to lose both the ability to operate a motor vehicle and my phone. After my friends dutifully found my phone and drove me home, I woke up to find a muffled voicemail message that recorded a conversation I wasn’t meant to hear: I’d become a sloppy, embarrassing, and intolerable drunk.
After the concert, I knew my relationship with alcohol needed to change, but I wasn’t ready. It took several more months ofGoogle searches like, “When do you know you have a drinking problem?” “Symptoms of alcoholism,” and “How to quit drinking?” before I took an assessment for Alcohol Use Disorder . Meeting at least 2 out of 11 criteria in a 12-month period qualifies for a diagnosis of AUD. My score of 6 put my alcohol dependency in the severe category, and I knew I couldn’t hide anymore.
At first, the only near-beers I could access in my small Midwestern town were the mass-market options, all of which have “NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER” written in big, embarrassing block letters across their joyless labels. Luckily, I cared a little less about what people thought of me at this point than I did at the concert, so I kept bringing it to parties.
Then, I thought about all the other ways drinks are important in our society that have nothing to do with alcohol: cocoa after coming in from the cold, broth and tea on sick days, lemonade stands as a pastime for kids, and everyone’s morning coffee routine. I realized that it wasn’t the alcohol that made these moments special, it was the ritual and the moments of connection brought by sharing a drink with others. I love it when everyday moments are made extraordinary with a twist of lime.
Alcohol substitutes aren’t a free-for-all, though. Depending on the brewing process, NA beer may contain small amounts of alcohol, which is incompatible with complete abstinence. Alcohol substitutes can also still trigger unwanted drinking behavior for some people, so staying away from places where alcohol is served or consumed is important for them. Some survey respondents had strong negative feelings toward alcohol substitutes.
Periodic abstinence and alcohol substitutes have created space for many to address the underlying issues of addiction.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: Food52 - 🏆 113. / 63 Read more »
Source: Food52 - 🏆 113. / 63 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: WebMD - 🏆 709. / 51 Read more »
Source: Eater - 🏆 368. / 59 Read more »