Lives and years lost from abuse

[See the Light]

Interesting interactive chart (2nd link) and related story from yesterday (1st link) showing the cumulative impacts of drug and alcohol on Americans. I suppose everyone here knows that AL kills, but seeing the stats are a sobering (pun intended) reality check. Alcohol really is poison.

http://www.businessinsider.com/years...l-abuse-2014-9

http://www.withdrawal.net/realize/dr...-compared/#age

[Alky]

Lives and years lost from abuse

Thanks for posting these links. It frustrates me to no end that so many people here on this forum try to minimize the danger of alcohol withdrawal. How many times have we seen well-intentioned posts on this forum telling people the worst is over by day 3, or giving the same old boilerplate advice, hydrate, B-vitamins etc. etc. In fact, alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawals are the only drug withdrawals that can kill. The danger of opiates and other narcotics comes from the risk of overdose while using, but the withdrawal itself won't kill you (although you will probably feel otherwise). People who post that they are experiencing moderate to possibly severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms do not need to be told to hydrate and take B vitamins. Nor do they need to be told that they're out of the woods by day 3 or 4. Even though the DTs only happen in a small minority of detoxing alcoholics, day 3 and 4 is when they hit. These people need to be told to seek medical help, or at least be ready to run and not walk to the nearest emergency room. Not to do so, no matter how well-intentioned, is to put their life at risk.

And I'm also perplexed by the ambivalence, if not outright disdain for support groups. Lets be honest, there are many who have quickly come and gone from this forum believing that not drinking is just about not drinking. Not drinking is about changing your lifestyle. If you want to "not drink" and still hang out with drinking friends in drinking establishments, best of luck to you. Just because you're not drinking does not mean that is sober behavior. Especially in early sobriety, it is important to be around sober people, especially with people who have lots of sober time under their belts. I think the disdain many have for AA or cognitive behavioral therapy is because they aren't ready for the brutal self-examination that 12 step or talk therapy forces. It's easier to just make excuses as to why AA is BS or why talk therapy is unnecessary. Many of us think that we're somehow special and that everything everyone else had to do to get sober doesn't apply to us. God knows I did. But more likely than not, that isn't the case.

[Steps off soapbox]

[Sunbeam]

Lives and years lost from abuse

I have found this forum to be a successful alternative to a support group, I am over two years AF now. I believe that there are many others here who have also had this success.

[Alky]

Lives and years lost from abuse

Sunbeam;n2512133 wrote: I have found this forum to be a successful alternative to a support group, I am over two years AF now. I believe that there are many others here who have also had this success.

Whether or not your support group is physical or virtual is not the primary point. I'd be willing to bet you made significant lifestyle changes.

[available]

Lives and years lost from abuse

I have found success with this site also but yes alky i have had to change my life significantly to the life i always wanted without al. We all need to have tools and plans in place and be prepared to make small but ultimately major changes to be rid of al and be successful in keeping sober. This will be a constant in my life to keep al out.

[Sunbeam]

Lives and years lost from abuse

Yes, Alky, I have. I keep a wonderful list of activities to do that are available through a link in my signature line, which is currently not visible.

[See the Light]

Lives and years lost from abuse

For what it is worth, that same site has info on programs to help with AL withdrawal, if needed:

http://www.withdrawal.net/learn/alcohol/

Great posts either way. Thanks

[See the Light]

As a follow-up to this article posted earlier, I saw these grim stats this weekend in an article about the impact of commercials on alcohol abuse. Interesting and scary at the same time:

"Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of premature death in the U.S. and responsible for one in every 10 deaths. The statistics that describe the ways in which we drink ourselves to death are staggering. A study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease found that nearly 70% of deaths due to excessive drinking involved working-age adults. The study also found that about 5% of the deaths involved people younger than age 21. Moreover, excessive alcohol use shortened the lives of those who died by about 30 years. Yes, 30 years."


As Seen on TV: Advertising’s Influence on Alcohol Abuse

http://www.science20.com/the_science_of_addiction/blog/as_seen_on_tv_advertisings_influence_on_alcohol_abuse-147661

[K9Lover]

I have to agree with Alky about seeking medical help when you are quitting alcohol. Especially if you have been a heavy drinker for a long time. It is dangerous, and quitting CAN kill you unless you are under the care of a doctor. White-knuckling it is not the answer.