Alcohol Addiction Help

Hats off, you have taken the first step in overcoming your alcohol problem or heavy drinking issues. Eleos counselling has helped clients with alcohol problems in the  Horley Red Hill, Surrey area since 2012. Eleos counselling positively supports clients overcome, alcohol drink -related, alcohol addiction, heavy drinking and alcohol-related mental health problems.

How do I know I have a alcohol problem?

It’s not always easy to see when you’re drinking has crossed the line from modest or social drinking to drink -related, alcohol addiction . However, if you are using alcohol as a coping mechanism when things become difficult for you or to avoid unpleasant feelings, you can be in a potentially dangerous area. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can creep up on you, it’s good to know the warning signs. Additionally, to kerb your intake of alcohol, if you recognise them.

Many interconnected factors including your social/ cultural environment, and your emotional well-being, may be a precursor to alcoholism and alcohol abuse, in some people. There is a correlation between people who have grown up with a family history of alcoholism or who are associated with heavy drinkers to develop drinking problems themselves, but this is not a hard and fast rule.

One thing that may contribute to alcohol abuse, is having mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety. Moreover, people with bipolar disorder statistically are particularly at risk, as alcohol may be used to self- medicate to alleviate depressive episodes.

Do I have a drink problem?

You could have an alcohol addiction if you….

• Have a feeling of shame and guilt about your drinking.
• Deceived others and are secret about your drinking habits.
• Have friends, family and social connections who are concerned about your drinking.
• Find yourself needing to drink, in order to relax and feel better.
• Having memory lapses, forgetting what you did while you were drinking or “blackouts”.
• Regular binge or drinking more than you intended.

But I mainly drink socially.

Drinking is common in many cultures and as you would realise, the effects of alcohol differ from person to person. Exactly where the line is between social drinking and a drinking problem is not always easy to ascertain. In reality is all about how much the alcohol affects you. If your drinking is causing problems with your Ability to function
normally in everyday life, you have an alcohol addiction.

Precisely what is Alcohol dependency?
Addiction specialists make a distinction between alcohol abuse and alcoholism or drink dependency. Unlike an alcoholic, an alcohol abuser has some ability to set limits to their drinking. However, the use of alcohol is still destructive and potentially dangerous to themselves or others.

Symptoms of alcohol abuse:

• Neglecting your responsibilities: performing poorly at work, ignoring studies, neglecting family events, not honouring commitments because you’re hung over.
• Drinking in situations which are physically dangerous: an example of this is drink driving, operating machinery whilst drunk, and mixing alcohol with prescription medication, contrary to GP’s recommendations.
• Finding yourself with legal problems because of your drinking: an example of this is getting arrested whilst drink-driving. or being caught fighting whilst drunk.
• Continuing to use alcohol, even though this is causing problems in your relationships: for example drinking late with friends, even though you know this will upset your wife or partner or cause arguments with your close relatives because they dislike your behaviour when you are drunk.
• Using drink as a way of easing distress and relaxing: People often incur problems when they use alcohol to relax or self-soothe. For example, Drinking after every stressful day can often be a sign that you’re using alcohol incorrectly. Another example, reaching for a glass of wine every time you have a disagreement with your partner or spouse.Again could be an indicator that you’re using alcohol to self-soothe.

Do all people who abuse alcohol become alcoholics?

Not all alcohol abusers progress to full-blown alcoholics, but there’s certainly a risk factor. In some cases alcoholism can develop quickly in response to a stressful change in lifestyles such as a breakup of marriage, retirement or loss or death. Sometimes it gradually progresses as your tolerance for alcohol increases. If you’re a weekend binge drinker or you drink every day the risk of developing alcoholism is substantially increased.

Symptoms and signs of (alcohol dependency) alcoholism

Alcoholism encapsulates all of the symptoms of alcohol abuse but also takes on another characteristic: a physical dependency to alcohol. If you are reliant on alcohol to function or need alcohol to feel normal, You’re an alcoholic. Furthermore, If you have a physical / psychological compulsion to drink you’re an alcoholic.

• Loss of control over your drinking. Drinking more alcohol than you intended, for longer than you had planned.
• Having several attempts to give up or quit, but with no success. Making persistent efforts to cut down or stop your drinking, but with no success.
• Neglecting activities in order to drink: Abandoning activities that were important to you such as going to the gym, pursuing hobbies spending time with friends and family.
• Choosing alcohol over close relationships: you recognise that alcohol is having a detrimental effect on your marriage or relationshi. Which in turn makes you more depressed but you continue to drink anyway.

Denial

The use of denial is one of the primary defence mechanisms an alcohol abuser or alcoholic has. The desire to drink is so strong that they find ways, cognitively, to rationalise their drinking. Even when the consequences are, to them obvious such as declining health and disintegrating relationships.
If you have a problem with drinking you may deny it by:

• Dramatically underestimateing how much you have drunk.
• Minimising the negative consequences of your drinking.
• Playing the blame game ;blaming your use of alcohol or heavy drinking on others, such as friends and family.

What Eleos Counselling Offers.

Research has shown that counselling / psychotherapy, can assist greatly in the recovery from an alcohol problem, whether that is alcohol abuse alcoholism or uncontrolled drinking. Eleos counselling has many years working in West Sussex and Surrey offering counselling to people with Alcohol problems. At Eleos Counselling, we offer you support, compassion guidance and empathy on your voyage to a alcohol- free life.
Each client’s journey will be different. Initially, you will meet with your counsellor once a week for the first few months. We have found that the first few months of counselling are critical to your recovery; is at this time that you will need the most support. Depending on your recovery after a few months the sessions may go biweekly or three weekly. Nevertheless, should you feel that you need extra support you can schedule extra sessions with your counsellor, should you be having a particularly challenging week.

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