At one point Rachael began wondering if she too would become an alcohol abuser or an alcohol dependent person and die prematurely from this disease.

In fact, Rachael was so worried about this that she scheduled an appointment with her doctor to discuss her concerns regarding her drinking and her family history of drinking problems.

Her doctor told her that alcohol addiction does in fact run in families and that if she made sure to always drink in moderation, she probably wouldn’t face any serious alcohol related problems.

Then her doctor told her that if she wanted to make sure that he would never have to fear alcohol dependency and any alcohol related problems all she would have to do is totally stop drinking.  In all honesty, this second option was making more and more sense to Rachael the more she thought about her family and the damaging and life threatening consequences they faced because of their abusive and irresponsible drinking.

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Based on the number of diseases, illnesses, and aliments that are indirectly or directly associated with alcohol dependency and chronic alcohol abuse, it is only logical to conclude that as increasing numbers of people begin to engage in excessive and abusive drinking, increasing numbers of people will experience the adverse effects of long term alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.

While it seems that many people ignore the multitude of health problems that are correlated with abusive and hazardous drinking, it needs to be highlighted that many of the negative alcohol abuse and alcoholism effects can and do result in the loss of life.  Examples include heart disease, hepatitis, pancreatitis, cancer, strokes, and cirrhosis.

For example, is it possible for a long-term abusive drinker to significantly reduce her drinking and start to drink in moderation?  Is her drinking negatively affecting her circulatory system? Is her drinking adversely affecting her sex life?  Are heart problems and strokes linked to heavy drinking?  Has she involved herself in binge drinking? Is her excessive drinking adversely affecting her organs and bodily systems?  Is she running the risk of becoming alcohol dependent if she continues her heavy drinking?

By asking these questions, Kathy has concluded that her irresponsible and abusive drinking has probably contributed more to her health problems than any thing else she has done.  And now, she wants to reverse or stop the damage so that she can live in a healthier, more productive manner.

In addition, Randy has become concerned about having to drink more and more to get the same “buzz.”  In fact, he often drinks so much to experience an alcohol “high” that he gets inebriated several times every week.  Ironically, he has always been a health-conscious individual who watched his diet and exercised on a daily basis.

Now, however, he has not only lost all interest in keeping physically fit but he has begun to eat nothing but fast food and junk food.  Acutely aware of all of these issues, he has begun to wonder if his alcohol-related problems are alcoholism signs.

Stated another way, he has started to wonder if he might be alcohol dependent.  The good news, however, is that he has been so concerned about his drinking behavior that he decided to schedule an appointment with his doctor to discuss his excessive drinking.

One of the things that Miss Billings emphasized was the fact that the later people began drinking, the less the likelihood they would involve themselves in alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency later in life.

As a consequence, it made sense to her to teach her seventh-graders about the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism, about binge drinking, and about the many different adverse effects that are directly or indirectly linked to hazardous and excessive drinking.

“Do you think we should talk to counselor Paterson at school?” wondered Megan.  “I heard from my boyfriend Paul that Miss Paterson is “approachable” and is particularly knowledgeable about drug and alcohol addiction.  Let’s go and talk with her tomorrow” Janet added.

So both girls went to school the next day and stopped in to talk to counselor Paterson after school.  Miss Paterson called the lab at the local hospital and scheduled a series of tests the girls would take the next morning that would help determine the extent of their abusive drinking and whether they are alcohol abusers or dependent on alcohol.

After talking to Miss Paterson, both girls were much relieved and felt good about themselves for finally deciding to address their drinking problems.

When I hear about individuals like this, I sometimes half jokingly think to myself that what these individuals need to do is to become alcohol dependent, go through successful alcohol treatment, maintain their sobriety, and then spend the rest of their lives talking to others about the hazards and devastation of alcoholism and how this disease should be avoided at all costs.  As humorous as this sounds, there are quite a few individuals in our society who have “found” their career “calling” exactly this way.  Such are the wonders of “career direction.”

People who are driven to succeed and to achieve their goals usually have to maintain a consistent daily approach in order to become and stay successful. This very fact typically prevents such “goal-oriented” individuals from “letting their hair down” and involving themselves in abusive and excessive drinking behavior.

There seems to be a moral to this story.  If people want to achieve something that is worthy of their effort and their self-respect, then they need to avoid hazardous and abusive drinking.  And by avoiding excessive and unhealthy drinking, a person will avoid alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

I realize that denial is a key characteristic of alcohol dependent individuals, but why do problem drinkers who are not dependent on alcohol so often fail to get the professional assistance they require?  Why do individuals who engage in abusive and hazardous drinking behavior so frequently fail to discuss their drinking problems with their healthcare provider or with their family physician?  Why not address the issue so that something therapeutic can be initiated before an individual’s world collapses?

At eighteen years old, however, Jeremy knew first-hand about the negative effects of alcoholism because he was an alcoholic.  How could this possibly happen?

When Jeremy was fifteen years old, he and his best buddy decided to experiment with alcohol by drinking a few beers.  They liked how they felt so much that soon they were drinking two six-packs of beer every day.

It didn’t take long before both adolescents were dependent on alcohol.  As a consequence of their addiction, both young men are currently in residential alcohol treatment and working on starting their lives all over again, this time in an alcohol-free manner.