Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Alcoholism: Losing Old Friends to Stay Sober

Alcoholism, like many addictions, is a disease of reinforcement. When you take drugs or alcohol, you feel better and when you stop drinking, you miss the feeling. By this same mechanism, the people you associate with can start to reinforce your drinking behavior.

Even though, for many, alcoholism ends up being a disease of solitude and loneliness, but it could start off completely differently. The divorced alcoholic that drinks half a bottle of whiskey every night before going to bed, probably started off drinking socially with friends.

That is not to say that everyone you might drink with is an alcoholic, but when trying to recover, it is wise to cut ties with people who could influence you to drink. If you have friends that you only saw on the weekends at the bar, these friendships reinforce your alcohol use. And when you’re trying to get sober, it can be challenging to be with these friends.

Aside from the obvious fact that you need to have great self control to be around other people drinking and not drink yourselves, often times your friends can try to persuade you to drink. This doesn’t make them bad people. It can be hard for someone who does not suffer from alcoholism to understand the disease. Most of the time, these friends just want you to be having fun with them.

Even if you are completely committed to getting sober once you’ve realized you have a problem, being around other drinkers can be too hard and lead to relapse. You might find yourself faced with a choice between sobriety or your friends. Usually, you end up either leaving these old noxious friendships behind and getting better, or maintaining your friendships and potentially giving up to alcoholism.

It is not easy to stop being friends with people. Some, when faced with this situation, just slowly phase out those old friendships. But this can be hard to do. It also helps to talk to your friends and try to make them understand the nature of your condition and why you cannot be around them when they’re drinking. This can cause a lot of fights, but in the end your real friends will see you through your recovery and those that only wanted the fun drunk you get phased out.

The important thing to remember is that you need to do what is best for you when you’re trying to recover. Friendships are great, but not if they are damaging your health and your body. Being sober trumps good times with your old drinking buddies.
___
source: Associated Content

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Adverse Consequences of Binge Drinking

In the United States, a standard drink is one that contains about one-half an ounce of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in 12 ounces of regular beer, 10 ounces of wine cooler, 8 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine or one-and-a-half ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor….

Proposition 5: Policy limits drug abuse

By JIM EGAR In early 2000, I watched as a 45-year-old African-American defendant was led out of court in handcuffs after having been sentenced to prison for possessing a tenth of a gram of cocaine. His wife, mother, employer and attorney asked the judge to send him for mandatory residential drug treatment with drug tests,….

Are Americans in Denial about the Widespread Abuse of Prescription Drugs?

CASA’s just-released National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse, has found that those who fail to monitor their children’s school night activities, safeguard their prescription drugs, address the problem of drugs in their children’s schools, and set good examples increase the risk that their 12-17 year old children will smoke, drink, and use illegal….

‘One night can affect the rest of your future’

There’s a calendar Bill’s friends at school keep, but it doesn’t have exam dates or football games on it. “We mark our calendars every time we find out someone’s parents are going to be out of town,” the 17-year-old Sandburg High School senior said. That’s when 10, 20, 50 kids descend on the house with….

10 Ways Alcohol Abuse Treatment Will Change Your Life

1. Alcohol Withdrawal Can Be Deadly. While some experience mild alcohol withdrawal, others go through “a severe form of alcohol withdrawal called delirium tremens” (NLM). Its symptoms can include seizures, hallucinations, and fever, and a person experiencing it should be taken to the hospital immediately. In treatment, these symptoms can be controlled. 2. It Can….