Giving Up Alcohol

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Alcohol has been present in the society of men for a long time. It was used generally for celebration and religious ceremonies in prehistoric time. Way back the time of Greek philosophers, giving up alcohol was not widely thought of.

The Greeks had a philosophy of drinking, eating and being merry. They believed that the fulfillment of one's life is to enjoy the physical world and its pleasure. This was later contradicted by other Greek philosophers but the habit of drinking alcohol in excess was fixed in their social activities and giving up on the bottle was a challenge for the philosophers and that society entirely.

In today's society, alcohol abuse is alive and kicking. In Greek times, the people found reasons to celebrate every night to make an excuse for drinking. Nowadays, celebrations are not needed. Most people who are addicted to alcohol drink it at anytime at all. For alcoholics of the present society, giving up alcohol is the hardest thing to do as their system is already dependent on alcohol.

There are a lot of effects brought about by alcohol. It does not only affect the alcoholic but also the people around them. Being an alcoholic can cause violence and turmoil. Alcohol impairs judgment and motor skills and that can lead to relationship problems and neglect of responsibilities. Alcohol also tends to make a person emotional and violent; that is why alcoholics often lash out and be involved in public disturbances and domestic violence, theft, destruction of public property and sometimes even death and murder.

Most alcoholics' claim that they do not need help giving up alcohol; most are in denial that they are dependent on alcohol. That is why most alcoholics end up alone; because they tend to disgrace, neglect and hurt the people around them.

There are many ways to help those who want to stop. There is rehab, support groups, therapy, and video diaries. A person submitting himself to rehab will undergo intense supervision and shall develop self discipline to control alcoholic tendencies. Support groups are a group of people who share the same problem and help one another to quit alcohol. Therapy however, requires the presence of a psychologist or a psychiatrist to help the patient in giving up alcohol.

For alcoholics, friends, family and relatives should also be involved in the process. Giving up the habit cannot be done alone. It takes the effort and support of everyone involved in the alcoholic's life.

Tips

For those who live with alcoholics and want to help them in quitting, there are a few requisites. First, the alcoholic should realize and admit that he has become dependent on alcohol and he needs help. Partly, the responsibility falls upon the family and friends of the alcoholic to help him realize the truth of his dependence to alcohol.

Metanoia

The other requisite is to know if the alcoholic actually wants to quit alcohol. If the alcoholic is forced into rehab, it would only cause numerous fall backs. So the essential step is to have him want to quit alcohol.

It is imperative for the alcoholic to have a complete change of mind. This is the key to successful and continues independence from alcohol: to completely want to turn away from alcohol and to yearn for better days.

The alcoholic should have the right motivation and the best of these are going to be for themselves and for their loved ones. Giving up alcohol is hard for alcohol dependent people. In this way, the alcoholic's aim is to be better for the sake of the people around them and their happiness and health.

Related articles

• Crossing the Line from Alcohol Use to Abuse to Dependence (irenewatson.typepad.com)
• Alcoholics are not powerless over alcohol (psychologytoday.com)
• Crime rates in Scotland directly linked to number of off-licences in area (scotsman.com)