Alcoholism Requires Recognition And Treatment

He was only about fifty-eight years old when he died. My formerboss was an alcoholic. In fact, I doubt he could functionwithout a drink. He was in the restaurant business and he couldbe seen mixing it up with patrons always obviously drunk. Yet,he was a highly 'functional' alcoholic. He made a flamingdessert drink for the customers.Alcoholism hurts people, it damages lives and the addiction isa leech that controls and dominates the person it is attachedto. Alcohol treatment can help, but it can only help if theperson wants to change.My former boss was a really nice guy. He had a really nicefamily, lived in a nice place and was successful in his field.I liked him, I liked his family. Maybe one of the lessons hetaught me was to never take up his bad habit.Not too long ago, I ran into a young woman. She was verybeautiful. When I saw her 6 months later her face had beenscarred by an automobile accident. Her boyfriend was drivingdrunk. He felt so guilty about it that he agreed to go to arehab center to get his drug and alcohol problem under control.Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy had to happen for them towake up to the reality of their problem.I knew another guy when I served in the Navy, he was one of thefunniest people I'd ever met. But he had to have a drink all ofthe time. To me, one of the worst things in the world is to beso dependent on a substance that you can't function without it.He was young then. Many years have passed and I wonder what kindof shape he is in today.A former high school classmate was the president of S.A.D.D.(Students Against Drunk Driving). Just two months or so beforegraduation she was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Shedidn't get to see her own graduation except maybe from above.The list goes on and on. I'm sure you have your own list ofalcohol related situations and problems to draw from. Everyonedoes, because the problem of alcohol abuse and addiction iswide spread.Is it possible to break an addiction to alcohol? The answer isyes, but the addicted person needs to be willing to do so. Ifhe or she is not willing, not much can be done. Unfortunately,before a person can be willing to do so, he needs to admit tohimself and others that he actually has a problem.Our society and culture make it far too easy to explain away analcohol problem or to hide the fact from others or worse, fromone's self. The critical factor to getting help and removingthe addiction or at least controlling it is the person himself.The willingness to change has to be there coupled withrecognition that the problem exists.Growing up in an environment littered with alcoholics makes iteven more difficult to recognize alcoholism as a problem. Thisperson may have grown up thinking that excessive alcohol use isnormal.The health of the physical body can be seriously damaged. Theliver is very important to a person's survival and alcoholabuse can damage that vital organ.Finding a good alcohol treatment program can help immensely.Getting away from the enabling environment that contributes toalcoholism can be very beneficial to the alcoholic's recovery.If you have an addiction or any kind of health problem or thinkyou might, please contact your physician for proper diagnosisand treatment.About The Author: David Snape writes for To Be Informed. Readmore about more about addiction athttp://www.tobeinformed.com/8/ You can also ask Dave a questionthere.