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Show Your Doctor Says... The following is one of a series of articles written by members of the Utah State Medical Association and published in cooperation with your local newspaper. These articles are scheduled to appear every other week throughout the year in an effort to better acquaint you with probelms of health, and designed to improve the well-being of the people of Utah. Chronic Alcoholism The greatest curse of alcoholism is its insidious onset; hence the "disease" can be well established for years before the victim, victim's vic-tim's family, and close associates recognize its presence. There are several steps in its onset, development develop-ment and treatment. They will be considered in the order of their occurrence in the usual alcoholic. The Social Drinker Let us consider an insurance salesman, but he might as well be a laborer, a utilities executive, the local representative of a church or a professional man. He may have been used to having liquor in his home from childhood, or ha may be of a temperate family or religion. The first step to alcoholism alcoho-lism is hia first drink of any alcoholic alco-holic beverage. As he drinks more or less regularly re-gularly he will discover that liquor is an anesthetic. In other words, liquor taken in small doses causes a certain freedom from worry; and, taken in big doses it causes sleep, just as certainly as any sleeping pill.' At first he consumes one or two drinks . in an evening with other people. Later, especially if he is host, he may drink one drink with every one that he mixes for others. May we then call him an alcoholic? Later he may mix drinks for others and take "straight" mouth-If mouth-If he has had a difficult day at his work, he may drink more than usual. May we now call him an f ul of the . liquor from the bottle, alcoholic ? Mis wife' may have suffered frustration, worry or fear during her day. Let us say that she drove them away by purchasing a new hat or seeing a new movie. However, although he may not like the taste of alcohol (most alcoholics do not), he has discovered discover-ed its anesthetic effect and will resort to it in time of any stress. He may come home from the office and drink himself to sleep before or after dinner simply to "drive away the cares of the day." May we now call him an alcoholic alco-holic or must we wait until he hides himself in a rented room with a case of whiskey? Must we wait until he hides a bottle of whiskey in his car, under his bed and in his office drawer - opening his eyes in the morning to a long stiff drink, drinking all day long and hoping that no one recognizes it, and going to sleep under its influence at night? All of the above described persons I are alcoholics. All are in need of help. Treatment of the Alcoholic A big step has been made in the treatment of the alcoholic when he has been identified as an alcoholic by his family. A bigger step, however, how-ever, has been made in his treatment treat-ment when the alcoholic himself recognizes his true identity. All too often the alcoholic will believe that everyone is completely fooled. No one but his wife will know, and he may even believe that he can fool her. "I'm not drinking to much. My system needs what little I drink. It relaxes me." "You see, Pal, I'm not an alcoholic. alco-holic. My only problem seems to be that I can't stop drinking." "I work hard enough. I deserve a little nip at night and maybe in the morning just to get me started. A hair of the tail of the dog that bit me, heh heh!" The various individuals quoted above never seek help until they realize their plight. They are sure they are fooling their friends. Discerning friends will know that they are fooling themselves. I would suggest that the person who recognizes an alcoholic in his family or in an acquaintance talk with his family doctor, his priest or minister, and with members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Each problem is different and each solution varies from another. Some alcoholics have returned to a productive life when presented with a picture of their present debauched state by their wives; some have returned through the work of Alcoholics Anonymous; some through the work of their priest; some through the tongue lashings of friends, while others have finally seen themselves as they' are and renounced alcohol. Usually the latter person must go all the way to the gutter after loss of money, family, friends and job before he will stop drinking. Thus we may conclude that: 1. The alcoholics of tomorrow may be ourselves or anyone we know today. 2. We all know of drinking people who are in any of the above stages yet who describe themselves as "social drinkers." They are actually act-ually alcoholics, and trleir problem should be recognized and dealt with as such. 3. Alcoholism is not a disease, nor is alcohol a substance essential to some human bodies. Therefore it cannot be "caught" from another an-other person or inherited. 4. On the contrary, alcoholism is simply a "way out," a road to temporary oblivion, a means of getting away from one's daily problems and frustrations. For example, the wife of an alcoholic could "boil over", throw dishes and break up the furniture. She does not indulge in her desires for it would cost money. The alcoholic, however, will drink himself into oblivion at the slightest provocation regardless of the cost. The first step to alcoholism is a drink. The first step to treatment is self recognition. re-cognition. 5. The collaboration of family, Alcoholics Anonymous,' doctor, priest, andor friends is necessary to gain the alcoholic's cooperation I in his return to sobriety. |