In light of April being Alcohol Awareness Month, I think this question deserves to be brought to the forefront.
The admission of addiction starts when you ask yourself and google the dreaded question.
“Am I an Alcoholic?”
Am I one of those people?
No one wants to be one of those people.
There is a very negative connotation with the word alcoholic. It’s demeaning and unproductive, being that most alcoholics are not homeless people living on the street.
I do think it’s interesting that drinking is actually more common among the privileged, you know the people that live in cushy areas. The people with nice homes, wine fridges, and lots of room to entertain.
The people with the latest Apple computer, opening it to type the dreaded question into Google.
Am I one of those losers? Why can’t I control my drinking?
The test goes something like this
Have you ever had more to drink than you intended to?
Do you have lapses in your memory when you drink?
Do you drink every day or binge drink?
Has alcohol negatively affected any of your relationships?
You get the drift.
If you answered yes to some of these questions, I do wonder if calling yourself an addict or alcoholic improves your chances of being sober or if is it hindering.
Let’s face it, alcohol is a widely consumed drug, one that our society places on a pedestal. This is one reason that I think it’s productive to have Alcohol Awareness Month.
People need to be educated on the actual risks of drinking. It’s not beneficial to your health like we believed in previous years.
Thanks to the internet, Big Alcohol is suffering from the wealth of knowledge being spread.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not anti-drinker. I am anti-alcohol. Obviously, I was a drinker for many years. Drinkers are people that I relate to.
But, I am sickened by the alcohol industry and the way they spin everything to make us believe that alcohol is something we need.
Then, be sure you don’t take this addictive substance too far to the point where you need to ask dear Google. Drink responsibly, they say. Take this addictive substance and moderate it.
Am I an alcoholic?
Please, Google, tell me I am not so I don’t have to quit drinking.
I’ve googled this several times in the past. I also googled how to detox safely from alcohol.
How do I get the alcohol out of my system fast?
If this drug is so celebrated by our society today, why are there so many negative connotations attached to it? Most Google searches about alcohol are not positive.
That is where awareness comes in. I might be beating this subject to the ground but because I was unaware of many statistics in the past, I’ll keep sharing what I know and what I have learned since I have been on my sober journey for over 2 years.
Did you know that alcohol takes the lives of around 3 million people each year? I don’t know about you, but I no longer want to be part of that statistic.
I didn’t care to know about alcohol-related deaths when I was deep in my addiction.
All I cared about was when I was going to drink next until I could feel my health deteriorating toward the end of my drinking. I knew my time was up.
One reason that it is hard to quit drinking is that everyone does it. Well, almost everyone. Alcohol is used in social situations to break the ice.
People feel good when they drink, so they want to consume it frequently. When you consume it frequently, there is a risk of developing an unhealthy dependency on it because it is an addictive substance.
Bringing awareness to this subject also helps reduce the stigma surrounding alcoholism.
What we know about alcoholism is that something happens in the brain when someone begins to drink too much. The chemical makeup of the brain is changed.
That is frightening to read now. Thankfully, sobriety can reverse the damages.
When you drink alcohol, dopamine levels are raised and the brain remembers the pleasure associated with drinking. Your subconscious is being altered every time you drink.
This is why we think we need alcohol to celebrate, commiserate, and have fun. Over time, you can develop cravings for the pleasure that your brain remembers having.
The slippery slope of addiction is something you might be sliding down if you keep having thoughts about drinking and taking it too far.
This April, instead of binge drinking for Easter, Spring Break, or whatever events you have going on, celebrate Alcohol Awareness Month with a mocktail instead.
That is what I will be doing on my vacation next week.
Switch the narrative and look at not drinking as a healthy choice, not as something depressing or something you are missing out on. In reality, the next day you are just missing out on the hangover and the headache.
Next time you happen to walk into a bar where the bottles are lined up precisely, twinkling and trying to lure you in, think about what’s really inside those bottles.
The bottles are not full of a social lubricant but of ethanol, which is a toxic substance to your body.
Don’t let the fancy martini glasses entice you. Or even better, fill those glasses with something healthy instead.
Don’t be influenced by big alcohol. It’s a big marketing ploy. The industry is a scam artist and you are the victim. The pretty bottles and marketing camouflage all the risks.
So, grab that sparkling water, that fresh lemonade, or even that diet Coke, because all of these are healthier choices that aren’t going to disturb your health, your relationships, or your mental state.
I've been sober now for 29 years but I had to ask the same kinds of questions. I am super sensitive to the amount of alcohol in TV and movies. No one seems to be able to solve a problem without a drink. I know prohibition didn't work but even a glass of red wine at night isn't considered healthy any more.