Social Drinking: An Excuse for Addiction?

Social drinking is quite common with regards to celebrations, college, work events, etc. Whether drinking beer or drinking champagne, it seems that too often these social drinking situations can quickly turn into an excuse for adults to lose control. So when has a person crossed the line from being a social drinker to having an alcohol addiction? And does placing the term ‘social drinking’ on an episode of alcohol over-consumption only serve as an excuse?

Medical experts and alcohol rehabilitation professionals tend to believe that an individual formally crosses the ‘social drinking’ line when their behaviors and health become high risk, dangerous and/or unhealthy when socially consuming alcohol and alumni program for addiction recovery. Even with this being apparent, approximately half of the alcohol abusers in the United States tend to throw themselves into the category of being a social drinker regardless of behavior, attitude or health risks.

The amount of alcohol that is consumed by an individual with or without causing severe effects, can vary from person to person. Dependent on height, weight, tolerance, etcAlthough, by consuming alcohol on a regular basis, one may suffer from internal health risks that can not be seen immediately from the outside.

You know maybe using ‘drinking socially’ as an excuse for an addiction to alcohol?

Alumni program for addiction recovery can handle the social effects of drinking

* You can not attend a function without drinking (if you do you feel very uncomfortable)

* You are consuming more than three alcoholic beverages within each hour of the event

* You refuse to attend social events wherein there will not be alcohol

* Your friends/co-workers/family members say you are difficult to socialize with at events, after you have been drinking

* You are recklessly driving or acting after drinking at a social event

* You continuously make poor decisions while drinking at social events, that later may effect your job or relationships with family and/or friends

Many individuals abuse alcohol each and every day, not knowing that they have a problem. Other individuals may see that they have an issue with social drinking situations, but choose to deny and ignore it. It’s never too late to get help if you or someone you know is suffering from an addiction to alcohol. Alcoholism is a dangerous illness that can be treated.

If you are unable to attend or have a fun time at a social event without drinking you may have an addiction to alcohol. For more information or to join a program to assist you with your drinking problem, contact a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Allow professionals within these centers to assist you in getting your social life back on track – in a positive and healthy light.

Behavioral therapy helps patients modify their attitude and behaviors related to drug abuse and increase healthy lifestyle skills and coping skills. They also help in enhancing the effectiveness of the drug. Therapy treatment can be delivered in many different settings:

In-patient addiction treatment- Those who are having severe addiction problems or have a previous history of drug addiction are recommended for in-patient addiction treatment. Here, the patient remains in the rehabilitative centers for at least one month to one year depending upon each case. Each day, the patient/user spends 6 to 8 hours of the day learning coping skills that can be used to reduce the reliance on drugs/alcohol. Various types of therapeutic activities and therapies are taught to the addict.

Out-patient addiction treatment- Out-patient addiction treatment is recommended for patients, who have a strong network of family and friends support, and who have no previous history of drug addiction; it includes a variety of programs for patients who visit a clinic at regular intervals. The therapy includes group or individual counseling. While the individual sessions are important to understand why the addict began using the drug, group sessions help him by relating to other addicts who have gone through the same addiction suffering.