A Brief History and Overview of Alcoholism

The disease or disorder known as alcoholism is one of the most destructive forces in society today, but it is nothing new. No one knows the exact origin of alcohol and alcoholism. However, beer jugs that were discovered and dated back to the late Stone Age established the fact that humans were intentionally fermenting beverages as early as 10,000 BC during the Neolithic period. Additional evidence was documented as far back as 4,000 BC in the Egyptian hieroglyphs of the period.

Alcoholism Addiction Treatment and Recovery

There are two schools of thought where recovering from alcoholism are concerned. One claims that the recovery stage never ends. In other words, once you are labeled a recovering alcoholic, you will always be a recovering alcoholic. The recovery stage never ends. Conversely, there is the group who feel that it is possible to be cured of alcoholism and that the recovery stage eventually comes to a close because the person remains clean and sober for life.

How to Start Recovering from Alcoholism

The following is the advice given by the NIAAA or National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to those individuals who are in the recovery stage:

  • Quit drinking altogether. Don’t just cut back.
  • Bring the issue to center stage. In other words, admit that you have a problem with alcohol.
  • Walk away from a relationship where you both drink. Recovering from alcoholism is almost impossible when you are in a co-dependent relationship. Invariably, the other partner will not support the one who is quitting, just like with drug-dependent relationships.
  • Find why you are self-medicating yourself. Make a list and divide it into three columns that are labeled as follows:
    • Column #1 – Things that Make Me Happy
    • Column #2 – Things that Make Me Sad
    • Column #3 – Things that Stress Me Out
  • Study that list once you’ve completed it, and then circle those items that are “triggers” or what makes you reach for a drink.
  • Now circle the positive ones and commit yourself to doing them more often.
  • Replace all the ones that make you drink with the happy ones.
  • Be patient and allow yourself enough time. Remember, it took you a while to develop your dependency on alcohol.
  • Visit your doctor and see if he or she will prescribe a medication that will help you quit drinking.

Let Our Referral Service Help You

The Rehab Advisor is the premier addiction treatment and recovery program referral website. For more information about our referral site and our programs for recovering from alcoholism, fill out the e-mail form above or call the toll-free phone number above if you want to speak with someone immediately.