Alcohol is as serious as any drug that is out there on the streets or in our pharmacies. Alcohol still remains the most highly abused drugs in the United States today. Many family members, friends, employers, and the alcoholic themselves should look out for some of the warning signs of alcoholism. We have listed a few of them below:
Blackouts | Blackouts can be defined as the inability to recall past events while drinking. It has actually been defined as a form of amnesia. There are two types of blackouts that are caused by alcohol. Both are equally very dangerous. En-bloc blackouts are when the person drinking cannot recall anything that happened during the intoxication period. Fragmented blackouts are when someone has gaps in the time period of intoxication.
There is no set amount of alcohol that produces the blackout experience in any one person. Some studies that have been done report that as many as 92% of alcoholics have reported having blackouts during their days and years of drinking.
Can’t Go Without Alcohol | The alcoholic makes a tremendous amount of “deals” with themselves. They know that they are drinking too much and that is when they start to try and regulate when they are going to drink. Many say that they won’t drink in the morning, at work, or in front of family members. The outcome is usually that they have no control over these promises they make to themselves and they have lost all control of when they are going to drink.
Relationship Issues | With alcoholic drinking comes problems with almost everyone in the life of an alcoholic. They often times have trouble with their employers. Many times they go from job to job because they have either quit or been fired from their jobs and the cause either directly or indirectly related to alcohol. Family problems almost always arise with the alcoholic. Frightened spouses, children, and parents usually come with the disease of alcoholism.
Detox Signs | When an alcoholic tries to quit drinking on their own they will experience some very uncomfortable physical and mental signs. Trembling, sweating, insomnia, nausea, and seizures are some of the characteristics that will show when someone’s body is craving alcohol. The mental side of detox includes anger, violent behavior, anxiety, and depression.
Clearbrook has been treating the disease of alcoholism since 1972. Alcohol addiction must be treated by professionals. Alcohol withdrawal and detox is potentially fatal if it is not handled by medical professionals. Clearbrook offers a state of the art, medically licensed, inpatient detox unit. Please call our Admissions Staff with any questions or concerns related to alcohol addiction.
