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Posts Tagged ‘self improvement’

Jesse had an exceedingly hard time maintaining a job. In truth, due to his languor and lack of motivation, he was without a job far more frequently than he was in work. And when he did land a job, he had an unusually difficult time getting to work when his shift began, he commonly got less than great performance appraisals, and he called off sick so regularly that he commonly got fired a few weeks after he started working. To no one’s disbelief, one of the results of Jesse’s less than great work history was the fact that he was virtually penniless almost on an everyday basis.

In spite of Jesse’s less than great work history and financial misbehavior, then again, somehow he made it his business to drink in an irresponsible manner on an everyday basis.

So it came as no big jolt when Jesse got a third DUI. When he went before the court, the magistrate stated to Jesse that his alcohol-related conduct was irresponsible and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to serve six months in the municipal jail.

Time In The County Jail To Think About The Distressing Effects of Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking

During his time in the city jail, Jesse was required to learn more about alcohol facts, about the damaging outcomes of hazardous and irresponsible drinking, and he was required to get alcohol treatment. The magistrate highlighted the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol treatment and learns how to live a life of sobriety, he will more likely than not be spending quite a bit of his time incarcerated in jail.

Jesse stated that he understood what the judge was declaring but he still asserted that placement in the county jail was not the most logical punishment. The magistrate saw things in an entirely different way and declared that it was his responsibility to keep alcohol addicted people off the streets who drive under the influence and who get arrested for one or more DUIs. To give credibility to this assertion, the judge quoted some revered, comprehensively researched alcohol statistics that emphasized some of the injurious effects that are correlated with hazardous drinking.

Even though Jesse grasped the fact that he drank in an abusive manner, he never believed that he was an alcoholic. So it was a big surprise when Jesse began having symptoms of withdrawal just about two hours after getting locked up in jail.

To treat his alcohol withdrawals in a safe and secure manner, Jesse was transferred to a rehab hospital for alcohol detoxification and then brought back to jail. While locked up in the local jail Jesse was given alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he got this rehabilitation as something that was mandated for him, he did not take ownership of his abusive drinking.

When his time behind bars was over, the magistrate forcefully told Jesse that he would be under careful scrutiny and would be mandated to take random breath alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Abusive and Irresponsible Drinking Stops Him From Living in an Adult and Effective Manner

After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his drinking problem and how he halfheartedly followed the treatment policy and procedures while in the county jail, the magistrate knew that it was simply a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his hazardous drinking behavior. As the magistrate reflected on Jesse’s circumstance, he couldn’t help but think about how some individuals never figure things out and learn how to live in a mature and accountable manner.

Jesse had a particularly hard time keeping a job. Indeed, because of his languor and lack of motivation, he was without a job far more regularly than he was in a state of employment. And when he did get employment, he had an unusually difficult time getting to work when his shift started, he often got less than passing performance assessments, and he called off sick so regularly that he typically got fired two or three weeks after he began working. Not surprisingly, one of the outcomes of Jesse’s less than optimal employment record was the fact that he was almost totally broke much of the time.

In spite of Jesse’s unacceptable employment record and financial misbehavior, however, one way or another he managed to drink a great deal from day-to-day.

So it came as no big jolt when Jesse received a fifth DUI. When he went before the court, the judge clearly stated to Jesse that his alcohol-related conduct was deplorable and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend twelve months behind bars.

Time In The County Jail To Think About The Injurious Results of Hazardous and Abusive Drinking

During his time in the county jail, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the demoralizing consequences of excessive drinking, and he was required to get alcohol rehab. The judge accentuated the fact that unless Jesse receives professional alcohol rehab and learns how to live a life of sobriety, he will quite possibly be spending a lot more time in jail.

Jesse stated that he understood what the magistrate was pronouncing but he still thought that placement in the city jail was not the right verdict. The judge disagreed and proclaimed that it was his professional responsibility to keep alcoholics off the streets who drive under the influence and who get multiple DUIs. To substantiate this perspective, the judge listed some revered, thoroughly researched alcohol statistics that emphasized some of the adverse results that are associated with hazardous and irresponsible drinking.

Although Jesse comprehended that he drank irresponsibly, he never believed that he was an individual who was addicted to alcohol. So it was a rude awakening when Jesse started to have alcohol withdrawal symptoms about six hours after getting locked up in the local jail.

To manage his alcohol withdrawals in a harm free manner, Jesse was taken by ambulance to a drug and alcohol treatment center for alcohol detox and then brought back to the local jail. While locked up in the local jail Jesse was given alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he got this rehab as something that was mandated for him, he did not take ownership of his abusive drinking.

When his time in the city jail was finished, the judge without faltering told Jesse that he would be under close surveillance and would be mandated to take periodic alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking Stops Him From Living in a Productive and Adult Manner

After hearing how Jesse did not take ownership of his drinking problem and how he unwillingly followed the therapy code of behavior while in jail, the magistrate knew that it was just a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his hazardous and irresponsible drinking behavior. As the magistrate reflected on Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never “connect the dots” and discover how to live in a mature and responsible manner.

For the past six years Natalie has been a professional nurse at a small private hospital. As a professional nurse, she clearly knew what to tell her patients regarding their health problems but in her personal life, nonetheless, she without a doubt didn’t practice what she preached. As an illustration, she occasionally drank in a hazardous and abusive manner, she infrequently exercised, she smoked just around two packs of cigarettes on a daily basis, and she was approximately twenty-three pounds overweight.

Natalie Gets Into A Vehicle Accident, Fails A Breathalyzer Test, and Goes to The Local Jail

One night on her way to her job, Natalie got into a traffic accident. Because the accident was her fault and since her speech was jumbled when she spoke, the arresting officer had her take a breathalyzer test. In accordance with standard law enforcement policy, when an individual becomes involved in a car accident and tests positive for a breathalyzer test, the person has to spend at least eight hours in the county jail.

In reality, Natalie should have known better than to drive after she was drinking because she recently participated in an “alcohol abuse awareness” class at the hospital that focused on information about alcohol facts such as the following: DUIs, alcohol poisoning, binge drinking, and the primary differences between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse.

Natalie is Humiliated By Her Vehicle Accident

It almost goes without saying that Natalie was quite embarrassed about her traffic accident. Furthermore, she was humiliated by the fact that the accident was her fault. And perhaps worst of all, she was feeling a lot of shame about the fact that she was driving after she had been drinking. As Natalie wondered about her circumstance, nevertheless, she saw that it could have been worse because at work, when a alcohol blood test is given and failed, the person has to go to obligatory alcohol treatment and is placed on non-pay status. This was in essence one of the alcohol facts that was a reality at her place of employment and not much could be expected to change this fact.

Natalie’s Embarrassment About Her Traffic Accident Forces Her To Review Her Life and Make Some Substantial and Healthy Alterations

In any case, Natalie’s disgrace about her traffic accident motivated her to reevaluate her life and make some relevant and beneficial modifications. First, she was going to quit drinking in a hazardous manner. Second, she was going to quit smoking. Third, she was going to go on a strict weight-loss diet. And fourth, she was going to begin exercising.

As disappointed as Natalie was about the entire traffic accident situation, she used this embarrassing experience as a springboard for beneficial change. Not only this but, she used her painful experience as a real source of discovery that she had been failing to address her own health while she professionally told others how to live in a more healthy manner. At the end of the day, she eventually saw the double standard in her actions and finally determined that she would live her life as a constructive source of hope for other individuals.

All of us, no matter who we are, face incessant change and transition in life.  Whether they are externally driven changes, such as those created by national and international events, or those internally generated by developmental processes, or other responses required to life events such as welcoming a new child, launching a new career, family separation, divorce, or the death of a family member.

Unfortunately, life never remains static and therefore, neither can we.

Noted change management writer, William Bridges, has identified a simple three-step model for understanding and coping with the transitions in our lives:

1. Endings

I appreciate this model because it is one of the few that I’ve seen that reminds us that all changes – whether the “good” ones or the “bad” ones – start with something ending in our lives.  Despite how much we might be anticipating the change (e.g., going off to college, new job, getting married, moving), the new thing first of all requires that we forfeit something. 

We usually have to let go of the known, the everyday, and the comfortable.  This might involve alterations to existing relationships, leaving a place where we’ve lived for five, ten or more years, releasing our acknowledged position of “authority” or being the “go-to” person at work.   Perhaps we’ll have to abandon friends that we’ve had for a lifetime.  Pals with whom we attended school.  A big comfortable house, with a cool backyard for cook-outs, plenty of room for the children and all their playmates.  Possibly it’s something as simple as a short commute to work.

Regardless of the alteration in our lives, most likely the first thing(s) that we’ll see are the things we must bid farewell.

2. Neutral Zone

The next stage of the model is I think the most difficult one.  We’ve given up all the known, reliable, comfortable, well-known things that we’ve trusted to streamline our daily decision-making processes, people we can share our ups and downs with.  We’ve had to surrender all the little “safety nets” we’ve built into our lives:  the insurance agent we’ve depended on, our child’s teacher that we’ve been able to have some really good parent-teacher conversations with, the community center where we’ve become well established and have a solid social network.

The Neutral Zone is the phase where all the “old stuff” has to be left behind, but the corresponding new support structures haven’t yet been created, or if existing, they are still still being firmed up and rather delicate.

Living in the Neutral Zone can be noticeably daunting as you live in a state of novelty, ambiguity and uncertainty.  But persistence and perseverence are the attitudes essential to a successful trip through the Neutral Zone.

3. Beginnings

Regularly, over time, we get things established for our new adventure.  If just starting college, we’ve found all our classes, met the profs, made some friends, and perhaps joined a fraternity, sorority or the tennis team.  If beginning a new profession, we’ve overcome the initial shock of not even knowing where the water cooler and the rest rooms are, to being a full-fledged team member, and we’ve learned a lot about how to peform the duties expected of us.  We’ve met our chain of command and many of our peers (perhaps there’s even someone newer to the team than we are).  We’ve probably found a new home or apartment, unpacked most (if not all) the boxes.  We know where the best grocery stores, pharmacies, department stores, gas stations, beauty salons, and hospitals are located. 

Things are slowing settling into a normal schedule, and life is becoming more established – and more predictable every day (although it will never become utterly static, or permanent).

We’re adapting and growing into our new roles and adapting to our new position.

All this takes time.  The worst thing you can do is expect that it will come about immediately – it won’t.  Give yourself, and your family, sufficient time and space, to incorporate the change – and they will!

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Be Proactive

Dreams are great springboards to success, but only if they lead to action.

Success doesn’t happen unless we take action.

Becoming a success and accomplishing your dreams requires hard work – and action. Don’t let what others might say keep you from starting. Realizing one’s dreams is an individual responsibility.

Thomas Edison is remembered as a great inventor, but before he succeeded, he invented a lot of things that failed. Abraham Lincoln is remembered as a great President, but before he became President, he failed in business multiple times. Even Babe Ruth struck out lots of times before he hit all his home runs.

We must take the initiative to make good things happen in our lives.

Pitchers were afraid to let the Babe bat, so they walked him many times – but we’re probably not nearly as talented and our competition is not afraid of us. Most of us don’t get things dropped in our laps, we have to work for them.

Don’t Procrastinate!

How many people do you know who’s frequent answer is “I’ll do it later”, when all they ever do is sit on the couch, snooze, or play golf (the “Round Tu-It” trap).

But taking action to realize goals?

Oh, no, “I’ll do it manana”.

Don’t waste your life sitting on the couch.

Your dreams are important to you, but the only way to realize them and realize success in life that you both want and deserve is to get up off the couch and take some action.

What could you do in the next five minutes to further you goals and put yourself on the path toward success and fulfillment in life?

The FREE MaxPro Report & CD can be your roadmap to financial security.

Don’t wait, take action to succeed right now!

Jesse had a difficult time keeping a job. Indeed, due to his sluggishness and lack of drive, he was without a job far more frequently than he was in a job situation. And when he did get a job, he had a very hard time getting to work in a timely manner, he typically received poor performance evaluations, and he called off sick so frequently that he typically got fired a few weeks after he started working. Not surprisingly, one of the consequences of Jesse’s shameful employment track record was the fact that he was virtually penniless almost on an everyday basis.

Regardless of Jesse’s crummy employment record and financial lack of attention, conversely, somehow he made it a point to drink excessively most of the time.

So it came as no big jolt when Jesse got a third DUI. When he went to court, the magistrate explained to Jesse that his alcohol-related conduct was unacceptable and, as a result, he was going to sentence Jesse to serve seven months in the city jail.

Time In The Municipal Jail To Reflect On The Adverse Effects of Excessive and Abusive Drinking

During his time behind bars, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the destructive consequences of hazardous and abusive drinking, and he was expected to get alcohol rehab. The magistrate underlined the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol rehab and discovers how to live a life of sobriety, he will probably be spending a considerable amount of time locked up.

Jesse said that he grasped what the magistrate was asserting but he still believed that jail was not the most effective punishment. The judge thought otherwise and proclaimed that it was his professional duty to keep alcohol abusers off the streets who drink and drive and who get arrested for one or more DUIs. To authenticate this assertion, the judge articulated some venerable, comprehensively researched alcohol statistics that pointed to some of the adverse outcomes that are linked to excessive and hazardous drinking.

Although Jesse realized that he drank in an abusive manner, he never felt that he was a person who was addicted to alcohol. So it was a real bombshell when Jesse began suffering from symptoms of alcohol withdrawal around three-and-a-half hours after getting incarcerated.

To treat his symptoms of alcohol withdrawal in a safe and sound manner, Jesse was life flighted to an alcohol rehab hospital for alcohol detox and then returned to the city jail. While locked up in the local jail Jesse undertook alcohol rehab but because he received this rehab as something that was imposed upon him, he was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his abusive and irresponsible drinking.

When his time in the municipal jail was over, the magistrate without wavering told Jesse that he would be under strict surveillance and would be required to take periodic alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Abusive and Excessive Drinking Stops Him From Living in an Accountable and Effective Manner

After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his drinking situation and how he unwillingly followed the rehab protocol while in the city jail, the magistrate knew that it was essentially a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his excessive and abusive drinking behavior. As the magistrate reflected on Jesse’s circumstance, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never ”get it” and learn how to live in an adult manner.

Jesse had an extremely hard time maintaining a job. If truth be told, because of his indolence and lack of incentive, he was without a job far more frequently than he was in work. And when he did land a job, he had an exceptionally difficult time getting to work on time, he commonly received less than optimal performance evaluations, and he called off sick so consistently that he regularly got fired four or five weeks after he began working. Obviously, one of the outcomes of Jesse’s irresponsible work history was the fact that he was virtually without a dime much of the time.

In spite of Jesse’s less than optimal employment history and financial disregard, however, one way or another he managed to drink excessively on a daily basis.

So it came as no big jolt when Jesse got a fifth DWI. When he went before the court, the judge told Jesse that his alcohol-related conduct was terrible and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend nine months incarcerated in jail.

Time In The City Jail To Think About The Injurious Outcomes of Hazardous Drinking

During his time in the city jail, Jesse was required to learn more about alcohol facts, about the damaging effects of abusive and excessive drinking, and he was expected to get alcohol counseling. The magistrate stressed the fact that unless Jesse receives professional alcohol therapy and learns how to live a life of sobriety, he will probably be spending a lot more time in the local jail.

Jesse said that he comprehended what the magistrate was proclaiming but he still felt that jail was not the right punishment. The magistrate thought otherwise and asserted that it was his duty to keep individuals off the streets who drive under the influence and who receive multiple DUIs. To validate this perspective, the judge listed some long-standing, comprehensively researched alcohol statistics that stressed some of the negative consequences that are related to irresponsible and excessive drinking.

Even though Jesse knew that he drank excessively, he never felt that he was an individual who was dependent on alcohol. So it was a big surprise when Jesse began suffering from symptoms of withdrawal roughly six-and-a-half hours after getting incarcerated.

To treat his alcohol withdrawal symptoms in a safe manner, Jesse was transferred to a drug and alcohol rehab center for alcohol detoxification and then brought back to the city jail. While locked up in jail Jesse got alcohol rehab but since he received this rehabilitation as something that was imposed upon him, he failed to take ownership of his abusive and hazardous drinking.

When his time in the local jail was completed, the magistrate told Jesse that he would be under rigorous scrutiny and would be mandated to take random breath alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking Prevents Him From Living in a Mature and Accountable Manner

After hearing how Jesse did not take ownership of his drinking problem and how he grudgingly followed the rehabilitation procedures while in the municipal jail, the magistrate knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his hazardous and irresponsible drinking behavior. As the judge thought about Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some individuals never use their intellect and discover how to live in a responsible manner.

Sarah and Jerry have been married for eight years. They wanted to have some excitement and fun before they made up their minds to have children and so they by design created a super exciting social life.

The basic issue, it needs to be underscored, is that very nearly everything they do for excitement has something to do with drinking. As an illustration, all of the dinner engagements, happy hours, family get-togethers, parties with friends, and sporting events they go to somehow include drinking.

Sarah and Jerry Start to Perceive Some Clear-Cut Alcohol Related Difficulties That are Related to Their Excessive Drinking

If they were occasional drinkers, this wouldn’t be a big issue. Due to the fact they drink rather heavily, nevertheless, they are starting to observe some instantly noticeable alcohol-related difficulties in their lives.

For example, Jerry recently was placed in custody for a third DWI and has been shirking responsibilities at work due to alcohol-related health problems. In addition, Jerry’s last two performance evaluations at work have been less than admirable and he has started to fail to recall what he does or says while he drinks. As a final point, Jerry has been having sleep-related problems and his family is starting to exhibit anxiety about his drinking behavior.

Similar to Jerry’s situation, Sarah has been feeling down in the dumps about life in general and to come to grips with these feelings, she has been drinking more regularly than any time in the past year. Furthermore, Sarah has been experiencing quite a few throbbing migraine headaches and experiencing dreadful hangovers after drinking. Finally, Sarah has been feeling appreciably less energetic when she awakens in the morning, she has been getting to work late every Monday, and she has been getting some negative criticism from her relatives, friends, coworkers, and family members about her heavy drinking.

Watching the TV and Flipping the Channels and Finding An Exciting Documentary About the Signs of Alcoholism

One Monday evening while watching TV, Jerry and Sarah flipped through the channels and found a TV special about the signs of alcoholism.

This television program was a real surprise to Sarah and Jerry because several of the alcoholism signs that were talked about looked like they were undeniably correlated with several of the alcohol-related drinking problems Jerry and Sarah had been suffering through.

A Candid Conversation About Drinking Circumstances Exposes Alcohol Related Health, Employment, Financial, Relationship, and Legal Problems

After watching the TV documentary, Jerry and Sarah determined that they needed to have a candid talk about their drinking activities. They both agreed that most, if not all, of their social activities somehow included drinking, that they were drinking in an abusive manner, and that as a married couple, they were starting to make note of alcohol related financial, health, employment, relationship, and legal problems for the first time in their lives.

With thoughts of the TV documentary still imprinted in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcohol addiction signs they have been exhibiting could be a warning that they are alcoholic or possibly becoming alcohol dependent. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s inquiry and so he suggested that they make an appointment with one of the healthcare professionals at the nearby alcohol abuse rehab clinic to find out more about the seriousness of their drinking circumstances.

Attending To Your Drinking Difficulties Just May Decrease Your Anxiety and Give You A Degree of Peacefulness

Paradoxically, even though their drinking situation hadn’t yet changed, it was clear to see that Jerry and Sarah were at the very least concentrating on their drinking problems, they were ready to find out more about their drinking behavior, and they were interested in finding out how they could significantly decrease or get rid of the alcohol-related issues that had begun to worsen.

When Jerry and Sarah went to bed that evening, they made up their minds that the next morning, Jerry would call and make an appointment for both of them at the alcohol abuse treatment clinic located in the next town. After they promised one another that they would do whatever it takes to rise above the drinking problems that had developed in their lives, they actually had the most revitalizing night’s sleep they could bring to mind in the last two years.

Just before she fell asleep, Sarah turned to Jerry and commented how painless it is to decrease one’s fear and actually experience some serenity by addressing one’s problems straight on and making a decision to do something positive about them.

When Janice was in high school, she had established a reputation as a studious individual who rarely, if ever, “painted the town red” by drinking with her friends. She seemed single-minded about “standing out” academically so that she would be able to find a career that she not only got pleasure from but one that also gave her some security from a financial position.

After much contemplation, in time she made up her mind that she wanted to be a trial lawyer. In order to do this, nonetheless, she would first have to attend four years of undergrad education.

After Completing High School Janice Gets Accepted Into A Well-Known Undergrad University as Preparation For a Career as an Attorney

After Janice graduated from high school, she applied to and was accepted into a highly rated program in linguistics. Her rationale for this decision was that this subject area would be good preparation for law school and wouldn’t be similar to the majority of law school applicants who select political science as their undergraduate major.

After graduating with a 4.0 GPA at the undergrad level, she applied to and was accepted at a celebrated law school at one of the Big East universities.

She liked her legal studies but sometimes she was weighed down from all the work that law school entailed. Akin to the way in which she handled herself in her high school and undergraduate days, nevertheless, she made friends effortlessly but scarcely participated in social events until the school period was finished.

After Being Delighted With the Fact That She Had Done Extremely Well on Her Finals, Janice Wanted to Let Her Hair Down and Do Something Besides School Work For a Change

Janice was the type of individual who worked rigorously to reach her objective and then would take a few days off when she could. As is the case, nevertheless, a good number of the things she did between terms or during her summer vacations did not have much to do with drinking. Obviously, Janice was anything but a party-person. Now that her finals for her second year in law school were finished and feeling happy that she had done very well on her tests, because of this, she wanted to let her hair down and do something enjoyable.

Drinking at a Local Club Results in Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning, Calling 911, The Emergency Number, and An Ambulance Ride to An Alcohol Rehab Facility

So Janice and a number of her friends went to a local club where they had a few cocktails. As the hours went by, Janice continued to drink without having a care in the world about examinations the following day. If truth be told, Janice revealed to her buddies how nice it was to have fun drinking with her buddies from school.

As the evening progressed, Janice and her pals continued to drink. In fact, she was having such a marvelous time that she didn’t want the night to come to an end. It was almost as if she was making up for lost time and making an attempt to pack a year’s worth of merriment into a single evening. Such a “game plan,” however, rarely works. In point of fact, when Janice went to the lady’s room and vomited, her buddies started to get concerned about her wellbeing.

Around ten minutes later when Janice started to slur her speech, talk in a confused manner, and then fall unconscious, in spite of this, her classmates instantly knew that they needed to call the emergency number and ask for medical assistance because they believed that Janice was exhibiting alcohol poisoning symptoms.

Once Janice was in the alcohol rehab hospital, the presiding healthcare professional verified what her pals had hypothesized, to be exact, that Janice ingested significantly more alcohol than her body could metabolize and, as a consequence, she experienced an alcohol overdose.

After the emergency room medical staff pumped her stomach until no gastric contents were evident, Janice was wheeled to the recovery room. After staying about five hours in recovery, Janice was then relocated to one of the regular hospital rooms. Fortunately, the most precarious part of her hospitalization was over and all of her vital signs were back to normal.

In response to Janice’s medical predicament, her buddies considerately phoned her Mom and Dad. As a consequence, early the next morning, her parents and her best friends went to the hospital to see how Janice was doing.

Janice Narrowly Escapes Death, is Gratified to be Alive, and Promises to Never Again Drink in an Abusive and Excessive Manner

Janice was attentive to the fact that she came close to losing her life and, as a consequence, was grateful to be alive. Her Mom and Dad were aware how hard she studied in graduate school and how little she let herself have any fun. Nevertheless, they also realized that Janice needed to steer clear of irresponsible drinking.

Consequently, they suggested that in the future, whenever a drinking opportunity arises, that she always drink responsibly. Janice was in agreement with this and gave her word to her friends and to her parents that she would never again drink in an excessive and abusive manner. In Janice’s own words, “I never had an inkling that I would become one of the alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics in the local college newspaper. I now understand that hazardous drinking is not for me. I declare that this will never happen again.”

Fortunately, Janice was not only “school smart” but she also possessed common sense. Stated more precisely, she immediately understood that she had made a mistake and decided that she would never make the same error again. In fact, she now knew that she had involved herself in “binge drinking” and that even one instance of this form of abusive drinking can end in death.

Merissa and Augie have been seeing one another for four years. They met while taking the same botany class at a relatively large, countryside, Church affiliated liberal arts college located in the Northern part of the U.S. While they were mostly good buddies at first, they finally began dating when they were in their first year of college.

Given the fact that both of them came from very strict backgrounds, neither one of them drank very much beyond the experimental stage when they first began dating. As the time progressed, however, they started to go to more sorority and fraternity parties, keg parties, football bashes, and happy hours. Consequently, they in a step-by-step fashion began to drink increasingly more the more they saw one another.

Their Social Life Usually Consisted of Going to Happy Hour With Their Friends, Going to Parties With Their Friends, Going to Restaurants Three or Four Nights Per Week, Going to Professional Sporting Events, and Going With Their Friends to the Local Cabaret on the Weekends

After they graduated, they both found employment in a small city that was just about fifty-five miles from their undergraduate college. Then they finally decided to move in with one another.

Since they were far removed from the college drinking scene, nevertheless, their social life generally consisted of going to parties with their friends, going to restaurants three or four nights per week, going to professional sporting events, going to happy hour with their friends, and going to the local disco with their pals on the weekends. Stated simply, Merissa and Augie began drinking in an irresponsible manner.

Now that they were living in the same apartment with one another and beginning to get more committed to their relationship, nonetheless, they began to think about becoming more responsible, buying a house, getting married, and having children.

With any momentous adjustment in a person’s life there is commonly a trigger the particular alteration in question. For Merissa and Augie the thought of buying a new house and having children was this “trigger.” Stated another way, for the first time in their lives, Merissa and Augie began to critically evaluate their abusive and hazardous drinking and the long term effects of alcohol on their lives.

How Would Their Heavy Drinking Affect Their Ability to Have Children, Their Relationship With Their Parents, Their Relationship With One Another, Their Mental Health, and Their Finances?

Would their irresponsible and hazardous drinking adversely affect their ability to have children? How would they be able to continue spending a large percentage of their money on drinking if they were to begin saving for a new house? How adult-like would they be if they had children and continued to drink in an abusive and hazardous manner? How would they be able to face their parents and tell them about their long term hopes, dreams, and aspirations while they still drank in an excessive and abusive manner while having fun as they did when they were in college? What would their excessive drinking do to their relationship? How would their heavy and hazardous drinking affect their mental health?

From a different slant on things, although neither one of them ever suffered from alcohol poisoning, received a DUI, or experienced alcohol withdrawals, they realized that their hazardous and abusive drinking was becoming an issue that they could not ”sweep under the rug” anymore.

After Giving Their State of Affairs Considerable Thought, Merissa and Augie Grasped the Fact That Their Aspirations, Hopes, and Dreams Would not be Made Real if They Continued Their Abusive and Excessive Drinking

All of these queries without a doubt resulted in the same conclusion: Merissa and Augie needed to be more aware that they couldn’t continue their excessive and heavy drinking if their dreams, aspirations, and hopes were to be brought to fruition.

Once they came to this conclusion, they alerted their drinking buddies about their goal of buying or building a new house, about their plans to start a family, and about their marital plans. They also told their drinking friends that they still wanted to associate with them but that they would be drinking responsibly from this time forward so that they could begin realizing their future dreams, hopes, and plans.

Unexpectedly, all of their friends expressed relief because they too had been reexamining their lives and concluded that their life-styles were much too frequently centered around drinking. They also understood that they would have to change fundamentally if they were to become more responsible and exhibit more forethought for their aspirations, their careers, and for their health in the next fifteen or twenty years.

After their candid discussion with their pals about their goals, aspirations, and dreams, Augie and Merissa essentially started to have more meaningful relationships with all of their buddies. The primary reason for this was the fact that all of them had a similar outlook regarding their drinking behavior and their relatively short and long-term plans, aspirations, and goals.