Alcohol's Side-Effects Are Extremely Dangerous

Alcohol is the most widely used depressant in the world, and has been for thousands of years. More alcohol is consumed than any other drug on the planet, which accounts for so many fatalities every year. Alcohol's side-effects are extremely dangerous and excessive drinking will speed up the process. We saw what happened to Bret with his esophageal cancer and we witnessed alcohol strip young Gary of life with cirrhosis. I believe that alcohol consumption has become so commonplace throughout society that people either ignore or fail to take the time to understand the devastating consequences that comes along with excessive drinking.

Direct and indirect causes of death include: drunken driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke. Millions of Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders and alcohol is one of the only substances that can cause death if one stops without medical supervision. Delirium tremens or the "DTs", is caused after a long period of drinking, stopping abruptly and experiencing withdrawal. According to Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Delirium Tremens "It is most common in people who have a history of alcohol withdrawal, especially in those who drink the equivalent of 7 - 8 pints of beer (or 1 pint of "hard" alcohol) every day for several months. Delirium tremens also commonly affects those with a history of habitual alcohol use or alcoholism that has existed for more than 10 years."

Withdrawal from other drugs such as: opiates, marijuana, cocaine, etc. do not have major medical complications and withdrawal is therefore not life threatening. It seems strange that alcohol, a legal drug, does more damage to one's heath than illicit drugs. Many people who start drinking at a young age, like Gary, rarely have a clue as to how bad alcohol is for them; ultimately, this leads to severe medical problems which there may not be any help for. Sadly, by the time the problem is discovered it can be too late to receive help or one may be denied help based on a history of alcoholism. Every year billions of dollars are made from a substance that causes so much injury and it appears that little, if any, change ever comes of it. Bret and Gary are perfect examples of why more needs to be done, Bret and Gary exemplify both sides of the spectrum; alcohol related deaths affect all age groups.

I encourage you to watch this short video of the cause of cirrhosis. Please send me your thoughts about this subject and what we might be able to do differently to avoid premature death.

Should Young Children be Involved in a Parent's Intervention?

I hope by now most of my readers have had a chance to watch Bret's story. There has been a lot written about Bret and his intervention involving his children. Should young children be involved in a parent's intervention? Obviously, every case is different and that needs to be taken into account by all interventionists attempting to help families of alcoholics.

Bret's teenage daughter Kelsey and younger son Kyle were present at Bret's televised intervention on A&E. The family and the interventionist agreed that having the children present could be very persuasive in helping Bret make the decision to go to treatment. Unfortunately, the children's pleas were relatively ineffective leaving them both angry and in tears. Many people watching this episode may feel like the children's involvement in the intervention was unnecessary and damaging to the children. However, children of alcoholics who are at a cognizant age are not strangers to the pain and suffering at the hands of their addicted parent. Kelsey and Kyle have dealt and are still dealing with the years of pain; unfortunately the children of addicts need to confront their parent in order to explain how their drinking deeply affects them. This is a sad but true reality, one that is rarely pretty but indeed necessary.

Without a doubt no one wants to see a child suffering and seeing a show that deals with the sickness of drug and alcohol addiction is never pleasant to watch. We need to keep in mind that the interventionists, like Ken Seeley, know what they are doing and if there was ever a point where the children's safety was in jeopardy they would have been pulled away from danger. Interventions can be a trial and error event; many different avenues of techniques need to be attempted when trying to convince someone they need treatment. Ultimately, it was not Bret's children that got him into treatment; but, I believe the children's role was ever so crucial, not only for Bret but also the children. Kelsey and Kyle are two very strong children who wanted and were allowed to participate in their father's intervention that relieved Bret of his dependency long enough for him to die a sober individual. Those last days that they were able to spend with their Dad were ever so precious and probably worth a hundred interventions.

I encourage you to comment on whether children should be present at an intervention. If you are struggling with questions of how to do an intervention for your loved one, call Hope by the Sea...

P.S. A Jury recommended a sentence of life in prison for Jesse James Hollywood.

A&E TV's Intervention Covered Bret and how his Alcoholism Destroyed his Family

A&E TV's Intervention covered Bret and how Alcoholism destroyed his family. Before Bret's alcoholism progressed out of control he was a successful real estate mortgage broker, but that all changed when alcohol started to take its toll. Two years ago Bret's family attempted to offer him the opportunity of treatment via an Intervention which he accepted only to end up relapsing. Everything in Bret's life spiraled out of control after his relapse; he lost his wife, kids, and his career in the grips of his severe alcoholism. His family decided that they would give an Intervention one more shot before they turned their backs on him out of love.

Bret's story is not too dissimilar to every alcoholic's or drug addict's story, the circumstances are different for sure, but where every addict ends up is generally the same - jails, institutions, and death! Bret's disease told him that nothing would work and until he was mentally ready to rid alcohol from his life he would continue to drink. His relapse in a way reaffirmed the belief that an alcoholic can get better on their own, saying the same thing that many who try working a program of recovery say, "I tried that, but it didn't work and I won't put myself through that again". When a program of recovery does not work for someone it is usually because they did not let it work and they let their disease continue to influence the choices they make. When this happens, a relapse is only a matter of time and where they pick up is usually a lot worse than where they left off.

Intervention did a great job painting a picture of the pain that Bret was inflicting on his family and friends. Tears and anger are common themes in most families plagued by alcohol; the feeling of helplessness is present in everything. Intervention, with the help of Ken Seeley, a professional interventionist, gave Bret's family the tools to help Bret make the decision to change his life. I'm glad to report that they were successful in their endeavor to get Bret into treatment at Hope by the Sea in Laguna Niguel, California. Unfortunately, the years of drinking had done its damage to Bret's body and after 80 days of treatment he had become very sick and was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer. With 104 days sober, cancer spread throughout his body, Bret passed away this summer on June 19th, 2009.

Bret's 104 days of sobriety was a major achievement for him and he was able to give his family back the husband and father they had known. As sick as he was he made a point of being emotionally available to those who love him right up until the end of his days. Bret was able to make amends to those he had hurt before he died, giving his friends and family the ability to remember Bret for who he really was. I invite everyone to watch the show and the memoriam on A&E and send me your thoughts so that next week we can discuss this more...

Bret's Story
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Bret's Memoriam