The Alcohol Related Problems and Alcohol Related Deaths That Are Linked To Excessive Drinking

How many children are born each year with fetal alcohol syndrome? How many people’s lives are cut short due to excessive and abusive drinking? How many people get injured or lose their lives in alcohol related traffic accidents every year? How many individuals lose their lives every year because of drinking problems? How many junior high, high school, and college students lose their lives every year due to an alcohol overdose? How many people are the victims of alcohol related crime or violence each and every year? How many people face serious consequences in their lives because they received a DUI conviction? How many people die each year from a condition that is totally preventable, such as alcohol poisoning? On an annual basis, how many alcoholics fail to get the professional alcohol treatment they need?

Why Would Anyone Want to Drink in a Hazardous Manner?

So what’s the point in asking these questions? Basically to highlight the destructive and devastating nature of unhealthy and abusive drinking. Indeed, and based on the above questions, I wonder why anyone would choose to drink in a hazardous manner.

Stated more precisely, with the host of legal proceedings, relationship issues, financial problems, health dilemmas, and employment difficulties that are associated with chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction, why would any person with any sense at all want to drink in a hazardous and excessive manner? In fact when some of the above topics are put under the microscope more closely, abusive and excessive drinking becomes more illogical and makes even less sense.

Wouldn’t you think that alcoholics would be able to see some of the alcohol symptoms that they display? In a similar way doesn’t it seem logical to think that more families would involve themselves in an alcohol intervention for the person in the household who is an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic? Not only this but wouldn’t you think that individuals who drink excessively would try to learn more about their drinking behavior by reading about various alcohol related statistics?

After reviewing the alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse research literature, the point is so critical that it needs to be restated: With all of the destructive and debilitating outcomes that are directly or indirectly associated with continuous and repetitive alcohol abuse and alcoholism, why would any person want to engage in abusive and excessive drinking?

What Can be Done About the Extensive Nature of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse in the U.S.?

So what can be done about the extensive nature of alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction in the U.S.?

1. Our students need more meaningful and more relevant educational and preventative approaches and methods so that more students at all grade levels, including those at college, are “reached.
2. With a similar line of thought, our students need to learn how to become problem solvers in life rather than getting easily attracted to the “instant gratification” and the “quick fix” of a drug or alcohol abuse ”high” or “buzz”.
3. Individuals who are alcohol dependent or alcohol abusers need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask why they are not getting the professional alcohol therapy they require.
4. Society needs to get the message to more people about the debilitating and destructive outcomes of careless and abusive drinking.

There’s Room For Hope if Those Who Engage in Abusive Drinking Can Become Encouraged to Get the Alcohol Treatment They Need

There’s room for optimism and hope if individuals can start drinking in moderation and those who engage in abusive and excessive drinkingcan become encouraged to get the alcohol rehabilitation they need. Indeed, why put your loved ones through pain, turmoil, and suffering because of your abusive and careless drinking when you have the power to control your life by drinking responsibly or even stopping drinking if you cannot control your drinking?

A Young Man Gets Arrested for “Driving While Intoxicated, Talks to His Manager at Work About His Depression, and Gets Motivated to Turn His Life Around and Restore His Self Worth

Derek was recognized at work as really conservative person who had an excellent attendance record. He never went to any of the happy hours following work and it was recognized throughout the company that he was an incredibly spiritual individual who regularly spoke about the risks of alcohol abuse and addiction to alcohol in our country.

Try to imagine the shock inside the department when one Monday morning Derek did not show up for work and no one had heard from him. In fact, it wasn’t until approximately 8:45 in the morning that the human resources department received a phone call about Derek from the downtown jail.

Derek Goes Out Drinking Together With a Number of His College Buddies

Evidently, Derek went out drinking together with a number of his college house mates Saturday night and at some time around 3:15 Sunday morning, Derek was arrested for a DUI. Due to the fact that his blood alcohol content level (BAC) was quite elevated, he had to spend a day-in-a-half in the city jail.

Derek Has a Talk With His Manager and The Human Resources Director

When Derek arrived at work on Tuesday morning, he without delay informed his superior what had happened and he asked if he could go and talk to the Human Resources director about his DWI arrest.

When he got to the HR department and met with the director, he discussed that he hadn’t been drunk since his college days and that he was quite humiliated about his “driving while intoxicated” arrest. He also stressed the point that he needed some help selecting a highly trained and effective “driving while intoxicated” lawyer who would represent his “drunk driving” case. Stated differently, Derek really wanted the Human Resources director to agree that he needed to see a DUI attorney.

The Human Resources manager told Derek that he should make an appointment with someone in the company employee’s assistance program to discuss any possible drinking difficulty that he might have. The HR director also stated that he needs to go over his need to employ a “driving under the influence” lawyer to represent him with respect to his “drunk driving” case.

In addition, the Human Resources director told Derek that it was constructive that he really wanted to employ a “drunk driving” attorney mainly because of the complexities and problematic issues which are related to a “driving while intoxicated” conviction.

The Human Resources director could tell that Derek was noticeably upset and humiliated by this entire predicament. Consequently, he told Derek that while he doesn’t believe that conscientious men and women really should ever get behind the steering wheel right after consuming alcohol, sadly these circumstances sometimes take place to exceptionally good men and women.

The Human Resources director then said that since such a scenario can’t be undone, what’s essential is what the individual does from this point in time forward. As expressed by the Human Resources manager, “does the person learn from his or her errors or does the individual develop a pattern of alcohol related troubles that cause the particular person long-term pain and suffering”?

Fortunately, Derek Did Not Have a History of Heavy and Abusive Drinking

Just before completing their discussion, the Human Resources manager shared with Derek that it was quite positive that he doesn’t have a record of abusive and excessive drinking drinking. Not only this but he hasn’t had an alcohol-related problem since his college days (which was approximatley 18 years ago). As a result, Derek should be able to deal with his DWI arrest with embarrassment but also with confidence that he will confront and work through this obstacle and become a better person in the near future.

Derek thanked the Human Resources director for his practical and motivating thoughts and then walked over to the company employee’s assistance program go over his DUI arrest, his involvement in careless and irresponsible drinking over the past weekend, and his desire to employ a “drunk driving” attorney to represent his “drunk driving” case.

After hearing Derek’s “story,” the therapist that was part of the company employee’s assistance program explained Derek’s immediate “plan of action” that he needed to address and follow. First, he would be required to take a DUI class to learn more DUI facts and information. Second, he would also be required to take an alcohol abuse class to address his possible problem drinking. Third, he would have to see a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor about his depression.  And finally, it would be an especially sensible thing to do if he were to meet with a DUI lawyer about his “driving while intoxicated” arrest.

Derek Feels Comfort Knowing That He Will Learn From His Blunder and Turn Out To Be More Sensible

It was clear that Derek was incredibly disrupted with the whole DUI predicament, but right after talking to the Human Resources director and to the healthcare professional inside the company employee’s assistance program, he felt a sense of relief knowing that he would in fact learn from his slip-up and turn out to be even more healthy, even more accountable, and an even more thankful individual.