Samuel was a forty-four-year-old cost estimator who was tired of feeling depressed on a daily basis and tired of his abusive and hazardous drinking behavior. In a word, he missed his old motivation for doing various things he liked, he was sick of feeling weary every morning, he was tired of going through broken relationship after broken relationship due to his habitual drinking, he hated the hangovers he experienced on a regular basis, and he was annoyed with himself for spending his hard-earned money on a useless habit.

Moreover he was annoyed with the many times he failed an alcohol test at his workplace, he was bored with his drinking friends, he despised the fact that he had to go to court for his first DUI, he was upset with how physically unfit he was, and he was fed up with paying for alcohol-related lawyer fees.

As well as the perceptible alcohol-related health difficulties he was going through, in all probability the most damaging part of his drinking regimen was the untrustworthy and scheming individual he had turned into. In his heart he knew that he had been lying about his drinking behavior to his friends, family, and relatives and he also knew he had been less than truthful with himself about the “healthy” consequences of drinking. What is more, he made excuses for wolfing down four or five drinks before going to social events and he also justified needing one or two drinks the first thing in the morning so that he could cope with the “tension” at his place of employment.

His Depression and His Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking Lead to Significant Changes in His Life

Without a doubt Samuel was sick of putting up with the adverse consequences of his depression and his abusive drinking and decided that something important had to change in his life. So he made up his mind that he would stop drinking, start exercising, start focusing on becoming a more healthy person, get professional counseling, develop a new circle of friends, and involve himself in some worthwhile hobbies.

In a word, Samuel got to a critical time in his life during which he realized that he hit a low point in life and was now prepared to begin the gradual road to health.

One of the ways that Samuel put his “plan” into action was by asking for a transfer at his place of employment. When his request was granted, he moved 850 miles away to a new city. If nothing else, this positively made making new friends and buddies and dissociating himself from his old buddies much simpler. Then he contacted a healthcare professional in his new city and made an appointment for a comprehensive physical and psychological exam.

Samuel Meets With a Physician About His Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking and His Depression

After meeting with the healthcare professional and going through a number of laboratory tests, it was concluded that Samuel had made the unfortunate change from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction and therefore was in need of alcohol detox and alcohol treatment. At this time, the doctor made it a point to review the diverse signs of alcoholism, the symptoms of alcoholism, and information about alcohol long term effects with Samuel.

The healthcare practitioner then told Samuel that it was concluded that he was clinically depressed and in need of counseling for this medical condition.

Samuel Makes up His Mind to Build Up His Body by Eating Nutritious Foods, Drinking Distilled Water, Going to the Gym, Living an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle, and Taking Vitamins

Due to his willingness to follow through with the therapy therapy, after seven weeks of inpatient rehab, Samuel was ready to start treatment on an outpatient basis. At this point in time, he began working at his new job and over the weeks began fortifying his body by eating nutritious foods, drinking distilled water, going to the gym, living an alcohol-free lifestyle, and taking vitamins.

Samuel also dealt with his spiritual concerns by joining the local Catholic church and going to the weekly services.

After around seven months of outpatient therapy during which time he never suffered through a relapse, Samuel quit going to alcohol rehab and instead started going five times per week to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Going to these meetings helped Samuel maintain his alcohol-free lifestyle, they provided him with the support he needed, and they served as a frequent reminder of the destructive consequences that are correlated with abusive and unhealthy drinking.

After going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings roughly six months Samuel felt that he was ready for a relationship and so he started going out with Beverly, a young woman he met at church. It simply surprised Samuel how much more ready he was for a dating relationship now that he had his excessive and unhealthy drinking under control. In actual fact it also astonished Samuel how much better life was now that he wasn’t under the control of his hazardous and abusive drinking. Life was now enjoyable and full of possibilities that he could have never hoped for or brought to fruition when he was engaged in abusive and excessive drinking less than a year ago.

A Success Story That is a Verification of the Value of Alcohol Rehabilitation and the Power of Positive Thinking

Samuel’s success story is a demonstration of the value of alcohol rehabilitation and the power of positive change. As Samuel reflected on his newfound lofty self concept and motivation for involving himself in healthy, worthwhile activities, he was actually appreciative that he made up his mind to do something constructive about his hazardous and abusive drinking instead of giving into his depression and into the lure of his alcohol addiction. The result: he enjoys his new job responsibilities, he is in command of his life rather than letting himself stay under the control of his alcohol dependency, he is involved in a wholesome relationship, his life now has a positive direction, and he has more energy now compared with any time in his adult life.

Nearly six months ago I had dinner with a thirty-two-year-old man named Alexander who suffers from acute depression, has relationship issues, and who is dependent on alcohol and drugs. As explained by Alexander, it is his drug and alcohol dependency and his acute depression that had the most to do with his perpetual relationship problems.

I recollect hearing that a history of mental health concerns, substance abuse, and abusive and careless drinking often take place in the same family. Not only this, but I remember reading that under such circumstances, a person needs to get treatment for both medical conditions and that chemical dependency and mental health problems many times occur in the same individual.

As stated by Alexander, he is so dejected by his relationship issues and by both of his medical issues that he basically has little or no motivation to achieve much of anything. What is especially sad about this is that earlier in his life, Alexander completed two semesters of graduate school in telecommunications.

Alexander’s condition makes me question if he is an example of a person who can address his drug abuse and alcohol drinking problems and do something constructive about these difficulties or if he is someone who has to hit the very bottom before he gets alcohol and drug addiction rehab that results in lasting recovery.

The Need For a Treatment Program He Can Believe In and a Healthcare Professional He Can Trust

If it would be beneficial I would suppose that I could recommend more than a few blogs and websites that could possibly help him locate info about drug abuse symptoms, the stages of alcoholism, chemical dependency information, and relationship issues. In my honest opinion, however, Alexander needs to locate a rehabilitation protocol he can believe in and follow over the long term and find a therapist he can trust.

I could be mistaken but it seems to make sense that Alexander probably needs to look in the mirror regarding his drug addiction signs and alcoholic symptoms and comprehend the fact that he cannot use drugs or even drink responsibly if he wants to get sober, remain sober, and start on the road to long-term sobriety.

It may be asked how therapy would help his alcohol and drug dependency. First of all, there are some newly discovered doctor-prescribed medications that can help Alexander through the alcohol and drug detox process, through his withdrawal symptoms, and help him avoid an alcohol or a drug relapse.

Second, Alexander would learn to accept the fact that there is entirely nothing helpful about substance abuse and hazardous and careless drinking and that messing around with one or both situations is the road to legal problems, financial difficulties, poor work and school performance, shattered relationships, a premature death and deteriorating health.

Third, treatment for his depression and for his relationship issues might help him deal with these mental health problems more effectively and possibly create less of a need for him to involve himself in addictive behavior.

The Relevance of Support Groups Like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous

There are reasonably several family members, friends, and other individuals who would want to help Alexander with his drug abuse and his hazardous drinking. He more likely than not would experience greater tolerance from a recovery group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, then again, instead of listening to individuals who rarely drink or who have never abused drugs.

When People Do Things They Love and About Which They Are Zealous

There’s a philosophical outlook that states that people who do things they love and something about which they are dedicated attain a splendid place in life. Stated differently, when people do what they enjoy, they hardly ever experience boredom or an uneventful life. If they involve themselves in something that is enjoyable, what is more, they become more complete and experience more gratification and joy in life and in their relationships.

When this is thought about for a short while it becomes clear that this uplifting mindset is worlds apart from a life that is rooted in substance abuse because such a lifestyle removes the pleasure and joy that life offers.

Because Alexander doesn’t have the ambition to succeed at doing much of anything in his life, it is apparent that he definitely needs some hope for a healthier life. And the unfortunate thing is that hope is almost everywhere around Alexander if he could only get to the point in life to get the counseling he requires for his acute depression and drug addiction and alcohol dependency and remain in his treatment routine.

Stronger Relationships, A Meaningful Life, Self Respect, and Positive Change Are Possibilities

Alexander is clearly too young to be beaten in life. He doesn’t comprehend this at this time in his life but if he can learn how to refrain from alcohol and drugs via drug and alcohol therapy and get the treatment he needs for his extreme depression, he can turn his life around and start living with direction, passion, and with self-respect.

Better relationships, a wonderful life, self respect, and constructive change are certainly possibilities for Alexander if only he could become inspired to get the professional treatment he requires, follow through with his therapy regimen, live his life in a healthy and alcohol and drug-free way, and learn how to foster a more positive attitude about his existence.