I Am a Stupid Man Because I Drank Again

In my exercise as an habit psychologist, information technology'south probably the most common question I encounter; when it comes right downwards to it, it's what about people who are struggling with alcohol actually desire to know:

"How can I control my drinking or drug employ?"

But a pocket-size minority of people come to my practice with the expressed agenda of stopping their drinking birthday. Well-nigh seeking psychotherapy for booze dependence, misuse, or abuse have experienced some consequences due to their drinking and would like to minimize or stop those consequences but do not want to give up their drinking entirely.

For some drinkers, controlled drinking or moderate drinking is an option, and for a small portion of the population, about v%, controlled drinking is well-nigh impossible. While many people believe "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic," many people diagnosed with alcoholism can learn to control their drinking and become social drinkers again. That said, if you have been diagnosed with alcohol dependence, most addiction psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, social workers, and addiction counselors would strongly recommend abstinence. This is e'er a very personal decision that should exist fabricated with careful consideration of the risks and benefits of drinking versus abstinence.

Discover a Therapist for Habit

If one has never exhibited signs of alcoholism, then controlled drinking, a technique or approach that is a form of harm reduction, is a reasonable notwithstanding delicate get-go step. If one wants to pursue this approach, it is best not to go it alone. Talking to an habit psychologist or other addiction professional can guide you through some generally recommended techniques.

Notice Feelings and Set Limits

Most addiction therapists volition recommend two basic procedures that may differ in numerous ways simply have the aforementioned central premise. The first is that you cutting back your apply of booze in whatsoever way you decide and that you lot then pay attention to what thoughts and feelings sally. The idea here is that booze serves to mediate feelings past numbing, dulling, or blocking them entirely, and when you lot reduce your utilize or even stop drinking, your feelings will come dorsum. Every bit this happens, it is ofttimes recommended that you lot go along a periodical or that you talk to your friends, family unit, partner, or therapist most these thoughts and feelings.

The well-known acronym "HALT" captures this eloquently. HALT stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired. These are the types of feelings people will experience equally they reduce their alcohol or drug apply. It reminds the states to halt, or cease, and pay attention to what we need. Somehow, we accept to cope with those feelings or risk relapse. If you are hungry, then eat. If yous are angry, then tell someone, vent, exercise, pound a pillow, or express your anger in a good for you way. If you lot are lonely, then surroundings yourself with friends or outset the process of finding new ones if all your friends beverage. If y'all are tired, then slumber. Many people with alcoholism have an inability to take care of themselves, and learning this new skill in recovery is essential fifty-fifty with such bones behaviors as eating and sleeping.

A 2d basic tenet to alcohol counseling for people who are attempting moderate or command their drinking is to pick an amount of alcohol that they will not exceed and to stick with it. The National Institutes of Health recommend that, to maintain "depression-risk drinking," men eat no more than four drinks per mean solar day and no more than than fourteen per week. For women, the number is no more than 3 per mean solar day and seven per week. My personal belief is that this is fairly generous; a man tin drink 4 beers while at a party on Fri or Sabbatum night, three or four during the football game on Sunday, iii or four at bowling or poker night with the guys, and however have 2 or three with his partner on some other day during the week.

When nosotros can learn to stop at the "buzz," we are well on our way to having our relationship with alcohol fully in bank check. For most people, iii or iv drinks make them experience tipsy or buzzed. Alcohol is a central nervous organization depressant, however the initial effects of booze in these amounts are more stimulating and euphoric feeling. People tend not to become into serious trouble from these amounts, but since the initial effects experience good, many people keep to potable past these amounts, bold more alcohol equates to more than good. It does not. Information technology takes time for alcohol to work itself into your organisation, so people don't realize how drunk they are getting, and in larger amounts alcohol has a depressing effect. The alcohol you drinkable today can make you feel depressed days and weeks after, and these small amounts can contribute to depressive feelings over time. Rarely has anyone come up into my office with concerns about alcohol corruption because of drinking three or four drinks a few times a calendar week.

Other Useful Techniques

To stick to the in a higher place drinking goals, there are other moderate drinking techniques that yous tin can employ, such as avoiding difficult alcohol and sticking to beer. Beer has lower ethanol content, and the carbonation can fill up yous upwards, and then it tends to have longer to potable. Switching from alcohol to nonalcoholic drinks and back can ho-hum you down also. Holding a drink with lime or lemon may deter others from thinking you are not drinking an alcoholic mixed drink, and they may be less probable to offering you another drink. Call up, yous are more than aware that you are not drinking your normal amount or that you accept reduced your consumption, and others probably aren't even aware that you made any changes.

I technique to assistance you exist honest with yourself is to take four coins (or as many coins as yous are planning to have drinks that night) and place them in your back pocket. Each fourth dimension you lot have a drink, move one of the coins into your other pocket. This may exist more important if you are planning on drinking larger amounts of alcohol, and many of the people I work with starting time out reducing their drinks per setting with numbers more like from 10 to five or six, for case, so counting drinks becomes more than important. This way, when your coins run out, y'all tin be sure non to exceed the previously adamant limit that you lot imposed on yourself.

Many addiction therapists recommend one drink per hour as some other way of limiting oneself. Since alcohol leaves the bloodstream at nearly .02 blood booze content (BAC) per 60 minutes, this will near probable keep your BAC at a reasonably prophylactic level. In using this technique, information technology is recommended that you discuss your upper limit with a certified addiction professional or addiction psychologist.

It goes without proverb that it'due south important to pay attention to drink equivalents. A typical shot equals ane 5-ounce glass of wine, which equals one 12-ounce standard beer. If your favorite bartender is pouring your drinks and he knows you lot are a large tipper who likes to drink, you might need to have a brief conversation with him. Believe me, bartenders are used to these conversations, and they will not agree it against yous. In fact, most bartenders will be very respectful and discreet and will keep an center out for you thereafter. If your buddies are trying to get you drunk, that'due south another story. Watch how much they pour. A Long Island Iced Tea counts for three drinks, non one.

Don't Effort to Drink Away Emotional Pain

While I consider myself to be an open-minded therapist, what would an alcohol blog be without a major caution? Here's my alert: Don't drink when yous are lamentable, anxious, lonely, worried, or in any negative feeling state. These are times when you should figure out healthy ways of coping. If you drink during these times, y'all are at high hazard for using your drinking equally a crutch.

What happens if you tin can't control your alcohol utilise with these techniques? Subsequently trying these techniques and determining your level of success, you should exist able to assess whether you can be a social drinker. To the extent that you break any of the rules that you fix as an experiment and exceed these drinking limits with resulting consequences, and then it is fourth dimension to reconsider lowering your upper drinking limits and decreasing the frequency, quantity, intensity (alcohol content), or duration of your alcohol use.

If you are wondering whether you lot have a drinking trouble, please read Exercise I Really Accept a Drinking Problem?

An habit psychologist or other psychotherapist specializing in addiction tin can assist you answer any questions or develop a plan that, over time, will enable yous to understand the role that alcohol plays in your life and make decisions about what, if any, changes you are ready to make. Y'all don't need to figure this out on your own. It takes backbone to seek help for alcohol employ. If yous are reading this, you are well on your way to understanding yourself better and getting what you lot want and need in life.

© Copyright 2012 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by Jeremy Frank, PhD, CAC, Drug and Alcohol Addiction Topic Expert Contributor

The preceding article was solely written by the author named higher up. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns most the preceding article can exist directed to the author or posted every bit a comment below.

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Source: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-to-control-drinking-0802124

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