One Drink Too Many?

When Is One Drink, One Drink Too Many?

A growing number of individuals in our society are being born with, or have developed, an inability to tolerate alcohol. If, for genetic reasons, an individual lacks the natural enzymes and chemicals necessary to metabolize (break down) any food substance, then proper digestion, assimilation and the excretion of poisonous wastes does not occur, causing harmful affects to the mind, body, and the emotions.

When an individual with the genetic ability to tolerate alcohol has a drink, the following chemical reaction takes place in the liver, where alcohol is broken down or metabolized:

Alcohol—>Acetaldehyde (Poison)—> Acetic Acid + CO2 + H2O (Harmless Substances)

When an individual without this genetic ability has a drink, the
following occurs:

Alcohol —>Acetaldehyde -> Acetic Acid + CO2 + H2O + Acetaldehyde (Strong Poison)

In the brain, this Acetaldehyde joins with a natural brain chemical called Dopamine to form a very addictive Opiate or Heroine type substance called T. H. I. Q. When this substance is injected into the brain of a lab rat bred with a total aversion to alcohol, a rat who will die before drinking a 3% solution of vodka and water, this same rat will then drink 100 proof alcohol, until he drops. This T. H. I. Q. substance is found in the brain tissue of all chronic alcoholics and heroine addicts. Acetaldehyde, a strong poison, also destroys brain cells, cells which can not be replaced. The thinking and memory impairment of chronic alcoholics has been well documented. ** (Extracted from a presentation by Dr. David Ohme: “Alcoholism: The Disease”)

You can suspect that you have a genetically based alcohol intolerance or allergy if one or more of the following have occurred:

1. When you drink, you more often than not end up drunk and seem unable to control the amount you consume. This may not occur every time you drink, but you are unable to predict when any drinking episode will end up a drunken one.

2. When you drink, you have had times when you can not remember what has happened. They may be for short or long periods. (Blackouts)

3. When you drink, your personality changes, more than a little. If you are shy, you might become very outgoing, or if you are kind and caring, you might become very mean etc.

4. You have lost relationships, had job problems, or run-ins with the law over alcohol related issues.

Because the T.H. I. Q. substance, formed in the brain of individuals who can not properly metabolize alcohol, is so powerfully addictive, even after one drink, it will be almost impossible for an individual with an alcohol allergy to stop. This, then, is when one drink is one drink too many.

Because alcohol is a depressant or sedative, its use cuts us off from experiencing our emotions and any chance to heal our inner child pain . (“You can’t heal what you can’t feel.”) We grow up and mature only to the extent that we allow ourselves to experience life at the level of our emotions. One of the reasons we have so many immature adults (adult children) in our society is that so many people avoid discomfort and painful emotions through any number of destructive coping strategies ranging from over work, to over eating, to over playing, to over drinking, etc. We fear emotional pain and we fear not being in control and so, unfortunately, put great amounts of effort into avoiding our emotions, the one part of our consciousness that makes us human, can help us mature, as well as experience life’s real high and joy.

By avoiding our emotions through distractions, sedatives and artificial, chemical highs, we also cut ourselves off from the God (Joy, Peace and Love) Within. We want fast, easy fixes, relief and highs that we control. The sadness is the heavy price we pay for this “quick fix” mentality and behavior, the loss of our emotional and spiritual identity, the only place of true and lasting joy, peace and love.

For many individuals, alcohol is a form of self medication used to cope with pain, discomfort, anxiety and stress, emotional and physical. It is also used to relax in social situations, so that thinking about giving it up becomes very threatening. This is why any individual with an intolerance to alcohol (alcoholic), or using alcohol to cope, usually needs a great number of painful experiences before the mentality of denial is surrendered. In addition, alcohol impairs judgment, so that few individuals under the influence (or even after) can decide when to quit, or just how destructive it is. Most individuals using alcohol to cope are not conscious of this fact and will deny strongly any such suggestion.

If you can identify with any of the signs of alcohol intolerance,
I encourage you to seek out A.A. or some form of Addiction Counselling or Treatment Program as soon as your denial pattern has come to an end. Until you do, the pain and harm you cause yourself and others will be great.

David Ott. M.Ed.

http://www.peakrecovery.com

For Recovery workshops, talks and counselling,
contact: David Ott at 250-857-4705
email: davidott@peakrecovery.com