Connections in Recovery New York Sober Coach is someone put in place that helps an individual, who is struggling with an alcohol addiction, get back on their feet again.
Alcohol Addiction-
Although alcohol can make one more personality-friendly by giving temporary pleasurable effects such as feeling more relaxed, outgoing, an ability to “let-go,” it is not friendly to the physical chemical makeup and in the body—rather it is listed as a “depressant.” If taken in regular, large quantities where more of it is consumed than the body can handle, the negative consequences that follow can consist of:
- Slurred speech
- Vision impairment
- Lack of coordination
- Poor judgement
- Extreme shifts in mood
- Memory lapses
- Slowed breathing
- Slowed reflexes
Did you know about 16 million people who are 21 or older in the United States have used alcohol heavily in a month’s time (this includes about 5 million women)? “For women, this means drinking 4 or more drinks at the same time, or within a couple hours, on 5 or more days in a month,” says www.womenshealth.gov. “Drinking 4 or more drinks on any given day or drinking more than 7 drinks in a week raises a woman’s risk of developing alcohol use disorder.”
And, Men are up to twice as likely to develop alcoholism as women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the drinking levels among men are:
Approximately 58% of adult men report drinking alcohol in 30 days-time.
Approximately 23% of adult men report binge drinking 5 times a month, averaging 8 drinks per binge.
Men are almost two times more likely to binge drink than women.
Most (90%) people who binge drink are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent.
Overall, about 4.5% of men and 2.5% of women met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence in a year.
But no one sets out to develop an addiction.
Defining Addiction-
There are millions of people who drink alcohol socially who will never develop an addiction. And there are those who don’t drink socially, but they drink regularly enough that it’s a habit. Furthermore, because our society tolerates drinking alcohol, it’s easy for someone to welcome alcohol into their lives on a regular basis without raising an eyebrow.
The abuse of alcohol is when a person drinks in unsafe ways. This can be large amounts of it in short periods of time; an intention of getting drunk, or they might drink and combine alcohol with other substances. These are examples of alcohol abuse.
However, abusing alcohol abuse is not the same as alcoholism. When someone abuses alcohol, they put themselves at risk for developing an addiction to alcohol. However, there are many men and women who have used alcohol in unsafe ways, but who do not have an addiction.
Alcoholism is classified as an illness that develops from the habitual use of alcohol, while alcohol abuse is simply the overusing and abusing of alcohol.
Alcoholism may include all the consequences that come with alcohol abuse, such as poor health, hangovers, poor relationships, and more. Just like any illness, alcoholism has specific symptoms and characteristics that clearly indicate a person has a disorder.
For instance, according to the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholics (NIAA), there are four key signs that point to alcoholism. These are:
Cravings: You have compulsive needs to drink alcohol.
Loss of Control: You have lost the ability to stop drinking even when you want to. You feel as though you have not control of whether you drink or not.
Withdrawal Symptoms: When you’re not drinking, you begin to have symptoms of withdrawal. This indicates that your body has formed a dependence to alcohol.
Tolerance: You find that you have to drink more and more alcohol to experience the same high you once felt.
Alcoholism is considered a chronic illness that requires ongoing care and attention. Fortunately, recent research on the brain has provided great insights into the illness of alcoholism. For instance, it’s clear that addiction affects the brain in significant ways. After a period of continued consumption of alcohol, the reward circuitry in the brain creates compulsory behavior such that even when a person wants to quit drinking, they can’t.
There are some people who have a genetic predisposition to addiction and who may be more vulnerable to addiction than others. Of course, anyone who is abusing alcohol regularly is at the greatest risk for developing an addiction to alcohol.
The New York Times Magazine writes an interesting article titled “How Much Alcohol Can You Drink Safely?” To read the article, Click Here.
Connections in Recovery New York Sober Coach
If you find yourself drinking on a regular basis and especially if you have compulsory cravings to drink, it’s important to get professional help. Addiction can worsen over time. Breaking the cycle of addiction may require the support of mental health professionals.
If you’re struggling with alcoholism, a Connections in Recovery New York Sober Coach can help you by providing a Sober Companion, In-home Detox, Case Management, or put clinical team together for you.
Connections in Recovery offers Rapid Response: When we receive a call for help, there is usually only a small window of opportunity. Our nationwide and global network of addiction and mental health consulting services allows CiR to respond quickly to the client in crisis.
