Drinking alcohol is dangerous for kids and teens and sometimes for adults, too. Alcohol is a drug, and it is the drug most abused by teens. Many kids have their first drink at an early age, as young as 10 or 11 or even younger. They may have seen their parents drink or cool ads for beer and wine. It’s easy for a kid to get the wrong message about alcohol. In TV commercials, drinking looks like a lot of fun. You might see people drinking and watching sports together or having a big party. But alcohol is actually a depressant. That means it’s a drug that slows down or depresses the brain. Like many drugs, alcohol changes a person’s ability to think, speak, and see things as they really are. A person might lose his or her balance and have trouble walking properly. The person might feel relaxed and happy and later start crying or get in an argument. Kids need to know that it is not okay to start drinking until they are of legal age and even then it is not recommended.

Car accidents these days have soared through the roof. These are generally because of drunk drivers. When a driver goes to the bar to hang with friends and have a couple of glasses of beer, they will feel confident enough they can drive themselves home. Sadly this is not the case, if anything people should have a designated driver they can count on. A lot of the time the drunk driver isn’t always the one who pays for driving drunk. Completely sober families and people can become a victim of drunk driving. American taxpayers pay an average of about 21 to 24 billion dollars a year on alcohol related car accidents. The figures are alarming and increasing steadily, about 250,000 people have died in the last ten years, and in 2004 25,000 people died. There is so much destruction and death caused by alcohol, it would be easiest if you just didn’t drink and found other creative ways to have fun, or at least have a designated driver every time you go out.

Alcohol gets to be that reckless part of you, that alter ego that appears like a black sheep of the family, only to rain on your parade. It’s the kind of friend that moves in uninvited, steals your food, makes out with your girlfriend and doesn’t pay a dime in rent. The perennial bad tenant, that wrecks your property, lets weeds grow in your garden and then only departs when forcibly evicted. But above all it’s a substance that wrecks your health and causes so much unnecessary suffering, a drug you willingly pour down your neck for the sake of sociability and to block out the daily pounding of life. It’s not until you can see it for what it is, an interloper in an otherwise beautiful existence that you realize that this substance takes on a life of its own, once you allow it to enter your body.

The reality is that if you have found yourself concerned about your drinking, you probably at least have a drinking problem and you may be an alcoholic. The very fact that you are questioning your drinking habits in and of itself generally is a solid alcoholism test, a sufficient basis for you to seek some sort of appropriate assistance in regard to your drinking (or in regard to your potential alcoholism) before the situation becomes even worse. Beyond what might best be called the “concerned alcoholism test,” there are in fact solid alcoholism test options that can assist you in making a more thorough inventory to determine if you might indeed have an alcohol problem or to find out if you are an alcoholic. An alcoholism test can provide a basic guide as to whether you have an alcohol problem or whether you might be an alcoholic. The standard alcoholism test has a series of twelve to twenty such questions like this. The fact is that most experts agree that when a person answers “yes” to even one question in such an alcoholism test, that person likely does have a drinking problem and very well may be afflicted with the disease of alcoholism. You need to know there is a problem before you try to get rid of it.

hat most alcoholics don’t realize is that their obsession is actually chemical, and with every chemical problem actions can be taken. It is the most difficult to treat but it is still doable. Once an alcoholic has gone to a rehabilitation center, the very first thing they will do is detoxify the alcohol. Other wise know as an alcohol detox which is a period of medically monitored treatment where the alcoholic is helped to overcome his/her physical addiction to alcohol. If the addiction is really bad the person will experience cold sweats and severe seizures. The patient just has to work through this part, there isn’t a way to get around it. The next step is rehabilitation often know as rehab. This is generally just therapy after the initial treatment is over. Relapse prevention is also included. The entire process is uncomfortable but when you are through you will be able to live your life free and well again.

For members of Alcoholics Anonymous, absolute alcohol sobriety is a must. But, for many of us absolute alcohol sobriety is a choice we make for all sorts of reasons. Health issues tend to be the prime motivation for maintaining absolute alcohol sobriety. Alcohol does not mix well with pregnancy, diabetes, high blood pressure to name but a few. There are also the psychological problems that are worsened by alcohol consumption and for which absolute alcohol sobriety is desirable. Achieving absolute alcohol sobriety can be challenging as drinking can become a habit if not an addiction. The occasional drinker may well be able to get to the point where they can achieve absolute alcohol sobriety without any help from outside sources. Others may need more help. Alcoholism is an issue made worse by the fact that societies’ acceptance of the use of alcohol actually hides the problem. It can be incredibly difficult for anyone with an alcohol problem to achieve absolute alcohol sobriety.

Every now and then people don’t even realize they are so completely obsessed with alcohol. They just have a few glasses every night. Soon they will start to crave and need it everyday. The way to know if you are obsessed with alcohol is if you depend and crave it constantly. You know you need help when you feel like you need some liquor everyday, and you crave it with such intensity that you start to shake. Or it cuts you’re your work day, the need to get a drink. At worst the need can lead you to convulsions and the want to drink more. Often they will feel as if they are ‘more resistant’ to the tipsy effects of alcohol. If this is happening to you seek professional help right a way. It is best to prevent this bad of an addiction as fast as possible before the symptoms get worse.