Alcoholism Treatment Centers

Alcohol abuse may be a temporary problem as a reaction to anxiety or stress, but it may lead to the chronic condition of alcoholism. Currently, nearly 14 million Americans — 1 in every 13 adults — abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems.

Alcoholism is a disease, says Dr. Warwick Carter in his book The Complete Family Medical Guide. It does no good to tell an alcoholic to ‘pull yourself together.’ They need professional counseling and treatment. The biggest problem faced by families and doctors is the denial by so many alcoholics that they have a problem.

An alcoholic is someone who has three or more of the following symptoms and signs, says Dr. Carter:

• Drinks alone;
• Tries to hide drinking habits from others;
• Continues to drink despite convincing evidence that it is damaging their health;
• Disrupts work or social life because of alcohol;
• Craves alcohol when none is available;
• Appears to tolerate the effects of alcohol well;
• Blacks out for no apparent reason;
• Binges on alcohol;
• Averages six standard alcoholic drinks a day;
• Has abnormal liver function blood tests.

The social complications of alcohol are obvious and vary from the disruption of family life to poor performance at work and the risks of drunk driving. The medical effects of alcoholism can be serious to the point where they can significantly alter the quality of life and shorten the life of the alcoholic.