Alcohol Abuse - How To Start Helping Yourself First
They say that the first step to solving a personal problemis to admit that you have just that-a problem. While thisis somewhat true, especially when the problem is alcoholrelated, you need to slowly work yourself to some desiredgoal, whether it’s to stop drinking all together, or tomoderate your consumption (which a doctor can help youdecide based an overall health analysis).
Back in college (or university), there was a track coach(who eventually coached the Olympic team) who told hisrunners that you had to visualize your goals, and in yourmind, watch yourself run the entire race in optimal form.He also told his runners to write down their goals in asmall journal each and every day.
When this is applied to someone suffering from alcoholismor abuse, it may help him or her substantially controlcertain drinking habits. For the first entry in your “stopdrinking journal,” write down the reason that you want tocut down or abstain from alcohol. You can either write itin paragraph form or make a list that you’ll be able toread clearly if you ever need reminded. The list mayinclude such reasons as: to sleep or get along with myfamily better, or to improve health.
Next, as the track coach would have his runners jot downtheir goals, so should you. Each and every day you shouldlimit your alcohol intake to only one or two glasses, andno more. Write down this goal for each new day in yourjournal. And, if you don’t think you can start there, goahead and create a chart that diagrams how much drinkingyou do each week.
Be honest with yourself and record how much you’ve drankeach and every day. After three to four weeks, see how muchyou’ve consumed. And, if you feel able, share thisinformation with your doctor, then s/he will help youassess if your drinking is should be considered problematic(which is usually a male who drinks more than two drinksper day, and a female who drinks more than one).
So, instead of allowing yourself to be victimized by yourown emotions or self-control issues, start taking controlwith this simple step. If you’re not sure that you have aproblem, but you feel like you might, then chances are youdo.
So, don’t make excuses, monitor yourself daily. Once you’reready, perhaps you can share your material with your doctoror other professionals (or a therapy group) who understandwhat you’re going through.
About the Author:
Paul Johnson works as a software developer, often working long hours under great stress. A few years ago he realized alcohol was becoming a problem. Now he’s written a series of useful articles on alcohol abuse, and the important information he discovered during his recovery process. Discover valuable advice and information about alcohol abuse - its causes and its treatment. Website contains valuable articles and information about this widespread problem. Click ==> http://www.alcohol-abuse-mastery.com/