Jerry E. Clevenger, LCAS, CCS

WELCOME!

CHOICES Substance Abuse Services is licensed in the state of North Carolina to provide DWI and other Court Mandated Substance Abuse Assessments. 

 

Please call 704-637-7797 or 704-433-3322 to arrange appointment or contact me at choicessas@aol.com

 
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A l c o h o l  -  G e t t i n g     t h e    F a c t s

The "Brain Disease" of addiction is a problem that is characterized by the following elements:

  • Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink or use drugs. This phenomenon develops after the alcohol abusing individual “takes a drink”. For the cocaine (especially crack) user a craving can develop at any time due to the brain chemistry change.
  • Loss of control: The frequent inability to stop drinking or using once a person has begun. Or the inability to refrain from the use of a mind altering substance once the desire or craving has begun.
  • Physical dependence: The occurrence of withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, when the drug or alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking or use of the drug.. These symptoms are usually relieved by drinking more alcohol (“the hair of the dog”) or by taking some other sedative drug (valium, Librium, zanax, etc.).
  • Tolerance: The need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to get "high."

Alcoholism has little to do with what kind of alcohol one drinks, how long one has been drinking, or even exactly how much alcohol one consumes. But it has a great deal to do with a person's inability to stop drinking once he has begun.

This description of alcoholism helps us understand why most alcoholics can't just "use a little willpower" to stop drinking once they have started.

He or she is frequently in the grip of a powerful craving for more alcohol, a need that can feel as strong as the need for food or water.

While some people are able to overcome the problem without help, the majority of alcohol or drug addicted individuals need outside assistance to recover from the “brain disease” which has developed as a result of continued and repeated alcohol or drug use, to the point of intoxication.  With support and treatment, many individuals are able to stop abusing drugs and alcohol and rebuild their lives.

Many people wonder: Why can some individuals use alcohol or drugs without problems, while others are utterly unable to control their drinking? Most people use alcohol the way they do because of their “attitude and belief” about alcohol. If their “attitude and belief” is that “the purpose for drinking alcohol is to get drunk or high”, each time they drink, that will be the outcome.
For this reason, it is important to recognize that certain aspects of a person's environment, such as peer influences and the availability of alcohol, are significant “risk factors”.  

But risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families does not mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically develop alcoholism.

 

How can you tell whether you, or someone close to you, may have a drinking problem? Answering the following four questions can help you find out. (To help remember these questions, note that the first letter of a key word in each of the four questions spells "CAGE.")

  • Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
  • Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
  • Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?
  • Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (Eye opener)?

One "yes" response suggests a possible alcohol problem. If you responded "yes" to more than one question, it is highly likely that a problem exists.

Even if you answered "no" to all of the above questions, if you are encountering drinking-related problems with your job, relationships, health, or with the law, you should still seek professional help.

The effects of alcohol abuse can be extremely serious -- even fatal -- both to you and to others.