Almost Alcoholic

This is the second in a series of blogs about the title of this book. As I said last in week’s blog I am a recovering alcoholic. My first DUI was at the age of nineteen and I totaled another car and damaged mine. I only had liability insurance so I lost my job without a car. Now I will talk about the five signs of being an almost alcoholic. “(1). You continue drinking despite at least some negative consequences. (2). You look forward to drinking. (3). You drink alone. (4). You sometimes drink in order to control emotional and/or physical symptoms. (5). You and your loved ones are suffering as a result of your drinking.” (pg.29) We will talk about the first one first. Because of my drinking I lost a good job. That is one of the first signs, also even though I was always being locked up in jail after the first DUI. I kept drinking, and antabuse and probation were just part of life. The book says about the first sign: “This first sign we discovered is shared by true alcoholics and those who drink more than they should but not enough to be considered and alcoholic. In fact, this is the hallmark of the criteria for alcohol abuse in the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV where negative consequences are defined as affecting work, family, legal status, physical safety, and social life.” (pg.29) As we go along I will fit all the criteria when I used to drink. The book goes on to say that: “…estimated 10 to 12 percent of the U.S. population who meet the criteria is needed to be diagnosed as alcohol dependent.” (pg.30) They are not full blown alcoholics but they are close to becoming one. The book asks the question about one of the case studies should they wait to get such a diagnosis: “For an almost alcoholic, even a short delay can cause long-term problems.” (pg.30) It is better to try and correct the problem before it worsens. I will write about more of the signs next week. I let alcohol ruin my life, and I could not see it at the time. I do regret that all the times I was sentenced to probation no one tried to help. The counselor I saw never practiced none of the applications I studied to be an alcohol counselor. It could have saved me from going to prison. Years are lost when an alcoholic is spiraling down. For me abstinence is the only way.