ALCOHOLISM 101

Some cheap advice-information:

1. Try going without alcohol for 3-6 months. If you have a difficult time, or can't, you're probably it. An alcoholic.
2. Alcohol is a depressant. After the first drink, it will not make you feel better. In counseling terms, one drink is one 12oz. beer, one ounce and a half shot of 80 proof liquor, or a 5-6 oz glass of wine. Each of those drinks will give you about the same amount of alcohol in your system.
3. The best drinkers have the highest tolerance levels. Anyone bragging about how much they can drink is probably an alcoholic. AS YOU AGE, YOUR TOLERANCE LEVEL BEGINS TO FALL. This is called reverse tolerance. Many drinkers in Hot Springs Village are experiencing reverse tolerance. Where once you could drink a six-pack, or 3 mixed drinks, now you get drunk on 3 beers or 1 mixed drink.
4. It is illegal to drive in Arkansas with a blood alcohol level at or above .08. The biggest factor in measuring blood alcohol level is weight. The bigger you are, the more you can drink before reaching a .08 blood level. Other factors include drinking on an empty stomach, how fast you drink, the alcohol content in your drinks, fatigue, and being female. 
5. People generally speaking cannot stop on their own. Something generally has to happen. A DUI, a spouse leaving, an accident, an intervention, lose of job, etc. We do not like to admit we are having a problem with alcohol, or other drugs. We have traditionally called this denial. It can be very strong, and an alcoholic will protect him or herself at extreme costs to themselves and others. It is almost unbelievable.Treatment is usually required, on an outpatient, or in-patient basis. Alcoholics Anonymous has been very effective in helping people overcome addiction.
6. Alcohol is a family disease. It affects everyone in the family. When treating alcoholism, the entire family should be seen. This requires someone trained in family therapy, specifically. 

Many people can drink without experiencing problems. We would call this responsible social use. About a third of adult drinkers fall into this category. Unfortunately, about one in ten drinkers will develop alcoholism, for various reasons. If you know of anyone struggling with their drinking, encourage them to seek help. It will not help them if you try to protect them from the consequences of their drinking. This is not easy for a spouse or son or daughter, or neighbor, to do this, but necessary to start the healing process. I've seen literally thousands of people recover from various addictions. IT IS POSSIBLE.