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.

The medical community defines various diseases and medical conditions as “silent killers.” Medical illnesses such as mesothelioma, obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and a number of different types of cancer such as colon cancer, lung cancer, rectal cancer, and breast cancer are fairly well known silent killers.

These medical diseases are called silent killers because early on in the medical malady there are usually no symptoms to signify that a difficulty exists. Then as the medical malady progresses, then again, and as the problems start to become known, a medical catastrophe can happen.

Abusive and Excessive Drinking Is a Silent Killer

I affirm that abusive and hazardous drinking is also a silent killer. In fact, some individuals can drink for a considerable number of years without going through any dangerous alcohol related difficulties in their lives. When excessive and hazardous drinking continues over time, it can be noted, critical alcohol effects become more problematic and more noticeable. Possibly the best example about which I am discussing happens in the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol dependency.

Plainly, numerous alcohol induced issues can be masked and easily hidden while a person involves himself or herself in excessive and hazardous drinking. When the person in point of fact becomes a chronic alcohol abuser or an alcohol addicted person, however, the destructive alcohol effects become quite identifiable and more critical. Sadly, this information about alcoholism and alcohol abuse doesn’t seem to be focused upon as much as it ought to be.

Problem Areas That are Adversely Affected by Repeated and Continuous Drinking Over Time

What are a few of the areas in life that are adversely affected over time by continuous and repeated hazardous and abusive drinking? When people first start to engage in abusive and irresponsible drinking, they are often unaware of what their alcohol abuse is doing to their jobs, to their health, to their finances, to their mental health, and to their relationships.

As the hazardous and excessive drinking continues, however, it typically results in marital, communication, friendship, commitment, and relationship problems and frequently results in affairs and divorce. Similarly, many, if not most people who involve themselves in alcohol abuse in due course experience alcohol related health issues such as alcohol poisoning, hangovers, sleep disturbances, and a loss of energy. Other alcohol induced diseases include the following: stomach ulcers, nerve damage, vitamin deficiency, sexual problems, and liver disease.

What is more, many, if not most heavy drinkers in the end suffer from alcohol induced financial issues. Paradoxically, while a number of alcohol abusers whine about their financial situation, they repeatedly make their financial situation worse by spending more of their money on their drinking habit.

In a similar manner, heavy drinking typically leads to stress management, anger management, and time management problems. Additionally, many, if not most people who involve themselves in alcohol abuse, because of their excessive and heavy drinking, in due course manifest work issues such as showing up late for work, absenteeism, poor performance evaluations, alcohol related accidents, and making mistakes on the job.

Additionally, hazardous and heavy drinking in the end leads to various mental health issues such as anxiety, denial, obsession, extreme mood swings, and depression. And finally, it should come as no big surprise that individuals who involve themselves in alcohol abuse can get a “drunk while driving arrest” virtually any night or day of the week due to their abusive drinking and driving.

The Moral of the Story

The bottom line is this: individuals who involve themselves in hazardous and irresponsible drinking need to learn how to drink in moderation and responsibly or get the alcohol detox and the alcohol treatment they require. This is significant for people who involve themselves in hazardous drinking so that they can either drink responsibly and in moderation or start to live an alcohol-free life and stay away from the huge number of alcohol induced predicaments articulated above. Evidently, receiving quality alcohol abuse help will be important along these lines.

It is also important for people who engage in irresponsible drinking to either discover how to drink in moderation or stop drinking so that they can stay away from a life of alcoholism. In brief, individuals who involve themselves in abusive drinking need to refrain from abusive and excessive drinking so that they can avoid the alcohol induced silent killers that are linked to irresponsible and excessive drinking. Again, getting high quality alcohol abuse rehab will certainly go a long way toward reaching this goal.