Teresa was a forty-three-year-old pharmacy technician who knew that she had some problems with her drinking. As an illustration, within the past month she has felt the need to have a drink or two before going to work, four months ago she tested positive for a saliva alcohol test where she is employed, five months ago she got arrested by the state highway patrol for a DWI, and finally, for going on two months she has begun to forget what she does and says when she goes out drinking with her friends.

Not unlike multitudes of other individuals, Teresa’s alcohol involvement started out slowly and stayed at this speed for quite some time because from time to time she engaged in sporadic social drinking. In fact, for roughly ten months, every time she went out with her friends to drink, she made sure to drink in moderation. Something about her drinking behavior, nonetheless, seemed to drastically change when her husband divorced her.

So She Can Recover From the Breakup of Her Husband With Less Distress, Teresa Made Up Her Mind To Start Palling Around More Frequently With Some of Her Buddies Who Love to ”Get Down” and Drink

Teresa got exceedingly despondent about the breakup with her husband, and as a way to quit her preoccupation with her dismal feelings she determined that she would begin hanging out more regularly with some of her friends who love to have fun and drink.

Quite frankly, Teresa reasoned that having fun nearly every day by getting a “buzz” by drinking with her friends would help her overcome the loss of her husband with less sorrow.

Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Substantially the More Habitually She Goes to Family Get-Togethers, Sporting Events, Happy Hours, Dinner Dates, and Private Parties With Her Friends

It didn’t take very long, however, before her drinking escalated substantially the more routinely she went to and drank at sporting events, family get-togethers, private parties, happy hours, and dinner dates with her buddies. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking pals were all quite a bit younger than she was and therefore able to drink harder and more frequently was one of the reasons that she didn’t concentrate more on her increased drinking. In brief, she was drinking and having tons of fun just like everybody else in her group of buddies without much reflection about the negative results of her abusive and excessive drinking.

Yet somewhere in the recesses of her mind she realized that she probably needed alcohol rehabilitation but kept away from the thought as much as possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical, Owns up to the Truth About Her Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking to Her Healthcare Practitioner, and Owns up to the Facts About Her Dejection

One afternoon during her annual physical, her doctor asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell “stories” to her doctor, Teresa acknowledged that she commonly drinks more than she should. As a matter of fact, she said that she commonly drinks in a hazardous manner. Then Teresa told her physician about her depression. More specifically, she articulated that wrecked relationships more often than not initiated a negative sequence of events typified by increased drinking which further resulted in more depressing feelings that, in turn, resulted in more drinking. And this is exactly what took place when she and her husband got divorced two years ago.

When her doctor heard this, he told Teresa that according to various facts and statistics on alcoholism he has been exploring, alcoholism and depression often take place in the same person. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, facts, and research investigations he has been looking into also stress the fact that people who drink abusively and who also go through depression need to receive treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Appraisal

Teresa’s healthcare professional then articulated the following: “I am not trying to make an unprofessional judgment, but with your medical condition we may be facing two separate matters. As a result, I think we probably need to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse evaluation from my partner, Dr. Johnson, who is an alcohol addiction specialist. Whether your drinking situation is more associated with alcoholism or alcohol abuse is unclear at this time, but I believe that further exploration is reasonable. Then I feel we should make an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Shapiro, who is a counseling psychologist. I want to get a better handle on your dejection and see how much your drinking and depression are interlinked.” Teresa showed her agreement with her healthcare professional’s treatment plan and thanked him for his help and concern. Now all she had to do was to try to decrease her drinking and wait for her appointments.

Teresa was a thirty-nine-year-old loan officer who realized that she had some problems with her drinking.  For example, within the past two months she has felt the need to have a few drinks before going to work, five weeks ago she failed to pass a random urine alcohol test at her place of employment, four months ago she got stopped by the police for “driving under the influence”, and last but not least, for around seven months she has started to fail to remember what she does and says when she drinks with her buddies.

Not unlike multitudes of other people, Teresa’s alcohol involvement began slowly and remained at this level for quite a long time due to the fact every now and again she engaged in casual social drinking.  As a matter of fact, for around seven months, every time she drank, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner.  Something about her drinking activities, nevertheless, seemed to totally change when she got divorced from her husband.

In Order To Come to Terms With the Divorce of Her Husband More Quickly, Teresa Came to a Decision That She Will Start Hanging Out More Routinely With Some of Her Pals Who Love to Have Fun Drinking

Teresa got especially dejected about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from dwelling on her negative feelings she determined that she would start going out more routinely with some of her pals who love to have fun drinking.

Quite candidly, Teresa believed that having fun almost every day by drinking with her buddies would help her rise above the breakup of her husband in a more trouble-free manner.

Teresa’s Drinking Increases Significantly the More Often She Goes to Dinner Dates, Family Get-Togethers, Sporting Events, Happy Hours, and Private Parties With Her Buddies

It didn’t take long, nevertheless, before her drinking increased to a significant extent the more habitually she went to and drank at happy hours, family get-togethers, private parties, sporting events, and dinner dates with her buddies.  Not only this, but the fact that her drinking friends were all considerably younger than she was and therefore able to party more carelessly was one of the reasons why she didn’t concentrate more on her increased drinking.  In a word, she was having lots of fun drinking just like everyone else in her group of pals without giving too much thought to the unhealthy consequences of her excessive and hazardous drinking.

Yet someplace in her mind she realized that she more likely than not needed alcohol treatment but steered clear of the thought as much as she could.

Teresa Gets a Physical, Acknowledges Her Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking to Her Healthcare Practitioner, and Owns Up to the Truth About Her Constant Negativity

One morning during her yearly physical exam, her healthcare professional asked her if she drank alcohol.  Not wanting to tell falsehoods to her healthcare professional, Teresa owned up to the fact that she routinely drinks more than she should.  In truth, she stated that she commonly drinks in an abusive and excessive manner.  Then Teresa told her healthcare professional about her constant negativity.  More explicitly, she articulated that ruined relationships many times sparked a depressing sequence of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more discouraging feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking.  And this is exactly what took place when her husband and she got divorced five months ago.

When her physician heard this, he told Teresa that according to various facts and statistics on alcoholism he has been investigating, alcoholism and depression many times come about in the same individual.  He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, facts, and research investigations he has been studying also emphasize the fact that individuals who drink in an excessive and hazardous manner and who also go through depression need to receive treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Physician Makes an Appointment for a Psychological Appraisal and For an Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Evaluation

Teresa’s physician then told her the following: “I am not trying to make a snap judgment, but with your medical situation we may be confronting two separate concerns.  As a consequence, I think we ought to make an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcoholism assessment from my partner, Dr. Brill, who is an alcohol abuse and alcoholism specialist.  Whether your drinking situation is more related to alcoholism or alcohol abuse is unclear at this time, but I feel that further exploration is justifiable.  Then I believe we ought to make an appointment for you to get a psychological assessment from another one of my partners, Dr. Myers, who is a counseling psychologist.  I want to get some additional information about your sadness and see how much your depression and drinking are interlinked.”  Teresa showed her satisfaction with her healthcare professional’s plan of attack and thanked him for his help.  Now all she had to do was to try to reduce her drinking and wait for her appointments.