A Young Lady Attempts to Stop Drinking, Suffers From Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms, Grasps the Fact That She is Addicted to Alcohol, and Makes Up Her Mind to Get Alcohol Rehabilitation
July 2nd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Jennifer is a thirty-four-year-old outside sales representative who has been consuming alcohol in an irresponsible and abusive manner since she and her fiancée broke up their relationship. In point of fact, for the past three months she has been drinking almost two bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking a number wine coolers throughout the day.
After feeling downcast because she was starting to close her eyes to her health, Jennifer at last told herself that she’s had enough, that it’s time to quit the self pity routine, that it’s time to stop the irresponsible drinking, and time to get going with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, she decided to stop drinking suddenly and completely without preparation or planning.
When She Stopped Drinking She Felt Awful, She Had Utterly No Appetite, She Vomited Several Times, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Started to Perspire Extensively, and She Was Extremely Stressed Out and Moody
When Jennifer quit drinking, she thought that she would most likely be tempted to sneak a couple of drinks, but she never believed that she would feel so sick. More to the point, roughly an hour after she stopped drinking, her head was aching, she was extremely moody and restless, she had utterly no appetite, she started to sweat extensively, and she vomited several times.
When she called her best buddy and told her that she had stopped drinking and that after a couple of hours she suddenly began experiencing flu-like symptoms, Kaitlin, her best buddy, told Jennifer to call her healthcare professional and tell him what she was going through.
She Admits to Her Doctor That She Has Been Drinking In a Hazardous and Excessive Manner, That She Just Tried to Quit Drinking, and That She is Experiencing Terrible Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her healthcare practitioner, told him that she has been drinking in an abusive and hazardous manner for quite a few months and that when she tried to suddenly stop drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the most unpleasant flu-like symptoms that she had ever experienced.
Her doctor informed her that she may be going through alcohol withdrawal symptoms and that she should have a relative or friend drive her to the emergency room ASAP.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a friend to drive her to the hospital. Interestingly, all the way to the hospital, as sick as Jennifer felt, the only thing she could think about was whether or not she might be an alcoholic.
It appears that her physician had called ahead and told the emergency room medical team to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by a nurse and a paramedic who promptly told her to lie down on the portable bed they had with them. After getting moved to the emergency room and undergoing a few important tests, it was verified that Jennifer was in actual fact suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.
A medical practitioner gave her some medications to lessen the discomfort of her flu-like symptoms and also administered some drugs to help eliminate the alcohol that was still in her system.
A Drug and Alcohol Addiction Healthcare Practitioner Explains That She is Dependent on Alcohol and Then Discusses What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Addiction Stages Are
After two or three hours, Jennifer was taken from the emergency room and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for approximately an hour, Doctor Reyes, an alcohol and drug addiction specialist, came to visit her. He took plenty of time and explained in a clear fashion that Jennifer had gone through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking due to the fact that she had become an alcoholic.
He then discussed the fact that with repeated and excessive drinking, the individual’s brain slowly adjusts to the alcohol so that it can process things in a “routine” manner. When the individual then suddenly stops consuming alcohol, as one would expect, the brain takes action by bringing forth alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, her medical practitioner also explained in a clear fashion the different alcoholism stages that an alcohol addicted individual regularly goes through as the disease gets progressively worse over time.
It is Verified that Jennifer is in the Earliest Stage of Alcohol Addiction and She Receives a Good Projection For a Full Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Treatment She Needs
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was determined that she was in the earliest stage of alcoholism and, as a result, she was given a favorable prognosis for a complete recovery if she gets the alcohol therapy she requires.
Jennifer told the healthcare professional that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to reclaim her health and her life. She also mentioned that she has an excellent hospitalization insurance policy that will almost certainly pay for most, if not all, of the treatment costs. It was obvious that Jennifer was quite thankful about her positive medical forecast and felt at peace knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol addiction treatment she needs so that she can begin the path to recovery.
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A Woman Displays Symptoms of Alcohol Dependency and Depression and Schedules an Appointment to See Her Doctor About Her Hazardous and Abusive Drinking
June 30th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Teresa was a forty-nine-year-old recreation therapist who knew that she had a problem with her drinking. As an illustration, within the past month she has experienced the need to have three or four drinks before going to work, three weeks ago she tested positive for a breathalyzer test at her place of employment, four weeks ago she got stopped by the state highway patrol for a DWI, and last but not least, for roughly four months she has started to forget what she says and does when she goes out drinking with her friends.
Like multitudes of other people, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began gradually and continued at this level for quite some time due to the fact every once in a while she engaged in sporadic social drinking. In fact, for approximately a year, every time she went out with her coworkers to drink, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her drinking behavior, however, seemed to totally change when she divorced her husband.
In Order To Recover From the Loss of Her Husband In a More Pain Free Manner, Teresa Made Up Her Mind To Begin Going Out More Frequently With Some of Her Friends Who Love to Have Fun and Drink
Teresa got dreadfully depressed about the divorce from her husband, and as a way to stop dwelling on her negative feelings she decided to start going out more regularly with some of her friends who love to ”get down” and drink.
Quite forthrightly, Teresa concluded that having fun nearly every day by drinking and partying with her buddies would help her get beyond the divorce of her husband more quickly.
Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Substantially the More Frequently She Goes to Family Get-Togethers, Dinner Dates, Private Parties, Happy Hours, and Sporting Events With Her Pals
It didn’t take very long, nevertheless, before her drinking increased substantially the more routinely she went to and drank at private parties, family get-togethers, happy hours, dinner dates, and sporting events with her friends. Furthermore, the fact that her drinking buddies were all younger than she was and therefore able to party more intensely was one of the reasons that she didn’t direct more of her attention to her increased drinking. To be brief, she was drinking and having lots of fun just like everyone else in her group of pals without giving too much thought to the effects of her irresponsible and excessive drinking.
Yet someplace in her awareness she knew that she most likely needed alcohol rehabilitation but sidestepped the thought as much as she could.
Teresa Gets a Physical Examination, Acknowledges Her Drinking to Her Healthcare Practitioner, and Admits Her Melancholy
One late afternoon during her annual physical examination, her doctor asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to lie to her doctor, Teresa ”came clean” and said that she frequently drinks more than she should. As a matter of fact, she stated that she routinely drinks in a hazardous and irresponsible manner. Then Teresa told her healthcare professional about her depression. More plainly, she mentioned that shattered relationships commonly set off a negative sequence of events typified by increased drinking which further resulted in more dismal feelings that, in turn, resulted in even more drinking. And this is precisely what happened when her husband and she got divorced eight months ago.
When her healthcare professional heard this, he told Teresa that according to various facts and statistics on alcoholism he has been investigating, alcoholism and depression often happen in the same individual. He then told Teresa that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been studying also stress the fact that people who drink in an irresponsible and abusive manner and who also go through depression need to get treatment for both medical conditions.
Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Evaluation and For an Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Evaluation
Teresa’s physician then stated the following: “I am not trying to make a sudden analysis, but with your medical circumstances we may be dealing with two separate matters. As a consequence, I think we need to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse appraisal from my partner, Dr. Petroff, who is an alcohol abuse and alcoholism specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more related to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency is unknown, but I think that further assessment is warranted. Then I believe we probably should make an appointment for you to get a psychological exam from another one of my partners, Dr. Devor, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a deeper understanding about your pessimism and see how much your depression and drinking are interlinked.” Teresa showed her agreement with her doctor’s treatment approach and thanked him for his help. Now all she had to do was to try to lessen her drinking and get ready for her appointments.
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A Night Out With Pals From College at a Local Nightclub Leads To Excessive Drinking and Alcohol Poisoning Symptoms
June 27th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
When Janice was in high school, she had acquired a reputation as an individual who studied much of the time and who rarely, if ever, ”got down” and drank with her peers. She seemed driven to excel academically so that she would be able to pursue a career that she not only liked but one that also gave her some security from a financial perspective.
After much deliberation, in due course she made up her mind that she wanted to be a trial lawyer. In order to realize this goal, however, she would first have to get four years of undergraduate education.
After Completing High School Janice Gets Accepted Into A Renowned Undergrad University as Preparation For a Career as an Attorney
After Janice completed high school, she applied to and was accepted into a highly regarded program in religion. Her logic for this decision was that this subject would be a good springboard for law school and wouldn’t be indistinguishable from the majority of law school applicants who decide to take political science as their undergraduate major.
After graduating with a 4.0 GPA at the undergrad level, she applied to and was accepted at a celebrated law school at one of the Big 12 universities.
She liked her legal studies but from time to time she was overwhelmed with all the work that law school entailed. In much the same way as she had done in her high school and undergraduate days, nonetheless, she made buddies without much effort but very infrequently took part in social activities until the semester was over.
After Feeling Overjoyed That She Had Done Extremely Well on Her Tests, Janice Wanted to Let Her Hair Down and Do Something Enjoyable
Janice was the type of individual who worked studiously to finish what she was doing and then would take a couple of days off when she could. It just so happens, nonetheless, that a large number of the things she did between terms or during her summer vacations did not have much to do with drinking. Needless to say, Janice was anything but a partygoer. Now that her final exams for her second year in law school were over and being delighted with the fact that she had done a super job on her tests, nonetheless, she wanted to let her hair down and do something besides going to college for a change.
Drinking at a Local Nightclub Leads to Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning, Calling 911, The Emergency Number, and a Visit to An Alcohol Treatment Facility
So Janice and several of her friends from the university went to a local nightclub where they had a few shots. As the hours passed, Janice persisted in drinking without having to worry about term papers or tests the following day. As a matter of fact, Janice mentioned to her pals how much fun it was to party with her friends.
As the evening moved forward, Janice and her buddies continued to drink. If truth be told, she was having such a superb time that she didn’t want the night to come to an end. It was almost like she was making up for lost time and attempting to shove a year’s worth of merriment into a single evening. Such a “game plan,” it needs to be emphasized, does not often work. As a matter of fact, when Janice went to the restroom and vomited, her buddies started to get worried about her health.
About twenty minutes later when Janice started to slur her words, speak in a confused manner, and then pass out, however, her pals instantaneously knew that they needed to call the emergency number and ask for emergency assistance because they thought that Janice was exhibiting alcohol poisoning symptoms.
Once Janice was in the drug and alcohol rehab hospital, the head healthcare practitioner substantiated what her friends had hypothesized, namely, that Janice consumed significantly more alcohol than her body could handle and, as a consequence, she experienced an alcohol overdose
After the emergency room treatment team pumped her stomach until no gastric contents were discernible, Janice was moved to the recovery room. After staying approximately four hours in recovery, Janice was then moved to one of the regular hospital rooms. Fortunately, the most crucial part of her hospitalization had passed and all of her vital signs were back to normal.
In response to Janice’s medical situation, her buddies thoughtfully phoned her Mom and Dad. As a result, early the next day, her parents and her favorite pals went to the hospital to visit Janice and look into her medical progress.
Janice Narrowly Escapes Death, is Happy to be Alive, and Promises to Never Again Drink in an Excessive Manner
Janice was conscious of the fact that she had dodged a bullet and, as a result, was happy to be alive. Her Mom and Dad realized how hard she studied at college and how little she let herself socialize with her classmates. Nevertheless, they also knew that Janice needed to avoid hazardous drinking.
As a consequence, they recommended that in the future, whenever a drinking opportunity develops, that she always drink in moderation and responsibly. Janice was fine with this and assured her friends and her Mom and Dad that she would never again drink in an abusive and excessive manner. In her own words, “I never pondered the fact that I would become one of the alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics in the local city newspaper. I now understand that excessive and irresponsible drinking is not for me. This will never happen again.”
Fortunately, Janice was not only “school smart” but she also possessed common sense. Stated another way, she rapidly comprehended that she had made an error and decided that she would never make the same mistake again. In actual fact, she now realized that she had involved herself in “binge drinking” and that even one instance of this kind of hazardous drinking can end in a loss of life.
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Mayfield’s Suspension And Drug Use €“ The What, Who, And Why
June 23rd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
As you may be aware, NASCAR’s Jeremy Mayfield has been put on indefinite suspension after he failed two drug tests. The suspension made NASCAR news headlines after it was made known in the Darlington Raceway. Mayfield was suspended together with two other members of other teams. Today, many question what drug Mayfield was supposedly using.
Prior to the Darlington announcement, Mayfield had failed to pass one other drug test. Despite these results, Mayfield was still allowed to practice and qualify for the Darlington race. Apparently, Mayfield requested a “B†test, which he subsequently failed. On top of the suspension, Mayfield’s ownership of Mayfield Motorsports was also taken away.
At the current time, Mayfield claims all he took was OTC allergy medications combined with one prescription medication, which, in turn, caused him to flunk his drug tests. Mayfield’s protestations of innocence are yet to be proven. J.J Yeley will act as interim driver while Mayfield is disqualified from racing. In the meantime, Shana, Mayfield’s wife is now listed as the owner of the team.
The Mayfield case generated plenty of attention and inquiries. Verily, people wanted to know the specific drugs Mayfield tested positive for. “The first thing is, there should not be a mystery out. This should be public knowledge,” says 2002 NASCAR rookie Ryan Newman.
Even though Newman did not discuss his beliefs about Mayfield’s guilt or innocence, he did express a valid concern with regard to the overall situation. “I don’t know the whole story for what’s happened. Knowing what the penalty is, knowing what caused the situation is extremely important,†he clarifies.
2004 champion Kurt Busch voiced the same concerns as Newman’s. When I go into a drug testing scenario, we don’t know what the outcome can be because we don’t know what they’re testing for. It’s very open-ended…I like it (the drug testing policy), and I don’t like it at the same time,†explains Busch.
Brian Vickers and other drivers worry the absence of regulations will become a thorny issue later on. In particular, “I am afraid to take my multi-vitamin…Because you call them (NASCAR) and ask them ‘is this multi-vitamin ok?’ And their response is ‘well, I think it is, but if it tests positive, there’s nothing we can do about it’,†he shares.
Each NASCAR driver is a professional with years of experience racing and driving. Making them question as simple a thing as vitamin intake is ridiculous. NASCAR should divulge a list of prohibited substances and precisely what drugs caused Mayfield’s suspension. Sooner or later, the only way to lay to rest the issues brought about by this NASCAR news is to answer all the questions raised.
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An Impulsive High School Student Manifests Quite a Few Alcohol-Related Difficulties, Gets Removed From School, and Has to See the School Psychologist
June 22nd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Larry was a fifteen year old high school sophomore who was manifesting more than a few alcohol-related issues at school. For that reason, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school therapist, before he would be permitted to return to school.
Later that day when Larry went home after school, he had to clarify his school suspension to his parents. His Mother and Father were “relatively conservative” and told Larry that dropping out of school was not a possible educational game plan. They informed Larry that failing to graduate from high school would probably be like a lead weight around his ankles that may harm his educational aspirations for the rest of his life. What is more, Larry’s parents were extremely discontented that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his peers in the second.
His Mom and Dad explained to Larry that although he may be young, he needs to comprehend fairly rapidly that drinking is the road to financial problems, failure, pain, and ill health.
It was obvious that his Mother and Father were in total agreement with Larry’s principal and told Larry that he had better make up his mind to see Miss Johns, the school counselor. After his dialogue with his Mother and Father, Larry at long last agreed to see Miss Johns the next school day. So Larry called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johns the next morning before school.
The Psychologist Asks Larry if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior gave the School Administrators Room For Alarm
When Larry got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johns, she instantaneously went over all of the alcohol-related problems Larry had gotten into and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related actions signaled such alarm.
Quite frankly, Larry was unsure why the principal explained to him that he had to see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking situation? In view of the fact that just about all of his peers drink about as much as he does, fundamentally, drinking is no big issue. Stated more explicitly, if almost everyone is drinking, why is this such a major concern?
Miss Johns asked Larry when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older pals introduced him to drinking hard liquor when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter the seventh grade.
Miss Johns told Larry that while his buddies may in fact drink as much as he does and that they may be a bad influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting suspended from school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his buddies. In addition, Miss Johns also underlined the fact that Larry, and not his peers, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least two days of school per week because of his alcohol related difficulties. Lastly, Miss Johns underlined the fact that because of his drinking circumstances, Larry is getting into a destructive cycle of hazardous drinking that can finally ruin his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
In a word, Larry’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was starting to foil his ability to act like an accountable young man. As stated by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your friends drink wine, hard liquor, wine coolers, or beer does not mean that it is the healthiest thing in the world for you.”
Larry Learns That In the Long Run He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Avoid Destructive, Dangerous, Damaging, and Unhealthy Effects Down the Road
Miss Johns told Larry that one’s pals can undeniably influence an individual in an unhealthy manner, but that the individual himself or herself has to in time claim responsibility for herself or himself in order to avoid dangerous, unhealthy, destructive, and damaging consequences down the road.
Fortunately, Miss Johns was extremely well prepared for her scheduled time with Larry. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that summarized different drinking statistics and facts that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Larry quite a bit of information that applied particularly to underage drinkers.
For instance, Miss Johns underscored the difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse and informed Larry that individuals who continue to drink in an abusive manner habitually become addicted to alcohol.
Miss Johns also discussed the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: consuming four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking five or more drinks in one sitting for males.
The Counselor States A Number Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts
Then Miss Johns stated the following eight alcoholism facts and alcohol abuse statistics:
1. The 25.9% of adolescent drinkers in the United States who are alcohol abusers and alcohol dependent drink 47.3% of the alcohol that is ingested by all teen drinkers.
2. Fifty percent of U.S. murders are related to alcohol.
3. In 2002, U.S. alcohol dependency facts and statistics demonstrated that 2.6 million binge drinkers were between the ages of 12 and 17.
4. It is projected that more than 3 million adolescents in the United States between the ages of 14 to 17 are alcohol abusers or dependent on alcohol.
5. In the U.S., more than forty percent of those who begin drinking at the age 14 or younger become alcoholic.
6. Very few of the more than 18 million U.S. alcohol abusers receive the alcohol rehab they require.
7. Teenage drinking costs Americans nearly $53 billion annually. If each congressional district shared this cost equally, the amount would total more than $120 million per district.
8. Alcohol-related problems are unevenly found among both adult and juvenile criminal offenders.
Larry Receives An Important Wake Up Call About the Long Term and the Short Term Outcomes of Underage Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse
After Miss Johns listed the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency facts and statistics, it was clear that what Miss Johns made known to Larry was a realization for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to put in plain words the short term and the long term results of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also made the effort to back up what she was saying with alcoholism and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to everybody in general, and mainly to underage drinkers.
Undeniably, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry at once realized why he should not be engaging in hazardous and excessive drinking with or without his peers anymore. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the material she reviewed.
Miss Johns then asked Larry how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency rehab he would probably need.
Larry thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get a comprehensive physical examination and to go through a complete evaluation of his drinking circumstances so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehabilitation program as reasonable as possible.
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Reviewing The Impact Of Alcoholic Beverages
June 21st, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Alcoholic beverages have become almost as “American” as baseball and apple pie. Whether it’s Budweiser, Guinness or Sam Adams, drinking alcohol has become a social pastime for millions of Americans. However, on the downside, it has also become the #1 cause of automobile accidents, as people continually fail to follow the legal limits. Chasing that perfect buzz can be tricky, given all of the factors that influence how the body absorbs alcohol content, and there seems to be this fascination with drunken antics that pushes attention-seekers to the brinks of alcohol poisoning.
The alcoholic liver hardly resembles a healthy liver. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages often causes liver cirrhosis, fatty liver (steatosis) and chronic hepatitis — all of which are part of alcoholic liver disease. The accumulation of fat within hepatocytes can lead to inflammation and scarring. Alcoholic hepatitis is caused by over-consumption and causes the degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammation with neutrophils and even aggregations of abnormal proteins. These inner failures can manifest themselves as severe liver dysfunction — in addition to jaundice, neurological dysfunction like hepatic encephalopathy, fluid accumulation in the abdomen (ascites), bleeding of the esophagus, blood clotting and comas. Cirrhosis can lead to liver disease death, blood coagulation, jaundice, ascites, edema, bleeding esophagus and a whole host of abnormalities. Alcohol–damaged liver cells allow excess amounts of harmful byproducts to enter the brain, which is why hepatic encephalopathy is linked to binge drinking. Alcohol abusers who typically consume alcohol without eating suffer an increased risk of liver damage.
Alcohol poisoning can occur from the over-consumption of alcoholic drinks — notably beer. Typically the body can flush out alcohol in an hour or so. Drinking several beers in an hour will increase blood alcohol concentration, in which case the central nervous system’s gag reflex, heart rate and breathing capacity are all diminished, leading to choking, comas and death. Binge drinking creates the same effect in the body as drinking ethanol alcohol, rubbing alcohol or household cleaners. Someone with alcohol poisoning needs immediate medical attention, intravenous fluids, breathing support and vitamins. Symptoms can closely resemble normal inebriation, with confusion and stupor, vomiting and passing out. However, in some cases breathing becomes slow or irregular, seizures occur, the skin turns blue and the body temperature drops.
A new study revealed that roughly 50% of pregnant women in France are uneducated about the dangers of consuming alcoholic beverages while carrying an unborn baby. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most preventable prenatal disorder. Characteristics include facial abnormalities and decreased brain cell count, as well as learning and behavioral problems that can last life-long. While some people speculate that a glass of wine here and there won’t do any damage, most doctors recommend to avoid any alcoholic drink altogether when pregnant, to avoid the chance.
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