At Home with Dr Christian Jessen - 210

| PROMOTION|

Drinking
to live?

Are your drinking habits out of control and you want
support? Or, are you kidding yourself about your relationship
with alcohol? Answer the following to help you decide...

lcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a
group of men and women who
have discovered and admitted
that they cannot control
alcohol. They have learned from their
past behaviour and the answer is clear:
they must live without alcohol if they
are to avoid disaster and relapse.

With local groups in thousands of communities,
AA is part of an informal international fellowship
that has members in more than 100 countries.
Despite the fact that there is no 'AA definition' of
alcoholism, it could be described as a physical
compulsion and a mental obsession; a physical
desire to consume alcohol beyond control.

Are you an alcoholic?

If you repeatedly drink more than you intend or
want to, or if you get into trouble when you drink,
you may be an alcoholic. Only you can decide.

HAVE YOU TRIED TO STOP DRINKING
FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT HAVE
ONLY LASTED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS?
In the past, many people in AA have made all
kinds of promises to themselves and their families.
But didn't keep them. They visited AA and AA
said: 'Just try not to drink today.'

DO YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP
TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO?
AA does not tell anyone to do anything.
Members talk about their own drinking habits,
the trouble it caused and how they stopped.

HAVE YOU EVER SWITCHED FROM ONE
KIND OF DRINK TO ANOTHER TO STOP
YOURSELF GETTING DRUNK?
AA members have often tried all kinds of ways.
Avoiding alcohol altogether is the way to go.

HAVE YOU HAD TO HAVE ALCOHOL IN
THE MORNING DURING THE PAST YEAR?
Needing a drink first thing, or to stop shaking,
is a sign that you're not just drinking socially.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY HEALTH PROBLEMS
DURING THE LAST 12 MONTHS?
Be honest! Doctors say that if you have a
problem with alcohol and keep on drinking, it

'I KNEW I COULDN'T STOP ON MY OWN'

One woman sought help after her drinking habit took over

'I don't remember my first drink, it was at some point in my teens. For
years, I drank socially, but no more than that. It continued into my
marriage; my husband and I both worked and, when I was pregnant,
I stopped working to be a mum. Suddenly, my worklife disappeared...
'I was stuck in the suburbs and feeling alone. When our baby was born, although I loved
him dearly, it wasn't enough. I began to feel increasingly inadequate, a failure, depressed,
and very lonely - I was only 27. It occurred to me one evening to have a glass of sherry at
6pm while cooking dinner. For the first time, it wasn't a social drink but purely to change the
way I felt. It worked. A few weeks later I realised I'd drunk half a bottle the night before.
'To this day, I remember thinking "I should control this", then tucking the thought to the
back of my mind. Gradually, every day became like the one before - promising myself I'd
change things. I knew I couldn't stop on my own. Out of the blue, my husband arranged
for me to attend a treatment centre. I stayed for seven weeks and the staff taught me about
the illness of alcoholism and that there was a way out based on the 12-step programme of
Alcoholics Anonymous. I listened and I believed them, and attended local AA meetings.'

will only get worse, never better. Eventually, you
will die, or you will end up in an institution for
the rest of your life. You just need to stop drinking.

DO YOU ENVY PEOPLE WHO ARE
ABLE TO DRINK ALCOHOL WITHOUT
GETTING INTO TROUBLE?
At one time or another, many AA members have
wondered why they were not like other people;
those who really can take it or leave it.

DO YOU DRINK BECAUSE OF
PROBLEMS AT HOME OR WITH FAMILY?
Many people have problems at home that drive
them to drink. But, drinking alcohol actually
makes these problems much worse.

DO YOU GET EXTRA DRINKS AT PARTIES
BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH?
Many AA members used to have a 'few' drinks
before going out. If drinks were not served fast
enough, they'd go somewhere else.

DO YOU TELL YOURSELF YOU CAN
STOP DRINKING ANY TIME YOU WANT
TO, EVEN THOUGH YOU KEEP GETTING
DRUNK WHEN YOU DON'T MEAN TO?
Alcoholics kid themselves into thinking that they
drink because they actually want to. Most find
out that once they start, they can't stop.

HAVE YOU MISSED DAYS OFF WORK
BECAUSE OF DRINKING?
Many alcoholics call in sick lots of times when
they're actually hungover or on a binge.

DO YOU HAVE BLACKOUTS?
A blackout is when there are drinking
hours or days you cannot remember.

WOULD YOUR LIFE BE BETTER
IF YOU DIDN'T DRINK?
If you are drinking to live and living to drink,
then you may be an alcoholic.

What's your score?

If you answered yes four times or more, you
could be in trouble with alcohol and may need
to stop drinking. Only you can decide whether
you think AA is for you and can help you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Call 0845 769 7555
Visit www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

At Home with Dr Christian Jessen

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of At Home with Dr Christian Jessen