Tag Archives: alcoholism

Alcohol and Sexual Dysfunction

Posted on by
Reply

Alcohol and Sexual Dysfunction

Many people think of alcohol as an aphrodisiac.  Alcohol lowers the inhibitions, causing some to act out sexually. Many people use alcohol to loosen themselves up before sex with a new partner. After a few drinks, you get rid of your bedroom jitters and are able to relax. But beyond the newfound confidence, alcohol can be bad for your sex life. On one hand, alcohol suppresses inhibitions which can increase the desire for sex, on the other; it suppresses sexual physiology, which can decrease sexual activity and ability to perform.

Alcohol is a depressant, and using it heavily can dampen mood and decrease sexual desire. Alcohol causes the body to slow down.

Alcohol and Sexual Dysfunction: Men

Men’s sexual behaviors can be affected dramatically by drinking. In men, alcohol and sexual dysfunction are highly linked. Both chronic and acute alcohol consumption can inhibit testosterone production, which is critical for libido and physical arousal.

Long term intake of alcohol can lead to damage to the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system resulting in loss of sexual desire and impotence in men. Impotence, or erectile dysfunction, is a condition in which a man is unable to achieve an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. In some cases, the man is able to achieve an erection but unable to maintain it long enough to complete the sex act. Alcohol can block nerve impulses and messages between the brain and the body.

Alcohol also causes decreased intensity of orgasm and decreased ability to achieve orgasm.

Alcohol and Sexual Dysfunction: Women

In many women, alcohol increases sexual desire and arousal. However, it does lower the physiological signs of arousal.

In women, consumption of alcohol can actually increase levels of testosterone, increasing sexual desire.

However, alcohol and sexual dysfunction in women has a lot to do with how much a woman drinks. At increased BAC’s (Blood Alcohol Concentrations), a woman has a much harder time attaining orgasm. Because alcohol has a dehydrating effect, women may have difficulty producing lubrication.

Alcohol and Sexual Dysfunction: Sexual Risk-Taking

Overindulging can also have other related sexual effects. Sometimes, drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause people to make risky sexual choices that they would not have made while sober. This could include having sex with multiple partners, having unprotected sex, or having sex outside of a monogamous relationship. This, of course, increases the incidence of unwanted pregnancy and cases of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Also, the incidence of date rape and sexual assault is much higher when you factor in alcohol. Victims are less likely to be able to ward off an attack when they have had a lot to drink. Additionally, because alcohol impairs judgment, people who have had a lot to drink are less likely to recognize and avoid potentially risky situations.

Alcohol and sexual dysfunction can be largely avoided by drinking in moderation. This means having no more than one two drinks in a day. Overindulging can have a negative impact on your sex life.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/women_sex_and_alcohol/

http://sexuality.about.com/od/femalesexualhealth/a/alcoholsexwomen.htm

http://www.everydayhealth.com/erectile-dysfunction/why-boozing-can-be-bad-for-your-sex-life.aspx

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Adolescent Alcoholism

Posted on by
Reply

Adolescent Alcoholism

An article in the UK’s daily mail this week has revealed a shocking trend: More and more, children are being admitted to hospitals with alcohol problems. According to the report, dozens of children under the age of 10 have been hospitalized for mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol abuse.

In the United States, alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Each year, approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. Nationwide surveys report that two in every five eighth graders have consumed alcohol. And when youth drink, they tend to drink in binges. Binge drinking is defined as having four or five drinks in a sitting.

Adolescent alcoholism is a growing problem. Kids are experimenting with alcohol at earlier ages than ever before. Today, the average age an American girl has her first drink is 13; for a boy, it’s 11. Some researchers think that later life addiction is more common in early drinkers because the impulse control centers are not yet developed in teen brains. In other words, teens are not able to make sound decisions. People who have their first drink at 14 or younger are six times more likely to develop alcohol problems.

Adolescent alcoholism is development of alcohol addiction any time between the ages of 11 and 19. About 10-15 million people in the United States alone can be classified as alcoholics. About 4.5 million of them are adolescents.

Recent studies suggest that the brain continues to develop through age 25. Adolescent alcoholism can affect the brain’s development. Subtle changes in the brain may be difficult to detect but still have a significant impact on long-term thinking and memory skills.

Adolescent Alcoholism: What can parents do?

Studies show that having open and honest talks with your child can decrease the risk of adolescent alcoholism. Many parents think that emptying the liquor cabinets is a good idea, but you can’t go around town emptying all the liquor cabinets, so it’s important that you talk to your kids about alcohol abuse.

Also, keep in mind that the younger the age of exposure, the more likely your child will develop adolescent alcoholism or alcoholism later in life. Many people think it’s fine, and preferable, given the drinking saturated culture we live in, for teens to have their first sips early and at home, under their parents supervision. They figure that their kids are going to do it anyway, so they may as well do it at home where they will be “safe.” 1/3 of third graders report having tried beer, wine, or hard liquor at home.

However, given what we know about how early onset drinking is a primary risk factor for adolescent alcoholism and other alcohol and drug related problems, experts advise delaying exposure to alcohol for as long as possible. Before a child’s brain is developed, they have underdeveloped “brakes” so if they are exposed to alcohol at this point, they are much more likely to overindulge and develop alcohol problems.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2302778/Children-young-SEVEN-admitted-hospital-alcohol-addiction.html#ixzz2PQt7FXhS

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract

Posted on by
Reply

Alcohol and Digestive Track

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract

Alcohol is not digested like other food. It is almost a poison in the body, negatively affecting anything it “touches.” Your mouth is the entrance to your digestive tract, and alcohol has been shown to damage every part of it. Chronic alcohol use leads to detrimental consequences in the digestive tract.

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract: What is the digestive tract?

Before you can understand alcohol’s effect on the digestive tract, you have to understand what the digestive tract is and what its functions are. The digestive tract is considered to be a continuous tube extending from the mouth to the anus. It is divided into different segments: oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anal canal. The job of the digestive tract is to chemically break down the food that you eat. It allows you to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste.

The digestive tract is the site of alcohol absorption into the blood stream. When alcohol comes into direct contact with the mucous membrane that lines the digestive tract, it can cause many metabolic and functional changes.

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract: Oral Cavity and Esophagus

Chronic alcohol abuse can cause damage to the salivary glands, which interferes with saliva secretion. Alcohol can also cause inflammation of the tongue and mouth, increased incidence of tooth decay and gum disease, and impaired movement of the esophagus.

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract: Stomach

Even moderate drinking can cause changes in gastric acid secretion. Gastric acid secretion is secretion of hydrochloric acid and enzymes into the stomach to begin protein digestion. In low doses, alcohol stimulates gastric acid secretion. In higher doses, it causes inhibition in gastric acid secretions. When gastric acid secretions are inhibited, the stomach has less ability to kill bacteria that enter the body with food. This may lead to the colonization of the upper small intestine with harmful organisms.

Chronic alcohol consumption can also cause gastric mucosal injury. Alcohol’s effect on the digestive tract is that it can cause bleeding gastric lesions that can destroy part of the mucosa.

Alcohol’s effect on the digestive tract includes interfering with gastric and intestinal motility. It causes damage to the stomach muscles that are responsible for mixing food and gastric fluids. This changes how long it takes food to go through the digestive tract and delay emptying of the stomach. This can cause production of gas.

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract: Small Intestine

The small intestine is where most nutrients are absorbed. Alcohol interferes with absorption of these nutrients. It also can interfere with enzymes needed for digestion and to metabolize drugs. Alcohol can also cause erosions and bleeding in the mucosa.

Alcohol’s Effect on the Digestive Tract: Large Intestine

Alcohol consumption significantly reduces the frequency and strength of the muscle contractions in the segment of the rectum. This can reduce transit time of intestinal contents and contribute to the diarrhea that is frequently observed in alcoholics.

Source:

http://www.montana.edu/wwwai/imsd/alcohol/Vanessa/vwgitract.htm

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

5 Signs You May Need Rehab

Posted on by
Reply

I want to go to rehab

5 Signs You May Need Rehab

Most of the time when people are drinking too much, they don’t ask themselves tough questions. They believe that they have fooled everyone around them into thinking that their drinking is under control. Usually, however, the only person they are fooling is themselves. Those occasional twinges of guilt or introspection can easily be drowned by having a few more drinks, so the drinker is often the last to admit that he or she really has a problem.  If you are having one of those moments where you think you might have a problem, these 5 signs you may need rehab could help.

5 Signs You May Need Rehab: Your drinking is causing problems

One of the first signs you may need rehab is when your drinking starts causing problems in your life. If you are having problems in your relationships, legal problems, financial difficulties, or other issues due to drinking, and you still continue to drink, you may need rehab.

5 Signs You May Need Rehab: You make promises to yourself or others about your drinking that you can’t keep.

A major sign you may need rehab is making promises to yourself or others about your drinking that you later break. You may promise yourself that you won’t ever get that drunk again or you will no longer drink and drive. You tell your family that you will cut down on your drinking or quit. You may even really mean it when you make these promises. But inevitably, you end up right back where you swore you’d never be (i.e. drunk behind the wheel or suffering from a major hangover).

5 Signs You May Need Rehab: You lie about drinking or hide the evidence

This sign you may need rehab is somewhat related to the previous one. You make promises about your drinking, you don’t keep them, and then you lie about it. Or maybe you haven’t made any promises, but you feel like you need to consume how much or how often you drink. On some level, you know that others will not approve of what you are doing.

5 Signs You May Need Rehab: You drink or use drugs in the morning to cure a hangover or deal with the “shakes.”

One of the biggest signs that you need rehab is using alcohol or drugs to cope with a hangover. Hangovers and shaking hands are symptoms of acute withdrawal from alcohol, and it means your body has become dependent on alcohol.

5 Signs You May Need Rehab: You avoid social situations that do not involve alcohol.

Many problem drinkers are unable to enjoy themselves without drinking. They will avoid any activity that doesn’t involve alcohol, or they will drink even though it is inappropriate in a certain social situation.  Sometimes unconsciously, problem drinkers seek out other people who drink like they do so they can justify how much they are drinking. Isolation is also a common behavior among problem drinkers. If you notice this behavior in yourself, you may need rehab.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Alcoholism and Violence

Posted on by
Reply

Alcoholism and Violence

Alcoholism and Violence

Obviously, there is a strong correlation between alcoholism and violence. Add alcohol to any tension fueled environment, and you have a recipe for disaster.  Alcohol can lower impulse control and cloud rational judgment. When something angers an alcoholic while they are intoxicated, it can very quickly lead to violence.

Alcoholism and Violence: Brain Chemistry

Not all alcoholics are violent, but there is a significant minority that is. Drunken violence is related to brain chemistry. Brain cells communicate with each other using chemicals called neurotransmitters. Brains of certain alcoholics often have a different form of a key molecule, which stops the mood-regulating chemical, serotonin, from being transported properly. These types of alcoholics are known as “type 2” alcoholics, and they are frequently prone to violent behavior.

Alcoholism and Violence: Anger Issues

Obviously, people who already are prone to anger issues are going to be more likely to be violent when drunk.  Alcohol changes the way you process information, so it compromises your ability to process multiple sources of environmental information. This makes it difficult to determine the intentions of people around you. When you’re drunk, you’re far more likely to view actions as intentional, and if you are already prone to aggression, you can become violent.

Drinking also erases worry about the possible consequences of aggression. While someone with anger issues may get very angry about something that happens, they may be able to take a minute to think through the ramifications of becoming violent. This ability to take a breather and calm down can prevent them from acting out. However, alcoholism and violence go hand in hand because alcohol often causes you to forget about consequences of your actions. People who have anger issues may also use alcohol as an excuse for getting violent, believing that aggressive actions are more easily explained and forgiven if it happens when they are under the influence.

Alcoholism and Violence: Domestic Violence

About 80% of domestic abuse cases involve drugs and alcohol. Domestic abuse cases when the abuser is under the influence of drugs and alcohol tend to be much more extreme and result in greater injury. Alcoholics, especially while under the influence, tend to have a shorter fuse, erupting into violence when they get angry.

Alcoholism and Violence: Neglect of Children

Even alcoholic parents who don’t resort to violence tend to neglect children when they are under the influence. Neglect is the failure of a parent or guardian to provide for a child’s basic needs. Neglect may be physical, medical, educational, or emotional.  A number of studies have established that alcohol is a significant factor in child neglect and being mistreated is a factor in the child developing alcohol problems later in life. This becomes a vicious cycle: The alcoholic parent mistreats a child, who then becomes an alcoholic later in life as a result. Alcohol is a factor in almost half of all child welfare investigations in the United States and a parent with a history of harmful alcohol use has been consistently shown to increase the risk of child maltreatment.

Sources: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/fs_child.pdf

http://www.choosehelp.com/topics/anger-management/why-does-drinking-release-the-rage-understand-alcohol-related-anger-and-aggression

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/jul/21/thisweekssciencequestions

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Alcohol Addiction

Posted on by
Reply

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol Addiction: Definition

Alcohol addiction, or alcoholism, is a chronic, progressive disease that includes problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to drink despite negative consequences, having to drink more to get the same effect or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.

It is possible to have a problem with alcohol, even when it has not progressed to the point of alcoholism. Problem drinking means you drink too much at times, causing repeated problems, but you are not completely dependent on drinking.

Alcohol Addiction: Facts

Alcohol addiction has little to do with what kind of alcohol you drink, how long you have been drinking, or even exactly how much you drink.

Vulnerability to alcoholism can be inherited, but doctors still do not know what causes alcohol addiction.

Alcohol addiction affects people from every type of background, but here are several characteristics that can increase the risk that a person will develop alcoholism. These are known in the scientific community as “risk factors.”

“Binge Drinking” defined as five or more drinks in a sitting for men and four for women, can increase chances of developing alcohol addiction.

Alcohol addiction is a disease, which is why most alcoholics can’t stop using “willpower”

Alcohol addiction: Signs of a problem

There are some simple signs to understanding addiction and determining if you are an alcoholic:

  1. Does your drinking cause problems in your life?
  2. These can be legal, financial, moral, or spiritual.
  3. Do you make promises to yourself or others about quitting or cutting down on drinking and then break them?
  4. Do you lie about drinking or try to hide the amount you drink?
  5. Do you avoid social situations that don’t involve alcohol?
  6. Do you have a high tolerance for alcohol?
  7. Do you ever use alcohol first thing in the morning to get rid of hangover symptoms or avoid the shakes?
  8. Have you ever “blacked out” or forgotten things you did while you were drunk?

Alcohol Addiction: Intervention

Sometimes when an alcoholic’s problems reach a crisis stage, the family must seek a professional intervention. An intervention comes down to confronting the alcoholic with how his or her drinking has affected the people around them. The alcoholics friends, families, and employers tell the alcoholic how his or her drinking has become a problem in their lives.

Interventions should be carefully planned and developed by a professional substance abuse counselor. If they are done haphazardly, they can be counterproductive. The goal of an intervention is to get the alcoholic to go into a treatment program.

Alcohol Addiction: Treatment

Alcoholism is a treatable disease and there are many programs available to help and support an alcoholic that has decided to get help. Thousands of facilities in the United States offer alcohol and drug rehabilitation and treatment services, ranging from short-term residential or in-patient hospitalization to long-term, outpatient counseling and therapy. The goal of these facilities is to help the alcoholic learn how to remain sober and resist the urge to drink.

Sources: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcoholism/DS00340

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52888&page=2

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Hangover Movie: Wedding Crashers

Posted on by
Reply

Hangover Movie: Wedding Crashers

Hangover Movie: Wedding Crashers

“Wedding Crashers” is a 2005 movie starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. This comedy dream team worked together previously in “Starsky & Hutch” and “Zoolander”, but “Wedding Crashers” is by far their best team effort.

In this comedy, John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) are divorce mediators in Washington D.C. Naturally, this line of work sours them as to the sanctity of marriage, and these two motor-mouthed conned men spend their free time crashing wedding parties and trying to pick up unaccompanied women. The two work from a set of rules established by a past crasher, Chazz Reinhold (Will Farrell).

In the first half an hour of “Wedding Crashers,” Jeremy and John crash a sequence of weddings and become the hit of every reception. They then begin gearing up for the social event of the year- the wedding for the daughter of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, William Cleary (Christopher Walken). Once inside, the two set their sights on Cleary’s other daughters, Gloria (Isla Fischer) and Claire (Rachel McAdams.) Jeremy ends up sleeping with Gloria on a nearby beach during the reception. Gloria quickly becomes obsessed with Jeremy and claims to have been a virgin until the encounter. Jeremy tries to get John to bail on the reception, but John is busy trying to woo Clair.

John, wanting to spend more time with Claire, convinces Jeremy to accept the family’s invitation to an extended weekend at their family compound. Jeremy agrees reluctantly, not wanting to spend any more time with Gloria. A serious of entertaining event occur at the compound: Jeremy gets hurt during a football game and Gloria tends to him while trying to have sex with him at the same time. John spikes Claire’s fiancé’s drink with eye drops and he gets sick for the rest of the night, allowing him to spend more time with her.  Claire’s mother, Kathleen (Jane Seymour) makes John feel her surgically enhanced breasts.

John and Jeremy’s ruse is eventually discovered by Claire’s fiancé, and they are kicked out of the compound. Jeremy continues to see Gloria secretly and when John finds out, it causes a rift between them. Thoroughly depressed, John begins to crash weddings by himself, often crying or destroying things at the reception and being kicked out. Eventually, he even joins Chazz in crashing a funeral.

“Wedding Crashers” is pretty much a double romantic comedy, plus a “bromance” movie. The first third of the film, where Jeremy and John are crashing weddings, is the most entertaining. They use corny pickup lines and their always the life of the party. “Wedding Crashers” slows a bit when it settles into their serious romantic conflicts. Despite the romances between Jeremy and Gloria and John and Claire, the movie creates a stronger chemistry between the two best buddies than between the buddies and their girlfriends. However, Wilson and Vaughn complement each other nicely, and the cameo by Will Farrell is extremely entertaining. All in all, this is definitely a comedy worth watching.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Hangover Movie: Bad Santa

Posted on by
Reply

Hangover Movie: Bad Santa

 

Hangover Movie: Bad Santa

Bad Santa is an American Christmas crime comedy. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, and Lauren Graham.

The movie starts off with the main character Willie Stokes, played by Thornton. Every year Willie Stokes finds a different job at shopping malls to dress up as Santa. Supposedly Willie Stokes is a jolly old man whom all the kids love. This isn’t the case though. On Christmas Eve, Willie and his friend Marcus the ‘elf’ will disarm the alarms in the shopping mall and then rob the store blind. Willie then spends the rest of his year getting drunk and committing other crimes waiting for next Christmas where he will find a shopping mall where he can dress up as Santa and then rob them again. The following Christmas Willie and Marcus meet up once again to rob a mall in Phoenix, Arizona and during that time Willie meets a bartender named Sue.

Meant to be funny and full of insult and Christmas humor, Bad Santa really is bad. During Willie’s shift work as Santa, Willie finds a quiet, fat boy named Thurman. One night when Willie is getting off work he gets attacked by a strange man and Thurman ends up helping Willie. Willie drives Thurman home and then realizes that Thurman lives in an expensive house with only his grandmother so Willie manages to talk Thurman into letting him rob the house and take the expensive car in the driveway.

Eventually at his job at the mall as Santa a security guard starts to pick up on Willie’s antics. The security guard, Gin Slagel played by Bernie Mac then decides to break into Willie’s house to search for any evidence he can find to get Willie fired.  The movie continues on with Willie and Sue’s relationship and Willie is now living with Thurman. The security guard eventually figures out that Thurman’s father is actually in prison for embezzlement and decides to pay him a visit. When he goes to visit Thurman’s father he realizes that Willie should not be staying at Thurman’s house and from that point on it is the end of Willie’s robbery days.

On Christmas Eve, Willie, Marcus and Lois break into the mall and disarm the alarms. It takes Willie longer than usual to crack open the safe; Marcus notices this and after successfully opening it, Marcus reveals to Willie that he is becoming too unreliable and was planning on killing him. Before Marcus could take his shot, a police squad appears and starts shooting at all three of them. Willie makes an escape, but manages to snag a pink stuffed elephant as Thurman’s Christmas present. He escapes and drives back to Thurman’s house with a convoy of policeman behind him. However, while trying to get to the front door, the police shoot him down.

The epilogue of the movies is told from a letter Willie wrote to Thurman from the hospital explaining his innocence. In the end Marcus and Lois are arrested and Sue gets custody of Thurman and Willie ends up being a sensitivity security guard.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism

Posted on by
Reply

Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism

There has often been a lot of controversy about housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism. The people who enter these programs are used to people giving up on them and thinking they aren’t worthy of time or energy. There are plenty of places that will house homeless people if they are willing to give up drugs and alcohol. However, there are relatively few places that will let you continue to live there if you continue to drink.

Unlike other shelters and public housing, housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism will allow alcoholics to continue to drink in their rooms. They will not be forced to choose between housing and sobriety.

Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism: Public opinion

People living in neighborhoods where these housing programs are being started often worry that they will flood the streets with alcoholics. Taxpayers often object to paying for housing that allows homeless alcoholics to continue drinking. Also, the idea of giving chronic alcoholics access to their drug of choice on the taxpayers’ dime is unacceptable to most addiction counselors. To them, it is basically giving up on a treatable disease.

Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism: Harm reduction

Much of the idea behind housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism is to cut down on simply cycling people from doorways and alleys to emergency rooms and jails. Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism actually save taxpayer money, improve community livability, and uphold people’s innate dignity. An ambulance ride and trip to the emergency room can easily cost $2,000. One night in detox is about $220. In one year, a chronic drinker can cost the taxpayer $50,000. Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism cost about $13,000 per resident annually.

The aim of housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism is to reduce alcohol’s harm to themselves and to the community at large. Drug and alcohol treatment services are available, but participation is not a requirement to stay.

Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism: Hopeless cases

Most of the people who end up in housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism have been to treatment numerous times. Sometimes there are alcoholics that can’t be treated-like those with such severe brain damage, there’s no chance of meaningful life, and those with irreversible liver damage who do not meet criteria for transplantation. However, for some who are not hopeless, avoiding the consequences of their addiction (like living on the streets) may aid them in avoiding changing their behavior. These wet houses may be the best place for hopeless cases-basically a place where they can drink until they die with a little dignity. However, it can be dangerous for someone who can recover to go to a wet house. They have no reason to quit drinking. Their meals, housing, and even their booze is paid for by tax dollars. Housing programs for people living with chronic alcoholism can rob these people of the chance to get better.

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Drinker’s Remorse

Posted on by
Reply

Drinker's Remorse

Drinker’s Remorse

“Ugh, I am never drinking again.” I say as I touch my fingers to my throbbing temples. “It’s just not worth it.”

I must’ve said those words a hundred times over in my drinking career. The guilt, shame, and/or physical discomfort would keep me away from booze for a couple of days, but inevitably, I’d be back at it again the next weekend. Eventually, my drinking landed me in rehab and then in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous, but that’s a different story for a different day.

That feeling I had, I learned later, is known as drinker’s remorse, and it’s pretty common amongst binge drinkers. Binge drinking is defined as having 4 or more drinks in one sitting for women, or 5 or more for men. Drinker’s remorse comes from the either regretting what you did while you we’re wasted, or regretting you drank enough to give you a wicked hangover.

My worst feelings of drinker’s remorse would come when I either remembered something awful I had done while drinking or someone else reminded me of something awful I had done. I’d wake up and think, “Oh shit! What did I do last night?” while frantically trying to piece together the events of the night before. Other times, I’d wake up and be peacefully unaware that anything was amiss, because I had “blacked out” while drinking.  That is, until a friend would call to remind me, and the awful memories would come flooding back. Or until the random guy I had gone home with would turn over in bed and make me aware of his presence. Or I would look at my phone and see who I called or texted while I was wasted.

I hated that feeling of drinker’s remorse. I felt like my heart had dropped into my stomach. My brain would frantically race through thoughts like:

“How bad was I?”

“Did everyone see?”

“Can I sneak this guy out of my apartment before my roommates wake up?”

“Do I still have friends?”

“Do I still have a job?”

and finally

“FUCK!”

The main difference between me and my non-alcoholic friends is that they would have one or two of these mornings of drinker’s remorse, and then they would learn their lesson. They wouldn’t drink that way again. I never learned my lesson. No matter how many times I woke up with drinker’s remorse, no matter how many times I would promise that I would cut down or quit drinking all together, I would be back in the same place a couple of weeks later.

In my experience, drinker’s remorse can be cured in one of three ways:

1. Exercise (In fact, people who exercise regularly get drinker’s remorse less frequently)

2. More liquor (Not always the best choice, but that didn’t stop me!)

3. Resolving the issue you regret (This can’t always be done, but if you can apologize or make up for something you regret, this is the best cure for drinker’s remorse.)

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.