Is it true that alcohol affects sexual performance and harm an unborn babies?
As well as being directly related to many serious diseases, drinking large amounts of alcohol can also lead to poor sexual performance, and it can harm an unborn baby. If you have an alcohol related problem, there are many ways in which you can get help to reduce your drinking, and there are also many services that you can use that will help you stop altogether. Definition The problems associated with alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, are wide ranging, and can be physical, psychological, and social.
Is rehab a cure for addiction?
There is no definitive cure for addiction. However, rehab can provide patients with the skills needed to successfully manage their addiction and remain sober. Recovery from addiction is never over and patients will need to work on their ability to avoid relapse for the rest of their lives. A high quality addiction rehab programme sets patients up for this process.
Am I an alcoholic? The difference between casual drinking and alcohol addiction
The stereotypical of view of the alcoholic as a homeless, jobless bum with a bottle always in hand can be true, and it can also be a completely different picture from the reality for many alcoholics. There’s no such thing as a ‘typical’ alcoholic, and you might not fit the stereotype at all. You might think you’re in perfect control of your drinking because you only drink at night and you can still hold down a job and pretend to your family that you only drink half as much as you really do.
But if you really can’t stop, no matter how much you try, you’re still an alcoholic.
What’s the difference between just enjoying a casual drink, alcohol abuse and alcoholism?
Most people can enjoy a casual night out with friends, have one or two drinks and then stop, and they might not drink again for several days. They enjoy a drink, but they don’t NEED it.
With someone who abuses alcohol, they have a pattern of drinking heavily, perhaps even to the point of blacking out, and of out of character behaviour due to the alcohol. They can’t stop this behaviour even when they know all about the negative consequences for their health, and about the effects it can have on their family and friends.
An alcoholic, on the other hand, is dependent on alcohol, and has a compulsion to drink. If they try to stop, their brain and body have become so used to alcohol being present that they begin to suffer from withdrawal symptoms, and the only way – in their mind – to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms is to have another drink.
What is excessive drinking?
There are two different types:
Binge drinking: This is where people drink a very large amount in a short period of time. People tend to talk about doing a pub crawl, or going out on the razz among other phrases, and they deliberately aim to drink as much as possible to get very drunk. For women, the definition of binge drinking is of having four or more drinks during a two-hour period, and for men the definition is five drinks or more within two hours.
Heavy drinking: Heavy drinking is defined by exceeding the government guidelines for alcohol over the period of a week, on a regular basis. For people under 65, it’s defined as having more than 14 drinks per week, or four drinks every day, and for the over 65s, the definition is having more than seven drinks per week, or more than three drinks every day.
Ten warning signs that you could be an alcoholic
If you’re worried about your own drinking or about someone else, take a look at our list of possible symptoms below and see if you recognise anything:
Do you feel guilty about your drinking?
Do you crave alcohol?
Do you start to drink first thing in the morning?
Do you drink by yourself and hide what you are doing?
Are you unable to stop drinking if you try, or control how much you drink?
Are you irritable, with severe mood swings?
Do you prioritise your drinking over your life, ignoring your job and your family in order to drink?
Do you suffer from withdrawal symptoms if you stop drinking?
Have you stopped doing other activities and hobbies that you used to enjoy because you are focusing on drinking?
Are you still drinking, despite it causes health problems for you, or getting you into debt, or causing problems with your family and friends?
Does too much of that seem familiar? If it does, just know that you aren’t alone. So many people suffer from alcoholism and find the strength and the courage to reach out and ask for help, and you can too.
Serenity Rehab Clinics are available around the country, and we have highly trained and experienced staff who’ve completed a rehab programme themselves and now help others to do the same.
All you need to do is pick up the phone and talk to us for free advice, and if you choose to stay at one of our clinics, we can have you settled in on the same day and receiving help to get you on the road to recovery.
And if you’re worried about a loved one, again, just pick up the phone. We’re very happy to offer free advice to family and friends who may be hoping to help someone they care about.
