Sally has been a marketing manager for an exclusive advertising agency for twelve years.  Eight of those years she has been married to Randy.  Sally and Randy have two daughters, Cindy and Janet.  Sally has taken on some extra responsibilities at the office and, as a result, she has had substantially less time to spend with her family.

At first, Randy observed that Sally frequently came home from work after their young daughters went to sleep for the night.  Then Randy perceived that Sally’s business suits strongly smelled from alcohol.  When Sally began to have a hard time getting up each morning and usually awoke with a terrible headache, Randy began to wonder if Sally was manifesting some of the symptoms of alcoholism.

One Saturday evening after the girls went to bed, Randy decided to express his concerns about Sally’s drinking.  At first Sally was very defensive.  As Randy kept on telling Sally how much he cared for her and for her health, however, Sally eventually “came clean” and stated that she too is worried about her drinking behavior and that she would like to schedule an appointment to discuss her problem drinking with their family doctor.

Even though this didn’t solve the immediate issues Sally was experiencing, at the very least it was a step in the right direction.

Janet and Emily were roommates at college.  They were also on the college basketball team.  Due to the fact that they were both older than twenty-one, they were legally allowed to drink.  As they discovered, however, just because an individual is legally able to do something doesn’t mean that it is necessarily healthy.

Since both young women played basketball they were both concerned about their physical fitness and their health.  So it wasn’t strange at all when Emily one afternoon asked Janet if she ever got concerned about the adverse alcohol effects on the body.

Janet said that she was aware that doing anything in excess is not healthy, and that this also applies to drinking.  Both Janet and Emily then made up their minds that they would at all times drink in moderation so that they wouldn’t have to experience alcohol related problems in the future.

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Jamie was a junior at a large city high school.  One afternoon, the health teacher, Miss Schilling, decided to talk about the legal, employment, relationship, financial, and health issues that are linked to hazardous and abusive drinking in general and associated with underage drinking and teenage alcohol abuse in particular.

Jamie listened intently for around ten minutes, and then got very aggravated.  Finally, she raised her hand and asked the following question.  “Miss Schilling, why do we need to learn about alcohol abuse and alcoholism and the negative effects of underage drinking?  Nearly everyone in this room is already drinking so why make an effort to tell us all of this negative stuff?”

Miss Schilling told Jamie that because most of the students in her class will drink, they need to know up front the about the hazards and the dangers of their actions so that they can avoid the adverse consequences of underage drinking.

One of the alcohol abuse facts that more than a few individuals obviously ignore is that drinking even one or two drinks can affect an individual’s driving ability.

To be sure, research has revealed the fact that depending on the individual and how quickly he or she metabolizes alcohol, even a few drinks can adversely affect a driver’s reaction time and his or her decision-making skills.

Despite these “facts,” however, every year millions of drivers in our country get behind the wheel of their vehicle after drinking.  What this means is that every year on our highways, there are millions of chances that innocent individuals may become involved in an alcohol related accident or fatality due to the vast numbers of people who insist on driving while under the influence of alcohol.

When does a person start to notice the negative effects of alcohol abuse?  There are so many variables involved in the act of abusive and excessive drinking that it is essentially impossible to answer this question with any degree of certainty.

For example, how often does the person consume alcohol?  Does the person usually drink on an empty stomach?  How much does the person drink?  When the person drinks, does he or she get intoxicated or does he or she get a slight “buzz.”  How much does the drinker weigh?

Does the person drink every day or a few times per week?  Is the drinker relatively healthy or sickly?  How quickly does the person’s liver metabolize alcohol?   Does the person consume drinks with extremely high alcohol content (such as Everclear)?

It is apparent from these questions, in sum, that numerous variables influence when the adverse effects of alcohol abuse will affect an individual.

Sam was a sensible thirty-five-year-old married man with three children.  He recently lost his job of 10 years when the manufacturing company he worked for moved their entire operation to another state.  He was offered a position if he relocated, but he didn’t want to leave his parents and his friends.  As a result, he stayed at his current residence.

Sam knew that he was facing financial difficulties when he couldn’t find employment.  Sure, he worked as much as he could doing odd jobs whenever he could but he realized that he needed full-time employment to pay his bills.

As a result of not being able to find full-time work, Sam started to get depressed and similar to many individuals who face serious issues, he tried to find some relief by drinking.

It didn’t take long, however, for Sam to experience one of the negative effects of alcohol, namely that drinking was fairly expensive and was causing him to spend money on booze instead of necessities for his family.  To his credit, however, Sam rather quickly got a handle on his problem drinking by substantially cutting back on his alcohol intake.  Once he addressed his drinking problem, moreover, he found that he could put forth a more honest effort to find full-time work.

After attending a resume writing, interviewing skills, and an employment workshop at the local library, Sam applied for and was hired for a position in his area of expertise that actually paid more per hour than what he had been making in his previous job.  When Sam got his job, he and his wife went out to celebrate.  Life was good once again!

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Why haven’t increased alcohol abuse prevention and educational efforts substantially reduced adolescent alcohol abuse in our society?  Take a few moments to think about underage drinking and teenage alcohol abuse in our society.

Adolescents realize that many, if not most, adults drink on a fairly regular basis.  Drive through any relatively large U.S. city and make a note of the number of convenient stores, nightclubs, grocery stores, state stores, and bars where adults can buy as much alcohol as they desire.

When teenagers go to sporting events, they obviously observe that many adults are drinking.  In a word, it must appear to teenagers that drinking is something that adults do and that if they (the adolescents) want to “grow up,” drinking is something they should be doing too.

The other day I was thinking about alcohol abuse and alcoholism and I began wondering how much alcohol advertising influences our drinking behavior.

As I began thinking more intensely about this I reflected on the pervasiveness, the acceptability, and the availability of alcohol in our society.  For example, I can look outside my office window and see a convenient store, a restaurant, and two bars, all of which are within 500 feet from where I live.

In a sense, each one of these businesses is an “advertisement” for drinking.  Indeed, once an individual goes inside any one of these businesses, he or she can buy just about as much alcohol as he or she wants.

Now consider the alcohol advertisements that are in magazines, in the movies, on TV, on the radio, and on the gigantic billboards that are scattered throughout our highways.

After viewing drinking from this perspective, it becomes clearer why so many alcohol problems such as alcohol abuse, binge drinking, hangovers, alcohol poisoning, and alcoholism occur so frequently in our society.

I wonder how many times each year someone in an ordinary bar, nightclub, or tavern displays symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

For instance, how many times on an annual basis do individuals pass out while drinking at a particular nightclub?

In a similar manner, I wonder how many times on a yearly basis do individuals start to look extremely pale while they are drinking at a specific tavern?   How many individuals typically fall asleep every year at a special nightclub?  How many times each year do individuals vomit while drinking at their favorite tavern?

In a word, one can safely assume that since drinking is one of the primary, if not the main activity that is done at most nightclubs, bars, and taverns, some individuals will drink too much alcohol too quickly and will display alcohol poisoning symptoms.

And if this is the case, every bar, tavern, and nightclub needs to post a list identifying the symptoms of alcohol poisoning and what should be done when an individual manifests any or all of these symptoms.

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Six men in their seventies meet every Friday night to play poker.  Even though they do this mainly because they love to play cards and also because they enjoy one another’s company, there is another key reason why playing poker every week is fun for these men, namely drinking.

In fact, it is an understatement to say that all of these men enjoy drinking.  One Friday night, however, while they were playing cards, Jimmy, the unofficial leader of the “gang,” without any forewarning asked if anyone could identify two or more of the “typical” alcohol poisoning symptoms.  Jimmy then asked if anyone knew what to do if he saw an individual who might be exhibiting the symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

The good news is that everyone in the group knew that they should call 911 for emergency medical assistance for anyone who is experiencing alcohol poisoning symptoms.  The bad news, however, is that only two men could articulate at least two of the “usual” alcohol poisoning symptoms.

What is especially ironic about this is that these men, all of whom were in their seventies, didn’t know more about alcohol poisoning in spite of the fact that they had been drinking their entire adult lives.

Sometimes when I think about alcoholism from an unconventional perspective, I wonder how many people would agree that alcoholism is a social phenomenon.  Sure, there are thousands and thousands of alcoholics who drink alone but this fact neither focuses on what I am discussing nor contradicts my argument.  What I am talking about is this:  out of the infinite behavioral possibilities that exist, why do so many individuals gravitate to drinking when they are in emotional pain, when they can’t cope with reality, or when they can’t deal with problems?

When people face difficult situations, rather than drinking why don’t they throw apples at passing cars?  When people are experiencing a lot of emotional pain, why don’t they walk backwards to wherever they are going rather than drinking their favorite alcoholic beverage?  When people are depressed, why don’t they go and pound on a drum instead of drinking at the local bar?

The point I am trying to make is this.  Drinking is an established and routinized social activity that is reinforced by the fact that alcohol is purchased at bars, sold at sporting events, served at restaurants, sold in stores, advertised by the media, and the abuse of which is a subject that is taught in some of our schools and colleges.

When people exhibit “drinking problems,” furthermore, the drinking paradigm is further reinforced by the therapists who “know” what to do about these “problems” and how to “treat” problem drinkers in the various clinics, hospitals, and alcohol rehab facilities.

Tony was a young teenager who had already experienced some of the negative consequences of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.  Tony’s introduction to alcohol started when he was barely twelve years old.  Indeed, this was the time when he had his first bottle of beer with some of his older friends.  Tony clearly remembered that drinking the entire bottle of beer made him feel “good” and that all of his worries seemed to disappear.

Due to the fact that he had such a “positive” first experience with drinking, he continued to drink beer all through junior high and senior high school.  Now, instead of feeling good from an alcohol “buzz,” however, he drank just to get through each day without suffering through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.  In short, Tony has become a teenager who is alcohol dependent and who is in desperate need of alcohol treatment.

It is truly sad that someone as young as Tony needs to experience the devastating consequences of alcoholism.  Even worse, every day this same theme, namely teenage alcoholism, is played out by thousands of teenagers in our society.

Randy is a junior at a small rural high school in the Southeaster part of the United States.   Similar to a lot of his buddies, he drinks beer on the weekends.  While watching TV one Wednesday evening, he flipped through the channels and found a special program about teenage alcohol abuse.

Until this time in his life, Randy never considered that he involved himself in alcohol abuse.  Why?  Because he didn’t drink everyday and he only got drunk once or twice every month.

To him, his drinking was less of a reflection of alcohol abuse and more an issue having fun and getting drunk just like all of his pals. After watching the special TV program about adolescent alcohol abuse, to the contrary, Randy now understands that every time he gets drunk, he is involving himself in alcohol abuse.

Last week I talked to a person named Ben who is a recovering alcoholic. Ben told me that the memory of what it was like going through the alcohol withdrawal symptoms he suffered through when he stopped drinking has many times helped him refrain from drinking once again. On the other hand, Ben frankly admitted that while he doesn’t have a strong craving for alcohol as he once did, he still misses having a drink every so often.

For him, however, the terrible memories of his drinking problems far outweigh the good times. As a result, it is the “bad” memories that help him abstain from drinking. This is something that all recovering alcoholics need to remember when they are lured by the “appeal” of alcohol to drink once again. In a word, alcoholism is a fraud. That is, at first alcoholism promises a world of pleasant feelings and removal from suffering and pain but after the person becomes addicted, it does everything it can to debilitate and destroy the drinker.

Several key issues led to Danny’s drinking.  At first, having a few beers every night helped him cope with his physical pain, helped him relax, and helped him fall asleep more easily.  Due to the fact that having a few drinks was “working” for him, why change?

One of the problems with abusive drinking is that even if an individual does not change his or her drinking behavior, significant changes, nonetheless, are taking place within his or her body and within his or her brain that will eventually change the individual’s life for the worse.

The type of change I am discussing is the transition that takes place when an individual moves from alcohol abuse to alcoholism.  And once this transition takes place, quitting drinking abruptly leads to painful and unpleasant alcohol withdrawal symptoms that never would have taken place if the individual was not addicted to alcohol. The solution: get alcohol treatment before you become alcohol dependent.

I went to a car dealer’s customer appreciation party today.  There was plenty of food and plenty liquid refreshments including soda, bottled water, and bud lite.  I noticed that most of the people drank responsibly but there were a few guys who just couldn’t get enough of the “free” beer.  In fact, I’m sure that a few of the guys got a real good “buzz” from drinking many cans of beer.

At one point, one of the guys who was drinking quite heavily asked me if I wanted a beer.  The funny part is that he knows that I don’t drink.  I think he was just testing me to see if I would “give in” and have a beer.  I declined his offer and then told him how thankful I was that I don’t drink because I never have to worry about getting a DUI or suffer from alcohol poisoning and I know that I am not ruining my health from abusive drinking.

For years when I went to a bar or a nightclub, I would drink NA beer (non-alcoholic beer).  While I still like the taste of NA beer, I have discovered another non-alcoholic drink that virtually all of the bars and nightclubs can make.  Without further ado, here’s my latest non-alcoholic drink:  ½ cranberry juice and ½ soda with a twist of lime or lemon.  If I feel like having a sweeter drink, I increase the cranberry juice.  On the other hand, if I want I a more tart taste, I increase the soda.  Heck, I don’t even know what this drink is called but it tastes good and I would imagine that it’s probably a healthy drink in that it is beneficial for a person’s urinary tract.

Probably the biggest benefit of this drink, however, is that a person can still associate with friends at a bar or a nightclub, avoid all the hassles of binge drinking and alcohol abuse, and still have a good time “drinking.”

I was recently talking to a 19-year old teenager named Kevin who was working on a commercial roofing project.  We began discussing life in general and then more specific things such as drinking, smoking, and taking drugs.  Kevin told me that he doesn’t take any drugs, he stopped smoking about three months ago, but that he drinks quit heavily every so often.  As stated by him, he often “gets trashed” when he goes out drinking with his girlfriend.

Something tells me that many teenagers in our society “get trashed” quite frequently.  In a word, teenage alcohol abuse is so widespread in our society that in many ways it appears like it is a rite of passage that teenagers go through in order to become an adult.

Often times friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers are aware that an individual needs help for his or her “problem drinking” before the person who abuses alcohol does.  How is this possible, you ask?

This type of situation frequently happens when the alcohol abuser is in denial about his or her drinking and refuses to believe that alcohol treatment is necessary.  Indeed, an individual who is in denial will often blame other people or circumstances for his or her alcohol-related problems or make excuses for his or her abusive drinking.  The bottom line:  people who abuse alcohol need to stop their excessive and abusing drinking on their own or get professional treatment.

I remember working with a guy named Pete who frequently engaged in abusive drinking and who used to reek from the smell of alcohol the first thing in the morning at work.  Since the smell of alcohol on Pete was probably not from drinking before work, this meant that it was from his drinking the previous night.

Question:  how much alcohol would a person have to consume the previous night in order for him or her to strongly smell from alcohol the next morning?  I would imagine that the answer to this question has a lot to do with how quickly the person’s body metabolizes alcohol, but my first response to this question would be the following:  significantly more that just a drink or two.  And if this is the case, then this person is definitely involving himself or herself in alcohol abuse at the least and in alcoholic behavior at the worst.