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Is Alcoholism a Disease?

Posted on November 14, 2013 ·

Is alcoholism a disease? In my experience, people like to consider it a serious problem which plagues sufferers and those around them. But I've encountered resistance to the idea that alcoholism is a disease. Many people don't like to group alcoholics with people who suffer cancer, degenerative diseases and so on.   It seems to be disrespectful to sufferers of those conditions, and I get that. Yet, people who ask "is alcoholism a disease?" need to be informed of the life-threatening nature … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alcohol addiction, Detox, Recovery · Tagged:
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Why do alcoholics drink?

Posted on November 11, 2013 ·

Why do alcoholics drink? Well, because they're alcoholics.  But how did they achieve that lovely title to begin with? It's actually a fairly common question.  For better or for worse, alcoholics do inspire questions.  That's why there are so many movies about us. So what is the answer? Well, I may have known more than my share of alcoholics in my day.  And the reason it can be hard to talk about causes is that there are so many different paths to excessive drink.  Also, one doesn't really … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alcohol addiction, Recovery · Tagged:
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How to Say No When Offered Alcohol

Posted on October 30, 2013 ·

It's tough, isn't it?  Buddies are key as you deal with your adjustment to sobriety and with depression or anything similar you may be feeling. But however helpful those friends are, some of them are drinkers, and they bring a danger.  No man is an island, though, and the fact is, you'll get offered some suds from time to time. Such an offer may be offered innocently by a person or people who are not aware that you have quit drinking.   The two scenarios will require slightly different … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alcohol addiction, Recovery, Sober living · Tagged:
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How You Can Help An Alcoholic Who is in Denial?

Posted on October 22, 2013 ·
help alcoholic in denial

How You Can Help An Alcoholic Who is in Denial? Most of my posts are directed to recovered alcoholics or to folks who think they might be alcoholics. But this time I'm writing for friends and family who know someone who's an alcoholic but hasn't yet sought help. You have realized that the person in question has a problem with alcohol and they need help. Confronting an alcoholic in denial in such a way that they will not get angry is difficult. It becomes dicier if the person--we'll call … [Read more...]

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The Top 6 Ways to Spot an Alcoholic

Posted on October 18, 2013 ·

Loyal readers, today's another post for friends or family of alcoholics about the top 6 Ways to spot an alcoholic. Or, I guess another way of putting it is friends of someone who you suspect is an alcoholic.  How can you get a jump and spot the alcoholism at the earliest stages?  If you have a friend or family member--we'll call him Nick--who's functioning at a pretty high level, how do you know when he has crossed that line? As you know, I have a bit of experience with alcoholism, so I know … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alcohol addiction, Recovery · Tagged: ,