Due to a rise in teenage alcohol abuse and alcohol related problems in the schools, some school systems have begun alcohol testing programs that focus on students who involve themselves in drinking behavior.

The following list of alcohol related problems and issues have been instrumental in the testing for alcohol in various schools:  gang behavior, “attitude problems,” vandalism, emotional outbreaks, disrespectful behavior, violence, poor academic achievement, crime, and truancy.

To be honest, since I stopped drinking I actually miss the “mellow” feeling from having a few beers.  And I can honesty say that probably the absolute best time I can remember was when I got drunk one night at a local bar about twenty years ago and had the fun of my life.

But now that I am older, I know that drinking irresponsibly has terrible consequences and that getting drunk on a regular basis can help a person make the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction.  Because I choose not to deal with anything that is related to addiction, it is just easier for me to totally refrain from drinking.

Sure, I miss the “buzz” from drinking a few beers but I also treasure the great feeling I now have knowing that I don’t have to worry about DUIs, alcohol-related traffic accidents, hangovers, or ANY alcohol-related problems.

If you were to talk to all of your friends and ask them who they know who has experienced some serious alcohol-related legal problems, relationship issues, health concerns, or financial difficulties, I think you would be amazed at the information you would hear.  The point:  abusive and hazardous drinking destroys lives.  So if you involve yourself in excessive and irresponsible drinking, please consider getting alcohol treatment before your alcohol-related problems get worse.

Please call this number for alcohol and drug treatment info

Yesterday evening a woman from North Carolina called.  Apparently she found my phone number on one of my websites.  This woman lost her license seven years ago due to an alcohol-related traffic accident. In the past 8 or 9 weeks she has been trying to get her driver’s license reinstated but in order to do this, she has to attend a school that teaches her about the hazards of abusive drinking.  Her mother used to drive her to her “alcohol awareness” classes but since her mother recently developed some serious vision problems, she has not been able to drive her daughter to class.

Why did this woman call me?  She erroneously thought that I was somehow associated with an online Alcoholics Anonymous meeting group.

This phone call reinforced the major alcohol-related problems that people go through in life when they get involved in abusive and excessive drinking.  On the positive side, I did a search on the Internet for online AA meetings and found quite a bit of information.  I relayed this info to the woman who called me and explained how she can do a search in the search engines for information that will help her with her alcohol-related questions.

According to criminal statistics, alcohol is a factor in almost half of the murders, suicides, and accidental deaths in the U.S.  I wonder how many of these deaths could have been prevented if the criminals received alcohol treatment.

How many of these deaths could have been prevented if the U.S. educational system would have been more targeted to preventing alcohol abuse and alcoholism in their students?

After working real hard on a time-consuming project yesterday, I decided to “reward” myself and go to the local bar last night.  No, I didn’t have any alcoholic beverages.  In fact, I had three “mixed drinks” that were made up of ¾ cranberry juice and ¼ soda with a twist of lemon.  I met some old friends and before I knew it, it was 2:00 AM.  Sure I had a decent time but the one fact I have to face this morning is this:  after six hours of sleep I am still tired and I am getting a terrible start to a new day.

So here’s my latest “revelation” about drinking.  Not only does regular drinking lead to all sorts of alcohol-related problems, but drinking costs quite a bit of money AND it is also a “time sapper.”  That is, drinking until the early hours of the next morning not only leads to a lot of wasted time spent drinking but it almost “guarantees” a late start to the next day.  And if you are a person who likes to accomplish something worthwhile in life, drinking hardly ever helps you reach this goal.

I have mentioned numerous times how important I think it is for problem drinkers to get alcohol treatment BEFORE they become alcohol dependent.  The point: why wait to get alcohol treatment until your health deteriorates, your finances are critically depleted, your significant relationships are crumbling, or your job is lost?

In a similar manner, why wait until your critical thinking skills are considerably diminished or when you are suffering from malnutrition because your excessive and hazardous drinking has started your body systems and organs to malfunction?  So if you have ANY problems in life that are alcohol related, please do yourself and your loved ones a “favor’ and get the alcohol treatment you need before these problems become considerably worse.

Call this toll-free number for drug and alcohol rehab info

I recently read that according to the World Health Organization, approximately 76 million throughout the world have alcohol related problems.  I’m not sure when this statistic was stated but I wouldn’t be surprised if this number was significantly underestimated and also increasing to a considerable extent every year.  My main reason for saying this is that as nations become more industrialized and developed, the number of alcohol abuse and alcoholism cases in the respective country increases.

The point is so important that it needs to be repeated:  as countries become more “developed,” their inhabitants experience increasingly more drinking problems.  And in case you haven’t figured it out, this is NOT advancement.

Some chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism experts believe that if a person has a family history of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency, he or she would be well advised to completely abstain from drinking alcohol.  Although this viewpoint appears to be a little “extreme,” following such advice, nonetheless, will help the individual avoid the relationship, financial, legal, employment, and health alcohol related problems that are commonly experienced by alcohol addicted people and by chronic alcohol abusers.

More than a few studies have shown that roughly half of the alcohol dependent individuals who have successfully undergone alcohol treatment will relapse at least once within 6-12 months after completing treatment.  The bottom line:  remaining alcohol-free is extremely hard for most alcohol-addicted individuals.  In fact, some alcoholism experts claim that relapse is part of the alcohol recovery process.

There’s another message, however, that underlies these statistics.  If you are an alcohol abuser, why not get alcohol rehab before you run the risk of becoming alcohol dependent?  If you have a drinking problem, why gamble with your life?   Why not straighten out your act by getting alcohol rehab before you become an alcoholic?  Sure, living an alcohol-life may be difficult, but do you really want to ruin your health, lose your job, destroy your most important relationships, and wreck havoc with your finances?  If you continue drinking to the extent that you become an alcoholic, these and other alcohol related problems are highly likely.