The Pain of a Recovering Alcoholic
We all enjoy a drink or two from time to time but being addicted to alcohol can be one of the worst things to happen to someone.
Because beating alcoholism is often downright impossible, and it’s one of the top three preventable causes of death here in the US, with about 95,000 people dying from the addiction every year. Yet, very few end up reaching out for help.
This is mostly because very few people realize that they have an addiction until it’s almost too late for recovery. But if they do, recovery can be tough, and it takes a lot of resilience and support to make it through.
Alcohol Is Very Physically Addictive
While alcohol isn’t as addictive as, let’s say, crystal myth, it’s definitely more physically addictive than most other addictive drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy, and others that don’t result in a similar type of physical dependence.
Moreover, there are stages to alcoholism, and it takes very little to go from a light drinker to someone who starts abusing alcohol to the point that they become a full-fledged alcoholic who’s unable to say no.
Moreover, given the physical dependence it brings about, alcoholism has extreme withdrawal symptoms that could even be life-threatening. Most other drugs do not have such dangerous withdrawal symptoms. In fact, alcohol withdrawal is often treated with benzodiazepines, which is another drug itself.
There Are Major Withdrawal Symptoms
As previously stated, alcoholism can result in the worst withdrawal symptoms. In fact, for many people, the withdrawal symptoms are a wake-up call, as they signify a serious problem.
The withdrawal symptoms could be anything and everything from hallucinations to nausea, vomiting, too much sweating, tremors, and convulsions.
Some people even end up with delirium tremens, a highly severe form of withdrawal. It’s basically when there are sudden and excessive changes to the mental and nervous system. For quite a few people, the DTs can be the final straw in their battle against alcoholism.
Too Many External Factors Influence Recovery
While it may be rare, an alcoholic can make up their mind to try and quit. But the fact is that with alcohol addiction, quitting may not be up to you or your willpower alone.
Because there is a physical dependence on the drug, factors like reinforcement and tolerance come into play too.
Moreover, while other drugs may only be found in the dark, hidden alleyways, alcohol is often sitting right there in the kitchen cabinet or in the bar down the street—so it can be very tough to avoid it.
This is why beating alcoholism can take the efforts of a whole team. From your partner’s efforts to your family and friends’ support—beating alcoholism takes a whole army, and it’s not up to a lone soldier, especially if the lone soldier is an alcoholic.
But all of this being said, recovery from alcoholism isn’t entirely impossible. In fact, there are those who’ve tried and succeeded like Luis Trivino.
If you’re trying to recover, we suggest reading his book A Notebook of Love. It’s his entire life’s story, including his struggles with alcoholism and other related problems.