It’s normal, come home from work and have a beer or a glass of wine. The truth is that some people can do that and no problems arise from this routine. But this truth also comes with tension, and that is that alcohol can be destructive in the fullest sense of the word.
The word “Alcohol” comes from the Arabic word “Al-Kuhl” which means “BODY EATING SPIRIT”, let that sink in for a minute. Having a glass of wine or a beer here and there isn’t going to eat your body away, but it certainly can open the door to a deceptive reality where more and more alcohol can seem like a logical and healthy next step. It’s everywhere, it's legal, and it’s the most socially acceptable drug. You might be thinking, “But alcohol is not a drug.” Here is the definition of the word “drug,” a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. Alcohol is certainly a drug.
Did you know it also kills millions of people worldwide a year? “There are around 3.3 million deaths worldwide per year due to harmful use of alcohol,” from Statista.com.
Here in the USA, “An estimated 88,000 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually”. -National Institute on Alcohol Abuse. On average there are over a million DUI charges in the USA annually, and the average cost of a Driving Under the Influence charge these days is roughly 10,000$, onedui.com.
Ten grand is an expensive night of fun.
The “Opioid Epidemic” has received loads of media coverage and rightfully so with the explosion of addiction and deaths birthed by big Pharmaceutical Companies and fueled by heroin from Mexican cartels. Last year over 70,000 people died from an overdose in the USA, that number saw minimal improvement last year. But alcohol is still ruining and taking the lives of more people annually than painkillers and heroin combined.
Being in recovery from a deadly drug and alcohol addiction myself for roughly 10yrs and having worked in the treatment world, I can tell you that alcohol is still the number one cause of addiction that people struggle with and get help for.
I know many people that drink occasionally and socially and alcohol has not become a problem in their life, I also know dozens of people that have died from it or are certainly struggling with an alcohol problem.
Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself if you think you might have a problem.
1- Once you start is it hard for you to stop?
2- Do you drink to “escape” or numb undealt with pain?
Near the end of my drinking it was normal for me to drink a bottle of vodka a night and black out. I was as alcoholic as can be imagined. If you have a problem you don’t have to keep digging, "rock bottom" is simply where someone decides to stop digging.
Get help! If you’re struggling, just know that there is a wonderful life available without alcohol, and you can do it! And if you have a loved one struggling, don’t lose hope. Change is possible.
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