Nick Williams - Alcoholics Anonymous: The Alcoholics Anonymous Guide: 12 Steps and 12 New Habits & Tips that will help you recover from Alcoholism

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

The Alcoholics Anonymous Guide:

12 Steps and 12 New Habits & Tips that will help you recover from Alcoholism

A lcoholism has become something common that you probably know a person or two who are struggling with alcoholism. This book provides useful Information on a variety of topics relating to alcoholism.

There is a very thin line between safe alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse; however, alcohol abuse is not necessarily alcoholism. It is possible that you may be bordering on alcoholism without even knowing it. If you have difficulty letting go of the bottle, do not despair, there are processes and means of getting you out.

This however requires determination, personal will power, time and most importantly the support of people who are important to you; like close family and friends. It is not something you just wake up and decide to do, same way you did not just wake up one morning and become an alcoholic; it takes time to form a habit.

I will also look at alcoholics anonymous and how it works. What most people dont realize is that you dont have to be an alcoholic to have a drinking problem.

This book tackles the alcoholism issues from all fronts. We will look at alcoholism from all angles and perspectives. It is divided in the following chapters to help you understand:

- Introduction to alcoholism

- What drives people to alcoholism

- Signs that you are an alcoholic or becoming one (The alcoholism risk factors)

- Effects of excessive alcohol consumption on an individual and those around him

- 12 steps and habits that will help you recover from alcoholism

- Conclusion

I will talk about what alcoholism is, what drives a person to be dependent on alcohol, the signs that a person is addicted to alcohol and finally, ways one can recover from alcoholism.

INTRODUCTION TO ALCOHOLISM

A lcohol is one of the most abused substances in the world. A greater percentage of the worlds population takes alcohol, or has taken it at some point in their life. Alcohol is served in almost all social gatherings. It is not bad to have a drink every once in a while; some people prefer a nice glass of wine after dinner, others- social drinkers only drink during social events where alcohol is served and others may prefer to go out a few times to get a good drink.

There is a very thin line between safe and unsafe drinking; most people do not even realize they have crossed it.

The problem arises when a person cannot function properly without alcohol. The body gets used to alcohol that a person finds it hard to perform normal daily activities without a sip. It starts with a person taking a few bottles a day to him or her drowning a whole barrel alone.

When it gets to the point where a person is dependent on alcohol that is when he or she is said to have an alcohol addiction. Among all the addictions, alcohol ranks first with millions of people being affected. This can be attributed to the fact that alcohol is easily available, ranging from cheaper types to highly expensive brands, or may be, because it is legal in most countries.

There are thousands of rehabilitation facilities worldwide that are trying to help addicts get a grip on their alcoholism. This is always a difficult journey that most people cannot do on their own.

image by Aliaksandr Palanetski

G eorge is an example of a person who went from being a leading salesman in a software company to being that guy. His life appeared to be in order, everything was working out fine; he had been promoted from being a sales representative to the position of assistant manager. He was engaged and had just moved into this beautiful house which he planned to share very soon with his fianc Alissa.

This particular morning, George wakes up to the news that his firm is under receivership, the worst part is that he and his colleagues might face the axe as a cost cutting strategy. Well, the worst happened and he lost his job. He was optimistic that he will soon get his life back, after all he had a model resume and sales expertise that any firm would want, but as it appeared he wasnt the only one with the experience, six months down the line he was still jobless. As a last resort, he had to work at a car wash.

He couldnt afford to foot the wedding costs, obviously, and the mortgage was weighing down on him so he had to sell his house. Life had hit him so hard that he started drinking frequently. He spent any little cash he got on booze and he was always in a fight with Alissa. Things got even worse when his fianc broke up with him, it was the last stroke. Now all he did was drink, drink and drink. He cut communication with all his family members.

One day his mum visited and could not believe the state in which his son was in. After a lot of nagging and reasoning with her son, she finally managed to convince him to go to a rehabilitation center. That became the start of his journey to recovery.

It is safe to believe that Georges condition was worsened not because of his lack of job, but because he lacked support during the hardest time of his life.

Many alcohol addicts may not realize they have a problem until it is too late. Getting them to realize that they need help is the initial step for the recovery process to start, let alone succeed. This book will do just that.

WHAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO BECOME ALCOHOLICS

A lcoholics always blame the people in their lives or difficult situations for their alcoholism. This could be or could not be true; it is a subjective matter. We cannot narrow down to one sole cause of alcoholism; it is a highly debatable subject and a very sensitive one. There are number of reasons that might make a person an alcoholic. Scientists and medics have tried linking it to genetic, physiological, emotional and sociological causes. The causes vary from person to person while some say they do not even know how they became alcoholics.

Drastic negative changes in a persons life, career or social life is one of the causes of alcoholism. For example, losing a job can be pretty hard to handle for some people, and if another job does not come by in time, a person may find himself or herself spiraling down the alcoholism path. The stress that a person goes through can be very intense. It always starts with a person taking two bottles to escape the stress; the number of bottles will begin increasing slowly and before realizing, they will be addicted.

For young people, the major cause of alcoholism is peer pressure. Trying to keep up with your peers can have devastating results. Going to a party where you are dared to drink a dozen bottles of beer to see who is the last person standing, in a bid to prove you can, you do just that. This then becomes a habit whenever you go out. Before you know it, you can comfortably drink a whole barrel to get tipsy.

image by Kevin Dooley

M ental, otherwise referred to as psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. Depression is very bad and apart from turning someone into an alcoholic, it might even lead a person to commit suicide. A feeling of low self-esteem, rejection can create a turbulent mind and spirit.

Loneliness, lack of friends and family problems also count as causes of alcoholism. A person who is always alone might need something to make him or her feel less lonely. In such a case, alcohol always comes in handy. Having no one to talk to when you feel low can make a person resort to alcohol and drug abuse.