Alcoholism Issues and Short Stories

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The following represents various issues, problems, and short stories about people who have faced drinking problems.

Excessive Drinking and Excessive Work

Work was becoming hectic for the young police officer.  She was working ten to fifteen hours of overtime each week and she felt herself losing her grip on her life.  What complicated the situation was the fact that she started going out and drinking with a group of fellow officers after her shift.

What began as fun soon turned into excess and then into a negative cycle of feeling tired each morning she awakened for work, working long hours, and then going drinking after work.  Clearly, she was in a rut.

Through the encouragement of a fellow officer, she made an appointment with a therapist at the work-affiliated alcohol abuse center.  Since her employee’s assistance program was affiliated with this alcohol abuse center, it was not only convenient but also quite affordable to seek guidance about her drinking situation.

Since the staff at the alcohol abuse center was competent, supportive, and non-judgmental, she was able to get alcohol treatment that made sense to her.

After discussing her life, her work, and her drinking with her therapist, she realized that she was burning the candle at both ends with her excessive work hours and excessive drinking. 

Once she realized that she was digging herself into a rut, with the help of her therapist, she quit drinking and stopped working overtime.  Not only did she feel better, but she noticed that she actually had more money now even though she was working far fewer hours each week.

Career Counseling and Information About Alcohol

Sally and Tracey worked at the local department store in their hometown.  They both dropped out of high school and now the only job they could find was at the local department store.  They really didn’t like the work that they did, and so they decided to compensate for their lack of job satisfaction by drinking as much and as often as possible. 

This continued for about a year until Tracey started talking to Sally about their futures one evening while they were at the local bar.  “Sally, do you think that we need more information about alcohol so that we do not become alcoholics in the next five years?”  Sally thought about this for a moment and then agreed with Tracey's assessment of the situation. 

She then suggested that they meet with a career counselor to discuss their career options.  Tracey agreed and said that she would do some online research for career counselors they could contact.

A Nurse Needs to See Her Physician About Her Drinking Behavior

Jane was a nurse at the large downtown hospital.  She was single, had a fairly active social life and usually drank in moderation.  All this changed when she met Jeff.  Jeff had a high paying job and loved to party.  They went out almost every night and almost always did something different and exciting.  But almost everything they did had something to do with heavy drinking. 

This continued for around six months until Jane just couldn’t continue working full time and partying every night.  When she went to see her doctor and told him about her drinking and the demands at work he calmly told her that she was manifesting some of the effects of alcohol abuse. 

His recommendation: drink in moderation at all times or go and get treatment and stop drinking entirely.  He wanted her to take a week to think about things and then to come and see him with her decision.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol Abuse

One of the more unfortunate alcohol abuse facts is that pregnant women who drink run the risk of having a child who has fetal alcohol syndrome.  Children with fetal alcohol syndrome suffer from alcohol-related physical and mental deformities.  What is especially sad, moreover, is that these children had absolutely no control over their disease. 

In fact, children with FAS got this disease BEFORE they were born!  This is one reason why all women in our society need to learn how they can prevent the possibility of their children getting fetal alcohol syndrome.  I know it sounds so easy, but the fact of the matter is this.  If pregnant woman refrain from drinking alcohol, they totally eliminate the chances that their children will have fetal alcohol syndrome.

Drinking Excessively and Alcohol Overdose

When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol is metabolized by the liver and then is excreted from the body by sweating, by exhaling, and by urination.  Sometimes an individual drinks more than his or her body can handle.  What this means essentially is that the person drank more alcohol than his or her body (via the liver) can metabolize.

When this happens, a number of people want to simply go home and “sleep it off.”  This can be very dangerous for the following reason:  if the person is experiencing alcohol poisoning, letting him or her “sleep it off” can result in complications that can lead to death. 

So what are the symptoms of alcohol poisoning?  The following symptoms typically manifest themselves when a person is experiencing an alcohol overdose: unconsciousness, irregular breathing, blue-tinged skin, vomiting, absent reflexes, confusion, and slurred speech.

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