We are talking about alcohol abuse when a person turns an occasional drink into a habit, disregarding the frequency and the quantity. This seriously damages professional life and relationships or provokes problems with the law. Alcohol abuse is the first step to addiction. It is different for different persons, because every organism has its own ways to assimilate and deal with alcohol. The same quantity that does nothing to a person may represent abuse for another – 30% of the US adults face this problem.
The absence of self-control, the necessity to drink, addiction at physical level and development of a certain tolerance, are symptoms that characterize alcoholism. The alcohol dependence symptom has nothing to do with the kind of drinks, or to the period of constantly drinking, not even to the quantity, but it depends on a necessity that gets out of control.
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My own Drug and Alcohol Abuse took me into the world of Depression and Alcohol withdrawal symptoms and treatment. Something I cannot recommend. The phrases ‘Dead Man Walking’ and ‘At the End of the Road’ come to mind. Just looking at my Blog’s photos should scare the daylights out of you. Even I sometimes have to remind myself that shell of a man was me.
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The relationship within our ‘self’ of body, mind and emotions shapes our ability to relate to other people, and to the spiritual power in the universe.
Depression, addictions, compulsive behaviour and low self-esteem are but symptoms, signs of a broken relationship within our ‘self’. They are symptoms of a ‘wounded spirituality’.
When this connection between our body, mind and emotions is broken, our ability, our ‘response-ability’, to respond healthily to life’s circumstances is limited.
In recovery our task is to identify and undo the broken parts of ourselves and learn to respond positively and creatively – to say YES to life in a way which enables serenity to grow and be maintained.
Some of these symptoms are;
• Alcoholism / drug addiction / compulsive gambling
• Eating disorders (overeating, bulimia, anorexia)
• Perfectionism and overachieving
• Workaholism
• Co-dependency
• Depression / shame / guilt / blaming others / denial / self-centredness / grandiosity / sensitivity / immaturity / low self-esteem / inhibitions
• Religious addiction
• Sex addiction
• Relapse, switched addictions, multiple addictions
• Controlism
• Moneyism
In order to heal our spirituality, it is helpful to discover what we believe; what we think about the Higher Power, the self, other people, the world and life or even what we do about these issues without thinking about them – reactions. Then we need to find how those beliefs may have contributed to the breakdown of the mental-emotional-physical relationship within ourselves. Where did we learn these spiritually dysfunctional ideas?
SOURCES OF WOUNDED SPIRITUALITY
If the above behaviours and states of mind are some of the signs of a wounded spirituality, just where and how did we get wounded?
We should remember that our new spirituality excludes blaming. These sources of wounding are only used to help us identify our dysfunctional beliefs. Some of the sources of injury are;
• Dysfunctional families
• Addictive/alcoholic families
• Overprotective, underprotective or interrupted parenting
• Unhealthy messages and beliefs about God and religion
• Negative, shaming messages about expressions of feelings
• Taboos about sex; negative messages about sex, sexuality or the body
• Lack of freedom to ask questions, evaluate information
• Lack of freedom to be ourselves, or an inner conflict about what we think that we should be doing and what is ‘expected’ of us
• Invasions of privacy
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Religious terrorism
Of course, practicing the symptoms of a wounded spirituality (alcoholism, addiction, low self-esteem & etc) can enable the spirit to be damaged even more. I am sure most alcoholics & addicts know how their own behaviour became worse over the years, as the drinking or drugging got worse.
Thus, once started and if not ‘arrested’ by recovering a healthy spirit, we may walk into the gates of “insanity or death.” We may have arrived at a state of “pitiful and incomprehensible demoralisation.”
See also;
http://recoveryissexy.com/our-wounded-spirits/
http://recoveryissexy.com/alcoholic-family-roles/
Copyright 2007
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It seems to me the only drugs that cause painful (and even fatal) physical withdrawal symptoms are downers / depressants (alcohol, barbiturates, opiates).
The uppers cause a psychological craving, not not a physical addiction (cocaine and crack, amphetamines, meth).
I suppose nicotine is a stimulant, and while quitting smoking is hard (I am a smoker),the withdraws don’t come close to the withdraw from downers.
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Alcoholics use to hide their liquor in many places out of the other’s reach, to prevent their problem to be discovered. Such a place is the toilet tank. If the suspicion of drugs or alcohol presence in one’s home exists, they should be searched for exactly in the most unexpected places.
Fluctuating behavior, lack of attention at job or school, neglecting the activities that person used to enjoy, new suspect entourage, depression, confusion and secrecy, suggest a possible alcohol addiction.
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Teen treatment centers have issued a ready- reckoner for parents to understand the various set of symptoms that their children can exhibit when afflicted with alcohol and drug abuse. In fact, it has been that teens today are more aware of the cocktail and combination of drugs that can make even adults gasp in disbelief. Dual addiction or taking two types of drugs together or mixing drugs with alcohol is a fatal thing that some teens indulge in. Here are some of the signs and symptoms prevalent in teens according to various types of drugs and alcohol that they indulge in:
Alcohol addiction: Symptoms include intoxication, erratic or unstable mannerisms, abusive language being used, mood swings, bloodshot eyes, foul odor that reeks of alcohol on the body and breath, presence of a different set of friends who tend to be brash with a carefree streak of mind, presence of alcohol bottles hidden in certain places, bottle caps, and behavioral traits like stealing and lying
Nicotine addiction. Discolored lips, pale face, dry skin, tobacco smell on the breath, presence of an ash-tray and cigarette butts and ash strewn at certain places in the room.
Inhalant addiction: Confused demeanor, mood swings, runny nose and smell of gasoline and such substances in the body.Cannabinoids: Signs that are associated with Cannabinoid abuse include delirious mindset, fluctuating highs and lows in behavior: euphoria followed by episodes of lethargy, reddish hues in the eye, inability to sleep.
Narcotics: The signs displayed by teens who are addicted to narcotic substances include overexcitement, slowed heart beats and higher tolerance towards pain
Depressants: It has been observed by teen rehab programs that teens that are addicted to depressants have lowered inhibitions, lack of sleep, dizziness, low blood pressure and decreased heart-rate.
Hallucinogens: Teens who are addicted to hallucinogens have problems with their sleep, their vision tends to be blurred at times; they are paranoid and they are not able to be in sync with their emotions.
Cold medications: Teens who are addicted to cold medications, an infamous form of prescription drug addition, tend to show signs that include inability to sleep, anxious behavior and rapid heartbeats.
Dissociative Addiction: Those who abuse dissociative anesthetics suffer from increased heart rate, memory loss, aggressive behavior, mood swings, high blood pressure and even vomiting.
Ecstasy: Teen treatment centers have seen that cases of those who are admitted to Ecstasy and such types of club drugs usually tend to be euphoric with an inability to sweat, memory loss, fluctuating heart beats and being overtly promiscuous. Read more of this >>
If you don’t believe that sugar addiction is a realistic and potentially very harmful problem facing society today, you probably don’t even need to conduct additional research or look at other people to find out the truth, as you may be suffering from this most prevalent and most significant challenge yourself.
It is estimated that the majority of people who partake in a typical Western diet eat far in excess of a sensible amount of sugar in any one day and many people still discount the negative primary effects and side effects that this product can deliver.
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Can you cite the right hour when a person actually turns into a drug addict? Substance abuse doesn’t take place in a single day. If it is once you went out of limit mainly in case of alcohol consumption, you will never be referred as an alcoholic. You have tasted heroin or cocaine or in a friend’s company you had it once or twice during the university days. This does not in any way represent that you are a drug addict. Then what are the probable symptoms to indicate that you have turned into an addict?
Try to trace the mood first
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A compulsive type of personality is easy to fall for a varied number of types of addictions without recognizing or even understanding what’s going on with them. For those with a compulsive behavior, nothing can be destructive enough, all they see is their need for whatever they are addicted to. The first step is to understand exactly what is an addiction and how not only what we know for hard drugs can be considered addictive substances. For the compulsive mind anything that can overstimulate the pleasure center in the brain can become an addiction. Any habit or substance that will give that compulsive individual the feeling he/she has found “home” will be a strong candidate to become an addiction. One can be addicted to hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, methamphetamine and so on. The need for these chemicals begins to fill the individual with an emotional necessity for the consumption of such substances and slowly it progresses to a chemical and physiological need. The body tends to believe it won’t go on without such substance so the periodical use and then abuse becomes imminent. These types of addiction are very similar to the alcohol and prescription drug abuse. One may think it’s socially acceptable to be with a glass of alcohol in their hands making it hard for anyone to tell them otherwise. Addiction to prescription drugs can be just as elusive, leading one to believe it’s OK to abuse their prescription drugs since they “need” to do so. Addictions can also fall into different categories like internet, gambling and even sex. A compulsive mind can’t see the difference between the use and abuse of anything. The symptoms of a person with addictive behavior seem to be the same in any case or situation. Usually the person under severe compulsions begin to slowly turn unable to meet their responsibilities in work or within the family. They start to engage in dangerous behavior, doing anything they need for one more “kick” or high, or a little bit more time doing whatever they are addicted to. When approached by a loved one, they deny their addictions entirely and turn to denial or violent manners to keep everyone away. Sometimes the addicted subject might admit they need help but even although they might try to seek treatment, their efforts turn out to be useless. If the family has a history of drug abuse or compulsive behavior in the family, the habit can seem even harder to break, but with the right help and support from all of those who care about the addicted person, they can get out of this situation. Because forcing someone to go under treatment can be even worse for the recovery, the family and friends must be there so the addicted person won’t lose their structure and find a way out of the addiction. It’s hard for the compulsive mind to admit they’re doing something wrong and risk losing their clutches, that’s when the family and friends can come in as decisive factor in the recovery.
Alcoholism is a chronic disease that has the power to break the career, family and physical health of the addict over a course of time. Thankfully though the start of full blown alcoholism is not difficult to spot and can be treated.
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