Ball State

» alcohol addiction

By China at 4:29 PM

The topic of addiction is a touchy one for many and a foreign one to others. "Addiction" has taken on a very negative connotation, making it more of an insult than just a condition. The dictionary refers to addiction as "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma". Notice that it says "habit or practice" to signify that addiction doesn't only apply to illegal drugs or alcohol. People can become addicted to many things: sex, prescription medication, and even caffeine!

Before a solution can be found to remedy this problem, it is important to understand some different types of addiction and what they consist of. One of the most well-known forms of addiction is alcohol addiction. What are some of the symptoms of alcohol addiction, and how can you tell if you or someone you know is addicted? First, it can be much easier to recognize that someone else has a problem than for you to recognize your own issue. People who have alcohol problems often try to rationalize their drinking habits, saying they can't have problems because "they only drink a lot on weekends" or "they can handle their liquor" or "they just drink to have fun". People don't realize these very behaviors qualify them as having alcohol dependence.

Have you ever done something risky, like driving while drunk to go grab a bite to eat from McDonalds down the street? Of course, you thought it was innocent at the time because you weren't all that drunk and you could function perfectly fine, right? At this point, it is difficult to see whether it was worse that you actually drove under the influence or that you thought it was an acceptable thing to do.

Some other ways to tell somebody (or yourself) is dependent on alcohol is to watch how it affects the rest of your life. I know for a fact in college it can be very easy to get sucked into the irrational belief that everyone is drinking, and that it's the cool thing to do. But look around you. Are those very students you see partying on Thursday night also failing their classes? I know you've seen the poor students in their Friday morning classes, so hungover they could barely move their pen to take notes provided they could actually pay attention to what was going on in class. What about people who are beyond their college years? Jobs don't take kindly to people calling in sick on Saturday or Monday mornings, especially if it is a recurring thing. And what about the financial impact? Alcohol isn't free to drink (not all of the time, at least), and alcoholism can become a costly habit as tolerance builds and the amount of alcohol required to get the same buzz increases. Some people can't stomach cheap alcohol and so buy the more expensive (more potent) and smoother alcohols, which can become even pricier. Add the cost of juices and chasers and your tab runs up rather quickly. The money used to support an alcohol habit is often money that was supposed to be used to pay the rent or buy food or some other such important expenditure. This leaves the person in debt and unable to pay off these debts, which can even arise to the status of legal troubles (and let's not forget that driving under the influence is also illegal as well).

So you've figured out that someone you know is being affected negatively by alcohol use (it doesn't have to be extreme to be a problem). What next? It's important to understand that recognition is not the only nor the last step in this process. It is really only the beginning. Once you've identified that the person (or yourself) is addicted, you now need to take steps toward recovery. It is those very steps that can make or break a person. Say your friend has a drinking problem. You are faced with so many problems: first, how do you approach the subject? As mentioned before, people who have drinking problems typically don't know or refuse to accept that they have a problem. Your revelation could very well damage your relationship with the person in question, as they could be offended by what you have to say to them not realizing that you are only mentioning the topic because you are concerned. Suggest alcohol abuse treatment or alcohol rehab.