women who drink compared to men. The latest studies show that females, even young women, face more brain damage than men who drink the same amount for the same period of time."

"Substance abuse research demonstrates the fact that a man who has more than four drinks per occasion or more than 14 drinks per week is drinking too much. Simply stated: this man is abusing alcohol."

"According to a 2007 Science Daily report, it is important to know why high school seniors drink so parents, teachers and high school counselors can pay special attention to the needs of the small but high-risk group of seniors who offer multiple reasons for drinking and who also have anger or frustration issues."

"Research has demonstrated that repeated use of addictive substances elicits adaptive changes in the brain that result in uncontrollable craving, tolerance, physical dependence, and, all too often, relapse."

"Codependency is defined by a group of symptoms that typically occur in those who live with someone afflicted with alcoholism or with some other addiction."

"In the U.S., treatment of the alcoholic can be divided into 3 stages. Initially, the person has to be medically stabilized. Next, he or she must undergo a detoxification process, followed by long-term abstinence and rehabilitation."

"According to alcoholism statistics, in the United States, non-alcoholic members of alcoholic families use 10 times as much sick leave as families where alcohol is not a problem. 80% of these family members state that their ability to perform their work is impaired as a result of living with an alcohol abuser or with an alcoholic."

"The short and long term consequences that arise from underage alcohol consumption are astonishing in their range and magnitude, affecting adolescents, the people around them, and society as a whole."

"Research has demonstrated that vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 20. Combining teenagers' lack of driving experience with the use of alcohol, marijuana and/or other substances that impair cognitive and motor abilities can be a deadly combination."

"The U.S. alcoholism statistics remain overwhelming. There are roughly 14 million individuals in the U.S. who are addicted to alcohol and millions more who display symptoms of abuse, including binge drinking. Unfortunately, a reported 2.6 million binge drinkers in 2002 were between the ages of 12 and 17 years old."

"The findings of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction demonstrated that, while millions of Americans habitually drink alcohol, swallow prescription drugs, smoke pot, and snort cocaine, a number of drug users who meet or exceed the standards that indicate that they need professional treatment do not realize or accept the fact that they have a drug abuse problem."

"The Department of Transportation (DOT) procedures established for mandatory alcohol testing require the employment of a standardized breathalyzer. The categories of testing that are allowed by the DOT are the following: post-accident, reasonable suspicion, and random."

"U.S. highway statistics reveal that in the United States, beer accounts for four times as many alcohol-related traffic accident fatalities (80%) as liquor and wine (20%)."

"Millions of people are affected by the excessive drinking of someone close. Many times people who are close to alcoholics do not even realize how much they have been affected by someone else's drinking."

"Alcohol abuse and alcoholism research demonstrates the fact that if you consume alcoholic beverages, it's important to know whether your drinking patterns are safe, risky or harmful. Answering these questions will take only a few minutes, and will generate personalized results based on your age, gender and drinking patterns."

"In one U.S. study, the overwhelming majority of surveyed youth (74% of 8-17 year-olds; 74% of 8-12 year-olds; 74% of 13-17 year-olds) cite their parents as the primary influence in their decisions about whether they drink alcohol or not."

"U.S. alcohol abuse research scientists have discovered that people who stop using other drugs (such as marijuana, Oxycontin, or heroin) at the same time they quit drinking alcohol, might experience excessive withdrawal problems. These individuals, consequently, should see a doctor before they quit their addictive habits."

"It is a well known and highly researched fact that alcoholics and people who engage in excessive and abusive drinking typically refuse to see or admit that their drinking behavior is a serious problem that requires professional help. If you or a person you are concerned about, such as a family member or a friend, drink at times or in places that are totally inappropriate, this is a sign of alcohol abuse and a strong indication that alcohol abuse help is needed."

"There are many symptoms related to drinking problems. Alcoholism is considered a progressive disease, meaning that the symptoms and effects of drinking alcohol become increasingly more severe over time."

"Substance abuse research shows that the body and/or brain develop physical tolerance to the activity or substance that requires increasing amounts of the substance or activity to get the same or similar effects."