Alcoholism poses a great threat to people of all races, creeds, and social classes. While it is not unlawful to consume alcohol, many people become dependent upon the substance to the great detriment of themselves and those around them. While consuming an occasional alcoholic beverage dose not classify you as an alcoholic, binge drinking, or drinking several alcoholic beverages every day can quickly turn into a problem. Many people need to seek professional treatment for help with alcoholism but there are things you can do to try to avoid developing a serious drinking problem. If you have teenagers who will be heading off to college soon, you may want to talk to them about these steps that can help them avoid become a victim of the college party culture.

One of the key elements that can cause people to become dependent upon alcohol is self-medication. Often times, people drink to help them fall asleep or to forget about problems in their lives. Drinking when your mental state is not stable will help you feel better at first, but as you come down off of the alcohol you will slip deeper into depression and discontentment. If you are going to drink, make sure you are not using it to solve your problems.

When you are drinking, it is important to pace yourself. Give yourself time to feel the effects of the alcohol you have already consumed before moving on to another drink. Consuming non-alcoholic beverages between each drink will also help you stay hydrated and slow the effects of the alcohol on your body.

If you start to notice you are drinking too much, eliminate the alcohol you have at home and restrict your drinking to an occasional beverage when you are having dinner out with friends. Drinking alone at home can quickly get out of control. If you are alone, you are more likely to become depressed and keep drinking if there is alcohol in your home.

When you are out drinking with friends, give yourself permission to say no thank you when people offer to buy you drinks. Often, friends think they are doing us a favor when they notice we do not have a drink in our hands and will offer to buy a drink. You should feel ok saying no thank you at any time. Before going out with friends, decide how many drinks you are going to have and stick to your self-imposed limit. If you find you are unable to stop drinking once you start, you may need to stop drinking all together for a while. If you find yourself in a situation with so called friends who chastise you for not wanting to drink or for not drinking more, you may want to distance yourself from them. True friends will understand your need to take a break from drinking and will support your decision.

If all of these fail to help you reduce you alcohol intake, you may need to reach out to family, friends, or professional addiction councilors to help you overcome your addiction.

Find out more information by visiting www.fccr-va.com

Find out more information by visiting http://www.fccr-va.com

Author Bio: Find out more information by visiting www.fccr-va.com

Category: Advice
Keywords: Self Help, Advice, Alcohol,