Alcohol - Addiction
- Mar 13, 2006 - comment
“There were distinct stages in my journey with alcoholism. At first I was unaware of and denied having any problem. Gradually I recognized that I was drinking too much, and I felt a sense of failure and personal disappointment. As my dependence on alcohol increased, I struggled to maintain an outward appearance of composure in front of my family, friends, and colleagues. Eventually I surrendered control to the substance itself.”
Andrew DeJong and Martin Doot, Dying for a Drink (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), 3.
“Ethyl alcohol, when taken into the body, goes almost immediately into the bloodstream and up to the brain. It begins to affect the cortex of the brain, the location of higher brain centers that have to do with memory, conscience, and judgment. The anesthetic effect of alcohol slows a man’s reactions measurably. It decreases his ability to judge distances and to tell the difference between visual and auditory stimuli.”
Jerry Dunn, God Is for the Alcoholic (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 26.
How does one help an alcoholic who wants to stop drinking break the cycle of addiction?
- Encourage the alcoholic in his desire to stop drinking.
- Help him face his problem.
- Provide him with the medical care that he needs. See that he gets a complete physical checkup.
- Help him understand that he can’t overcome alcohol addiction by himself.
- Introduce him to the power of God.
- Teach him to keep in daily touch with God’s power.
Jerry Dunn, God Is for the Alcoholic (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 69.
A person is considered to be “dependent” on a substance if three or more of the following characteristics are present over a 12-month time period:
- Tolerance, needing increased doses.
- Withdrawal, becoming physically ill when not using the substance.
- Extension, taking the substance over a longer period of time than intended.
- Failing in efforts to cut down, even knowing use is causing physical or psychological trouble.
- Spending excessive time getting the substance or recovering from its effects.
- Giving up professional or social activities because of substance abuse.
“Are you Hooked?” http://www.usatoday.com , August 14, 2002 [Access fee required]
“According to the aggregated data, 63 percent of Americans report that they drink alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine, or beer, while 37 percent totally abstain. Men are more likely than women to drink (69 percent vs. 58 percent), and adults under 50 are substantially more likely than adults over 50 to drink (70 percent of adults aged 18 to 49 drink alcoholic beverages, as do only 54 percent of those over 50).
“So how much do American drinkers drink? According to the Gallup data, the mean number of drinks that male drinkers consume in a week is 6.6 (about one per day), compared with 2.9 for female drinkers (less than half a drink per day). Seven percent of female drinkers report having eight or more drinks in the past seven days—the CDC standard for ‘excessive drinking’ among women. Twenty-one percent of male drinkers report consuming 10 or more drinks in the last seven days, including 9 percent who said they drank 20 or more—well over the ‘excessive drinking’ limit for men.”
Rick Blizzard, “Americans and Alcohol: Drink, Drank, Drunk?” http://www.Gallup.com , August 24, 2004 [Subscription required]
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Substance Abuse