Facts
About…
The Facts and Myths About AlcoholismPathfinder’s Checklist
The facts and myths about alcoholism.
1.) It’s a
myth that alcoholics are weak. The fact is that alcoholism is a disease not a
moral weakness. Alcoholics are compelled to drink, and can only stop with help.
2.) It’s a
myth that an alcoholic will only get better if they want to get better. The fact is
that alcoholics will usually only seek help if they hit bottom, but that
doesn't mean that you have to help them drink. You can help them by making them take
responsibility for their actions, by not lying for them, by not helping them out of their
messes, and by not being financially supportive.
3.) It’s a
myth that only bums become alcoholics. The fact is that anyone can be an
alcoholic. Alcoholism affects people of all classes, races, sexes, and countries. Many
famous figures in history were alcoholics.
4.) It’s a
myth that women can’t become alcoholics. The fact is that a woman is just
as likely to become an alcoholic as a man. The number of women who are alcoholic is
becoming closer to the same number of men who are alcoholic as more women are willing to
admit their problem publicly.
5.) It’s a
myth that you can’t be an alcoholic because you never drink alone. The fact is
that where a person drinks is unimportant. How much and how often are more important
than where. In fact, some alcoholics have drinking buddies—other alcoholics
that they drink with on a regular basis.
6.) It’s a
myth that because you control your drinking by drinking only on the weekends that you
can’t be an alcoholic. The fact is that you may suffer from something
called binge drinking—a period of abstinence from alcohol followed by large
consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It’s a very common form of
alcoholism—especially among college students.
7.) It’s a myth that you can’t be an alcoholic because you only drink
beer. The fact is that alcohol is alcohol. It simply takes a greater quantity of
beer to become inebriated.
8.) It’s a
myth that drinking makes someone feel better if they’re feeling sad or
depressed. The fact is that alcohol is a depressant. Although its initial
effect is stimulating, the cumulative effect of several drinks actually serves to depress
the areas of the brain which control motor functions and ability to make judgments and
decisions. Alcohol is often a factor in suicide.
9.) It’s a
myth that I you can’t be an alcoholic if you’re able to handle your
liquor. The fact is that high tolerance to alcohol often takes a high
consumption of alcohol. Alcoholics are famous for drinking someone under the table
because non-alcoholics do not have a high-tolerance for alcohol.
10.) It’s a myth that if you are intelligent, educated and of good moral
character you can’t become an alcoholic. The fact is that intelligence,
morality and willpower are totally irrelevant to the disorder of alcoholism. You can't
think your way out of an illness or change involuntary behavior by an effort of will
alone. Alcoholics need help to recover.
11.) It’s a myth that if you still have your job, home, family and
social standing, you can't be an alcoholic. The fact is that most of the 9,000,000
alcoholics in this country are married and employed. Only about three percent have slipped
as far as Skid Row; indeed, many are affluent and socially prominent. But it is a fact
that alcoholics who continue to drink lose many of those values and possessions --- and
eventually their sanity and their lives, as well. The average life expectancy for
alcoholics is fifty-two years.
12.) It’s a myth that family, friends and associates help
alcoholics by making excuses for their drinking, helping them lie about their absenteeism,
assuming their responsibilities for them and bailing them out of the trouble their
drinking causes them and those close to them. The fact is that this conspiracy
of denial and silence surrounding alcoholism simply enables alcoholics to
keep on drinking by depriving them of a clear realization of the absolute necessity to
stop.
13.) It’s a myth that if you drink only fine wines and beer, you
won't become an alcoholic; or that if you have a drinking problem, beer and wine won't
affect you as seriously as hard liquor. The fact is that alcohol is alcohol,
and its chemistry is the same in fine wine, choice whiskey, vodka or beer. The
concentration may differ, but the chemical and its effect do not.
14.) It’s a myth that if you only drink on weekends and you don't
drink in the morning, you can't be an alcoholic. The fact is that alcoholism is not
how much your drink, nor how often, nor at what time of day. Alcoholism is what happens
to you when you drink.
15.) It’s a myth that alcoholism is a physical illness; or that it
is a psychological problem; or that it is a moral or spiritual disability; or even a
domestic or sociological issue. The fact is that alcoholism is not any one
of those things, but a complex combination of all of them.
16.) It’s a myth that you there is not hope for you if you have the disease of
alcoholism. The fact is that alcoholics can be effectively treated.
Hundreds of thousands of alcoholics are today living sober, successful, happy, creative,
and useful lives.
G.B.U.
Steve
Recover from
chemical dependency as well as its toxic impact on family members. Raise your
children to choose to be alcohol and other drugs
free. Learn how
to in Dr. Frisch’s, Psy.D. Recovery book series—From Insanity to Serenity.
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