How much alcohol do you consume? I ask this question not for general thought, but for many, mathematical calculation. You may find that statement funny, but the fact remains, there are a lot of people consuming a lot of alcohol and really not disclosing the amount they drink to anyone!
How can they possibly not disclose the amount they drink to themselves, you ask? One word - denial!
You may have heard that there are three primary stages to uncovering and overcoming an addition (denial, anger, acceptance). Stage one is "denial." This can take anywhere from two weeks or until the end of life to get past. Some people recognize their addiction to alcohol or other drugs quickly. They decide they do not want to be an addict and they consciously decide to give up booze or drugs for good.
Others on the other hand can take months or forever to get past the denial of their addiction issues. An alcohol class can help teach you that it is one thing to admit it to yourself, but it is another to go public with your addiction issues. Once you go public, you open yourself to greater likelihood of success in quitting.
An alcohol class helps give you the confidence to take that step of bringing your problem out into the open. While we deny our addiction issue, we also are able to keep ourselves believing that those close to us do not know about our addiction. They do, and they will applaud your admission and step in the right direction.
As a counselor for both in-class and online alcohol classes I often ask my students if they think they have a problem with alcohol. Basically, I am asking them to come out of the closet and admit they are alcoholics (if they are).
How do you think they usually respond? Keep in mind that 99% of my students are in class or taking the course as an online alcohol class because they have been cited for an alcohol-related offense. It may surprise you that less than 10% admit they have a problem.
Perhaps this is because they are in a public setting and fear the embarrassment of the situation. I can tell you that of the 8.2% of my students who admit to being alcoholics, they fall into two precise categories. A small percentage of admitters are under the age of 25 and really did not drink much in the first place and seem committed not to repeat their behavior.
The second group is the vast majority of admitters. This group are seasoned alcoholics who are committed to heavy drinking despite the fact they continue to have problems as a result of their alcoholic behavior. This group needs to take strong steps to rid themselves of their drinking behavior. They need a series of alcohol classes, combined with counseling and perhaps even detox.
Alcohol is really bad for the human body. While infrequent moderate consumption will not do irreparable harm to most, abstinence is still the best policy for the quality and longevity of your life. If you or someone you care about has a drinking problem I urge you to seek help immediately. If you prefer to maintain total anonymity, there are online alcohol classes too.
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