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Under The Influence
A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism
Dr. James R. Milam and Katherine Ketcham
Selected excerpts from the book address many long-held myths about
alcoholism and its treatment. Also included are definitions of alcohol
treatment terminology.
The Myth and the Reality
Separating myth from reality is not an easy task. Myth is, in fact,
reality for many people; to suggest another reality exists is to turn
their world upside down. But if the truth about alcoholism is ever to
be understood, the myths must be attacked and destroyed. Only facts
can destroy myths; and facts are the backbone of this book.
Myth: Alcohol is predominantly a sedative or depressant drug.
Reality: Alcohol’s pharmacological effects change with the
amount drunk. In small quantities, alcohol is a stimulant. In large
quantities, alcohol acts as a sedative. In all amounts, however,
alcohol provides a rich and potent source of calories and energy.
Myth: Alcohol has the same chemical and physiological effect on
everyone who drinks.
Reality: Alcohol, like every other food we take into our
bodies, affects different people in different ways.
Myth: Alcohol is an addictive drug, and everyone who drinks
long and hard enough will become addicted.
Reality: Alcohol is selectively addictive drug; it is addictive
for only a minority of its users, namely, alcoholics. Most people can
drink occasionally, daily, even heavily, without becoming addicted to
alcohol. Others (alcoholics) will become addicted no matter how much
they drink.
Myth: Alcohol is harmful and poisonous to the alcoholic.
Reality: Alcohol is a normalizing agent and the best medicine
for the pain it creates, giving the alcoholic energy, stimulation, and
relief from the pain of withdrawal. Its harmful and poisonous
aftereffects are most evident when the alcoholic stops drinking.
Myth: Addiction to alcohol is often psychological.
Reality: Addiction to alcohol is primarily physiological.
Alcoholics become addicted because their bodies are physiologically
incapable of processing alcohol normally.
Myth: People become alcoholics because they have psychological
or emotional problems which they try to relieve by drinking.
Reality: Alcoholics have the same psychological and emotional
problems as everyone else before they start drinking. These problems
are aggravated, however, by their addiction to alcohol. Alcoholism
undermines and weakens the alcoholic’s ability to cope with the normal
problems of living. Furthermore, the alcoholic’s emotions become
inflamed both when he drinks excessively and when he stops drinking.
Thus, when he is drinking, and when he is abstinent, he will feel
angry, fearful, and depressed in exaggerated degrees.
Myth: All sorts of social problems—marriage problems, a death in
the family, job stress—may cause alcoholism.
Reality: As with psychological and emotional problems,
alcoholics experience all the social pressures everyone else does, but
their ability to cope is undermined by the disease and the problems
get worse.
Myth: When the alcoholic is drinking, he reveals his true
personality.
Reality: Alcohol’s effect on the brain causes severe
psychological and emotional distortions of the normal personality.
Sobriety reveals the alcoholic’s true personality.
Myth: The fact that alcoholics often continue to be depressed,
anxious, irritable, and unhappy after they stop drinking is evidence
that their disease is caused by psychological problems.
Reality: Alcoholics who continue to be depressed, anxious,
irritable, and unhappy after they stop drinking are actually suffering
from a phenomenon called "the protracted withdrawal syndrome." The
physical damage caused by years of excessive drinking has not been
completely reversed; they are, in fact, still sick and in need of more
effective therapy.
Myth: If people would only drink responsibly, they would not
become alcoholics.
Reality: Many responsible drinkers become alcoholics. Then,
because it is the nature of the disease (not the person), they begin
to drink irresponsibly.
Myth: An alcoholic has to want help to be helped.
Reality: Most drinking alcoholics do not want to be helped.
They are sick, unable to think rationally, and incapable of giving up
alcohol by themselves. Most recovered alcoholics were forced into
treatment against their will. Self-motivation usually occurs during
treatment, not before.
Myth: Some alcoholics can learn to drink normally and can
continue to drink with no ill effects as long as they limit the
amount.
Reality: Alcoholics can never safely return to drinking because
drinking in any amount will sooner or later reactivate their
addiction.
Myth: Psychotherapy can help many alcoholics achieve sobriety
through self-understanding.
Reality: Psychotherapy diverts attention from the physical
causes of the disease, compounds the alcoholic’s guilt and shame, and
aggravates rather than alleviates his problems.
Myth: Craving for alcohol can be offset by eating high-sugar
foods.
Reality: Foods with a high sugar content will increase the
alcoholic’s depression, irritability, and tension and intensify his
desire for a drink to relieve these symptoms.
Myth: If alcoholics eat three balanced meals a day, their
nutritional problems will eventually correct themselves.
Reality: Alcoholic’s nutritional needs are only partially met
by a balanced diet. They also need vitamin and mineral supplements to
correct any deficiencies and to maintain nutritional balances.
Myth: Tranquilizers and sedatives are sometimes useful in
treating alcoholics.
Reality: Tranquilizers and sedatives are useful only during the
acute withdrawal period. Beyond that, these substitute drugs are
destructive and, in many cases, deadly for alcoholics.
The Need for Definitions
"Each of us has his own private view and private meaning attached
to the words that are used in the alcohol field."
Universally accepted definitions do not exist in the alcoholism field.
As the researcher quoted above acknowledges, everyone involved in the
field has his own private view of the disease. And yet, as this book
makes clear, there is a firm basis of research evidence for
understanding the disease. The need for precise definitions should be
obvious. The following definitions, based on the facts already
established in the scientific literature, are central to any attempt
to communicate clearly about alcoholism.
Alcoholism: A chronic, primary, hereditary disease which
progresses from an early, physiological susceptibility into an
addiction characterized by tolerance changes, physiological
dependence, and loss of control over drinking. Psychological symptoms
are secondary to the physiological disease and not relevant to its
onset.
Recovery: A return to normal functioning based on total,
continuous abstinence from alcohol and substitute drugs, corrective
nutrition, and an accurate understanding of the disease. The word
"cure" should not be used because it implies that the alcoholic can
engage in normal drinking after his "problem" has been corrected.
Problem Drinker: A person who is not an alcoholic but whose
alcohol use creates psychological and social problems for himself and
others.
Heavy Drinker: Anyone who drinks frequently or in large
amounts. A heavy drinker may be a problem drinker, an alcoholic, or a
normal drinker with a high tolerance for alcohol.
Alcoholic: An alcoholic is a person with the disease of
alcoholism regardless of whether he is initially a heavy drinker, a
problem drinker, or a light or moderate drinker. The alcoholic’s
increasing problems and his heavier drinking stem from his addiction
and should not be confused with problem drinking or heavy drinking in
the non-alcoholic.
Recovered Alcoholic: The alcoholic who maintains continuous,
total abstinence from alcohol and substitute drugs and who has
returned to a normal life style. The term "reformed alcoholic" implies
that the alcoholic has been "bad" and is now being "good"—a reflection
of the moralistic approach to alcoholism which has no basis in fact.
The term "ex-alcoholic" should not be used either, for it implies a
cure rather than a recovery.
Relapse: ("Slip" in A.A. language). Any intake of alcohol or
substitute drug by a recovering alcoholic. The taking of a substitute
drug, although not usually considered a relapse, seriously interferes
with recovery and almost always leads to a return to drinking.
Contact us now at Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers for FREE Drug & Alcohol evaluations...
Call (800) 231-4303 or email us confidentially
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