Your drinking is growing out of control. It started as a drink after work at the local bar until one drink became two or three. You told yourself that you could stop at any time. However, you find yourself drinking too much alcohol almost every day. You’re stocking your refrigerator at home with beer and find that it’s disappearing at an alarming pace. You can’t get the same results from a six pack. Now you need something stronger and the liquor store is too convenient. You have to drink each day to simply function and stopping is out of the question. It’s starting to get in the way of work and your relationships. You need help.
The Pitfalls of Drinking Too Much Alcohol
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, you’re headed for trouble when you cross the line from moderate drinking to heavy drinking. Signs that you are drinking too much alcohol include:
- Drinking more than 4 drinks a day if you are a man
- Drinking more than 3 drinks a day if you are a woman
- You are a man and you have more than 14 drinks on a weekly basis
- You are a woman and you have more than 7 drinks on a weekly basis
- You often take part in binge drinking, consuming 4 or more drinks in a two hour period
If your life is revolving around that next drink, you have a serious problem. You are putting your health on the line.
Drinking Too Much Alcohol: What are the Risks?
Each time that you go too far with drinking, you are putting your health at risk. Serious ramifications can occur down the line from excessive consumption of alcohol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 90,000 Americans die each year from extreme alcohol exposure. Over a million visits are made to the emergency room and the expenses are skyrocketing to more than $220 billion. It’s too high a price to pay and you could face the following:
- Injury to yourself or others while you are impaired by alcohol
- Violent actions that are beyond your control
- Miscarriage or an infant with birth defects if you are pregnant while drinking excessively
- Alcohol poisoning
- Higher risk of stroke
- Higher risk of serious heart conditions
- Neurological disorders
- Liver disease
- An increased risk of cancer
Alcoholism is Not a Problem to be Faced Alone
If you realize that you are trapped in the vicious cycle of excessive drinking, you need to stop before it is too late. There are a wide range of inpatient rehabilitation centers that can assist you in this fight. Don’t try to tough it out on your own. Alcohol is one of the most difficult drugs to conquer because it is legal and so easy to obtain. Alcohol is everywhere around you and the temptation will be too great to get more when you attempt to break free. When you enter a rehab facility, you will benefit from the following:
- You’ll no longer have access to alcohol
- You will be able to focus on your health, becoming the top priority in life
- Compassionate professionals will assist you through withdrawal
The withdrawal process is tough, a period when you will feel physically ill. As your body eliminates the toxins that have been building up in your system, you will be filled with an intense craving for alcohol. Nausea, shaking uncontrollably, and a feeling of anxiety are common effects of withdrawal. If you are on your own during this difficult period, you are much more likely to get yourself another drink to make yourself feel better.
When you enter a rehabilitation facility, you can rest assured that someone will be with you every step of the way to help you endure this challenging phase. From that point forward, you will be able to concentrate on learning new coping mechanisms in order to have a lifetime of sobriety.
