Drinking Comes to an End

Drinking alcohol is a socially acceptable part of life. Many people consume alcohol for different reasons. Some consume because a man or a woman had a hard day at work. Others may drink to have a good time with friends and family. Alcoholism kicks in when a person no longer feels the need to drink with friends or co-workers and starts to drink independently. The problem with alcoholism is that someone who is addicted to alcohol has a physical need for it. It is like a person needing food and water, that is how a person may feel who is an alcoholic. The need to consume alcohol is so great that it actually starts to control the person who is drinking it. Would you want to go on living your life being dependent and letting a beverage control your life? Most likely the answer is no. That is why there are special groups and organizations to help alcoholics come to the realization that they have a problem and can be treated for it.

Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most well-known programs where alcoholics can obtain help with their problem of alcoholism. Unfortunately, there are some people who are unaware of the special programs that are offered in their area of living and therefore do not, or do not know how to get the help that the person may need. That is what the Peoria Area Intergroup Association is here for. They are a non-profit organization that helps alcoholics. The people that work there are recovering alcoholics themselves. They are an organization to help family, friends, or the alcoholic themselves, to find out information about alcoholism itself and where and how to get help. The Peoria Area Intergroup Association is convenient in the fact that it has a 24 hour hotline to call in to. They also have information about alcoholism such as guides to discovering what alcoholism is and guides in the steps that are needed to take once a person has established they are in fact an alcoholic. The information is located in the actual building.

I choose this social welfare issue because although I have not actually had any family members or close family friends who are alcoholics, I find the need to want to help alcoholics who are trying to recover. I believe that once a person comes to terms with being an alcoholic, the person truly wants to get help. I wanted to find out more information about alcoholism and I also wanted to find more information about Alcoholics Anonymous. I was overwhelmed with the fact that the people in that program care deeply about each other and how each person is achieving their goals. I also believe that drinking in society today has become more out of hand then it used to be. People are drinking more because it is more socially acceptable. I wanted to go to the Peoria Area Intergroup Association to see what kinds of difficulties recovering alcoholics face and how they struggle to deal with their problems.

The Peoria Area Intergroup Association was first established in the 1970's. It has been providing helpful services ever since, which is for about 36 years. Although it is a group to help in the prevention of drinking alcohol, it does not intervene to help alcoholics; they just provide much needed information. The woman that I interviewed, who wants to remain anonymous, has been manager for one and a half years. There have been numerous people that have been helping run this agency for all the years of existence.

Alcoholism is a major issue. Alcoholics cannot just stop drinking. Alcoholics have a need to drink constantly and it affects their everyday living. Some alcoholics become abusive to family members and may have outrages and verbal abuse. Alcohol starts to control the individual. Alcoholism is a disease and can suffer from sever problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, heart disease, hypertension. Alcoholism can also lead to divorce between couples. Alcoholism is also an issue because people can pour all their income into alcohol and then end up living on the streets struggling for everyday needs because all of their money was thrown away on alcohol. This affects not only the alcoholic, but the family members or the alcoholic who are trying to help the individual. It also is an issue for close friends. The alcoholic suffers from this, but not alone, any loved one of the alcoholic feels the pain of seeing a loved one go threw the problems and devastation that alcoholism brings. Some family members or friends may become depressed because the alcoholic is suffering from such a horrible disease and they might not know how to treat or help them.

Services for the Peoria Area Intergroup Association has not increased or decreased. It has stayed the same with the amount of people that they have helped over the years. They have always been helping people

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