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In the United States, alcohol is abused more than any other drug. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV of the American Psychiatric Association reported that about 7.5 % of people in the US had an alcohol-related disorder in a given year. That is a staggering figure, in the neighborhood of 20,000,000 people. Billy G was one of the 20,000,000, and his alcoholism became disastrous. Billy was a talented student, so, after showing promise in high school and college, he eventually obtained an advanced degree, and later a good job as an engineer. While in graduate school, Billy married a fellow student, and the two were soon joined by a son and daughter. During his graduate school days, Billy occasionally drank too much, but, at least to outsiders, his life appeared to be very much "on track." His drinking at that stage was "social." Billy's career remained on track for a number of years, and he ascended through the ranks to supervisory positions. However, he began to neglect his work from time to time, and he went on a binge that attracted the attention of his supervisor, who went to Billy's home to check on him. Billy had been so intoxicated for so long that he was in an alcoholic stupor, and he had to be hospitalized. As soon as Billy was sobered up, however, he was very remorseful, and the whole incident was covered up and papered over. Billy denied that he had any serious problem. About a year after his first known incident of bingeing, Billy was at a convention in another city. He got drunk, passed out, and was taken to a nearby hospital. His supervisor, who was also at the convention, was summoned the next day to retrieve Billy from the hospital, after he had had 20 hours or so to get rid of the alcohol in his system. Billy's clothes were back at the hotel, or otherwise missing, so he was dressed in a pair of the hospital's blue paper shoes and castoff clothes contributed by the Salvation Army, rather peculiar garb for an engineering supervisor. Billy's supervisor took him to a pharmacy to buy anti-seizure medicine, a necessary precaution for someone who was coming down from a severe binge episode. Billy then caught a plane for his home town; his wife and family "scooped him up" at the other end and took him home. At this time it was obvious that Billy had the whole gamut of substance abuse problems: alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse, alcohol withdrawal problems, and alcohol dependence. However, he denied having any significant problem with controlling his drinking. He was not a religious person, so he refused to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) programs because of their religious content. His wife and family agreed to support him as best they could. The wife attended meetings of Al Anon, a support group for family members of alcoholics. She also watched to see that Billy took daily doses of antabuse, which produces nausea if the person drinks alcohol after taking it. Billy still insisted that abstinence from alcohol was not necessary, and that he would be able to resume social drinking. However, within a few months he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. His colleagues, who were aware of his problem, noted a telltale swelling of his hands and uncertainty of gait. When confronted, however, Billy denied drinking, and was very indignant about being suspected. During this period Billy was secretly learning to drink more and more, despite the antabuse, and, as he later admitted, was coming to work drunk almost every day. Billy also hid bottles of hard liquor around his office, and sometimes was noticeably drunk at work. Billy had a drunken personality quite different from his sober personality. Sober, he was mildly extroverted, considerate, and rational almost to a fault. Drunk, he was combative and uncooperative, and denied any personal responsibility for problems. Because of his drinking and abusive behavior while drunk, Billy's wife and children left him, so he was alone in his house. His friends started to worry about him and, failing to contact him by telephone, they went to his house. When they arrived, Billy was lying in his underwear on the tile floor. He appeared to be dead. A third of a bottle of vodka stood near his right hand. His friends then tried to get him to go to the emergency room. He refused. They called the police, who came to the door, but said that they could not legally take him against his will. As a last resort, the friends called his wife, who still cared enough to want him alive; she and the children talked him into going to the hospital. Billy's blood level of alcohol when he got to the emergency room was still very nearly high enough to kill him. Surprisingly, Billy's story had a happy ending. He was forced by his very sympathetic employer to go into an inpatient facility or be fired. Billy hated it at first, but was treated with great respect by the other alcoholics there, and he finally consented to joining AA. He also admitted to having a problem; within two months he was back at work, and later returned to the inpatient facility to receive his 1-year pin, symbolizing a year of complete abstinence. His work performance has been up to its pre-alcoholic standard, and his employer is very proud of him. However, alcoholics often return to drinking, so the long-term outlook remains "one day at a time," in keeping with the AA philosophy. Last updated 12/19/03 |
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