If you are having doubts whether your drinking is excessive, it probably is. You can deny it, but it's well to listen to those nagging doubts. Why risk having an increasingly miserable life as you grow older? Here's some pertinent information on the subject.

If You Are Questioning Your Drinking Habits

If you have gotten to the point of questioning whether or not you have a drinking problem you are probably at the point where you actually do. More than that, if the people around you have been commenting on the amount of alcohol you drink then you may want to listen up. You do have a drinking problem if you are at the point where alcohol is negatively affecting your life and you are continuing to drink.

While there may not seem to be any silver linings in this cloud I can say with authority that there is a silver lining - the majority of people who wish to stop drinking can do so with nothing more than willpower. It is not uncommon for many people who drink on a regular basis to reach a point where they simply decide to quit, whether it is for medical reasons or social.

Regrettably there are many out there who simply do not have the inner fortitude to follow through and quit cold turkey. If you have decided to quit but find yourself continuing to reach for a drink then the problem becomes one of dependency and even alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is reached when this behavior becomes normal.

If you and your family have been affected by your drinking habits there is help available. Your first stop should be your physician who can advise you regarding whether medication will be necessary as well as which care centers can assist you in quitting. Alcoholics Anonymous is another option for those who are looking for group and one on one support.

The largest library in the world, the internet, is another option for finding groups that can support you in your efforts to live a life free from the reliance on alcohol. Talking with others who are on the same path as you and who understand what you are going through is important for your success in this battle.

The word alcoholism itself was not actually recognized in the US until the late 1930s, through the formation of the alcohol support group known as Alcoholics Anonymous or AA as it is sometimes referred to. AA does not actually give alcoholism a concrete definition, but recognizes it as something between an allergy and an illness with a team support method of accountability and responsibility being a way to control alcoholism.

It wasn't until Doctor E. Morton Jellinek from New England came along that problems being experienced by chronic alcoholics were actually first classified. He defined the problem as a person through excessive alcohol consumption developed serious health conditions both physically and mentally. An alcoholic would also encounter both domestic and economical problems as a result of persistent alcohol abuse.

They therefore need treatment. This definition has seen many changes over the years by different medical affiliations. The American Medical Association currently uses the word alcoholism to refer to a particular chronic primary disease.

Some minorities in the medical field, such as Herbert Fingarette and Stanton Peele, argue against alcoholism being considered a disease. But, critics of the disease theory acknowledge that the word alcoholism; refers to a disease, and use the term heavy drinking; when discussing the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.

With alcoholism's uncertain definition, the disease is often hard to accurately detect. There is no physical or mental difference between someone who drinks habitually and an alcoholic. To get more up to date information regarding alcoholism you should definitely take a look at the blog over at stopdrinking.org as it is a real eye opener.

According to Selfesteeminternational.org, recovering addicts and alcoholics indicate that low self esteem is the biggest problem in their lives. They feel alcohol is only a symptom to the alcoholic's real disease, alcohol or drugs act as a mask. Low self esteem causes and contributes to anxiety, neurosis, defensiveness and ultimately

Selfesteeminternational.org surveyed some 18 year olds who reported using drugs or alcohol heavily. They reported using when they were as young as seven. They indicated feeling alienated by their families, not good enough, anxious, unhappy and overly impulsive. 66% of high school seniors surveyed reported using drugs or alcohol heavily in order to fit in and fill a personal void.

Drugs and alcohol are self destructive behaviors but sometimes the pain is too much to bare and people begin to self medicate through drugs and alcohol. Addicts use their addictions to help them work through to pain of self hate, or so they think. By drinking or using drugs a vicious cycle of more self hatred starts and before you know it, your life is completely out of control. One drink turns into two, two turns in to three and before you know it your life is all about drinking. You family doesn't want you around, you have spent all your money and lost your job. Your actions only lead to more self hate and disappointment in yourself.

It is difficult to estimate how many people are experiencing low self esteem, but it is safe to say many people suffer from at least one of the symptoms. Maybe you are happy to see someone fail, overly aggressive, do not recognize your own good qualities, or try to please others because you do not know how to say no. There are many reasons why people have low self esteem however, it is not just one isolated incident that causes it. Typically low self esteem is brought on by many years of unpleasant memories and criticism. The criticism can come from anyone, a parent, teacher or society.

One of the most important factors in recovery is acceptance of the disease and being able to identify why you choose to be an addict in the first place. Often it is difficult to address years of low self esteem in a twelve week program. That is why follow up counseling and treatment is recommended. One new treatment that is being recommended is hypnosis. Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind to identify painful memories causing the low self esteem and help the patient work through the memory and develop new self confidence. Hypnosis is done in a safe environment and is chemical free which appeals to many recovering addicts.

Some people feel therapy and counseling is the best and only treatment needed to help recovering addicts. Unfortunately, if this were true all rehab facilities would offer a 100% cure rate. Most can not even offer a 70% cure rate. It is important to have a treatment plan that will help to identify why you started abusing drugs or alcohol in the first place, and this is difficult to do with a counselor. Often addicts have little trust in counselors and are more censored when talking until they get to know the counselor. Since hypnosis works with the subconscious mind, it allows the addict to think and speak openly about low self esteem issues.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a very serious problem, but what is more concerning is the underlying behavior of self hate. Until that issue is dealt with, the thought of alcohol and drug abuse is always there for the addict. There are many ways to help improve self esteem but why not do it in a safe environment and start dealing with the real problem today.