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The nerve of that guy. My old lucky lou tells me I'm an alcoholic. She I don't know but...oh

what's happening?! Who who who who are you? Oh come on you've seen pink elephants?

What do you want? I just want to help

you look at yourself. An alcoholic is a person who cannot control his booze.

Oh yeah what well I'm no alcoholic. Maybe not.

Whoops! Elephant you're making me nervous. Why I can take it or leave it.

Lots of people are taking it these days about 70% of the population.

That's it! Everybody is doing it. Hey bartender, gives me a refill. Booze plays a big role in our

culture and it's been around for centuries. Here's you elephant.

Most to those who are able to drink sensibly don't have a problem with alcohol. 1 out of

12 of those who drink are alcoholics. This amounts to about 9 million alikes. That ranks

with cancer heart disease and mental illness. Alcoholism can crumble you in short order.

I wish you wouldn't say things like that. Next you'll have me on skid row.

Most alcoholics are not the skid row stereotype. In fact 19 out of 20 are intelligent men and

women. Many have families. Hey mama where's papa?

It's not only the alcoholic who suffers his or her family does too.

Don't bother your mother now kids she's she's resting.

For business the alike is something like a 10 billion hangover. They lose

up to three times more productive days annually than the average wage earner.

This results in added insurance claims property damage as well as lost productivity. Now let's

have a close look at alcohol alone. I'll buy that.

An average ounce and a half drink has 150 calories but no real value - no minerals

proteins or vitamins. Sure has a kick to it.

The alcohol goes straight to the stomach 90% being directly absorbed into the bloodstream

it then heads to the brain affecting restraint and judgment. This affects

one's performance like slurred speech, slower reflexes, loss of memory, dull thinking.

In great excess drinking leads to stupor and coma. The effects vary according to

weight sex metabolic makeup or mood. The immediate effects will wear off --

with a cup of black coffee right? Wrong. Walking around the block or taking

a cold shower doesn't help either. So what do you do?

Alcohol wears off by oxidation via the bloodstream at the rate of 1 ounce per

hour. For example two one and a half ounce martinis equal 3 hours in a person's system.

Hey that's what I have for lunch lunch ? Too bad buddy booze has no nutrients.

lack of food produces malnutrition. I eat like a horse most of the time.

Prolonged drinking can damage your liver weaken your heart damage

your stomach kidneys and nervous system. Take it easy you're giving me to the shakes.

Ah yes the shakes. For the alkie this is the DTs meaning delirium tremens. The DTs are sometimes

accompanied by hallucinations. Like seeing pink elephants?

Hey what out for that snake! Yeah what I must be seeing things. hey

hey drinking is really of the birds or something. Not everybody who drinks becomes an alcoholic.

Lots of people choose not to drink to excess. Some drink and just get sick. Then there are some who

appear to stay sober even after drinking a lot. How do they do it?

Perhaps it's their particular enzyme system or their ability to metabolize alcohol.

This is all very interesting elephant but tell me just what makes the person turn into an alcoholic?

Well there's lots of theories but no one knows for certain. Some use booze to relieve tension

to escape maybe their job has become a source of tension. For others it might be loneliness?

Yeah or maybe they're just playing bored with life.

Sometimes family problems or marital difficulties bring it on.

Social surroundings friends neighbors business associates drinking becomes

the thing to do if you want to belong. It seems like everybody is trying to

escape from something. Speak speaking of escape let's get out of here.

Some researchers think alcoholism may be inherited. Family habits may influence

attitudes. The young often imitate parents. The gorilla is going into the bar.

So is the kid. I guess some

use booze to cope with their environment. Hey you're starting to see the light. It's like

a substitute for a strong personal relationship or challenge work. Sensitive intelligent people

often find their roles unrewarding, booze is like a means of self-expression. Still others

use it as a cure for fears. Booze is courage huh?

Yep. Oh that poor

dude. The hooch is is just a temporary help huh?Often it makes situations worse. Someone

who keeps on drinking in spite of painful results can be consumed considered alcoholic.

But are there any real symptoms to look for? Each alike has a different drinking pattern but

one thing is in common. What's that?

They cannot control their drinking. One will drink heavily for a long while but

can stop for certain periods of time. Others lose control over drinking after a few. Some

will develop a tolerance for alcohol so they have to drink more just to get the same effect

eventually they cannot stop for fear of the pain of withdraw later this can lead to convulsions.

All right elephant, level with me -- am I an alcoholic?

Have you ever promised to quit drinking? Sure lots of times! Once I went two whole

weeks with other drink. Why'd you start again?

I was getting too tense I guess needed something to relax me but listen I can hold my booze.

What are you like when you're high? Who knows? I can't remember

anything when I'm on the sauce. Hmm just about everything you said could be early

stages of alcoholism but it's hard to tell a heavy social drinker from an early stage alcoholic.

I've been this way for 10 years. Do you take a snort in the morning?

Only when I'm alone you know. If the old lady knew, she'd have me committed.

Afraid of your wife huh? What she don't know don't hurt

her. She'd be nagging me about it. Your wife nags huh?

Brother that's not the half of it. If I'd miss a Monday after a rough weekend toot you should

hear her naaagg nagggg naggg. That's what I have a little bumper or two every day.

Okay you've just mentioned the middle stages of alcoholism, buster. You're in a pattern - drink,

guilt, isolation, discouragement, drink again. The next step is rock bottom. Soon you'll find

yourself isolated from friends, family, the world. You won't eat. Go on chew lots of

vitamins. Nerves will snap take tranquilizer but they're not going to help for long. Your whole

personality changes you're tense irritable shake hallucinate till you're consumed.

Okay okay if I were an alcoholic what could I do? The only sure cure is to kick booze completely.

It's not just a matter of willpower. You're right it is hard.

The alcoholic needs both physical and mental treatment to recover. Chronic alcoholism for

one who's really bottomed out is a medical problem. Many hospitals across the country

accept alcoholics for treatment. Under a doctor's care drugs can control discomfort of withdrawal

and nervousness. The body can be nourished back to health through proper care and diet.

Certain chemicals which act as a fence against drinking may be prescribed. Along with physical

treatment is mental treatment - counseling is the starting point. Helping the alcoholic person

to face life without a booze crutch. Gosh that would be a good feeling.

To begin with institutional confinement might be necessary to separate the person from alcohol.

There are also alcoholism clinics offering medical and psychological treatment on an outpatient

basis. Following treatment one finds several Avenues of continuing help. Alcoholics Anonymous

AA for example reformed alcoholics working with one another for a common goal - to stay sober.

Sort of like group therapy huh elephant? Yeah you could say that. The longer an alcoholic

stays dry the better the chance for full recovery. What if you have a relapse?

Sometimes a relapse convinces the alike that he just can't drink any kind of alcoholic beverage.

Yeah maybe that's so. You might have to develop

new interests new friends or associations. Gosh a lot of things you say make sense

elephant. I think I have a good idea what alcoholism is - it's a plain sickness.

It could take a real personal crisis a shock to get an alcoholic to want help. The people around

the alcoholic sometimes have to be patient. Still with others friends sometimes must be

firm and help the alcoholic realize his potential in life. Both parties should find out where to go

for help : a doctor, Alcoholics Anonymous, local alcoholism information centers to mention a few

sources. Hundreds of thousands of alcoholics have recovered and stayed sober the rest of

their lives. Why can't you? Hey, why can't I?!

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