Work was starting to be too frantic for a young police officer named Gary. Although he had only been on the police force for four-and-a-half years, he was already known as a hard worker who almost never refused working overtime. Actually, he was now working twenty to twenty-five hours of overtime each week and, as a consequence, he felt like he was losing his handle on his personal life. What made the situation more complicated, however, was the fact that Gary started going out drinking with a gang of fellow officers after work.

What Began as Fun With The Guys Soon Became Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking

What began as a good time very soon turned into unhealthy and excessive drinking and then into a negative cycle of feeling tired each morning when he awakened for work, working more long hours, and then going drinking with his pals after work.

Plainly Gary was in a health related and emotional rut and experiencing some negative alcohol effects on the body. Where Gary really experienced drinking related problems and alcohol short term effects, however, was in his marriage and in his family life. His wife wasn’t really a nag, but she commonly encouraged him to stay at home more with the family instead of going out and wasting money while drinking with his buddies.

Gary’s Unhealthy and Abusive Drinking Adversely Affects His Personality

In a similar manner, Gary’s unhealthy and excessive drinking also adversely affected his personality. More to the point, the more he drank, the less patience he had with any problems or issues that came up regarding his children or his wife.

It Was Obvious to Gary That His Excessive and Careless Drinking Was Adversely Affecting His Work, Health, Relationship With His Family, and His Pocketbook

In his heart of hearts, it was obvious to Gary that his unhealthy drinking was negatively affecting his work, pocketbook, relationship with his family, and his health. So one Wednesday morning Gary came to a decision to talk to Jerry, a trusted old police officer buddy that he greatly admired.

Gary told Jerry how abusive and hazardous drinking was negatively affecting his relationship with his family, work, pocketbook, and his health. Jerry told Gary that he completely understood because approximately ten years ago, he too involved himself with hazardous and irresponsible drinking. If truth be known, Jerry told Gary that abusive and careless drinking can cause so many difficulties in an individual’s life that just about everything of significance can be ruined. And lastly, Jerry suggested that Gary make an appointment with an alcohol counselor at the work-affiliated alcohol abuse center.

Since his employee’s assistance program was affiliated with this treatment clinic, it was not only very affordable but also quite convenient to seek rehab about his irresponsible and unhealthy drinking. And since the personnel at the chemical dependency rehab clinic was non-judgmental, competent, and supportive, Gary would be able to get alcohol treatment that made sense to him and something he could follow through on.

After talking to his counselor about how his drinking was ruining his relationship with his family, health, pocketbook, and his work, Gary comprehended the fact that he was burning the candle at both ends with his extreme work hours and his abusive and excessive drinking. Once he grasped the fact that he was digging himself into a rut, with the assistance his counselor, and after fifteen weeks in counseling, he was at long last able to stop drinking and quit working overtime.

Due to His Alcohol Rehab Gary Felt Better and More Healthy

The result was that Gary viewed life differently now that he was in alcohol recovery. More to the point, due to his alcohol counseling he not only was more patient when interacting with his wife and his children, but he actually had more money now even though he was working far fewer hours each week, he had more quality time to spend with his family, and he felt better and more healthy. Ironically, now that he stopped drinking, Gary and his wife were not only beginning to save some money for a different house but he also felt more energized and alert than anytime since he and his wife were married.

Barry used to brag to his pals how he could maintain a challenging and fulltime job and get smashed nearly every night. Regrettably, after involving himself in this “party” lifestyle for just about two-and-a-half years, he started to observe numerous alcohol related difficulties.

Barry Starts to Exhibit Different Alcohol Related Difficulties

For example, he had a very difficult time getting up for work because he felt so worn-out when he awoke. Furthermore, almost every morning Barry suffered from a dreadful hangover. Undoubtedly, the mixture of his lack of energy and his hangovers did not make it easy for him to get up and feel energized to go to work. To make things worse, he just got his second driving under the influence citation in the past year-and-a-half.

To further complicate things, at his place of employment his last two work appraisals were less than acceptable. And finally, his two-and-a-half-year relationship with his girlfriend had deteriorated due to his angry outbursts, financial difficulties, depression, and his lack of patience.

Though Barry was only twenty-three years old, he frankly began looking like he was in his late thirties. Unfortunately, this is what hazardous and irresponsible drinking can do to an individual. And in truth he understood that he was suffering from the adverse consequences of alcohol dependency or alcohol abuse and that he was too young to fritter away his life to abusive and excessive drinking. So at first he tried to drink in moderation. Sadly, he soon realized that he lost all control after having his first drink. Stated somewhat more forcefully, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get drunk. Since this was an incident that was repeated every single time he drank, this worried him greatly. In truth, he began to wonder if he was displaying some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Barry Makes up His Mind To Schedule an Appointment to See His Family Doctor

After discussing his excessive alcohol drinking and his excessive and hazardous drinking with his girlfriend, he finally decided to make an appointment to see his healthcare practitioner. When Barry saw his healthcare practitioner, he openly declared that he has been drinking in an abusive manner, that he may be manifesting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to abstain from drinking. He then mentioned that drinking in moderation doesn’t work for him and, consequently, he wants to learn how he can create an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Barry also told his healthcare professional about his depression and how this mental health problem was adversely affecting his relationship with his lady friend. His physician referred Barry to Doctor Mille, an alcohol and drug addiction specialist, who persuaded Barry to enter into a drug and alcohol treatment facility as an in-patient for alcohol detoxification and alcohol rehab. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get medical treatment for his depression at this treatment center.

Abstaining From Drinking Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made

After four months of intensive treatment intensive rehabilitation, Barry left the in-patient rehab clinic and continued his recovery via outpatient therapy and via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Encouraged to change his life in a more productive manner, Barry went to a health store and bought some vitamins and a cookbook. He then joined a fitness center and began working out two or three times per week. Within five months Barry was a new individual. He now looked younger than he was, he wasn’t depressed anymore, he was in shape, he was eating nutritious meals, and most important of all, he remained sober for several months. He also became more patient, he didn’t resort to angry outbursts, and he became a more caring individual in his relationship with his girlfriend. Stated briefly, getting and staying sober was the best decision Barry had ever made.