Alcohol poisoning is not often talked about in the context of rehab or treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse, but is a hugely important part of the recovery process.
The issue behind alcohol poisoning is twofold.
Firstly is the reality of where someone who has been drinking alcohol for a long time has got to, in terms of the damage they have already done to their body and mind, and the need to recover from it.
Secondly is the potential damage that alcohol can do to an individual, whether they are a heavy drinker or an alcoholic.
The key to helping people understand about alcohol poisoning is education.
This is not to say that simply educating people will free them from alcoholism or heavy drinking, but it will help to create an environment where people can understand much more readily the issues behind why people drink, and what help there is available for them and their loved ones.
ALCOHOL POISONING
Anyone who has had dealings with an alcoholic or heavy drinker will be well aware of how difficult it can be and usually is to get them to see that they have a problem.
In the understanding of alcoholism, it is generally understood by people who are themselves recovering alcoholics and people who work in the field of alcoholism, that the extent of denial that most alcoholics have of the problem is essentially a defence mechanism.
It may be a bit odd to call it a defence mechanism, but for most alcoholics call at some point becomes the solution to their problems, rather than the problem itself.
This may be in stark contrast to the reality of the life of an alcoholic, which may well be in total chaos, both internally and externally.
It requires a level of experience of alcoholism to fully understand this, but it is also widely accepted that the mind of the alcoholic is often as abnormal in this record as is the body of an alcoholic in terms of how they react to alcohol.
Alcohol poisoning can be a real and substantive threat to individual who drinks too much, be they an alcoholic or not.
It is hugely important that people educate themselves and others, both formally and informally as to the dangers of alcohol and alcoholism, and hopefully this will begin the process of making a significant contribution to the problem.