Who is an alcoholic?

If a person has cancer all are sorry for him?But not so with alcoholic illness, for with it there goes out life.

Alcohol has plenty of romantic associations. The gold-and-scarlet glow of liquor advertisements, the fizz of the champagne opened by a victorious sportsman, the toast at a party or the thrill teenagers feel over a secret beer bash – they all make for the feel-good image of alcohol.

Many people drink socially, or occasionally, and are able to stop after a few drinks. It does not interfere with any other aspect of their life. But for some others who drink, things go awry.

We do not know for sure why some people are more susceptible to alcohol abuse than others. An alcoholic is not just the man in tatters, knocked flat on the road after a binge. Alcoholism is an age no bar, economic status/ social status no bar disease.

An alcoholic is one, whose drinking causes continuing problems in any area of his life (such as family relationships, job, financial status or health) and who continues to drink in spite of these problems because he has developed a physical and psychological dependence on alcohol.

Once the djinn in the bottle gets you, you are trapped. And how!

“If a person has cancer all are sorry for him…But not so with alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all things worthwhile in life…It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity, disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents…”

- Alcoholics Anonymous

(To be continued)

(Source: Webhealthcenter.com)