Alcohol/Chemical Dependency - Essay Example

Alcohol/Chemical Dependency Concrete Experience My father has learned with the passage of time that addictions have to be abandoned and they just cannot take up someone’s life like that. They are mere addictions and with the help and facilitation of the near and dear ones plus a little bit of understanding on the part of his own self, he has realized that he could have let go on this bad habit of his. Yet somehow or the other he finds himself stuck in a quagmire of which he cannot find any solace. Alcohol addition has completely ruined his life and it has left him in shambles in front of one and all. The extent of his involvement was so immense that he did not have any knowledge of what was happening around him. All my father used to do was sit down and have his addiction fulfilled in the best manner possible and he did not dare to think about anything else in this huge world. He had some responsibilities to fulfill, some loving people surrounding him who had expectations from him but all this just went out of the window when he got himself into this bad habit for all the odd reasons. Ever since my father learnt that he is a complete alcoholic patient, he realized that he was not being himself anymore. The normal activities that he used to do and exhibit before he hooked up to these practices were just no more at all. More than anything else, he stopped understanding his duties and responsibilities rather he used to care in what amount he would take the next intake and where he would get the next bottle of alcohol to quench his thirst for a small period of time. As far as the goals and objectives in the line of learning about alcohol dependency are concerned, my father came to know about this from the people around him who started complaining. They made him realize that life is much more than getting hooked onto an addiction for good. They gave him fresh lessons with each passing day. He, himself realized his mistake but then the dependency was just too much to get over him. However the most my father could do was to keep away his bad habits for some moments but after that, he was the same person like ever before. My father just did not care about the rest of the world that surrounded him. The techniques and methods which made him realize about the dependency included first of all his family’s persistent warnings and realizations which were made on and off. Apart from this, he had his conscience awake at all times and it used to pinch him from inside that he needed to do something big in life and fulfill his responsibilities and not just become a wag and live life like an idiot. But then again all these realizations just could not sustain for a considerable period of time and got the better of him whenever he had a bottle of alcohol in his hands. The resources that were used at finding out about the dependency as far as alcohol is concerned were of books and magazines as well as the word of mouth of his friends and family members. All of us in unison were against his peculiar habit and he knew deep down inside that he is not only destroying his own self but also the hopes and wishes of the people who were attached to him in one way or the other. Observations and Reflections The preconceived ideas that he had about dependency included that it would be very easy for him to let go of alcohol and cocaine addiction whenever he needed to, however the same was not true right from the very onset. Instead there was a completely different point of view that he had after he got hooked onto this bad practice of his. He realized that it is not easy to abandon it in the first place, talk about letting it go for good, which asked a lot on his part. Before this bad experience, my father had as such no experience of knowing about alcohol and cocaine users and hence he had no idea how their life is like. My father just had some preconceived notions that it is pretty easy to turn one’s self on and then off whenever the need so arises on the part of the person who is using alcohol and cocaine. The thing that surprised him endlessly was the fact that he was absolutely wrong and my father had no clue what was in store for him. At least my father should have had some slightest hint that this could ruin his life. This could seem to a commoner as a cry or even a grudge but now when he looks back 25 years down the lane, he realizes how wrong my father was. His thoughts and feelings started to shape up in a negative yet strong manner as and when he got used to it more and more. My father started feeling alienated and cut off from the rest of the world. He was living within a world of his own. The behaviors that arose in him included becoming angry for very small things and taking his frustration out on items that were supposed to beautify his own home. My father broke cutlery and destroyed window panes in anger and sheer agony. Obviously these behaviors were something very new to not only his own self but for also for us but as far as he is concerned, he felt very bad about all this from deep within and he just could not do anything about it. This indeed was the worst part about all this. However he had a turning point in his life when my father thought and firmly applied the rehab process to his life as he seriously wanted to get rid of this habit of his no matter how much it soothed him in those crunch times. My father was aware of what those lovely times encompassed – the hard times that came after them, when he used to have serious doubts of his own existence and the basis related with it. He knew himself as a good human being but this alcohol and cocaine abuse left him nowhere and he could not look at himself in the mirror. The result of the rehab process was that my father was cured of this addiction though only for a short while and after that he was at it again. He started to use these things yet again and he hated himself for that. In fact to this day his addiction exists and he detests himself with each passing day. The coping strategy that was used by him was of focus and determination that he would not plunge into this addiction again but the same happened. My father just could not hold myself of this habit and he gave into its demands very quickly. His longing and desire to hook up to the addiction yet again was just too much for him to do anything else. Abstracts, Concepts and Generalizations Our society faces a lot of problems that are related with the concepts of alcohol consumption and cocaine usage. The patients lose their respective worlds and go and establish their own worlds which have nothing but pleasure for a certain period of time. The amount of people who want to take refuge from the pains that the world has plunged into with the passage of time is immense and it will keep on continuing, speaking from a realist’s standpoint. The family life of this individual gets destroyed, not to talk about the lives of the people who are attached with this addict. The person himself starts feeling left out of the worldly affairs and feels as if he is living in an aliens’ land. The role of society is something that has to be understood in the proper contexts here. It is just not fulfilling its duties with the amount of dedication and devotion it should have in the first place. The society is thus no way close to being a perfect fit for this hopeless situation. Alcoholism is an act that leads to an addiction of consuming alcohol whenever the need arises within an addict. He starts becoming angry and gets fits when he does not get his due share of alcohol. Alcoholism is a complete act of many habits that includes whining, getting frustrated, asking for more and more intake of alcohol and much more. A particular alcoholic is the sort of a person who would do anything to get his hands onto a bottle of alcohol. He would sell anything, no matter how prized or expensive it is for the sake of attainment of his desire – alcohol at the very end. A dysfunctional family is one where the family stops acting like a normal one, rather falls flat on its face and there is no respect and dignity left for the addict who is just consuming alcohol to satisfy his own personal whims. Enabler means the person who helps the addict in getting access to his craving and desire when the need of the former is at its peak. Alcoholism is definitely a family problem because the whole family gets affected by it and there is total chaos within the reigns of the family as a result. The different intervention methods include rehab processes which are offered to the families of the addicts. They are told of the side effects as to how these addicts would respond when they would not receive their intake of alcohol at a certain time. Thus their families need to play a huge role at understanding their intervention techniques and methods which could range from fights, sweet words of disapproval for alcohol and just about anything that could keep the minds of the addicts away from the same. Some of the leading authorities in the intervention methods include private and governmental concerns which are doing their respective bits in order to provide insights to the patients as well as anti-alcohol units are also in place which provide for proactive and reactive counseling to the patients. The theories of these institutions are all the same, where the focus is to give proper and sound knowledge to the to-be hookers of alcohol so that they do not remain aloof of its consequences and spend their lives in a safe and healthy manner. Other generalizations that can be drawn from alcohol and cocaine addictions could be in line with the two already discussed. All of these basically pinpoint man’s divergence from the right path towards a passage where there is only humiliation and distress waiting for him at all times. With that, there is agony and worry for the people who love him and mean something or the other as far as his life is concerned. Applications to New Situations This knowledge of addiction makes my father realize that alcohol is not a very fruitful thing to consume at the end of the day and there are many other things in life which can make it colorful and serene than alcohol. The manner in which coping strategies are made use of is somewhat of an interesting proposition and needs to be discussed on the proper tangent. My father has gained valuable insights as to how he can keep his life very simply and without making it too complicated, provide happiness and merry times to the people who are around him. The need is however to remain committed to what is planned beforehand and my father, for one should not stray from the set course of action, no matter how much he craves for having the next bottle of alcohol on his side. As far as his future life is concerned, he has understood that in order to gain happiness and a sense of calm and peace within his soul, he has to keep away from these distractions which will continue to haunt him for an extended period of time. The need of the hour is to not give in to the urge of alcoholism and just keep away from it as much as he can. In the long run, this will help him endlessly as well as the people who love him and care for him no matter how mean he becomes. My father has some regrets in stating at the end that no matter how hard he tries he was never able to convince anyone else how hard it was to let go of this addiction and at the end of the day, it is up to him to tackle this problem once and for all with sheer determination and a sense of understanding for his own self. BIBLIOGRAPHY Martindale, Don. (1976). The Social Dimensions of Mental Illness, Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Greenwood Press Gribomont, Bruno. (1993). Morbidity Risk for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Relatives of Cocaine Addicts. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Vol. 19 Kurtzweill, Paula. (1996). Medications Can Aid Recovery from Alcoholism. FDA Consumer Vol. 30 Word Count: 2,147 Read More