Life Articles

Emily was a forty-five-year-old bookkeeper who was sick of feeling depressed everyday and fed up with her abusive and careless drinking behavior. Simply put, she missed her old drive for doing the things she liked, she was annoyed with herself for spending her hard-earned money on a useless habit, she hated the hangovers she experienced on a regular basis, she was tired of going through shattered relationship after shattered relationship because of her constant drinking, and she was sick of feeling weary every morning.

Besides the identifiable alcohol-related health difficulties she was going through, perhaps the most troublesome part of her drinking routine was the unreliable and devious individual she had turned into. In her heart of hearts she realized that she had been deceitful about her drinking activities with relatives, friends, and family and she also knew she had been lying to herself about the "beneficial" effects of drinking. What is more, she rationalized gulping four or five alcoholic beverages before going to social activities and she also rationalized needing several drinks as soon as she got up so that she could manage the "tension" at work. Stated briefly, Emily got to a special time in her life during which she understood that she hit rock bottom and was now ready to start the gradual and slow road to health.

One of basic ways that Emily put her "plan" into operation was by requesting a transfer at work. When her request was approved, she moved 600 miles away to a new state. If nothing else, this beyond doubt made making new pals and dissociating herself from her old friends and pals easier. Then she went to see a healthcare professional in her new town and scheduled an appointment for a thorough examination.

After meeting with the healthcare professional and going through a number of laboratory tests, it was concluded that Emily had made the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction and consequently, needed alcohol treatment and alcohol detoxification. At this difficult time, her physician made it a point to review the various alcoholic symptoms and the usual symptoms of alcoholism. In addition to taking a lot of time focusing on Emily's alcoholism symptoms, her healthcare practitioner also told Emily that it was discovered that she was clinically depressed and in need of treatment for her medical problem.

Due to her willingness to follow through with the rehabilitation program, after seven weeks of inpatient treatment, Emily was ready to start rehab on an outpatient basis. At this time, she began working at her new job and over a period of a few weeks began revitalizing her body by taking vitamins and minerals, working out, eating nutritious foods, drinking distilled water, and living an alcohol-free lifestyle.

After about eight weeks of outpatient treatment during which time she never went through an alcohol relapse, Emily stopped going to alcohol counseling and instead began going four times per week to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Going to these meetings helped Emily continue her alcohol-free lifestyle, they provided her with the support she wanted, and they served as a constant reminder of the destructive consequences that are linked to careless and excessive drinking. Compared with her life just a few short months ago, life was now enjoyable and full of possibilities that she could have never wished for or achieved while while she was troubled with abusive and excessive drinking behavior.