Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse
In every country of Europe, there are parents worrying about the alcohol their children are consuming, there are wives and children who live in fear of the husband who will come home drunk.
In cities where there’s active nightlife and dance clubs, the threat to the public may be even higher. But one of the most unfortunate characteristics of alcohol abuse, dependence or addiction is that the drinker himself or herself may be the last one to realize how much damage is being done.
Alcohol abuse exists when a person suffers damage to financial situation, health, relationships, school, work or other parts of life but they continue to drink. Alcohol abuse becomes addiction when the person has developed a tolerance to alcohol, that is, that they must drink much more than they used to, to get the same effect. If they stop drinking, they will experience withdrawal symptoms. A very heavy drinker can have such severe withdrawal symptoms that their very life can be in danger.
If you are wondering if there is a problem with a person’s drinking, check for these signs and symptoms:
- Do they go to work, school or other events drunk or hung over?
- Do they drink despite the fact that they will be driving later?
- Have they suffered illnesses or injuries related to drinking?
- Do they have blackouts after drinking?
- Do they have a physical condition that would be worsened by drinking but they still drink?
- Have they acknowledged a problem with their drinking and perhaps even promised to stop but not changed a thing?
Problem Drinking Patterns
Watch for these patterns of problem drinking. If these patterns persist, you need to seek alcohol rehabilitation help for your friend or loved one!
He (or she) plans activities around the ability to drink or only associates with other people who drink. If a spouse opposes the drinking, he may start avoiding that person or staying away from home.
He will have excuses and blame for others for the drinking. If job performance is impaired due to drinking, he is likely to try to make it someone else’s fault or say that “my boss is mean and unfair,” “my boss has it in for me,” or similar comments.
If someone tries to get him to stop, he may accuse them of trying to stop him from having fun, relaxing, etc. He may turn the tables on the person trying to get him to stop drinking and go on the offensive. He may blame the person trying to help him for causing him to need to drink. If you are trying to help save his (or her) life by getting the drinking to stop, recognize that you are not in the wrong. You just need help.
Contact your nearest Narconon centre in Europe to get professional help in this situation. The Intake Counselors at your nearest center can advise you on how to proceed in this tricky situation.
You can make this situation better. A Narconon center in Europe can help you find a long-term alcohol addiction recovery center with a high rate of success.