Living Free from Alcohol Addictions
Many fine people of all ages have become addicted or dependent on alcohol or some other chemical, prescribed or not. The focus of this chapter is on alcohol but the self-destructiveness and damage to oneself and one’s lifestyle are similar. Alcohol Dependency is indicated when people develop a tolerance to alcohol and experience withdrawal symptoms. Tolerance is defined as requiring more and more of the chemical in order to obtain the desired high or “buzz”. Withdrawal is defined as feeling hung over or ill when not taking the drug of choice for 4 to 12 hours. This chapter gives some real life vignettes of some the different types of people who develop drinking problems illustrating different drinking patterns that spell alcohol dependency. It defines alcoholism and gives some quizzes that allow self-assessment, such as: How Can You Tell if You Have a Drinking Problem? and Who Should Not Drink? This chapter also explains low risk drinking guidelines and what to do if you think that you may have a problem.
