Alcohol Addiction is Real And Dangerous

Alcohol has thoroughly entwined itself into the United State’s way of life, and indeed into the very fabric of culture in the sunshine state. There’s a drinks menu at most restaurants, resplendent with signature cocktails and seasonal microbrews. At some places that people go to eat there are “passports” to track which beers or cocktails you’ve tried. You may even get a prize if you order them all! Nearly every single holiday has some ‘spirited’ traditions – at the Fourth of July you drink home brew with your buds while you watch the fireworks and eat hotdogs, for Thanksgiving you end up wasted on hot apple cider with rum or whiskey, and at Christmas any number of different seasonal holiday beverages may catch your favor such as hot buttered rum, eggnog, wine, and see you finish off your christmas losing your christmas lunch because you were a little too much in the holiday spirit.

Sporting events are just as bad. The Super Bowl is notorious, and you can’t watch any sporting event at all it seems without a constant bombardment from beer ads, and the expectation that you’ve got a cold one in your hand through the whole game. But the culture of alcohol doesn’t end at holidays and Monday Night Football games or the Sunday afternoon baseball games.

The assumption when a person goes out to socialize with colleagues after hours, for instance going out for happy hour just after work, is that it will happen in a bar where everyone can drink their work stress away. The assumption seems to be if one drinks enough alcohol, one can wade through all of the expectation, anxiety, and heavy responsibilities that work has set upon one’s shoulders and finally be able to get to know your coworkers as yourself for once, instead of your work self. This doesn’t happen, of course, because alcohol is a mind altering drug like most substances that cause inebriation.

It is not possible for the substance to make you more like yourself, no matter how many long island iced teas that you have. No matter how many IPA’s you tip back. But this doesn’t even taken into account the way we drink at work. Our start up culture is right out of an episode of a Mad Men. Full bars stocked by the company, kegs, ping pong tables to play a game while you sip your beer or cocktail, and even shot glasses if you prefer to go to the bar, take a few shots, and get back to working on that vital report that is due before you leave. People work later and more intensely and business want to keep their employees in a mind set that they can have every comfort they need right there in the office – including their alcohol.

Even mom blogs, which have become a kind of institution unto themselves, are full of women regaling stories of getting together with their besties, draining countless bottles of wine every day and laughing about their “drinking problem” as if the idea that they may have a drinking problem, evidence by them drinking bottles of wine every day, were rediculous, or worse irrelevant. Alcohol abuse is far from irrelevant. In spite of it’s ubiquitousness in our society and the fact that it is a legal substance, alcohol is a very serious intoxicant and those who suffer from an addiction to it suffer greatly from serious side effects. Just like with other drugs like meth, or opioids, it is completely possible to suffer from an alcohol overdose, end up with a trip to the ER due to alcohol poisoning, or to even drink oneself to death. Alcohol is more dangerous than most anyone is willing to admit. Instead modern day society has begun to underestimate alcohol and see it as a necessary way of dealing with everyday life.

Is It Possible To Survive In Our Culture and Remain Sober?

Perhaps you have already gone through a South Florida recovery center. You’ve asked for help, found the best treatment facilities in Florida and narrowed it down to the right program for you. You went through medically supervised alcohol detox, moved on to rehabilitation and are your feet are planted squarely on a path to active recovery with continuing relapse prevention therapies, and a great support group. Or maybe you haven’t been to drug detox or to rehab but you know that you have a hereditary predisposal to addiction, and you’ve noticed yourself reaching for a drink a little more often than you really want to, but perhaps it feels like it isn’t possible to abstain fully, even if you wanted to, because alcohol is now where a meeting of the minds happens. With alcohol being everywhere in our current culture, is it even possible to remain sober in spite of your best efforts?

You cannot legally be penalized for not drinking. You have the right to not drink. You don’t have to explain that you don’t want to drink because you’re an alcoholic if you don’t want to, or because you are concerned about your health, or that you don’t enjoy alcohol. There are non alcoholic beverages that you can drink and it will look like everyone else’s beverage. Even if everyone else is making the work function about guzzling beer, you can still focus on talking to the VP you respect about that project you need her help finishing, or kicking it back with your buddies you’re usually too busy to hang out with because you’re all swamped. You don’t have to buy in just to be apart of the culture.
Order a mocktail. If you would rather not even have the question posed to you, you can order at the bar instead of the table and ask for a lime and fizzy water, or any number of beverages that look just like a cocktail but in reality are completely sober friendly drinks. It can make you feel more confident around a culture that feels a bit distant to you, and it can help you fight some of the cravings you may be feeling if you are a recovering alcoholic, while you’re having a good time with your friends. It doesn’t have to be a scene.
Be the designated driver. Our culture being what it is, there is almost always at least one person looking for a designated driver. Suggest to your friends that you fill the role and instead of you feeling uncomfortable because you’re not drinking and they all are, or everyone else worrying or acting strange because you aren’t imbibing, they will all be grateful that you stepped up and let them off the hook of having to worry about the ride home that they won’t think twice about your abstinence. Sometimes bars even have specials on beverages for the designated driver like free sodas or juice. You can call ahead, look at reviews on line or just ask when you get to the bar. It’s in the bar’s best interest for everyone at the establishment to get home safely so they very well may have a hook up for you.
Tell your story. If you feel like you are comfortable doing so, and you feel like the right time has presented itself to you, you should feel comfortable telling your friends, family members, but even those you are casually hanging out with some version of your story with alcohol. You can talk about your struggle with alcohol abuse. You can tell them about your journey through detox and rehab and where you are now. Most people will find that kind of story interesting just from a human interest perspective, but also, so few people actually seek out treatment, so who knows who your story could inspire to look carefully within them and seek out help.

No matter what your choice or strategy is, just remember that living a sober life won’t always be easy, in fact it can be extremely difficult far too much of the time. Making that daily choice toward healthy and sober living can sometimes seem like a game changer when it comes to being able to live a normal life. But in fact, it is a game changer, in that it can allow you to live a healthy life with relationships that thrive, the hope of a promising future ahead of you rather than a life aching with side effects from your disease, career, relationships, and self love constantly on the rocks. If you’ve made it this far, through every tier of treatment so that you’re in active recovery – sober and working to refine those life skills that can help keep you that way, then you should know that you are strong, stronger than so many. You are worthy of a life free from alcohol and drug addiction, and the complications that come with living in the grips of your disease, rather than controlling the symptoms with treatment and continual self regulation.

Four Alcohol-Free Beverages to Drink When You Are Out

To help you out as you try to navigate the drinking world with your constant efforts toward sobriety, be it whether you are someone who has gone to treatment or are trying to drink less or not at all, here are a few non alcoholic beverages that you can order at a bar or restaurant, or even a club. Mocktails, or non alcoholic beverages that look like alcoholic beverages, can help to get you through some of the more awkward interactions you may experience when you are out with a crowd of people who are drinking, but whom you don’t necessarily feel like you want to share your story with, or be asked about why you’re not drinking alcohol. Even if the reason is just that you feel weird without a beverage in your hand because you are drawn to the ritual of that kind of social interaction, these beverages are for you.

Shirley Temple – The Shirley Temple became a classic mocktail before mocktails were cool. Far too many women continue to drink alcohol as they go through their pregnancy. However, there has been an uptick in “mocktail” parties these days for those who adhere to doctor’s orders during their pregnancy and abstain from alcohol all together. There are of course other reasons someone may make the decision to go with a Shirley Temple instead of a Daiquiri of some kind. But the beverage has become a favorite in baby shower culture. The only ingredient to this alcohol alternative beverage are are grenadine and sprite. But be careful with the grenadine, though or you’ll way over sweet the drink. A little goes a long way.
Sparkling Water with Lime – This drink is a classic, especially if you’re not feeling the saccharine taste of grenadine on your tongue. Most every establishment has sparkling water and some form of citrus, or any manner of fruit, that they could add to the sparkling water for you. It is a great drink if you’re looking to really blend in and seem like just one in a crowd of drinkers. It looks for all the world like a vodka and lime. The most likely scenario is that you nurse your beverage or a few of them throughout the night and nobody’s the wiser. In fact it is likely that they won’t even ask questions. This drink pairs deliciously with chips and salsa, the spicier the salsa the better. The lime will be a nice thirst quencher between the salty chips and the fire of the salsa on your tongue.
Coke – Have a soda. Coke is a very common ingredient in many different alcoholic beverages and therefore your friends or co-workers, or other party guests will never know it isn’t spiked with two shots of rum. Some form of cola is almost inevitably available regardless of what location you end up at. Though it may not be a drink that feels healthy or like a “good choice” to consume regularly, it is okay to indulge now and again in a nostalgic drink, and anything that helps you maintain your sobriety is worth the sacrifice. Enjoy with a burger and fries.
Half Orange Juice, Half Cranberry – This beverage sometimes resembles a tequila sunrise and some people think that it tastes like a screwdriver. The drink itself is beautiful in color. The vibrant pink of the cranberry and the pop of the orange swirl together to make a summery and stunning beverage that will please both your sense of taste of your sense of sight. Not only is the drink pretty, but it is a great summer drink that mirrors the colors of a desert sunset. Very chic, and remarkably simple. Pair with a wedge salad for a wonderfully refreshing meal.

It is hard to focus on your sobriety in such a culture. Changing your habits and building a sober life can feel like an impossible mountain to climb, but it is much more plausible if you come to the table with a plan in the back of your mind about how you are going to succeed. Keeping these drinks in mind for those moments when you know you’ll be at a restaurant with a friend, or out at a work function can make you feel more confident and capable of staying in control of the moment.

Is Your Loved One Struggling with a Drug or Alcohol Addiction?

If the first thing one thinks when reading an article about alcohol addiction is a loved one’s habit and detrimental behavior, perhaps their friend or loved one is indeed suffering from alcohol use disorder. The more you learn about alcohol, the more the possibility may become clearer. You may feel betrayed or hurt that your loved one hid the disorder from you. Maybe you’re upset that the person is dealing with the addiction to begin with. It is totally normal to feel scared and out of control when you realize that someone you love has an addiction. But the most important thing to remember is that addiction is a chronic disease. It cannot be cured. It can, however, be managed with proper and sustained addiction recovery treatment, most usually conducted at a alcohol and drug detox facility. You haven’t planned for this. It is not something that anyone looks forward to, but if you educate yourself on the subject, speak openly with the person you are close with who is suffering from alcohol addiction, you will likely be able to be a truly supportive part of their recovery, and you will also likely come out of the experience less hurt, because you better understand what is going on each step of the way.

How to Know If They Have A Drinking Problem

Here are five signs that might point to a possible addiction or personal crisis your loved one or friend may be having.

Are they starting to let their bills fall behind? Do you find yourself worrying about your friend’s financial stability? Have you’ve noticed that they have lots of money to buy rounds at happy hour, but that they have started to complain a lot about being late on rent? Does your friend have some terrible budgeting skills, or is it the more likely truth that some of their priorities are out of order and that it has already started to lead to alcohol addiction or could be well on it’s on the way there.
Does your partner, friend, or other loved one constantly smell like some type of alcohol? When people consume a significant amount of alcohol, sometimes they start to smell like old concentrated spirits. It’s a kind of sour, sharp smell. It’s hard to get around your bodies natural functioning and this one of the ways that a body tries to rid itself of toxins like those found in alcohol. If they do, they very likely are drinking too much alcohol and you may consider approaching them with compassion and asking if they want to seek help. Consider offering to be there with them when they do seek help.
Does your loved one exhibit frequent and sometimes volatile mood changes? Are they short with you and others whom they care about and then soon after jovial and happy? If your loved one has started having mood swings, especially after having had an alcoholic drink you may need to talk with them about possibility that they are suffering from addiction.

If your friend or significant other seems angrier than usual, if they seem despondent lately, they consistently stay out late and comes back reeking like alcohol or wake up smelling like alcohol, and are also falling behind on their finances you might need to sit them down to talk with them and see if they are struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. That may sound incredibly difficult. The best thing you can do is approach the situation with openness, compassion, and gentleness. Explain to them that you care about them and want to help. Alcohol use can sometimes enhance feelings of depression, anxiety, rage, and loneliness, so be sure to show the person how much you care, and that you will continue to care throughout the process of their recovery. Perhaps you can even help your loved one research different medical detox programs, and seek out rehab treatment facilities. Remember it is hard for you to bring up the subject, but there are more than good chances that it will be exponentially harder for them. If you remember to focus on being gentle and compassionate you can really only improve your relationship by showing them this kind of active care.

Signs That You, Yourself Might be Addicted to Alcohol

Maybe it isn’t your friend or loved one who worries you, so much as yourself. These days, with the world in a Mad Men episode, it can be hard to tell if you really have an alcohol problem, or whether you are just a part of the environment from which you come. Though it can be hard to tell, from an outside perspective you likely know how detrimental excessive consumption of alcohol is. You may even be able to spot it in someone else. And now you want to know if you’re crossing the line from social drinking into addictive behavior. With alcohol everywhere all the time, in our houses, churches, and workspaces, the intoxicant is just hard to get away from. So how can you tell if you have a drinking problem?

Here are some things to ask yourself.

How long can you go without feeling desperate for a drink? Withdrawal symptoms start for addiction soon after the last drink for someone who suffers from a chemical dependence on an intoxicating substance. If you can’t last long without a drink, you may want to start asking why that is.
Do you get more than angry lately? Alcohol can sometimes be a megaphone to one’s already complicated feelings. If you feel like you’ve been experiencing mood swings or getting angrier, more depressed, or anxious lately, especially when you drink. You should talk to someone about it.
Do you feel rage if someone threatens your ability to get a drink because you want to protect your right to drink at all costs?
Are you having more trouble sleeping than usual? If you’re drinking before bed it can have a negative impact on the way you sleep and when you enter REM.
Do you abandon responsibility? If you’re forgetting to do important things or have become undependable to the friends and loved ones who need you most, because you’re distracted by drinking, or were passed out due to drinking, you should get help.
Are you worried about your physical health due to how much you’ve been drinking?

Can Alcohol Addiction Can Affect Your Career

The way alcohol highlights almost every social function these days can make you ask the question, can it really negatively affect your life to abuse alcohol? If the job you go to everyday has liquor in the shared freezer, how risky can it be to drink a little more and a little more frequently? Slipping it into your coffee, drinking it with diet coke at lunch time, maybe a beer after a difficult meeting? All of which turns quickly into drinking all day long. Becoming an alcoholic can drastically affect your vocational trajectory. Working in an office with someone who frequently becomes overly intoxicated can become tiresome to those around them. They tend to stand out with drunken behavior, even stumbling through work at hours that few other people are raiding the bar. This can make people feel uncomfortable. It can also confuse, worry and annoy those around the person. If you find yourself heading in the direction of being this person at your office, you may want to consider reaching out for help before your career is threatened. Exhibiting this sort of behavior, the kind of behavior that is quintessential of an alcohol addict, can make people believe that you are unreliable, have poor judgement, and cannot control yourself. These are the qualities that people look for in a good member of the work team. Can your team trust you to be responsible for big projects or go on that work trip on the company or client’s dime if they see this sort of behavior?

When you first get hired at a place that is open with alcohol it can feel liberating, like the training wheels are off. LIke you finally found a job that treats you like the adult that you are. It can feel like occasionally getting a little tipsy at work is not a big deal. But if it happens with more frequency and with more intensity it could be not only the end of your job but it could be the end of your career.

How Alcohol Addiction Can Change Personal Relationships and Family Dynamics

With alcohol frequently becoming the focal point of so many social function on people’s calendars these days one may have to ask themselves, with drinking being so ubiquitous, if the fact and presence of alcohol will be a problem for them at the event. it really going to be a problem for me? Will including the intoxicating substance in events like a family reunion, birthday, or holiday get together negatively affect the atmosphere at the function? Drinking is a way of life, a culture and it can at times become an element of the everyday that feels not only like it belongs but in fact that it is ritual. Necessary. Let’s take a look at the way alcohol can affect your personal relationships.

Sometimes it is difficult to really fully understand the way that this substance that feels like it loosens your social skills up so you can deal more easily with others, makes you feel calmer, gives you “liquid courage”, could ever have a damaging effect on anyone’s life. Sure, maybe it can change the way you are perceived at work, or maybe if you are so far into a chemical dependence and psychological addiction that you’re not waking up and going to work in the mornings it could really damage your life. But if you’re getting out of bed and not falling behind in your important work, what else could be so bad that it would negatively affect you? How could it really be such a threat to your personal relationships and home life? Especially if alcohol is so often being used for celebration. It practically punctuates our important life moments. You toast at a wedding, and you toast an anniversary. You toast at christmas, and thanksgiving after you’re stuffed with turkey! At family get togethers people bring wine, beer, or spirits to lift the mood and ease the experience.

For some families alcohol is a classic element of celebration. This is true of many cultures. For some families, those predisposed to addiction, it can be a real problem. Copious amounts of alcohol, even in the most joyful of family celebrations, can result in fighting, tears, and an awful lot of hurt feelings, if not a worse scenario. Everyone knows that most traditional family holidays are wrought with sensitive feelings. But these feelings are often only compounded by excessive drinking and therefore family holidays and get togethers are prime time for bad experiences with alcohol. When you add a few drinks to the situation and everyone’s brain chemistry is suddenly swirling, there is going to be contention, old sibling rivalries may present themselves, and there may be bitterness where peace, and consideration, and compassion were before.

Veterans Struggling with Alcohol Abuse

There are certain people groups who are more predisposed to alcohol abuse, or who are more vulnerable to its effects. Veterans, underage drinkers, and infants in utero are some of those people groups. If you haven’t served in the military you can’t ever really know the kinds of devastating trauma that a tour of duty can afford you. Sometimes a soldier doesn’t even understand fully the toll war has taken on their mental health and physical wellbeing until they get home and begin the efforts of trying to acclimate back into a life where, now, nothing seems normal anymore. Everything has changed, but not necessarily for anyone else around them. The veteran very well may struggle with feeling disconnected, broken. Some people who come back from a tour of duty suffer from PTSD, survivor’s guilt, or a deep and abiding shame. They may feel like all they know how to do is be a soldier. Feeling useless or hopeless, they might reach for a bottle of wine or a pitcher of beer to take the edge off. But the distraction or easing of the pain never really takes away the suffering that haunts them when they are sober, and sometimes still when they aren’t.

Though self medicating might feel like all they can do, it can make a person’s PTSD symptoms worse. Drinking alcohol, especially in great quantity, can dull one’s instincts as well as their reflexes. It dehydrates and alters a person’s mood. There have been some veterans who express a deeper fear when they experience a trigger in an intoxicated state. It can make them feel even more out of control and exacerbate any feelings of hopelessness or rage they are already feeling. Alcohol often has the unfortunate effect of deepening feelings like depression and anger instead of numbing them.

Are you a Veteran struggling with PTSD, drinking to try and numb the memories you brought back from your tour of service? Those memories that are haunting you in the back of your mind, or in the forefront even, might feel impossible to avoid and almost definitely feel devastating to relive. The most important thing to know is that no one is alone in this and there is help. Veterans suffering from mental health disorders linked to their service such as PTSD should know that they are not alone, and that they can find sustained relief from pain and trauma through the right kind of rehabilitation therapy and medically monitored treatment with a doctor or at an alcohol detox and rehab center.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

It is very likely that everyone has heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. You hear about it in your college psych 101 class, or maybe even a highschool psych or health class. But what most people do not know about the syndrome is that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is only one in a handful of disorders that are sometimes caused by alcohol exposure to a fetus during pregnancy a woman’s pregnancy. Many woman push through the doctor and social norms of abstaining from alcohol while pregnant, perhaps thinking it is an arbitrary line in the sand, but The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome informs us that alcohol use during pregnancy is the major cause of developmental disabilities and birth defects in the United States in modern society.

The disorders that make up the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are:

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder

The effects of being exposed to alcohol in a prenatal environment can cause a person to exhibit symptoms of any number and combination of physical ailments, mental health disorders, behavioral struggles, as well as learning disabilities. No matter what kind of effects the exposed child endures, Fetal Alcohol Disorders are permanent and irreversible throughout the person’s life. Though some of the symptoms can be treated with medication and therapy, it is a chronic disorder much like that of addiction. The kind of effect and severity of the disorder depends on when, how frequently and in what quantities the pregnant mother consumed alcohol during her pregnancy.

Some of the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are:

Abnormal Facial Characteristics
Growth deficits
Brain damage including mental retardation
Defects of the lung
Defects of the kidney
Defects of the heart
Memory problems
Attention disorders
Difficulty managing judgement
Impaired reasoning
Learning disabilities
Motor skill delays
Coordination problems
Behavioral problems
Hyperactivity

Tens of thousands of infants are born each year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. When a person who is pregnant drinks at any point during their pregnancy they are putting their unborn child at a risk of suffering from the above side effects. That means, unfortunately, even if a woman stops drinking after finding out she is pregnant, there are still chances that the short time that she was pregnant and yet unaware of her condition, consuming alcohol, may leave her child at a risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This is why the most important thing a person can do is to immediately cease all drinking activity immediately upon finding out that they are in fact pregnant. If you’re trying to get pregnant, quitting a drinking habit before hand can save a lot of guilt and grief later down the line. If a woman finds that she is pregnant and has been drinking before she found out, she should speak with her doctor so that the doctor can monitor the child during regular check ups and during ultrasounds.

Underage Drinking, A Major Societal Problem

We don’t talk nearly enough about underage drinking in this country. In fact, the fact that teenagers drink when they are young doesn’t seem to be a problem for many people. It is often chalked up to just being that age. Or maybe it is justified by seeking out a little rebellion. It starts, often, in highschool but kids start drinking in middle school much more often than people would like to admit. Indeed, we have a major problem in the United States right down to Florida with high school aged and college aged kids under the drinking age consuming alcohol. Every year thousands of these kids, often but not limited to adolescents, end up in some alcohol related car accident which may or may not result in their death, or the death of another person in their car or the car that received their impact. Still others find themselves in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, or even drink themselves to death because they are pushed into a binge drinking situation by their peers, or the culture, like fraternity or sorority cultures, that they are in.

The only effective way to deal with this very real problem is to begin to fill in the gaps in our kids education with more than just “Just Say No”. We must help them understand their bodies in relationship to addiction. Teenagers need to fully understand what chemical dependence is and how alcohol becomes a need for your body instead of just a want. They need to fully comprehend the consequences of drinking. Not only do they need to understand the legal ramifications that come with drinking before they reach the age limit, but they also need to understand how the substance can affect their bodies, what treatment looks like, how to ask for help, and that they can be safe if they do ask for help.

It can be difficult to talk about drinking with teenagers. For years our society didn’t talk about addiction and certainly not to children or teenagers. Maybe that is because the stigma surrounding addiction was in full bloom. These days with the opioid epidemic people are beginning to wrap their heads around the fact that addiction is a chronic disease that the addict didn’t chose. Addiction to drugs or alcohol cannot be cured, however it can be managed through proper and persistent treatment. Another reason a parent may have a hard time talking to their middle school or high school aged kids about addiction is if they suffer from an addiction themselves. However this is all the more reason to speak to them on the subject, and all the more reason to get sober yourself. If you aren’t able to ask for help, a teenager in your care will find it even more difficult to admit that they have a problem and that they need help and treatment for their disease. If a kid who tries alcohol early it is a well known truth that they will likely experiment with harder drugs as they get older. It is not just seventeen and eighteen year olds drinking either. As mentioned some kids start taking to the bottle at much younger ages. Many times, when kids are exposed to alcohol at such an early age they get it from a friend’s parent or another adult in their life.

As we talk to talk to our kids about the reasons that there are legal boundaries around underage drinking, and keep the dialogue open it is the hope that some heartache, not to mention the mental health and physical wellbeing of the kid and all those around them, especially their closest friends and family, might be spared. It is important to start the conversation early and talk to them about how you can make a plan together.

Talk with them about how they can deal with social situations where they feel pressured to drink alcohol. It is also important to be honest about the fact that kids do rebel. They make bad choices sometimes. It is important that you also make a plan with them if they find themselves a couple of drinks in at a party and regretting their decisions. Let them know that if they get drunk you can and will help them to get home safely. Make sure to reiterate that they must not drive drunk. You don’t want to encourage them to drink of course, but if they know they can call you, they will be more likely to be home safely for the lecture you want to give them, and you may spare their lives, as well as the lives of innocent people driving on the roads by letting them know that even if they screw up, they have you to help them get safely home before you lay into them. This kind of openness can seem like a dangerous line to tow, and it is true that you don’t want it to be an excuse to go drink, but being open to and intent on keeping safety as the number one priority, and a punishment as a step that comes later can drive home how serious the topic is to your child. Be firm in the dire seriousness of the situation you are talking about – the life or death of driving drunk. Kids understand more than we give them credit for. Talking with them about the epidemic of underage drinking and being open with them about the deaths that happen due to underage drinking as well as other mental and physical symptoms that come with the disease, is the only way we can fight the problem.

Treatment For Alcohol Use Disorder at FHE Health Recovery Houses In South Florida

Alcohol is a dangerous intoxicant and should be taken as seriously as any illicit drug that can land someone in the hospital when they have overused. The disease can be extremely detrimental to the body if untreated. Unfortunately the disease is hardest on veterans, youth, and babies who are exposed in utero to the drug. If you suffer from a drinking problem and want to know more about the programs at FHE Health, call us now.