September is “National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month”
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If you drink alcohol on a regular basis? Are you consuming more today than you were three to five years ago? Were you drinking more five years ago than the five years before that?
Alcoholism is a progressive disease. What this means is that for people who drink regularly, five years from now you most likely be drinking even more than you do now. Do you feel that you are in this situation? If so, it may be time for you to take some action and get yourself some help.
Unquestionably, there are people who can consume alcohol regularly and would not feel they are a problem drinker. Only you can make that determination for yourself. While others may say you have a problem, it won’t be of help unless you come to that realization for yourself.
Science has found no cure for alcoholism. However, there is help available, now. There are many commercial programs that can help address the problem. However, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has a very high success rate for those who are willing to make a commitment to go through their program. It doesn’t matter which program you choose, you simply have to find one that is right for you and commit to stay with it. As they say, “It works if you work it, but it wont if you don’t.”
When alcohol is gone as a part of your life, there will be noticeable changes in you physical and mentally. Pains that you may have associated with getting older will become less pronounced or will simply go away. That’s not to say that there are o age-related pains. However, some of the pains that you thought were age-related were in reality, related to you drinking. When alcohol is gone from your life, you will also feel more energized. You will also save a significant amount of money. Alcoholic products can be quite expensive.
Another significant benefit from removing alcohol from your life is that you will sleep better at night. Of course, drinking alcohol can help you get to sleep faster, but you go into a deeper sleep. When this happens, you are more likely awake in the middle of the night. Once you stop drinking, your sleep will become more balanced. You will sleep more naturally and your sleep will be more rejuvenating.
Many people believe that they can cut back on their alcohol consumption. However, they are mistaken. They may have success for a short time, but they tend to return to their prior level of drinking. Very often, it comes back with a vengeance too. When that happens, they begin drinking even more they did before they tried to cut back.
If you find that you can admit to having a problem with drinking alcohol, you must also realize that you need to give it up for good. There is no going back. There must be acceptance that it has control over you. That acceptance can form the foundation for giving it up; quitting for good. Nothing is more important than taking the proper measures to insure, as much as possible that you never to go back to it. If you do acknowledge that you have a problem with alcohol or other substances, there is help available, now.
