Frequently Asked Questions on Alcoholism

I've noticed that a few of the same questions keep popping up. Perhaps these are the same ones you have about alcoholism, sobriety, or this website specifically. If you have any questions, or need help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will respond as quickly as I can.

I recently quit drinking, so why am I still tired all the time?

You didn't become addicted to alcohol overnight, so don't expect to be free of it's debilitating effects overnight. You need to remember that alcohol is converted to sugar in your body, and this sugar is used as energy. Since you're no longer drinking your body no longer has access to the sugar rush from alcohol, and you will likely experience a dramatic drop off in energy until your body becomes acclimated to an alcohol free lifestyle. Chances are that alcohol also helped you fall asleep at night (even though it  was a less-restful sleep), and it might be a while before your body adjusts back to it's natural wake/sleep cycles. The plain truth is that your body will take time to heal, especially if you have been drinking for a long time.

Most people find that it can take 2 - 4 weeks before their energy returns to normal, and sometimes even longer. The quickest way to reclaim your natural energy is to ease yourself back into eating a healthy diet and getting some good, old fashion exercise. Get some sunshine, too. Also, make sure you aren't replacing alcohol with caffeine-laden or sugar-filled drinks that will only temporarily spike your energy levels, and then leaving you more tired than before. Instead, get in the habit of drinking water with every meal. After all, it's water that your body REALLY wants, and it's water that it REALLY needs to give you all the natural energy you'll ever need. Only water is water. Not coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks. The bottom line to have more energy: start exercising, start eating right, get some sunshine, and drink plenty of water. Before you know it you'll have as much or more energy than you've had in a long, long time.

Can alcohol give a guy man-boobs?

Yes, and for two reasons: First, the increased intake of calories can add a great deal of fatty tissue to the chest area, especially in men who are prone to gynecomastia (male breast enlargement). Secondly, if you're a heavy beer drinker you should be aware that the Hops in beer is converted to estrogen by the body, and your over-worked liver can not adequately remove this excess estrogen. The result of all this extra estrogen is that the male body will begin to exhibit female characteristics, such as breast enlargement and testicular atrophy (shrunken testicles). For more information on this, please see this great video: Beer, Hops, Estrogen, Sedation of the Population

I have tried to quit drinking but I keep failing. What can I do?

The most important thing you can do is to keep trying, but use a DIFFERENT method of quitting than what you tried before (see: Overcome Alcoholism by Changing Your Strategy). For example, if before you tried quitting cold turkey, and you were alright for a few days before giving in to temptation, then try cutting back a little bit at a time. Oftentimes we fail because we're trying to do too much at once, instead of simplifying the process by taking a baby step towards sobriety. Or, perhaps you tried to quit by cutting back a little bit at a time, but you quickly found yourself drinking as much as ever. Then you might be the type of person who just shouldn't drink at all. The bottom line is to try a DIFFERENT APPROACH than what you used before. What works for others may not be something that works for you. Keep trying to quit, but don't be afraid to change your strategy when you notice that it isn't working.

What is the best way to resist the urge to drink?

The most effective thing you can do is to REPLACE drinking with another habit during those hours you used to drink alcohol. For example, if you were the type of person that would drink every evening until you went to bed, then you need to find another activity that will now occupy you during the evening. Perhaps get a part time job, or go back to school. You need to do SOMETHING so that you just don't have all this extra spare time to sit around and think about drinking. Idle time will lead you to boredom, which will often lead to a temptation to drink again. It's great that you've stopped drinking - but now you have to fill in the void in your evenings, or whenever you used to drink. Replace a bad habit with a healthy habit, and resist drinking by giving your mind something other than booze to think about.

Why do some of the articles on your website preach total abstinence, and others say it's okay to drink a little bit?

The original intent of this site was to help people quit drinking, once and for all. But I've come to realize that SOME people can have a couple of drinks each day and still remain in control. Some people can't do that, and it's simply better for them to completely abstain. Thus, most of the articles on this site are aimed at helping you reduce drinking to the point that it simply becomes no big deal whether or not alcohol is available. This website has evolved to the point where I am simply trying to help people get their lives back under control. For one person that might mean to cut back from 5 or 6 drinks every day to just a couple. For another person it might mean not drinking at all. Only you can determine the right way to go. The only thing I can tell you is that drinking MORE than a couple of drinks a day is guaranteeing that your life will be filled with pain and misery.