Home / General Health / Alcohol Treatment and Rehab
Will Grads Outgrow College Drinking Lifestyle?
By Armen Hareyan G+ May 14 2009 - 9:23am
It seems that human being's life is threatened by unnecessary exposure to too much alcohol. Starting from fetal alcohol syndrome to the days of college binge drinking people are running the risk of alcohol. While the prenatal stage they don't have any power of mother's drinking and fetal alcohol syndrome they do have control during the years of college education.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 72% of people have a single period of heavy drinking that last 3-4 years (usually during college) and peaks during ages 18-24 and then they phase out of it. Therefore, 22% do not phase out of it or do not pass through that type of phase. For 'most' of us this period, our best drinking days, was probably in college.
Now, as graduations occur across the country and a fresh crop of young professionals leave their hallowed walls for cubicles and higher degrees, a big question comes to mind, "Will They Outgrow The 'College Drinking' Lifestyle?"
Sarah Allen Benton, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor of college aged students and a recovering alcoholic, did not outgrow it. And now wants to help others recognize common warning in her new book: Understanding The High-Functioning Alcoholic: Professional Views and Personal Insights.
Follow eMaxHealth on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Please, click to subscribe to our Youtube Channel to be notified about upcoming health and food tips.
Benton was recently featured in Jane Brody's column of the NY Times and is also an addicition blogger for PsychologyToday.com.
Common warning signs for young professionals and professionals alike to watch for
-- Inappropriate attitudes about alcohol, including viewing drinking large amounts of alcohol as a necessary part of a job
-- Having a "work hard, play hard" mentality
-- Unusual patterns of alcohol usage, including reaching for a drink as relief from stress
-- Quickly gulping 3 or 4 drinks at social and work functions to "loosen up"
-- Drinking privately before and after a work function so as to minimize the amount of alcohol actually drunk in front of colleagues
-- Having the compulsion to drink more than others socially
-- Chronic blackouts
-- Becoming irritable and defensive about excessive drinking
-- Appearing rundown in the morning or fatigued
-- Calling in sick or not coming into work (if able to work from home) specifically on Mondays and/or Fridays
-- Frequently talking about the topic of alcohol, drinking or plans to go out drinking
-- Personality changes, such as a typically quiet person becoming
-- Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine or hydrating drinks such as gatorade before being able to start functioning in the morning
There are also some later stage, less common signs, to be on the look out for, such as: being critical and disapproving of non-drinkers; changes in work routines or productivity; a decline in the usual quality and quantity of work; displaying poor professional judgment; being unaccounted for in the middle of the day; having the smell of alcohol on the breath, especially early in the morning; shakiness and trembling hands; gradual increase in weight, mostly in the abdominal area; complaining of little energy and having trouble concentrating; being hyperactive and unable to sit still
Understanding The High-Functioning Alcoholic is an in-depth exploration of a hidden class of alcoholics and is intended to inform readers that being successful professionally or personally and being an alcoholic are not mutually exclusive. Benton challenges the stereotype of the "skid-row" alcoholic by lifting the veil on alcoholics who believe they can hide behind their external successes. Alcoholism may manifest differently in individuals, but all alcoholics have the same disease.
Alcohol Treatment and Rehab
How Alcohol Affects Your Liver and your Body
Excessive alcohol, the symptoms of alcohol dependence use and risks it poses to women
Top 10 Myths About the Opioid Epidemic, Drug Addiction, and Relapse Debunked
The Ultimate Guide to the Top Drug Rehab Treatment Centers
Alcohol Irreversibly Damages The Brain More Than Marijuana In Adults
4 Reasons Why People Drink Alcohol and Their Motivations
WHO Just Explained What Really Increases The Risk of Developing 7 types of Cancers