Temporary Child Custody

Barry used to boast to his drinking pals how he could maintain a demanding and fulltime job and get smashed almost every night. Regrettably, after engaging in this unhealthy lifestyle for just about three-and-a-half years, he began to observe various alcohol related difficulties.

Barry Begins to Manifest a Variety of Alcohol Related Issues

As an illustration, he had a real difficult time getting up for work because he felt so tired when he got up. Not only this, but virtually every morning Barry suffered from a dreadful hangover. Without a doubt, the combination of his hangovers and his lack of energy did not make it easy for him to get up and feel inspired to go to work. To add fuel to the fire, he just received his third driving under the influence citation in the past four months.

To complicate things further, at his place of employment his last two work evaluations were not up to his usual high standards. And lastly, his four-and-a-half-year relationship with his girlfriend had worsened due to his depression, angry outbursts, financial difficulties, and his lack of patience.

Though Barry was only twenty-eight years old, he simply began looking like he was in his mid thirties. Sadly, this is what abusive and irresponsible drinking can do to a person. And in all candor he grasped the fact that he was going through the negative effects of alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and that he was too young to fritter away his life to unhealthy and irresponsible drinking. So initially he tried to drink responsibly and in moderation. Sadly, he soon grasped the fact that he lost his self control after consuming his first drink. Stated another way, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get smashed. Due to the fact that this was an event that was repeated every time he went out to drink, this obviously concerned him a great deal. In truth, he started to wonder if he was manifesting some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Barry Makes up His Mind To Schedule an Appointment to See His Family Doctor

After going over his excessive alcohol ingestion and his excessive and irresponsible drinking with his girlfriend, he finally made up his mind to schedule an appointment to see his doctor. When Barry saw his family doctor, he frankly declared that he has been abusing alcohol, that he may be manifesting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to stop drinking. He then mentioned that drinking responsibly and in moderation doesn’t work well for him and, as a consequence, he wants to learn how he can live without drinking alcohol.

Barry also told his healthcare professional about his depression and how this mental health issue was adversely affecting his relationship with his lady friend. His healthcare professional referred Barry to Doctor Gordon, a drug and alcohol addiction psychiatrist, who motivated Barry to enroll in a drug and alcohol treatment facility as an in-patient for alcohol detox and alcohol rehab. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get medical attention for his depression at this treatment center.

Abstaining From Drinking Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made

After five months of rigorous rehab, Barry left the in-patient rehab center and continued his recovery via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and via outpatient therapy. Encouraged to change his life in a more productive manner, Barry bought some vitamins at a health store and a cookbook. He then joined a fitness center and began working out three or four times per week. Within four months Barry was a new individual. He was eating nutritious meals, he wasn’t depressed anymore, he now looked younger than he was, he was in shape, and most significant of all, he remained sober for several months. He also became more patient, he didn’t resort to angry outbursts, and he became a more caring individual in his relationship with his girlfriend. In short, quitting drinking was the best decision Barry had ever made.

About seven weeks ago I met a twenty-five-year-old woman named Rachael who is bipolar and who is also dependent on drugs and alcohol. I remember hearing that in such situations, a person needs to get treatment for both medical situations and that mental health issues and chemical dependency commonly take place in the same person. Additionally, I remember reading that a history of unhealthy and abusive drinking, drug addiction, and/or mental health concerns frequently take place in the same family.

Evidently, Rachael is so overwhelmed by both of her medical conditions and her relationship difficulties that she in essence has little or no reason to accomplish much of anything. What is particularly unfortunate about this is that earlier in her life, Rachael finished three-and-a-half-years of college. Rachael’s circumstance makes me wonder if she is an illustration of an individual who has to hit the bottom of the barrel before he or she gets alcohol and drug addiction treatment that leads to lasting sobriety.

The Need For a Physician She Trusts and a Rehab Regimen She Can Believe In

If I were in contact with Rachael I could suggest a number of websites and blogs that could possibly help her locate information about addiction and alcoholic behavior, pertinent chemical dependency information, facts about alcoholism and drugs, info about addiction symptoms and alcoholism warning signs, and relationship information. In my honest opinion, however, Rachael needs to locate a therapist she trusts and a treatment regimen she can believe in and follow over the long haul. I could be in error but it seems to me that Rachael more likely than not needs to acknowledge the fact that she cannot drink responsibly or abuse drugs if she wants to get sober, stay sober, and start on the path to long-term recovery.

I am aware that there are quite a few recently discovered physician-prescribed medications that can help Rachael through her withdrawal symptoms, through the alcohol and alcohol detox process, and help her avoid a drug or an alcohol relapse. Clearly it would be in Rachael’s best interests if she learned about these meds.

It is apparent that Rachael needs to acknowledge the fact that there is utterly nothing productive about excessive and careless drinking and chemical dependency and that engaging in one or both circumstances is the map to a premature death, shattered relationships, deteriorating health, legal problems, financial difficulties, and poor work and school performance.

The Relevance of Support Groups Like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous

There are probably a lot of persons such as family members, other individuals, and friends who would want to help Rachael but she more likely than not would experience greater understanding from a recovery group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous rather than listening to people who drink just a few times per year or who have never taken drugs.

When People Accomplish Things They Like and About Which They Are Dedicated

There’s a psychological attitude that affirms that individuals who do things they love and something about which they are passionate arrive at a fantastic place in life. Stated more specifically, when people do what they love, they hardly ever go through boredom or an uneventful life. If they involve themselves in something that is satisfying, moreover, they become more complete and experience more contentment and delight in life and in their relationships.

To me, this sounds diametrically opposed to a life that is centered in alcohol and drug addiction because such a lifestyle removes the contentment and joy that life has to offer.

Because Rachael doesn’t have the fortitude to succeed at doing much of anything in her life, it is apparent that she definitely needs some hope for a better existence. And the sad thing is that hope is almost everywhere around Rachael if she could only get to the point in life to get the counseling she requires for her manic depression and chemical dependency and remain in her treatment protocol.

More Meaningful Relationships, A Wonderful Life, Self Esteem, and Positive Change Are Possibilities

Rachael is simply too young to be crushed in life. She doesn’t realize this at the moment but if she can learn how to abstain from drugs and alcohol through alcohol and drug rehab and get the counseling she requires for her bipolar issue, she can redirect her life and start living with direction, passion, and with self-respect.

Stronger relationships, a meaningful life, self esteem, and positive change are certainly possibilities for Rachael if only she could get inspired to seek the medical rehab she needs, follow through with her treatment protocol, live her life in a drug and alcohol-free and healthy way, and acquire a more positive attitude about life.

It took several years but Emily at long last made up her mind that she had it with her husband’s hazardous and excessive drinking. She was exhausted from seeing Barry come home after midnight from drinking instead of spending time with the family. She was also sick of the second DUI Barry recently got. In addition she was sick and tired of generating excuses for her spouse when he couldn’t make it to work due to his problems with drinking. In a similar manner she was nervous about the fact that their relationship was crumbling due to Barry’s hazardous drinking. And lastly she was sick and tired of the insecure financial quandary into which he had placed his family because of his unhealthy and abusive drinking behavior.

When Irresponsible Drinking Inspires a Person to do Something Productive About an Individual’s Problem Drinking

One Friday evening when Emily was reflecting on what she could do about her husband’s unhealthy and abusive drinking, she got to the point that she frankly had to do something constructive to cut into the damaging cycle of Barry’s hazardous drinking behavior.

So she looked online under “alcohol rehab” and discovered more than a few rehab clinics that were all located less than 45 miles away from where she and her husband lived.

Because she didn’t know much at all about these rehab facilities, she finally determined that she needed to call some of them and ask some pertinent questions. When she called each treatment facility she introduced herself and stated that Barry, her spouse, was involved in hazardous and abusive drinking behavior. She also articulated that Barry, her spouse, had a top-rate health insurance program at his job and that residential or outpatient alcohol treatment would be covered if a doctor in the company health network initiated the rehab.

At one rehabilitation clinic, Emily was pleasantly surprised that she was able to speak directly with a healthcare professional who suggested that she come to the rehabilitation facility to discuss her husband’s abusive and unhealthy drinking behavior in more detail.

Emily Talks to a Psychologist About Her Husband’s Excessive and Abusive Drinking

When Emily arrived at the rehabilitation facility, she filled out some required forms and then after approximately five or ten minutes got to see a physician.

After listening to Emily go over her husband’s unhealthy and excessive drinking, the psychologist in a compassionate but resolute manner explained to Emily how she probably played a part in her spouse’s abusive drinking through the years by making excuses for him rather than letting him go through the outcomes of his hazardous drinking behavior.

Emily Discovers She Has Been Enabling Her Husband’s Excessive and Abusive Drinking

Stated another way, the physician stated to Emily that she may have been unintentionally enabling Barry’s hazardous drinking behavior. The physician also stressed the fact that while Emily would not be able to control her husband’s behavior, with the guidance and encouragement of the rehabilitation team at the healthcare clinic she would not only be able to learn how to avoid contributing to Barry’s hazardous drinking but she could also learn how to encourage him to make an appointment at the rehab facility so that he could go over his abusive and unhealthy drinking behavior with a doctor.

Fortunately after Emily discussed this with her husband, and he saw that she was serious, Barry told her that he had been extremely apprehensive about his abusive drinking behavior and that he was somewhat thankful to learn that Emily wanted to do something constructive about his abusive and unhealthy drinking behavior. As a result, he made an appointment to see a physician at the local alcohol rehabilitation clinic.

Barry Agrees to See a Healthcare Professional About His Hazardous and Careless Drinking

While simply calling a treatment clinic does not mean that a person’s unhealthy and abusive drinking behavior will end or that one’s warning signs of alcoholism or the alcohol abuse signs one manifests will simply fade away, calling for an appointment is without a doubt a compulsory component in the rehab process. And due to the fact that Barry was serious about getting rehab for his hazardous and abusive drinking, the likelihood of a successful recovery was greatly enhanced.