Clearly
problem drinking and hazardous and irresponsible drinking habitually adversely affects important relationships. Stated more forcefully, to a relatively great extent, careless drinking is to relationships what drug abuse is to a person's health or what dysfunctional brakes are to the immediate safety of the driver of a motor vehicle. In all of these cases, the outcome is frequently a disaster.
When the link between excessive and unhealthy drinking and relationships is investigated more attentively, nevertheless, there are some valid reasons why hazardous and careless drinking and relationships don't go together in a very healthy or beneficial way. In a word, relationships are really impacted by an individual's drinking problem.
First, irresponsible and abusive drinking decreases an individual's reservations. This routinely means that somebody who has been drinking has less control over what he or she says and does. The outcome is that women and men in a meaningful relationship who have been drinking in an excessive manner are much more prone to engage in inappropriate and cross verbal abuse and/or hostility that might not have taken place if neither individual was drinking or engaged in excessive drinking.
Secondly, excessive and hazardous drinking adversely has an effect on an individual's reasoning, decision-making, and problem solving skills. In fact, if an individual uses incoherent decision-making, problem solving, and reasoning skills and abilities, this frequently adversely affects the options an individual makes as well as his or her actions. Such a condition, it is affirmed, is an accident waiting to happen when meaningful relationships are concerned due to the sheer number of key decisions and difficulties that very much need to be concentrated upon on a recurring basis.
Third, abusive and unhealthy drinking often affects the abusive drinker's financial situation in a harmful manner. At the end of the day, whether or not an individual purchases his or her alcoholic beverages at a watering hole, liquor store, restaurant, sports event, or drinks alone or with others at home, abusive and irresponsible drinking isn't cheap. And if money is spent on alcoholic beverages instead of on utilities, food, the mortgage, car or truck payments, the rent, credit card bills, and so on, critical issues in a relationship are more likely than not right around the corner. Stated more precisely, an individual's alcohol difficulties adversely impacts her or his financial situation. And this, in turn, often affects a relationship in a negative manner.
Fourth, excessive and hazardous drinking regularly reveals itself at work. To the extent that this takes place, an individual's capability to make a decent living is severely placed in a threatening situation and this, therefore, adversely impacts a person's important relationships. When an alcohol problem is exhibited at work, however, directly or indirectly this will adversely impact an individual's important relationships.
Finally, abusive drinking regularly leads to complications with the law. Plainly several "drunk driving" arrests, for instance, cannot do anything but harm an important relationship from a financial and from a psychological way of thinking.
So what is the message to be taken away from this dialogue? First, if you want to have treasured relationships in your life, abstain from excessive and unhealthy drinking. Stated another way, if you want to have a solid relationship, take time and make sure you take care of your drinking issues. And secondly, if you have drinking issues that are adversely impacting your meaningful relationships, make sure you drink responsibly or think about getting alcohol therapy.
