Jan 25 2008
Recognize The Insanity of Alcoholic Behavior
Many recovering alcoholics will talk about the insanity of alcoholic behavior in their lives before they stopped drinking. Some of it appears outrageous and some is just plain sad. These stories are told behind closed doors with other alcoholics who can identify with the behavior. It assists with the overall healing process of the group.
When an alcohol abuser or a functioning alcoholic in particular thinks they are behaving rational, in reality their decision making process is warped to say the least. It causes people to do things they would never do if they were sober and of clear mind. Functioning alcoholics are even more irrational since they can’t seem to function ‘normally’ unless they have a certain amount of booze in their system.
Is it normal behavior for someone to drive their kids to their soccer game after having 3 or 4 drinks before and during dinner? Getting behind the wheel and driving is probably the most common form of insanity while drinking. Most dependent alcoholics are aware of the dangers and will try and avoid driving until they run out of their fix. Of course there are the serial DUI’s out there that get arrested 6 or 8 times and yet continue driving while intoxicated and under suspension etc. This is not rational behavior but total insanity and these alcoholics should be locked up indefinitely.
Less conspicuous drunks will do things like have their alcohol delivered to their door every day or so and really believe the neighbors don’t know what they are up to. Insanity? - Maybe. Getting rid of empties these days is as easy as placing them in the recycle bin but what happens when it becomes too obvious? You load the car up after you get a load on yourself and DRIVE to the nearest commercial dumpster and toss them out just to maintain the appearance of normalcy, if only to dog walkers and recycling employees. Insanity? It’s getting there.
Waking up in the backseat of your car on the side of the road at 6:00 am with the police knocking on your car window and you vowing to moderate your drinking habits certainly qualifies as impaired behavior, maybe even alcoholic behavior. The simple fact that this person had the common sense to pull over and stop driving means that sanity prevailed at least at some point the night before. The insanity is believing you could drive in the first place after too much to drink. Insanity? It may well be.
Women are not immune to insane behavior when drinking. One middle aged women had a partiality toward home made wine; her and her husband had made it for years. She was thrilled that she’d received a new mink coat for her birthday. After her husband had retired for the evening she decided to stay up and continue celebrating her birthday.
She wanted to try her new coat out so she went for a drive around town in the early hours of the morning. Fine idea if she hadn’t out drank her husband. She drove around town for no good reason while she was intoxicated, seeing several police cars while doing so and thinking they would not bother her because she looked respectable in her fancy car with her new mink coat.
She was lucky because if they had stopped her they would surely have noticed that she wasn’t wearing any clothes under her new coat! She made it home just fine. Insanity? Yes, this one qualifies as insane behavior. What makes it even more insane is that she was a well respected business women in her community and by all outward appearances a social drinker.
True alcoholic behavior as it relates to insanity is that many of the problem drinkers and alcoholics who display this kind of crazy behavior deny they have a problem with alcohol. This denial leads them down the path to even heavier drinking and further insane exploits.
They continue to expose themselves and others to unnecessary risk.
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This is very interesting. People don’t really realize how idiotic they act when they drink. I recently read this article about why people are drinking more than ever. Pretty interesting: http://blog.bizzflip.com/bizzflipcom/2008/01/hedonism-2008.html
I’m sure that so many alcoholics have funny, sad and just crazy stories of things they’ve done while in an alcoholic state.
At the time it probably seems somewhat normal to them and only after they get out of it do they realize how truly odd and crazy it was.
I have an Alcoholism Blog as well. I’m going to write about your site there. Thanks for the great article.
My daughter has been drinking since she was 12 years old, she is now 26. She is now drinking every single day and she thinks she is right or correct in what she is doing. She has a boy friend and she has a lot of problems as he left and she has gotten worse in her drinking.
She has even gone to a store and asked for free beer. My concern is that she may be go on to do something worse and get in trouble with the law, or get in a car accident please help I’m a single mother.
Dulce, thank you for you comment. I know that your heart must be broken over your daughter. Her behavior is surely an example of the ‘insanity’ of alcoholism. Perhaps you can recognize that you are suffering and in pain over your daughter and in need of some healing and attention as well. Often the pain and suffering of someone who’s affected by someone’s drinking is an opportune time to seek your own recovery.
There are many resources for family members and friends of those who are afflicted with alcoholism. The most common and popular is Al-Anon, and I’m sure there are Al-Anon meetings all over your home town. I do not believe that your daughters drinking has developed in a vacuum and the healing offered at some of the 12-step support groups like Al-Anon or your local physicians or therapists - can be of great help and solace. The caregivers in your community can go a long way to alleviating the suffering on your part and to give suggestions and direction for you and your daughter if and when she is ready to seek attention and help for her drinking and life pain.
I hope this is of help and I wish you and your daughter all the very best on this journey that both you are clearly embarked upon.
Warmest best wishes,
Michael Pearlman, M.D.
There is something to be said for sharing your story of the things you’ve done while drinking. Although I’m not sure that it’s only best done behind closed doors. I’m reading a book by Eileen DeClemente in which she chronicles her life as an alcoholic and an addict starting from when she took her first drink as a child, and continuing on up through her recovery. I think every young person who drinks, or is even thinking about starting drinking should read this book. It might just give them a reason to think twice about it before they ever have a need for going to a meeting.