How alcohol affects your family and social life

Alcoholism is a devastating disease that can destroy your family and social life. In fact it can cost you everything that matters in life. The bad part is that it is a slow killer in that it comes up on you slowly and quietly. You do not even realize you have a problem until things start falling apart in your life. The worst part is the effect it has on your family and social life.

Mood swings: You are irritable and find little things can upset you. You find yourself getting impatient with your loved ones. Sometimes moods get so bad that you are violent and start abusing your wife and sometimes even your children. At other times, usually after a few strong drinks you feel elated and ready to love anyone. These mood swings are confusing and upsetting to your family. They are especially hard on your children who see you abusing your wife. This can often lead to domestic violence.

You start to skip work: This is a dangerous thing to do. Eventually this will cost you your job and leave you with no money for your family or even a drink. You start borrowing from friends to support your drinking. Worse still because of your alcohol addiction you start stealing money to support it and will eventually land up in trouble with the law. All these things will affect your relationships with your family. Eventually they will get so tired that they will leave you. This is when you will have reached a dangerous stage in your life, as it will just be you and your addiction.

You withdraw into yourself: You no longer participate in family functions. You become a solitary individual and miss out on all the fun of family outings. When family members approach you they are rebuffed by your attitude and pretty soon will stop asking you to come with them. In fact when matters reach this stage, your family members, especially your wife will figure you no longer need them and leave. Again this will put you in a dangerous alliance of yourself and “the bottle.”

Socially- you withdraw from society: When you party you drink excessively and embarrass yourself and others around you. If you still party, you inevitably make a fool of yourself by drinking to excess and acting foolishly. It gets to such a stage that your friends and associates no longer invite you to their parties. You lose your friends and are no longer sociable. This again leaves you alone with your addiction and is a dangerous place to be.