The medical establishment defines numerous diseases and illnesses as “silent killers.” Diseases like high blood pressure, mesothelioma, osteoporosis, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol, diabetes and many kinds of cancer such as rectal cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer are quite well known silent killers.

These medical disorders are known as silent killers due to the fact that early on in the medical disease there are commonly few if any symptoms to validate the fact that a problem exists. Then as the disease develops, nevertheless, and as the medical difficulties begin to become known, a medical crisis can take place.

Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Is a Silent Killer

I contend that alcohol abuse is also a silent killer. Indeed, some people can drink for a considerable number of years without going through any major alcohol related problems in their lives. When excessive and abusive drinking is repeated over time, it can be noted, destructive alcohol effects become more observable and more demanding. Maybe the best illustration about which I am talking occurs in the transition from alcohol abuse to alcoholism.

Without a doubt, several alcohol related issues can be masked and fairly well hidden while a person involves himself or herself in excessive and irresponsible drinking. When the individual actually becomes a chronic alcohol abuser or an alcoholic, it can be stressed, dangerous alcohol effects become quite perceptible and more serious. Regrettably, this info about alcoholism and alcohol abuse doesn’t appear to be talked about as much as it should be.

Areas in Life That are Negatively Affected by Excessive Drinking Over Time

What are some of the areas in life that are negatively affected over time by continuous excessive and irresponsible drinking? In the beginning, when people involve themselves in heavy and hazardous drinking, they are commonly unaware of what their alcohol abuse is doing to their jobs, to their finances, to their relationships, to their mental health, and to their health.

As the irresponsible and abusive drinking continues, however, it often results in friendship, relationship, marital, communication, and commitment problems and often results in divorce and affairs. In a similar manner, many, if not most heavy drinkers eventually go through alcohol induced health problems such as a loss of energy, hangovers, sleep disturbances, and alcohol poisoning. Other alcohol induced medical issues include the following: sexual problems, nerve damage, vitamin deficiency, liver disease, and stomach ulcers.

Furthermore, many, if not most alcohol abusers in the end suffer from alcohol related financial difficulties. Strangely enough, while several problem drinkers complain about their financial circumstances, they often make their financial situation more problematic by spending more of their money on alcoholic beverages.

In a similar way, irresponsible and excessive drinking often leads to stress management, time management, and anger management difficulties. Additionally, many, if not most alcohol abusers, because of their excessive and hazardous drinking, eventually manifest employment problems such as showing up late for work, absenteeism, alcohol related accidents, making mistakes on the job, and poor performance evaluations.

In addition, heavy and hazardous drinking in due course leads to different mental health problems such as depression, obsession, denial, anxiety, and extreme mood swings. And finally, it should come as no shock that people who involve themselves in alcohol abuse can get a “drunk while driving arrest” almost any night or day of the week due to their abusive and hazardous drinking and driving.

The Bottom Line

The moral of the story is this: individuals who engage in abusive drinking need to learn how to drink in moderation and responsibly or get the alcohol detox and the alcohol rehabilitation they require. This is important for people who involve themselves in hazardous drinking so that they can either drink responsibly and in moderation or begin to live an alcohol-free life and avoid the host of alcohol induced predicaments stated above. Undoubtedly, receiving quality alcohol abuse help will be important along these lines.

It is also significant for people who involve themselves in heavy drinking to either figure out how to drink responsibly and in moderation or totally abstain from drinking so that they can steer clear a life of alcoholism. In short, people who abuse alcohol need to refrain from abusive drinking so that they can stay away from the alcohol related silent killers that are correlated with hazardous and irresponsible drinking. Again, getting professional alcohol abuse rehab will clearly go a long way toward achieving this goal.

Barry used to boast to his drinking buddies how he could work at a challenging and fulltime job and get drunk virtually every night. Regrettably, after involving himself in this destructive lifestyle for roughly seven years, he started to notice a variety of alcohol related difficulties.

Barry Begins to Notice Several Alcohol Related Issues

For instance, he had a very hard time getting up for work because he felt so tired when he got up. Moreover, just about every morning Barry had a terrible hangover. In a word, the mixture of his hangovers and his lack of get-up-and-go did not make it easy for him to get up and feel like he wanted to go to work. To add fuel to the fire, he recently received his second driving under the influence citation in the past six months.

To further complicate things, at work his last two performance appraisals were less than adequate. And finally, his relationship with his girlfriend had deteriorated due to his lack of patience, financial difficulties, angry outbursts, and his depression.

Though Barry was only twenty-eight years old, he frankly started to look like he was in his early forties. Sadly, this is what abusive and careless drinking can do to an individual. And in all candor he understood that he was experiencing the adverse outcomes of alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse and that he was too young to give up his life to careless and abusive drinking. So at first he tried to drink in moderation. Sadly, he soon found out that he lost all control after ingesting his first drink. Stated another way, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get drunk. Due to the fact that this was a situation that was repeated again and again, this greatly worried him. In actual fact, he started to wonder if he was manifesting some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Barry Makes up His Mind To Schedule an Appointment to See His Doctor

After discussing his excessive alcohol consumption and his unhealthy drinking with his girlfriend, he eventually made up his mind to schedule an appointment to see his family doctor. When Barry saw his physician, he frankly declared that he has been drinking in a hazardous manner, that he may be exhibiting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to stop drinking. He then declared that drinking responsibly and in moderation doesn’t seem to work for him and, consequently, he wants to learn how he can create an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Barry also told his family doctor about his depression and how this mental health problem was adversely influencing his relationship with his girlfriend. His healthcare practitioner referred Barry to Doctor Greer, an alcohol and drug addiction therapist, who influenced Barry to register in an alcohol and drug rehab center as an in-patient for alcohol detoxification and alcohol treatment. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get treatment for his depression at this treatment clinic.

Refraining From Drinking Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made

After four months of rigorous rehabilitation, Barry left the in-patient rehabilitation clinic and continued his recovery via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and via outpatient counseling. Inspired to change his life in a healthier manner, Barry went to a health store and bought some vitamins and a cookbook. He then joined a fitness center and started working out three or four times per week. Within six months Barry was a new individual. He wasn’t depressed anymore, he was in shape, he was eating nutritious meals, he now looked younger than he was, and most important of all, he remained sober for numerous months. He also became more patient, he didn’t resort to angry outbursts, and he became a more caring individual in his relationship with his girlfriend. Stated simply, stopping drinking was the best decision Barry had ever made.

Warren is a sixty-year-old man who is the top administrator in the human resources department at a large steel plating company. To lessen the costs related to excessive sick days, increasing absenteeism, work related injuries, employee alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and poor employee work performance, Warren and the other company executives created some programs that made the work environment substantially more healthy, safe, and more productive.

As an example, ten years ago Warren and the other members of top management initiated an Employee’s Assistance Program so that all the employees had access to top shelf therapy for their personal problems that could adversely influence their health, personal well-being, and their work performance.

The Company Executives Assemble a New Workout and Exercise Room Complete With Exercise Equipment, Exercise Charts, Weights, a Personal Trainer During Business Hours, Mirrors, and Scales

As another illustration, just about nine years ago Warren and the other company administrators built a technologically advanced exercise and workout room complete with mirrors, exercise charts, a personal trainer during business hours, weights, many different types of exercise equipment, and scales.

Moreover, about three years ago Warren and the other company executives invested in a distillation system that filters all the drinking water that is available in the building complex. In a similar manner, three years ago, Warren and the other company leaders started a “walking club” that is primarily intended for employees who want to enhance their cardiovascular system.

The VIPs Launch a Weight-Watchers Class and Employ a Weight-Loss Professional to Supervise the Program

As another example, about a year-and-a-half ago, Warren and the other company leaders developed a “Weight-Watchers” class that at present meets every weekday at 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM. In addition, the company administrators hired a weight-loss healthcare professional to run the program.

In much the same way, a year-and-a-half ago Warren and the other company leaders implemented a “Stop Smoking Club” for employers who want to learn how to quit smoking.

In the last twelve months, in conjunction with the Employee’s Assistance Program, Warren and the other members of top management launched an “Anger Management” class for workers who want to learn how to better control their anger issues.

The Company Leaders Put Into Operation a Drug and Alcohol Testing Program

In the last three-and-a-half months, Warren and the other VIPs initiated a drug and alcohol testing program that is associated with their drug and alcohol abuse prevention program. In truth, Warren is the main person in the company responsible for getting the message out to all the workers about the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program as well as the drug and alcohol testing program.

One of the key elements of the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program is a class entitled “Alcoholism and Depression” that meets every Monday after work. The basic idea with this class is informing employees that abusive drinking and depression often happen in the same person. It is hoped that comprehending this information will be able to help a person address both medical problems and get the alcohol therapy and mental health therapy he or she needs.

The VIPs Initiate an Alcohol Statistics and Facts Class

Another relatively recent enhancement to the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program is a class entitled “Alcohol Statistics and Facts.” The reasoning behind this alcohol statistics facts class is the reality that quite a few individuals fail to recognize the full impact of the effects of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency without first reading about some of the alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics that are available. As a result, one of the objectives of this class is to provide various alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency statistics and facts to help workers gain a better understanding of the many of difficulties that are correlated with excessive and abusive drinking and how they can stop these difficulties from occurring.

Most recently, Warren and the other members of top management, via feedback from employees, created a class that focuses directly on acute drinking entitled “What is Alcoholism”? This class meets every Tuesday morning an hour-and-a-half before work and focuses predominantly on the differences between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction, on the stages of alcoholism, and on the forms of therapy that are available for people who have alcohol drinking problems such as people who drink in an excessive manner.

Even though every single one of these health and preventative maintenance programs was relatively expensive, the company administrators feel that they are many thousands of dollars ahead by providing all of their workers with more productive, safe, and healthy working conditions.

Teresa was a thirty-one-year-old fashion designer who knew that she had some problems with her drinking. For example, within the past five months she has felt the need to have a drink or two before going to work, two months ago she failed a random saliva alcohol test where she is employed, two weeks ago she got pulled over by the police for a DWI, and last but not least, for about three months she has begun to forget what she does and says when she drinks with her buddies.

Similar to other people, Teresa’s alcohol involvement started out at a “snail’s pace” and stayed at this level for quite a long time due to the fact at times she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In point of fact, for almost a year, every time she went out to drink, she made sure to drink moderately. Something about her drinking, however, seemed to totally change when she got divorced.

In Order To Endure the Breakup of Her Husband More Rapidly, Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Begin Hanging Out More Regularly With Some of Her Buddies Who Love to Whoop it Up and Drink

Teresa got dreadfully disheartened about the breakup with her husband, and as a way to refrain from fixating on her negative emotions she arrived at a decision that she would begin hanging around more regularly with some of her buddies who love to have fun and drink.

Quite forthrightly, Teresa truly believed that having fun nearly every day by getting a “buzz” by drinking with her buddies would help her get over the breakup of her husband in a less wearisome manner.

Stress, Time, and Anger Management Issues

Teresa also reasoned that getting an alcohol “buzz” with her friends would help her avoid her stress, time, and anger management issues.

Teresa’s Drinking Increases Significantly the More Habitually She Goes to Sporting Events, Private Parties, Family Get-Togethers, Dinner Dates, and Happy Hours With Her Pals

It didn’t take long, nevertheless, before her drinking escalated significantly the more habitually she went to and drank at private parties, dinner dates, family get-togethers, sporting events, and happy hours with her friends. In addition, the fact that her drinking friends were all quite a few years younger than she was and therefore able to party and drink more intensely was one of the reasons why she didn’t concentrate more on her increased drinking. In a word, she was having a great time drinking just like everyone else in her group of buddies without paying much attention to the negative effects of her irresponsible drinking.

Yet somewhere in her awareness she realized that she more likely than not needed alcohol rehabilitation but sidestepped the thought as much as she could.

Teresa Gets a Physical Examination, Admits Her Abusive and Excessive Drinking to Her Physician, and Owns up to the Facts About Her Melancholy

One afternoon during her annual physical examination, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to lie to her doctor, Teresa owned up to the fact that she often drinks more than she should. In point of fact, she said that she routinely drinks in an abusive and irresponsible manner. Then Teresa informed her doctor about her melancholy. More specifically, she stated that broken relationships commonly initiated a dismal progression of events typified by increased drinking which further resulted in more negative feelings that, in turn, led to even more drinking. And this is precisely what took place when her husband and she got divorced eight months ago.

When her healthcare practitioner heard this, he informed Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was investigating, alcoholism and depression often occur in the same individual. He then told Teresa that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been studying also underline the fact that individuals who drink in an abusive and hazardous manner and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical conditions.

Teresa’s Doctor Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Appraisal

Teresa’s healthcare professional then stated the following: “I am not trying to make an unprofessional analysis, but with your medical circumstances we may be dealing with two separate matters. Consequently, I think we should make an appointment for you to get an alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse assessment from my partner, Dr. Rosenberg, who is an alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction specialist. Whether your drinking situation is more linked to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency is unknown at this time, but I think that further evaluation is required. Then I believe we need to schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological examination from another one of my partners, Dr. Danko, who is a clinical psychologist. I want to get a deeper understanding about your melancholy and see how much your depression and drinking are interrelated.” Teresa showed her agreement with her healthcare professional’s treatment approach and thanked him for his time and assistance.

Teresa Confronts the Sexuality Issues and the Conflict When She Was Married

In all honesty, Teresa now experienced a sense of personal happiness and self esteem because she finally became inspired to do something constructive about her abusive and excessive drinking and her depression. Not only this, but Teresa also realized that after alcohol rehabilitation she would be more able to manage the sexuality difficulties and the conflict when she was married. Now all she had to do was to try to trim down on her drinking and wait for her appointments.