Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Info

Alcohol abuse effects can be far-reaching and devastating. The effects of alcohol abuse not only have consequences for the drinker but those around her or him as well. Alcohol abuse effects can be both psychological and physical. Alcohol consumption causes changes in behavior. The physical effects of alcohol abuse can be experienced with as little as one or two drinks. Impaired judgment and coordination needed to operate a car safely may result in the drinker having an accident.

Alcoholism is an illness where alcoholic beverage consumption is at a level that interferes with physical or mental health, and negatively impacts social, family or occupational responsibilities. Alcohol abusers are drinkers that may drink excessively at various times with resulting immediate alcohol abuse effects at the time of excess alcohol consumption.

The immediate physical effects of alcohol abuse can be experienced as soon as ten minutes after drinking begins. With continued alcohol consumption on that occasion, the immediate effects of alcohol abuse worsen and become more serious.

Here are five of the immediate physical alcohol abuse effects:

1. Inhibitions Become Reduced – at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05, changes in a person’s behavior begins to be noticable. Alcohol abuse effects and reduced inhibitions can put a person at higher risk for actions they would otherwise not participate in, such as sexual activity, continued drinking or illegal drug use.

2. Loss of Muscle Control – at the level of 0.10, slurred speech will likely be evident. Impaired judgement and poor coordination are physical effects of alcohol abuse that can lead to falls and accidents.

3. Memory Loss and/or Blackouts – since alcohol depresses the brain’s control mechanisms, as blood alcohol levels increase, periods of time and certain situations and events may not be remembered afterward.

4. Stupor – at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.40, a person can hardly function, acting seriously dazed and confused.

5. Coma – at a blood alcohol level of 0.50, a person is at risk for coma, which can be life-threatening. And at this level or higher, respiratory paralysis and death become very much a possibility.

Other alcohol abuse effects that are short-term include nausea, hangovers, headaches and fatigue. The longer a person abuses alcohol over time, the higher the chances of other alcohol abuse effects being experienced and alcohol dependency developing. The most severe form of alcoholism is ‘alcohol dependency’. Physical alcohol dependence is characterized by withdrawal symptoms when alcohol consumption is interrupted, by tolerance to the effects of alcohol abuse and by the presence of alcohol-related illnesses.

Malnutrition can develop from a reduced appetite plus inadequate absorption of nutrients in the intestinal tract and from consuming ‘empty’ calories in alcohol. Calories from alcohol are called ‘empty’ calories since alcohol contains no beneficial nutrients, vitamins or minerals.

And with continued alcohol consumption and abuse over years, many of the body organs will be affected. Alcohol is especially harmful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of breaking down alcohol. Alcohol destroys liver cells, and it destroys the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This condition leads to progressive imflammatory injury to the liver and eventually can result in cirrhosis of the liver.

Additional long term alcohol abuse effects include damage to the brain, high blood pressure, heart muscle damage, nerve damage, pancreatitis, bleeding in the esophagus, erectile dysfunction in men, fetal alcohol syndrome in the offspring of alcoholic women, insomnia, depression and increased cancer risks.

If you or someone you know may have problems with alcohol and you’d like to learn more about alcoholism and perhaps seek help, there are proven resources available. It is never too late to begin recovery from alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse effects.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing

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Drug abuse: Marijuana and Alcohol

Four levels of drug use are easily identifiable: non-drug use, drug use, drug abuse, and drug dependency.

Non-drug users do not use drugs whatsoever. Drug users use drugs from time to time, typically in the company of others during recreational time. Drug abusers use drugs more readily, at times when sobriety is called for and in such a manner that other life functions or roles are either put at risk or are already compromised. Drug dependent persons use drugs very regularly to the point where there is a physiological dependency. Given physiological dependency, abrupt cessation of the drug results in physical symptoms ranging from agitation to depression to physical pain to death.

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Many people regard marijuana and alcohol as innocuous substances when used recreationally from time to time. That is arguable. At the very least, no one became a drug abuser without first becoming a drug user.

Drug abuse is of greater concern however and is more than occasional recreational use. While it may be argued that occasional recreational use is not destructive, problems do develop for those whose more frequent use interferes with psychological, marital, family, social, academic or vocational life. Further, the threshold of drug abuse is readily identifiable when it occurs during non-recreational time; where intoxication overlaps with non-recreational activities; when use or the after-effects of use interfere with any activity. In addition, if drug use is frequently or always associated with recreational activities, then this rises to the level of abuse, as the user is remarkably limited in scope of other healthy recreational activities.

Common among those who reach criteria for drug abuse is the false belief that their consumption is reasonable and does no harm. These persons are apt to project blame for any consequence to their drug abuse on factors outside of themselves. In other words, the drug abuser offers many excuses that serve to cloud or at least minimize their abuse. Hence the student failing academically will tell tales of the teacher who picks on him/her. The employee will blame the boss and sometimes one spouse will blame the other spouse. Where both spouses abuse drugs or when a person is immersed in a peer group where drug abuse is normalized, persons are apt to perceive a kind of moral support to enable or embolden a position that their drug abuse is reasonable. Each will use the other to legitimize their drug abuse and try to cause it to appear less than what it is.

Notwithstanding, persons abusing drugs will need to take personal responsibility at some point to facilitate ongoing sobriety and to correct for the consequences of their behaviour.

While there may be issues with the inter-relationships of the drug abuser, the challenge is to help the person understand how the problems either originate with him or herself and/or are exacerbated by the drug abuse. Either way, it is vital that the drug abuser be held accountable and not avoid responsibility for the impact of their behaviour on self and others.

In addition to being held accountable for the outcome of their drug abuse, these persons will need support to engage in other healthy, pro-social activities that are incompatible with drug use.

Drug abuse is intensified when the person literally gets away with it, conceals it, is not held accountable and is able to talk their way or manipulate their way out of consequences and accountability.

When structures are put in place to limit opportunity for all drug use, the person is held accountable and other supports and activities are deployed, then recovery can occur and a healthier lifestyle adopted.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
(905) 628-4847

gary@yoursocialworker.com
http://www.yoursocialworker.com

Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report. Call him for your next conference and for expert opinion on family matters. Services include counselling, mediation, assessment, assessment critiques and workshops.

Alcohol abuse is one of those issues in society that brings mixed reactions when you talk about the need to stop alcohol abuse.  People who drink too much or have alcohol dependence often deny they have a problem.  As long as they are in denial there is not much chance they will seek alcohol treatment.  The more they drink the more difficult alcohol withdrawal becomes.  The true alcohol addiction involves real cravings that consume your life.  Alcohol abuse, on the other hand, is a condition where you still have control and are able to limit yourself, but your drinking is causing problems in your life. 

 

When you decide it is time to stop alcohol abuse the first thing you need to do is be realistic.  You have to be realistic about the impact alcohol has on your body and your relationships.  Almost everyone has been around a person who habitually abuses alcohol in social settings.  People talk about how sloppy drunk the person gets or how obnoxious.  You see yourself as the life of the party while others see you as the irritant of the occasion.

 

To stop alcohol abuse takes a lot more than just resistance.  Anyone who regularly abuses alcohol has already proven they have a low resistance.  Instead you need to delve into your mind and identify those thoughts which lead to alcohol abuse.  You can stop drinking, and learn to enjoy social events without getting drunk.  You can find the confidence you need to handle situations in your life without habitually using alcohol.

 

You can have the motivation to stop alcohol abuse, but you still need the motivation to maintain your new thought processes.  Self hypnosis provides the perfect alcohol treatment program for those who abuse alcohol regularly but don’t require a doctor’s care during withdrawal.  Self hypnosis is a program that can be used to stop alcohol abuse quickly while also providing the means of providing ongoing motivation.

 

Through self hypnosis you can learn to take control of your thoughts so that you are always aware during any situation of the lure of alcohol.  By understanding how your thinking goes, you are able to identify those points in your thinking that lead to bad choices such as alcohol abuse.  Forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes.  If you understand those situations which lead to alcohol abuse, you are able to use the greater understanding of your own thought processes to make good decisions about drinking.

 

Self hypnosis and Neuro Linguistic Programming are techniques that focus on identifying patterns of thinking that lead to patterns of behavior.  Since alcohol abuse is often a learned habit, it is possible to change the habit so that the abuse stops.  If you have alcohol abuse problems, self hypnosis offers you a simple way to re-train your mind in order to break old habits.  It is a form of alcohol treatment that is ideal for the alcohol abuser who still has some control over their behavior.                                      

 

 

Although Self Hypnosis Recordings can seem rather odd and even questionable, it has been found to be incredibly useful in tackling a huge range of different issues, alcohol abuse included. One such recording is Stop Alcohol Abuse by the late Duncan McColl; Duncan was and still is considered one of the best hypnotherapists of all time and his mastery of NLP and Hypnosis is passed onto all of his recordings, all of which come with a full 60 day money back guarantee.