Help with alcohol related problems

We live in an “alcohol society”. It is considered normal to have a pint or a glass of wine to “wind down”. Many people claim that they drink alcohol because they like its taste so much or because they want to treat themselves or because it is simply part and parcel of a good meal.

Only very few people admit to themselves that they can no longer really do without it. Many try to persuade themselves that they are not addicted:

By drinking in a “controlled” manner: For example, they might not drink throughout the day, only after work, or they might only have wine (“no hard stuff”) or they might only drink because their partner has been unfriendly to them. They might argue that everyone indulges in some sort of vice and that theirs is to sometimes drink a little more than does them good. They might say that “one” cannot possibly withstand all the stress otherwise. Or that once in a while, one wants to “have a bit of a binge”.

Bear in mind that by having this attitude you are part of a very large group of successful, creative, sensitive people, whose colleagues, friends and acquaintances would maybe say: “You have a drinking problem? Rubbish, you are no more affected than anybody else…”

At first, you may be unable to imagine a life without alcohol. You may fear that you will “have to” lead an alcohol-free life without an alternative, and that you will have to practice joyless abstinence.

The sooner you start working on your alcohol problem, the bigger your chance of being able to lead a life without any secondary damage.

Alcoholism is a fatal illness, however:

After a phase of withdrawal, whose length depends on the individual circumstances, alcohol can become a minor matter of no interest, superfluous and undesired. However, a lifelong battle against the drug bears the danger of destabilising the resistance of the person concerned over the years, and by constantly occupying their mind with the drug (“Today, I won’t have a drink!”) they might keep up an artificial bond with it.

You will only start to be free from the drug when, instead of thinking “I almost fell for it again”, you will say to yourself: “Having a drink in this difficult situation?! That is the last thing I need!” or “Trying to top this fun night with alcohol? What a foolish idea!”

After their time at Vida Libre, some people might find support by groups helpful for some time, while others might prefer individual therapy or being cared for by family and friends. Some stay in close contact with us by phone or email and manage well that way.

Everyone is different and there is no such thing as one ideal solution for all. Therefore, turning away from the drug does not always mean – as is often claimed – that you turn particularly spiritual. This can be the case, or not!

Check for yourself whether alcohol already plays a fatal role in your life:

To make this easier for you, we have chosen some questions, some of which are by Prof. E. M. Jellinek (going back to a report by the World Health Organisation):

• Do you regularly try to relax with the help of alcohol?
• Is alcohol a way for you to suppress problems?
• Do you try to overcome feeling lonely by drinking?
• Do you have lapses of memory after drinking lots of alcohol?
• Do you sometimes hide your consumption of alcohol?
• Has your alcohol tolerance changed?
• Do you often think of alcohol?
• Do you down the first few glasses in a hurry?
• Do you sometimes feel guilty about your drinking habit?
• Do you avoid referring to alcohol in conversations with people?
• Do you have a desire to keep drinking after the first few glasses?
• Do you give special reasons for why you are having a drink?
• Do you somehow find that you deserve pity?
• Are external circumstances or other people to blame for your consumption of alcohol?
• Have you noticed that you are less interested in things (other than alcohol)?
• Do you try to abstain completely for certain periods of time?
• Have you tried a drinking system (e.g. not to have any drinks before a certain time)?
• Have any changes occurred in your family life or in your relationships with friends and relatives?
• Do you adapt your work and your lifestyle to your alcohol consumption?
• A little bit?
• Do you have a tendency to stock up on alcohol?
• Do you neglect your diet?
• Do you sometimes start drinking in the morning?
• Do you often share drinks with people who are well beneath you?
• Have you noticed yourself shaking or sweating in the morning?
• Do you have trouble sleeping through the night?
• Have any friends, colleagues or superiors asked you about your consumption of alcohol?
• Do certain amounts of alcohol help you to think and work better?

Evaluation: Even if you might say in an honest self-assessment that things are not really so bad, bear in mind that even answering some of these questions in the affirmative shows tendencies which indicate that you might harm yourself severely in the long run.

Congratulate yourself on your courage of giving honest answers in this questionnaire – and then be brave enough to take action!