A Natural Approach To Health

Living With Alcoholism

I had a question the other day about alcoholism.

People have been brewing and fermenting alcoholic drinks since the dawn of civilization.

In moderate amounts, alcoholic beverages are relaxing and in some cases may even have beneficial effects on your heart.

In excess, alcohol is poisonous and is considered a drug.

Nearly 100,000 Americans die each year as a result of alcohol abuse, and alcohol is a factor in more than half of the country’s homicides, suicides, and traffic accidents.

Alcohol abuse also plays a role in many social and domestic problems, from job absenteeism and crimes against property to spousal and child abuse.

The immediate physical effects of drinking alcohol range from mild mood changes to complete loss of coordination, vision, balance, and speech — any of which can be signals of acute alcohol intoxication, or drunkenness.

These effects usually wear off in a matter of hours after a person stops drinking.

Large amounts of blood alcohol can impair brain function and eventually cause unconsciousness.

An extreme overdose, alcohol poisoning, can be fatal.

A physical dependence on alcohol may or may not be obvious to other people.

While some chronic alcoholics get very drunk, others exercise enough control to give the appearance of coping with everyday affairs in a near-normal way.

However, alcoholism can lead to a number of physical ailments, including hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, brain and heart damage, end-stage liver damage, enlarged blood vessels in the skin, pneumonia, tuberculosis, chronic gastritis, and recurrent pancreatitis.

Alcoholism can also lead to impotence in men, damage to the fetus in pregnant women, and an elevated risk of cancer of the larynx, esophagus, liver, breast, stomach, pancreas, and upper gastrointestinal tract.

Because alcoholics seldom have adequate diets, they’re likely to have nutritional deficiencies.

Heavy drinkers typically have impaired liver function.

An alcoholic’s continual craving for alcohol makes abstinence — an important goal of treatment — extremely difficult.

The condition is also complicated by denial:  Alcoholics use a range of psychological maneuvers to blame their problems on something other than alcohol, creating significant barriers to recovery.

Alcoholism is particularly insidious among young people and the elderly, in part because the symptoms aren’t easily recognized until the affected person becomes truly alcohol dependent.

The cause of alcoholism seems to be a blend of genetic, physical, psychological, environmental, and social factors that vary among individuals.

Genetic factors are considered crucial:  A person’s risk of becoming an alcoholic is 3-4 times greater if a parent is alcoholic.

Alcohol abuse means having unhealthy or dangerous drinking habits, like drinking every day or drinking too much at a time.

Alcohol abuse can harm your relationships, cause you to miss work, and lead to legal problems like driving while drunk.

When you abuse alcohol, you continue to drink even though you know your drinking is causing problems.

You’re physically or mentally addicted to alcohol.

You have a strong craving to drink.

You feel like you must drink just to get by.

You might be dependent on alcohol if you have 3 or more of the following problems in a year:

>You can’t quit drinking or control how much you drink.

>You need to drink more to get the same effect.

>You’ve withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking.  These include feeling sick to your stomach, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety.

>You spend a lot of time drinking and recovering from drinking, or you have given up other activities so you can drink.

>You’ve tried to quit drinking or to cut back the amount you drink but haven’t been able to.

>You continue to drink even though it harms your relationships and causes physical problems.

Alcoholism is a long-term disease that has a predictable course, has known symptoms, and is influenced by your genes and your life situation.

It can sometimes be hard to know when you begin to drink too much.

You’re at risk of drinking too much if you’re:

>A woman who has more than 3 drinks at one time or more than 7 drinks a week.  A standard drink is 1 can of beer, 1 glass of wine, or 1 mixed drink.

>A man who has more than 4 drinks at one time or more than 14 drinks a week.

Certain behaviors may mean you’re having trouble with alcohol. These include:

>Drinking in the morning, often being drunk for long periods of time, or drinking alone.

>Changing what you drink, like switching from beer to wine because you think it’ll help you drink less or keep you from getting drunk.

>Feeling guilty after drinking.

>Making excuses for your drinking or doing things to hide your drinking, like buying alcohol at different stores.

>Not remembering what you did while you were drinking.

>Worrying you won’t get enough alcohol for an evening or weekend.

To deal with alcoholism recovery it’s beneficial to:

*Research herbs, homeopathy, energy medicine, etc.

*Find new interests.

*Address emotional issues.

*Consider professional support.

*Discover and decrease hidden allergies and sensitivities that can trigger or aggravate.

*Decrease processed, instant, sugar-laden, chemical-laden, hydrogenated/trans fat-laden, “lifeless” foods.

*Avoid all stimulants:  alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, soda pop.

*Understand any side effects of any medications.

*Discover and avoid events, places, people, situations, times that you associate with or that trigger/encourage your habit.

If you’re dealing with alcoholism, try these (100% money-back guarantee):

It’s essential to use:  Vita-Lea, Protein, Vitamin C, B-Complex, CoQHeart, Alfalfa, Optiflora.

It’s important to use:  NutriFeron, Vitamin E, CarotoMax, FlavoMax, Zinc, Calcium/Magnesium, Vitamin D, Vivix.

It’s beneficial to use:  DTX, Herb-Lax, CorEnergy, OmegaGuard, GLA, Lecithin, VitalMag, Stress Relief Complex, 180 Energizing Tea.

Please comment below, like, retweet, and share with your friends!

email:  lenay@dickandlenay.com

PS:  If you have any questions about alcoholism, and would like to know how supplements can help, give us a call at 715-431-0657.  We’re here to help.