Posts Tagged ‘statistics on alcoholism’

A Woman Exhibits Signs of Depression and Alcoholism and Makes an Appointment to See Her Medical Practitioner About Her Irresponsible and Excessive Drinking and Mental Health Issues

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Teresa was a forty-seven-year-old legal secretary who realized that she had some problems with her drinking. For instance, within the past two months she has felt the need to have a few drinks before going to work, a week ago she failed a random urine alcohol test at her place of employment, two months ago she got stopped by the police for a DWI, and last but not least, for the last seven months she has begun to forget what she says and does when she goes out drinking.

Similar to multitudes of other individuals, Teresa’s alcohol involvement began slowly and stayed at this level of involvement for quite some time because every now and then she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In truth, for around six months, every time she went out to drink, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her drinking, nonetheless, seemed to radically change when her husband divorced her.

In Order To Overcome the Divorce of Her Husband With Less Distress, Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Begin Hanging Out More Regularly With Some of Her Pals Who Love to Whoop it Up and Drink

Teresa got very despondent about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from fixating on her depressing feelings she determined that she would start associating more routinely with some of her buddies who love to drink.

Quite candidly, Teresa truly believed that having fun almost every day by drinking and partying with her buddies would help her come to terms with the breakup of her husband in a less painful manner.

Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Considerably the More Often She Goes to Happy Hours, Family Get-Togethers, Private Parties, Sporting Events, and Dinner Dates With Her Friends

It didn’t take very long, however, before her drinking increased to a significant extent the more frequently she went to and drank at dinner dates, sporting events, happy hours, private parties, and family get-togethers with her friends. Furthermore, the fact that her drinking buddies were all quite a few years younger than she was and therefore able to drink and party more carelessly was one of the reasons why she didn’t direct more of her attention to her increased drinking. Simply put, she was having lots of fun drinking just like everybody else in her group of buddies without much reflection about the unhealthy results of her hazardous drinking.

Yet in the back of her mind she knew that she most likely required alcohol counseling but avoided the thought as much as humanly possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical Examination, Admits Her Drinking to Her Healthcare Practitioner, and Acknowledges Her Dejection

One afternoon during her twelve month physical exam, her healthcare practitioner asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to lie to her physician, Teresa acknowledged that she commonly drinks more than she should. If truth be told, she stated that she regularly drinks in an abusive manner. Then Teresa informed her doctor about her constant negativity. More explicitly, she mentioned that wrecked relationships often elicited a depressing progression of events typified by increased drinking which further resulted in more discouraging feelings that, in turn, resulted in even more drinking. And this is explicitly what happened when her husband and she got divorced nine months ago.

When her healthcare professional heard this, he informed Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was reviewing, alcoholism and depression many times happen in the same person. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, facts, and research investigations he has been reading about also emphasize the fact that individuals who drink in an excessive manner and who also experience depression need to receive treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Physician Makes an Appointment for a Psychological Appraisal and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Assessment

Teresa’s healthcare professional then told her the following: “I am not trying to make an unprofessional diagnosis, but with your medical condition we may be dealing with two separate problems. Consequently, I think we need to make an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction assessment from my partner, Dr. Hults, who is an alcohol and drug addiction specialist. Whether your drinking circumstance is more correlated with alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse is unknown, but I feel that further evaluation is warranted. Then I feel we should make an appointment for you to get a psychological exam from another one of my partners, Dr. Schmidt, who is a counseling psychologist. I want to get a better handle on your depression and see how much your depression and drinking are associated.” Teresa displayed her agreement with her healthcare practitioner’s “game plan” and thanked him for his help. Now all she had to do was to try to decrease her drinking and get ready for her appointments.

A Woman Manifest Symptoms of Depression and Alcohol Abuse and Makes an Appointment to See Her Healthcare Professional About Her Irresponsible Drinking

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Teresa was a thirty-nine-year-old real estate agent who realized that she had some drinking issues. For example, within the past seven months she has experienced the need to have more than a few drinks before going to work, a week ago she tested positive for a blood alcohol test where she is employed, five weeks ago she got pulled over by the state highway patrol for a DWI, and finally, for around seven months she has started to fail to remember what she does and says when she drinks with her friends.

Similar to many other individuals, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol started out slowly and remained at this speed for quite a long period of time because every now and again she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In fact, for about ten months, every time she went out with her coworkers to drink, she made sure to drink moderately. Something about her drinking activities, nevertheless, seemed to completely change when she divorced her husband.

In Order To Rise Above the Divorce of Her Husband In a Less Wearisome Manner, Teresa Decided to Start Going Out More Often With Some of Her Friends Who Love to Drink and Have Fun

Teresa got awfully “down” about the divorce from her husband, and as a way to abstain from fixating on her negative feelings she came to the conclusion that she would start going out more often with some of her buddies who love to have fun and drink.

Quite frankly, Teresa believed that having fun nearly every day by getting an alcohol “buzz” with her buddies would help her get over the divorce of her husband with less grief.

Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Substantially the More Often She Goes to Private Parties, Dinner Dates, Family Get-Togethers, Sporting Events, and Happy Hours With Her Friends

It didn’t take very long, however, before her drinking increased to a significant degree the more often she went to and drank at sporting events, family get-togethers, dinner dates, happy hours, and private parties with her friends. Furthermore, the fact that her drinking friends were all much younger than she was and therefore able to party and drink more carelessly was one of the reasons why she didn’t direct more of her attention to her increased drinking. In a word, she was drinking and having a ton of fun just like everybody else in her group of friends without spending a lot of time thinking about the unhealthy effects of her hazardous drinking.

Yet somewhere in her mind she realized that she more likely than not required alcohol rehab but avoided the thought as much as humanly possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Owns up to the Truth About Her Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking to Her Doctor, and Acknowledges Her Sadness

One afternoon during her six-month physical exam, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell “stories” to her physician, Teresa owned up to the fact that she commonly drinks more than she should. In fact, she articulated that she frequently drinks in an irresponsible manner. Then Teresa informed her physician about her depression. More plainly, she articulated that shattered relationships more often than not caused a dismal chain of events typified by increased drinking which further resulted in more disheartening feelings that, in turn, led to even more drinking. And this is precisely what took place when her husband and she got divorced eleven months ago.

When her physician heard this, he informed Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was reviewing, alcoholism and depression routinely take place in the same individual. He then told Teresa that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been reading about also stress the fact that people who drink in an excessive and hazardous manner and who also experience depression need to receive treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Healthcare Professional Makes an Appointment for a Psychological Evaluation and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Evaluation

Teresa’s doctor then told her the following: “I am not trying to make an overly quick judgment, but with your medical condition we may be facing two separate concerns. Consequently, I think we should make an appointment for you to get an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse appraisal from my partner, Dr. Wallace, who is an alcohol abuse and alcoholism specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more related to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction is unknown at this time, but I feel that further assessment is defensible. Then I believe we ought to schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Harwood, who is a psychologist. I want to get some more information about your sadness and see how much your depression and drinking are associated.” Teresa displayed her satisfaction with her healthcare professional’s treatment plan and thanked him for his help. Now all she had to do was to try to cut back on her drinking and wait for her appointments.