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Symptoms Of Alcoholism |
The excessive and inappropriate use of alcohol
This means drinking too much, at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons. (E.g. The alcoholic will drink when others have stopped, will drink before a party in case there is insufficient supply, and will be drunk at important occasions when people are relying on him/her). The alcoholic will drink beyond the point of common sense and social acceptability.
The presence of increased tolerance and the presence of withdrawal symptoms on abstinence
The alcoholic is able to tolerate increased amounts of alcohol to achieve the desired effect. He/ she experiences discomfort, to a greater or lesser extent, when alcohol use is stopped abruptly. Resuming the use of alcohol will bring an end to this discomfort.
Life becomes Unmanageable
As a result of excessive and inappropriate alcohol use the alcoholic develops problems in various areas of life (e.g. family or marital conflicts, job problems, accidents, financial problems, or health problems).
Loss of control (Powerlessness)
The alcoholic loses the ability to their use of alcohol with any predictability. The alcoholic may make repeated promises to stop and then fail. It is worth noting that the alcoholic is sincere in these intentions and genuinely wants to stop, but because they are powerless, their best efforts are doomed to failure. They may have a period of success, and may appear to control their drinking but this cannot be sustained with any certainty.
Denial
Denial is an unconscious defense mechanism, delusional or distorted thinking which protects the alcoholic from realizing that there is a problem. It is this mechanism that allows the alcohol problem to get so bad before anything is done about it. There are several kinds of denial:
- Simple denial (i.e. flatly denying there is a problem)
- Blaming others for his/her problem
- Minimizing the extent of the problem
- Rationalizing, finding excuses and justifying your drinking
- Comparing yourself to others with a worse problem
- Becoming angry and defensive when the subject is discussed.
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