Alcoholism is a progressive disease that starts out differently for everyone. Some people can start out drinking moderately, but if you are a true alcoholic, there will be a time where you will cross the line of not being able to control your drinking on self-will alone. An alcoholic is somebody that cannot stop drinking and has a fixation on alcohol. Some people have their first drink and never stop drinking. Others will black out and pass out in their first attempt at drinking and then not drink for a while. When they do start drinking again, they will pick up right where they left off which makes it worse instead of better.
For alcoholics, the main factor for all of them is that once they have the first drink, they are unable to stop drinking. The first drink sets off a chain reaction because the body of an alcoholic is allergic to alcohol and starts an obsession of the mind that just will not turn off. The first thoughts in the morning after a bender are of guilt and shame, then it turns into I am never drinking again, to having withdrawals and a strong obsession to start drinking again. The never-ending cycle of alcoholism is ferocious.
Real alcoholics are not moderate drinkers and moderate drinkers are not real alcoholics. When problem drinkers turn into alcoholics, it is not only the obsession that is the dilemma, but the physiological changes that take place in the brain which stunt its growth due to addiction. Once the brain is addicted, there is no turning back. The metaphor of a cucumber is an alcoholic’s reality. Once a cucumber is pickled, you are unable to turn it back into a cucumber.
If an alcoholic were to limit the number of drinks that they had to one or two, this facade would not last forever. Alcoholics, plain and simple, want to get inebriated every time that they drink. Moderate drinking does not hit the spot that alcoholics are trying to achieve with their drinking – to get wasted every single time. If an alcoholic can muster up some willpower to limit their drinks for a night to hide their alcoholism from loved ones, it takes a lot of effort to not end up completely drunk at the end of the night which alcoholics usually fail miserably at.
Serenity Oaks Wellness Center is here to help you, or someone you love, to stop fighting their alcoholism and give into sobriety. We are here to walk you through your recovery, every step of the way. Pick up the phone and give us a call: 844-720-6847
