Ways To Recognize Problem Drinking

There are ways to recognize people who have alcohol problems. If you are concerned about your drinking habits or those of someone close to you, here are a few ways to determine if alcohol is indeed a problem:

If you are a woman who has more than seven drinks a week or more than three drinks at a party, bar or celebration, you may be drinking too much.

The same is true for a man who has more than 14 drinks a week or more than four drinks at a party, bar or celebration. For those over 65, more than seven drinks a week or three drinks per occasion could mean you are drinking too much.

Think that you or a loved one or friend may be in the drinking heavily category?

If you are a woman who is drinking more than three drinks every day or 21 drinks per week, the answer is, "yes." Men who consume more than five drinks a day or thirty-five a week also fit into the drinking heavily category.

Maybe you are concerned about the risks you or someone who is close to you is taking when you drink. Those who drink and drive are taking risks with the consumption of alcohol.

If you operate heavy machinery or mix alcohol with medications, either over-the-counter or prescription medicines, you are putting yourself and others at risk.

When you don't tell your pharmacist, doctor, or surgeon that you are a regular drinker, you are taking risks with alcohol. Did you know that even small amounts of alcohol can be dangerous for an unborn child?

If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you are taking risks every time you drink and even if you are not putting yourself at risk, you are putting your baby in a precarious and dangerous situation.

Drinking has become a habit when you or a loved one uses alcohol to relieve anxiety, relax or to get to sleep. The use of alcohol has become a habit if you consistently drink so that you will feel more comfortable in social situations.

When drinking is used as a way to avoid thinking about unpleasant or sad situations, it may have become a habit. The same is true if you spend quite a bit of time socializing with other drinkers.

There may come a time when the consumption of alcohol begins to take over your life. One sign that this is happening is if you worry about having enough alcohol for the evening or the weekend.

If you hide alcohol or purchase it at various stores so that people won't know how much alcohol you are consuming you may have reached the point of having alcohol take over your life.

When you are at a social gathering do you try to avoid letting others know how much alcohol you are drinking? Do you attempt to get extra drinks and hope that others will not see you doing it?

If you fit into any of the above categories, it may be time to talk to a doctor or other professional about your alcohol consumption.

There are also self-help and support groups that can offer assistance. Do not feel that you are alone or that you can not stop drinking. The misuse of alcohol can lead to ruined health, the end of relationships and other serious consequences for you and for others.

Advice For Those Who Live With Alcoholics

Many people choose to stay in relationships with alcoholics. It is like living in a love triangle. There is you, the alcoholic and the addiction. You will feel that you really are part of a love triangle. His/her addiction takes money, time and attention away from you and from any family you may have.

You may think of an alcoholic as a person who stumbles around the street, drunk, with a bottle in one hand and money for the next bottle in the other hand.

This is not often not the case. Many alcoholics lead fairly normal lives, at least for awhile. They are usually able to hold a job for a time and may just begin by drinking a little too much, too often.

When the addiction truly takes hold the person will absolutely deny there is a problem. Emotional closeness is no longer possible and there are many other problems as well.

There are several things that may happen in your relationship and none of them are good.

You will notice inconsistent behavior and fits of violence and fury are possible. The alcoholic is often irresponsible and can not be depended upon.

Sexual activity is usually diminished and the alcoholic may experience constant irritability. You will probably have to deal with depression and your relationship will never be stable.

If you decide to try to ignore the fact that your partner is an alcoholic you will be enabling all of these behaviors to continue. The person you love is very ill and needs help. All the understanding, love and patience in the world will not cure someone who is addicted to alcohol.

When you indulge an alcoholic the person will have no reason to change. Why would a person who is addicted to alcohol make any changes when they have someone who continues to be loving and understanding.

The alcoholic who has someone to make excuses for him/her, forgive and solve his/her problems has absolutely no motivation to stop drinking and seek help.

An alcoholic who has someone taking care of all the problems caused by the addition may tell himself/herself that he/she will wait until an appropriate moment comes along. He/she will be able to ignore the illness if a partner is covering all the bases for the addictive behaviors.

If children are part of the family the situation is even more difficult and complicated.

The children often take the back seat in the family and they do not always receive the love and attention they needed. They may grow up feeling guilty, angry, and afraid.

There are many things you can do if you are living with an alcoholic. The first part of this series gave you some ideas of things not to do and Part Two will focus on steps you can take to improve the situation.

Source: Free Online Articles from ArticlesBase.com

How to get drunk to death

Some people don't know for sure how much they can drink.
Here is the most unbelievable examples of how people can get drunk to death.
It's considered usually that 5 parts of pure alcohol per thousand parts of blood cause strong intoxication and death. Some of them were not lucky...

Pro mil is 0.1% (1 part per thousand)

1. In 2001, Latvian, 30 years old, managed to achieve a level of 8.25 pro mils. Nobody knew what happened because he was found dead.
2. 2003. Bulgarian, 67, took two liters of strong drink. Probably, world would never learn about him. He entered hospital because of car crash and felt himself rather well.
3. Not so long ago, German schoolboy fell into coma after 57 tequila drinks. He stayed in such state for 4 weeks but unfortunately nothing could help him...
4. 2007, March. Three Russian soldiers arrange a drinking contest. The total bet was 2000 rubles (about $70 only). During the evening, they were able to "destroy" 15 bottles of vodka. They all were gone. The fate of $70 stayed unknown.
5. At last, in 2007, April, Belorussian, 30, held a record of alcohol in the blood. He became an absolute champion. Three cardiac arrests, breath stop, two days of reanimation. 11.2 pro mils! More understandable equivalent is FIVE BOTTLES OF PURE VODKA!!! Really lucky man.

Think before you drink next time. Better they watched the movies.