Have you been drinking a lot lately? If you feel that you might have been drinking too much alcohol, chances are that your suspicions are probably correct. Although alcoholism is a long-term process that can take up to ten years to fully develop, your body will begin to exhibit some preliminary signs of alcoholism or other negative effects of excessive alcohol intake within a scant few weeks of chronic alcohol abuse. A good test that you can conduct on yourself to find out if you have been drinking too much lately is to see how long you can last without alcohol intake of any kind. If you cannot last for more than a month, then you may already be in some stage of alcoholism. You should consult with a qualified physician as soon as possible to determine whether you have an alcohol problem.
Alcoholism might be one of the least of your worries when dealing with alcohol, however. While alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be quite a pain to manage, they are considered a normal part of the detoxification process for an alcoholic because 90% of all alcoholics will experience some degree of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. On the other hand, a more dangerous short-term effect of alcohol is known as alcohol poisoning. The alcohol poisoning symptoms can seem incredibly similar to a hangover if it were not for the fact that the two are actually worlds apart when it comes to danger levels. While a hangover will usually disappear within a day and can be safely slept off, you should never advise someone to try and sleep of acute alcohol poisoning. This is because alcohol will continue to be released into the bloodstream long after the individual has actually stopped drinking alcohol. This is true even while the individual is sleeping. Without prompt medical attention, he could lapse into a coma and expire.
One of the biggest hurdles to quitting their alcohol-dependent ways for alcoholics is facing the discomfort brought about by alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is the term used to designate the symptoms or set of symptoms that an alcoholic will begin to manifest within 6-24 hours after his last intake of alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are brought about by neurological changes in the body after deprivation of alcohol. The severity of the symptoms depends largely on the physical constitution of the individual alcoholic as well as his amount of exposure to alcohol. It goes without saying that the longer the individual has been exposed to alcohol, the more intense the symptoms.
Somewhat surprisingly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms duration may be shorter for long-term alcoholics rather than occasional drinkers. Before moving further, it is important to note that alcoholics are not the only ones who are in danger of experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal have been known to manifest themselves in adults who only drink mildly on occasion. Generally, the likelihood of experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome is indeed much higher for alcohol-dependent individuals rather than casual drinkers.
In dealing with the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, vigilance is necessary on the part of the alcoholic’s family as well as the physician or other medical professionals handling the patient. Fortitude and a sincere resolve to overcome the alcohol addiction are also required of the individual. More often than not, alcoholics who attempt to quit on their own are very likely to start drinking again once the alcohol withdrawal symptoms become too intense to bear. This is why it is best to seek professional help from a rehabilitation center as well as to have other people around to watch over the patient as the alcohol withdrawal progresses.
The symptoms will usually last for about 2-3 days from the time they first begin to manifest. Some common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include involuntary shaking, sweating, general moodiness and the dreaded delirium trumens.
How can you put yourself through an effective rehab programme if you have been addicted to drugs and alcohol for more than 15 years? How do you reconcile your vast talents and wasted life in drugs and alcohol? How do you come to terms with an addicted mother who committed suicide in your toddler years? Meet Todd Crandell from Ohio, and learn how you can turn addicted life around through a rehab programme based on extreme sports that will give you purpose and meaning in life.
Todd’s sad story began when he was 3. His mother, who was addicted to drugs committed suicide. That left a scar in Todd s deep that he suffered from emotional problems from a young age. He could not reconcile with the fact that his mother was gone. Where was the love that was supposed to be given to a child growing? His father, dealing with his own grieve then could do little to help him cope. As a result, by 13, Todd has started drinking. At 16, he had his first taste of cocaine and that got him hooked. All those years of searching for something that would ease his pain of his mother’s lost suddenly seem to be over. He thought the high of drugs could ease that pain. For temporary moments, he felt that relieve. Drugs and alcohol was his rehab from the pain of losing his mother.
Todd was always a talented sportsman. He excelled in ice hockey and was active in other sports. At high school, he was one of the best goal tender in the team. But as his drug addition got hold of him, he became less and less of a player he was supposed to be. His coached sacked him reluctantly, but Todd did not care. Drugs were his rehab and detox from the pain that never went away. The end of his high school sports days was also the beginning of a journey of torment, jail, arrest, despair, and aimlessness for him. Living and dying became non existence to him. He could not see any difference.
In 1991, his father gave him an ultimatum to go to rehab or get out of his home. Todd told his father that he would have enough of his ‘rehab’ first before going for a real rehab and detox programme. He even threatened to ‘kill’ his father if he tried to stop him. There was nothing Todd’s father could do, but he never gave up on his son. As months past, Todd saw the love and care of his dad, and in 1993, while drinking beer, he simply put down his drink and walked away. Todd had reached his turning point. His real rehab had begun.
He began playing sports again, and used that platform as his main rehab programme. Playing hockey again did not mean much to him anymore. He needed something more intense and extreme that would stretch him beyond what he has experienced. The pain he had suffered during his addiction days needed to be replaced by another form of pain for this new rehab programme to work. Triathlon became his new drug. The Iron Man through 2.4 miles of swimming in open waters, 120 miles on the road bike over rolling terrain and 26 mile of running to test the human endurance to the limit, became his new drug towards a more purposeful and meaningful life.
Todd trained for months preparing for this big test. His new rehab programme reshaped his body and also redirected his energies to something more purposeful. When the time came, Todd succeeded in his first Iron Man. He found his new drug, this time it is a positive form of drug. Todd went on to complete more than ten Iron Man races. In 2001 Todd also found new drive and purpose in his life. He discovered that his life was actually preparing him for his ultimate calling of helping those in similar troubles as him. He started the ‘Racing for Recovery’ programme in Ohio, and that had drawn huge interest from those like him before, seeking to rehab themselves from drug and alcohol addiction. Todd also found success in his family. He now has a family of his own, although his work in the “Racing for Recovery’ programme took him away from them quite often. But his new found hope and drive had given Todd a new lease of life. From hereon, his new rehab programme would continue and there will be no end. We are constantly on rehab once we have found our calling in life.