She had always liked to drink and until a couple of years ago,  she seemed to have a handle on balancing the party life with family life. Alcoholism and drug addiction are like a deadly cancer that slowly eats away at the body without any immediate symptoms.

I began to pick up on a few warning signs that something was wrong, but had no idea what that something was. At first, I thought that she was having an affair with another man. I allowed my mind to wonder into many different places trying to figure out why my wife’s behaviors had changed so much. She seemed so distant from expressing the love toward me that I had become so accustom to.

This was the beginning of the cancer eating away at our relationship or at least working on changing the way I went about my daily routine. Prior to her acting funny, I would get  up in the morning, take care of my responsibilities of getting the kids off to school and then focus on work. When my spouses affections toward me and the children began to change, my thoughts were overtaken with obsessing over her behaviors. I was constantly plagued with wondering what was going on? Why was she acting so distant?

I recall doing things like driving by her work to see if she was really there. I started listening to her saved phone messages and checking some of her emails. I was even looking through her paper mail to try and get some clue as to why her personality had changed so much. I remember listening in on phone conversations hoping she wouldn’t catch me. I was totally obsessed and concerned about how my wife had been acting. It was insane behavior on my part that had slowly become a way of life for me over time.

Eventually…her secret was out. She was a nurse and had begun to steal pain pills and any other type of mind altering drug she could take without getting caught. Even though I knew she was doing this, I was not educated in understanding alcoholism or drug addiction. My mind was still internalizing everything like it was something that I had done to cause her to act so oddly removed from the family. Somehow all of this was my fault. I think the reason I thought this is because she began blaming me for everything. If I even said one thing about here problem, she would twist things around and make me feel, think and act as if it was all my fault.

Until you have experienced the drastic mood swings an alcoholic or drug addict has, you may not fully understand how devastating an alcoholic disorder in the family can be.

After a couple of  years of this strange behavior,  I finally found myself in an Al-anon meeting. After that first hour of interacting with others who understood what I was going through, little did I know that my life would change for the better. I had begun a journey that would take the rest of my life to learn all of  the different signs of alcoholism.

The first thing I learned was that I did not cause my wife’s addiction problems. The second thing was that I could not control her alcoholism. Finally, I left that first meeting with a small understanding that I could not cure her disease.

The first step in a twelve step program says that we are powerless over an alcoholic’s behavior and that our lives have become unmanageable. I immediately identified with this because of the devastation that had been occurring in our family. The kids and I had been wondering why mom had been acting so strange and treating all of us with little respect. We begged and pleaded with her to stay at home sometimes, only to be left without her presence for days on end. We truly were powerless over her and had driven ourselves batty trying to control her. In the midst of the madness, we had been yelled at, physically hit, emotionally and verbally abused by her. No matter how hard we tried to get her to realize how crazy she was acting, nothing changed. She continued to steal prescription medications from work and party every chance she could get.

What started out to be an undetectable cancer was now so evident that it was having devastating affects on everyone’s lives in the immediate family.

There were several car wrecks, two arrests, marriage counseling and even a full-term stay in a twenty eight day program and she still chose to live a life filled with self-destruction that was having devastating affects on us all.

In Al-anon, I learned how to detach from my alcoholic wife. There are  thousands of coping skills I’ve been taught through the years that have transformed how I interact with people, not just the alcoholic. The process of gaining the skills necessary for setting boundaries, learning how to love myself, detaching from an addict and loving an alcoholic unconditionally was lengthy.

Just as the cancer of alcoholism had slowly destroyed my life,  the healing process was slow too. It takes a while to learn coping skills to be used with alcoholics. I’ve heard it said: “you can’t walk a long way into the woods and expect to get out quickly.”

Perhaps you have identified with a little of my story. You can learn how to love an alcoholic and stay married to them if they are not horribly abusive. All is not hopeless for you. You just need to learn a few coping skills for dealing with alcoholics.

Make a decision to do something today to start the process of change. Like I said earlier, we cannot change the alcoholic. So, who does that leave that needs to learn how to change?

There are certain ways of dealing with the actions of an addict that will greatly help to calm our nerves. It was during the time when my ex-wife was going full blast in several addictions that I finally learned how to cope with the many fears that were directly related to her alcoholic behavior. Prior to learning these methods, I was literally a basket case.

There are several things that helped me more than anything else during those difficult times of living with an alcoholic. The first was when I learned that I had no control over the addicted person’s choices to drink or do drugs.

The second fear reliever came through establishing a relationship with God. Both of these worked great in my life to reduce the anxiety associated with someone suffering from an addiction.

The third one was learning about what to expect if the problem drinker does start drinking again. Finally, it is also a good idea to have a personal plan of action in place if they fall of the wagon.

Let’s Look At Letting Go of the Illusion of Control
One of my favorite questions to ask is; “has anything you have said or done made the alcoholic quit drinking?” When we think of all the things we have tried, the truth of the matter is that nothing has caused them to quit. Now, just because the alcoholic wife, child or parent has made a decision to get sober, this does not mean that we have any control over their choices to start drinking again.

Somehow living with the attitude that “maybe they will” and “maybe they won’t make it” helps in dealing with the fear. The thing is though, just having that attitude alone doesn’t work very well. When we connect it with having faith in God that is truly when the fear of an alcoholic relapse dissipates.

How Faith Eliminates Fear
Here’s is the key, once I reach the point in my relationship with God that I know without a doubt that whatever happens in this situation “I am” going to be OK, the fear disappears. This is why so many twelve (12) step programs work wonders.

When we just get honest with God and say; “Hey, if you are real I need help,” things begin to change. When we are sincere in saying “that” it turns the tables and gives God permission to help us and He does.

As we continue to seek to know him, HE reveals his existence in miraculous ways. That’s when the little faith we started with turns into mountain moving faith. As we let go of trying to control the alcoholic and start trusting in God to help, the fear leaves us.

There is another thing that will help you deal with the fear of an alcoholic relapse-It is being educated as to what to expect if a relapse happens. I learned through the experience of my mom relapsing that when they decide to drink again, they go right back to where they were when they quit. When I quit drinking and started attending AA meetings, I understood what they were talking about when they told me if I decide to drink again, I would go right back to where I was before I decided to stop.

The main thing we all have to remember when dealing with an alcoholic is that we have no control over their choices to drink or not. When we start letting go of them and begin to form a life of our own again, things will get better.

Setting Boundaries
When living with an alcoholic, it’s important to learn how to set boundaries. Unacceptable behavior is just that… “unacceptable behavior.” The key to protecting yourself from the anger and anxiety associated with having a relationship with an addict is in communicating to them what is acceptable and NOT permissible.

There are many ways of drawing borderlines in a loving way. If they are calling you degrading names, nicely ask them to stop calling you those things. If they are stealing from you, tell them you love them and you feel they need to get help, then sever the relationship. The idea here is to protect yourself from their uncontrollable alcoholic behavior.

Learn to Detach
The problem we run into is that we feel like we need to try to rescue the substance abuser. If you think about it for a moment, nothing that you have done has caused them to quit drinking. If we are not careful, we can get too involved in their lives trying to help them get better.

As our obsession with everything they are doing increases, the joy in living our own lives decreases. This is why we need to learn how to detach. The foundation of doing this is in realizing that they will not quit until they hit bottom on their own. There are many levels of detachment. To succeed, it takes learning from people who know how to do this.

As the phases of alcoholism progress in our family members so does our obsession with their behavior. If you do not learn how to protect yourself during this progression, you will find yourself experiencing some serious disorders yourself. Alcoholism in the family is a very destructive storm that needs to be handled in a precise manner. There are proven ways of dealing with alcoholics that work. Without help it will be too much for you to handle on your own.

The way an addicts mind works is that if something gives them pleasure they cannot stop obsessing over getting more of what made them feel good. Brain research has determined that alcoholics have a thinking disorder that is interconnected with genetics. Just about anything that will help them relieve the pressures of life can become an overwhelming obsession in their brains.

In an article called Silencing the Alcoholic Mind, Dr. Michale Pearlman says this; “Alcohol is a way to escape from the reality of the moment – that time when you are being overloaded with thoughts and stressors, invading your mind and causing you to think about those things that you believe may be significant, but are in fact heightened in their true importance.”

When a problem drinker quits, they still have the need to find a means of escape from the pressures in life.

I’ve heard men ramble on and on about women and how they are addicted to them. Now this is something that can be common among most men, but if an alcoholic is in recovery this can often become an overwhelming obsession.

Smoking cigarettes is a common habit that many alcoholics have. Before and after most AA meetings, there will be a cloud of smoke outside as people inhale enough to last for the next hour. If you visit a busy bar for a half hour, you will leave with the smell of smoke all over your clothes.

Most defiantly an active  problem drinker or sober one might very well be addicted to sex and pornography.

What about the alcoholic who is still drinking, what additional addictions do they struggle with? This is sad to say, but many of the people I have known who drink regularly like to have some sort of speed substance as well. This can be in the form of pain pills, cocaine or even caffeine. It is a way for them to feel better because it counteracts the depressive nature of the alcohol. If they have had too much to drink, they can throw in some Adderall or a Percocet to help bring them up from their drunken state.

I met a recovering alcoholic the other day. She told me he was addicted to energy drinks. She confessed that she drinks at least four per day. Sometimes she is so jacked up on them that she has to take some sort of sedative to help her sleep at night.

Many years ago while getting sober, I was accused of being fanatical over my relationship with God. My now ex-wife implied that I had switched addictions. I had no problem with her observations or opinions about me though. This new found friendship was much better than being best friends with a bottle of alcohol.

I have a friend of mine who spends an unbelievable amount of his time on the Internet. He openly confesses that he is addicted to his computer and the Internet world. This was an exchange for him because he used to spend his days getting plastered drunk. His alcoholic personality has caused him to gravitate toward a different kind of addiction.

Alcoholic addictions can be sports, hanging out in a local bar, staying up all night and sleeping all day. There are literally thousands of things that people can find to become consumed with. Co-dependence issues are common among people who suffer from drinking problems. Whatever makes them feel good for the moment has the potential to form into an overly excessive habit.

To understand alcoholic behavior and what they are  plagued with, you have to think of the very best thing that you have ever experienced that caused you to want more “instant” gratification. Alcoholic addictions work the same way, except everything that makes them feel good, they want more of it. This is why many substance abusers will spend everything they have to get more pleasure.

Understanding the nature of alcoholism and how someone develops a dependence upon alcohol can take a lifetime. In AA meetings, we hear that it is a disease that is cunning, baffling and powerful. My experience with this illness is that it can be uncontrollable and has no respect for anyone. It can be maddening, frustrating, and gut-wrenching to deal with the person battling with this type of addiction.
While you may feel very alone in trying to understand and cope with an addict, you are definitely not alone. Families, friends and co-workers are all touched in negative ways by the ripple effect of alcoholism.

When someone is suffering from being addicted to alcohol, they are at risk of losing their life, taking someone else’s life, destroying relationships and damaging others for a lifetime. The side effects of being dependent upon this drug extend far beyond the harm to the physical body.

Most people who have developed a dependence upon alcohol started their journey through the recreational use of the substance. As they continued to drink more, their tolerance levels changed and required more to reach a level of satisfaction. There are several phases that occur in-between drinking for fun and being miserably addicted.

There are three main things at work when alcoholism is present in someone’s life. There is the physical dependence, the psychological or thinking-disorder that is fueling the desire for more and there are genetic influences present as well.

Understanding the Genetic Connection
Research has revealed that alcohol addiction runs in the bloodline of families. A genetics study during the year of nineteen seventy-four (1974) determined that adopted children whose natural parents were alcoholics were at risk of becoming dependent upon the substance, even when being raised in a non-drinking environment. The study determined that if one natural parent is an alcoholic, a child is at three times greater risk of becoming alcohol-dependent. If both biological parents are alcoholics, the risk is increased to five times that. This study, completed by Goodwin, compared adopted children who were conceived by non-alcoholic parents to adopted children conceived from alcohol-addicted parents.

Understanding the Physical Dependence
The evidence that people go through physical withdrawals supports the fact that the body becomes physically dependent upon alcohol. The following was found in an Ebook provided by the transformationstreatment.com website.

“Alcohol withdrawal can be very dangerous and potentially fatal if done without medical supervision. If an alcoholic who has been drinking regularly, and particularly if his use is quite heavy, suddenly stops, he is at high risk for a variety of dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

Delirium tremens (often called “DTs”) are a medical emergency and include the following symptoms: grand mal seizures, sweating, rapid heart beat, agitation, insomnia, nausea and/or vomiting, hallucinations, delusions, panic attacks, anxiety, tremors or shakes, high temperature, confusion and nightmares. Alcohol withdrawal is also very unpleasant and is one of the reasons alcohol -addiction is especially hard to overcome. Much of a heavy alcoholic’s drinking is to ward off withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, thus creating a vicious cycle.”

Understanding the Psychological Side of Alcoholism
People in recovery meetings testify all of the time about how ALL they could think about was when and where the next drink would come from. For someone who has never struggled with an addiction, it can be both frustrating and baffling to try to understand why an alcoholic or addict does the things s/he does. The reality for someone who suffers from alcohol-dependence is that from the time they awaken until they fall asleep- their mind subconsciously is telling them they need a drink.

One of the best ways to get a better understanding of what chronic problem-drinkers are dealing with is by attending a few AA meetings. You will be better able to understand some of the various stages that people go through when faced with a drinking probelm.

As you can clearly see, the person suffering from alcoholism is caught in a vicious cycle. One of the most heartbreaking things you can experience is watching a loved one’s life slowly become ruined due to the devastating effects of alcoholism. Dependence upon this substance is not easily overcome yet people get sober every day. With this in mind, never give up hope that things will change for the better.

Is alcoholism a disease or not?
What do most chronic users die from?
Is depression common among problem drinkers?
There are many facts related to alcohol-dependence. In this article, we will take a brief look at these few I just mentioned.

Causes of Death
There are three things that are the most commonly held reasons for the deaths of problem drinkers, cardiovascular complications, suicide and cirrhosis of the liver.

Suicide Research has discovered that over fifty percent (50%) of all self -inflicted deaths were connected with some form of drug or alcohol addiction. There is plenty of information that supports the fact that alcohol use, depression and suicide are very closely-related.

Heart Problems
Medical research indicates that people who are heavy drinkers are at risk of having high blood pressure, an enlarged heart or a stroke. The American Heart Association recommends that if people do not already drink alcohol, don’t start drinking.

Cirrhosis of the liver
Alcoholic Cirrhosis generally occurs after many years of heavy drinking, but for some it could happen sooner. Even consuming alcohol moderately can develop liver problems over time.

Alcoholism as a Disease
In 1991, the American Medical Association (AMA) listed alcoholism as a disease in both psychiatric and the medical sections. Not everyone is in agreement that it is a disease though.

Transformations Drug and Alcoholic Treatment Center says this about the subject:

“Alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases. Alcoholism in particular tends to run in families, but many studies have also shown that addictive behavior in general seems to have a hereditary component. In fact, there has been some research which suggests the possibility of an “addictive gene”, although thus far no particular gene has been found to fully substantiate this. One popular theory is that it is a combination of genes which makes a person predisposed to becoming addicted to alcohol, drugs or other substances.

Those who support the disease model point to the fact that alcoholism and drug addiction are similar to other medical conditions in that the environment as well as the person’s behavior play a role in their onset and course, and they respond to certain types of treatment. Also, they argue, and justifiably so in most cases, that the person does not have control over their alcoholism or addiction.”

Depression and Alcoholism Facts
While people consume alcohol thinking it will “lift their spirits,” it is actually a depressant. It causes the brain and nervous system to slow down. It also has been shown to cause a decrease in serotonin and norepinephrine. These are brain chemicals which contribute to making us feel a sense of well-being within. As a result, alcohol use can cause depression or make existing depression even worse.

Some Alcohol Poisoning  Symptoms

• Throwing up
• Below normal body temperature
• Extremely slow breathing pattern
• Totally non-responsive as if they are sleeping

Up to forty percent (40%) of people who heavily consume alcoholic beverages regularly have symptoms that resemble a depressive illness. Somewhere in the neighborhood of five to ten percent of all people diagnosed with depression have alcohol-related addiction issues as well. With some people the two seem to fit hand-in-hand.

Information shows that men generally get depressed because of drinking alcohol, but the majority of women are already depressed prior to consuming it.

There are thousands of facts related to endless topics that speak to the subject of the millions of people suffering from alcoholism. Not all facts related to consuming alcohol are negative, but most of the ones associated with “alcoholism” are. Although some good can be present in an alcoholic’s life, most of what is left in their wake is a path of destruction. Depression, suicide, medical problems and broken relationships seem to be high among this particular addiction category.

Coping with the personality of an alcoholic can cause those dealing with this person’s behavior to be affected in many ways. I’m going to give you some key tips that will help you to handle your situation in a more self-controlled manner. The benefit of using these techniques will be a decreased anxiety in you and an enhanced emotional stability. They will also aid you in becoming a happier person- even if this person suffering from addiction is not drinking.

If you read our article on the signs of alcoholism, you have a pretty good idea of what the characteristics are of someone struggling in this area. Now, you need to understand how their behaviors are affecting you and what changes you can make in order to NOT get entangled in their dysfunctional life. If you are already closely involved with them and their problem, these methods will help you get your emotions settled down and untangled from reacting to everything they are doing.

Some of the things we react to are when:

• the alcoholic lies
• they break engagements or plans
• they do things to push our emotional buttons

First, I want you to understand that nothing you have done up until now has caused them to quit drinking. Next take a moment to think about how much you have changed from the person you were before you started trying to cope with this person who is an alcoholic.

Here are some things I think you can identify with:

• Are you constantly thinking about them?
• Do you check up on them to see if they are drinking?
• Do you look for indications that they have been drinking?
• Are you angry and anxious because of your interactions with them?
• Do you feel a need to defend your character because of things they say about you?
• Do you argue and fight about them NOT telling the truth?
• Are you always second place to their drinking?

The way to quit constantly thinking about what they are doing is to find things to do that will help you get them off of your mind. We’ve already established that nothing you have done has made them quit. In a sense, the personality of the alcoholic is unchangeable. So letting go of them is a MUST. If we don’t, we will go crazy trying to control the uncontrollable functioning or non-functioning alcoholic.

Here are a few things to help you with this situation:

• Call friends on the phone and talk to them often
• Go to the movies
• Read books
• Take up a few hobbies
• Volunteer work is a great way to focus on something else
• Get involved with support group meetings

Here are a few guidelines for coping with obsession:

• Don’t look at them when they walk into a room to see if they are drunk or not
• Refuse to play the role of the private investigator who is always checking up on them
• When you realize your thoughts are stuck on their behaviors, don’t allow them to rent space in your head
• Try not to call them repeatedly
• Delete emails and phone messages from them without reading or listening to them

Here’s the best tip I can give you for coping with an alcoholic:

Never argue with a drunk. There’s no point in trying to have a rational conversation with them when they have been drinking. It is pointless to argue with anyone, PERIOD. If you make this a rule, I promise that you will be more self-controlled, have less anxiety, and will experience greater levels of peace in your life. Your functioning normally in the midst of a dysfunctional relationship is possible. It is just going to require learning from people who know how to do this.

There are hundreds of tips I can share with you on coping with the problem drinker. Most of them are found in the “Dealing With Alcoholics” information that we have developed to help people just like you to handle these situations the most successfully. The addict is not going to change until they hit bottom. Therefore, we are the ones who need to start making changes to protect ourselves from the negative impact of this disease.

You might be wondering what qualifies me to give anyone advice on the subject of living with an addict/alcoholic. For starters, my mother was a binge drinker who went in and out of treatment faculties as I was growing up. She finally stayed sober for over twenty-five years through the help of the AA program. I had a battle with the disease myself and have been sober now for well over a decade. I was married to an abusive spouse (wife) who had a drinking and prescription drug problem. I have also attended thousands of alcoholism support group meetings.

For the past thirteen years, I have helped thousands of people by sharing key advice on how to interact with friends, family and co-workers who drink too much. I can help you with this situation you are living in because I know exactly what you are going through.

Now I can’t possibly give it all to you in a few paragraphs, but these three things will help you today- guaranteed:

Understand that you have an obsession with this person. Somehow in the course of dealing with an alcoholic, we begin to focus on their behaviors more than we normally would with other individuals. It’s been said that the problem drinker is addicted to the booze and we are addicted to them. All they can think about is where they will get the next drink from and all we can think about is what they are doing, have been doing or will be doing.

It takes work to break these habits of always thinking about them- especially when we are living with an alcoholic. Even though the intensity of everything that is happening is right in our face, we can start making a few changes to make us feel better.

• What will the benefits be of changing these negative thinking patterns anyway?
• You will have less stress, more peace and more self-control, guaranteed!

Try these three ideas just for today:

1. When you get around this person, don’t even look at them. This will help decrease your obsession of trying to figure out if they have been drinking or not. This will also aid you in not confronting them. That could result in not having an argument. Every action produces a negative or positive reaction within us.
2. Discipline yourself to NOT check up on them. Don’t look at their history on the computer. Avoid going through any of their things. Try not to drive out of your way to see if they really are where they told you they would be when they left the house. Just realize that you have no control over what they are doing right now. This is all a part of detaching from an alcoholic.
3. Be aware of your thoughts throughout the day. Try today to be aware of how much you are thinking about them. Now work on changing your thinking process. You may be wondering how to do this. It may take reading a book or going to the movies. Perhaps you could exercise if that’s your thing. Even talking on the phone with a friend can help you greatly to break the negative thinking cycle.

You will begin to experience more peace in your life by practicing the above advice. When the turmoil that is happening in your mind lessens, so do the feelings of anxiety, fear and depression.

As we get into the habit of NOT focusing on them all of the time, living with an alcoholic will be much less stressful. This is going to take work on your part.

Right now your life is enmeshed with them. It’s time to start enjoying “your” life again rather than to be always worrying about something or someone you have no control over.

Getting the focus off of them and onto you is how to deal with an alcoholic. I cannot tell you how to make them quit drinking. I can teach you how to feel better about yourself in the middle of a difficult situation.

Start doing things with friends. This could be things like going out to dinner, having a game night or just spending time with your friends on the phone. If you are married, I always caution that you have respect for your alcoholic husband or wife by not interacting too much with friends of the opposite sex.

You can learn how to STOP reacting to everything they are doing and START enjoying your own life. The idea here is for you to focus on yourself for a while rather than to be consumed with everything they are doing all of the time.

There are hundreds of ways to make your situation better, even if they continue to drink or not. The key to all of this is that you need to begin to do things differently.

I know that sounds rather crazy, but if you think about it-everything that we have done until now has not caused the alcoholic we are living with to quit drinking. So if they refuse to change, then we must. If we don’t, we just might get even more out of control than what we already are.

When changes in behavior are noticed, that’s when most people look for signs that a family member or friend may be fighting with alcoholism. Behavioral changes are the outer encasement of all the various indicators that someone may be drinking too much. Symptoms may vary from person-to-person, but for the most part, some of the ones we will be looking for will be present in their lives.

There are several key indicators that will reveal if a person has become addicted to any substance- not just to alcohol. Let’s look inside and recognize what the subtle changes are that will point us to the evidence that someone is in fact struggling with drinking too much.

Consumption
We will generally see a slow progression of them drinking more in order for them to reach a level of intoxication. Their “tolerance” level has changed. When they used to only have one or two drinks during an occasion, now they have four or five.

Desire
Many of the activities that someone on the brink of alcoholism will participate in will revolve around drinking alcohol. This may be watching a football game at a bar instead of at home or going dancing in a night club instead of at the dance studio where they used to go all of the time.

Intense mood swings
These behavioral changes seem to be centered around them keeping the people around them either angry or anxious. The phrase used in support group meetings is “feeling like we are ‘walking on eggshells’ ” when we are around them.

Undependable
They will most definitely be missing more appointments and activities that are on the schedule of their daily lives. If they are supposed to be some place at eight o’clock sharp, they will inevitably be late or not make an appearance at all.

Lying
This is one of the biggest characteristics of an alcohol and drug abuser. One of the things we see is that they will tell us the things they think we want to hear and then do the complete opposite.

There is a continuation of signs and symptoms further below.

When people become addicted to (or dependent upon) alcohol, it has taken on a life of it’s own. An addiction extends past recreational use of a substance, although most alcoholics started out that way.

The list above tells the story. When a person has become dependent on a substance, they drink more and more often. For the most part, this occurs because they need more to get high. There are various stages of alcoholism, but they all revolve around an increase in substance abuse.

Another reason the person’s drinking habits have changed is because the cravings have become incredibly intense. The fact of the matter is, it becomes difficult for them to distinguish between the desire to consume alcohol and the need for it. This is one of the very subtle signs of alcoholism.

If you could hear the thoughts of an addict for an hour, you would better understand that subconsciously all they can think about is where they will get the next infusion of alcohol from. Brain researchers have medically declared that substance abusers have a “thinking disorder” that is directly related to their inherent genes.

Here are some additional alcoholism signs:

• Employment problems or work performance declines
• An aroma of alcohol will be present on their clothing and through the pores of their body
• There will be an increase in accidents related to driving or on the physical body
• Sleeping a lot
• The need to borrow money from others
• A decline in energy levels and motivation
• Very little interest in activities or friends that used to be important to them
• Trouble with law enforcement
• Laughing or giggling inappropriately
• Increased defensive behavior
• Aggressive or abusive actions towards others
• Becoming more reclusive than normal
• An increase in conversing with others or talking a lot
• Poor concentration
• Changes in normal routines
• Lose of interest in spending time with family

If you are noticing signs or symptoms like these, please get help for yourself -as well getting more educated about what you are dealing with. One of the biggest challenges you are faced with is not becoming totally obsessed with their behaviors. Living with an alcoholic can literally steal all of your/our happiness if any of us in this situation allow the disease of alcoholism to do so. We must not allow this problem to rule our lives.