10/15/2025
Did you know that death from alcohol has doubled since 1999?
When I was a kid, my mom had a difficult divorce after an already very difficult childhood and the friends she made drank, so she drank. She drank heavy too and as the oldest child, a lot of responsibility fell on me. I've had some stuff to heal.
As an adult though, even as a teenager, alcohol never really played a role in my life. I had to be in control, take care of everyone, keep myself safe. And alcohol just isn't enjoyable to me. I was very alcohol-naive in spite of my childhood because I thought I had a bad mother, not recognizing my mother was an alcoholic.
However, after my divorce, as I developed new relationships, I was really surprised at how often and how big alcohol played a role in some of their lives - many of their lives. I began to see it more often than I didn't. I am almost convinced that golfing is synonymous with alcoholism. Then I started recognizing it more in my clients.
It's insidious too, because no one thinks it is bad until it is devastatingly bad. Not many hold their friends accountable. In fact, I find more are co-dependent, even instigators more so than boundary protectors.
Alcohol-induced deaths have increased by 89% since 1999. What surprises me is how close some people get to this, and never even know it. If you black out while drinking, you are suffering alcohol poisoning. If you vomiting while drinking, this is alcohol poisoning. This is your body's attempt to rescue you.
If you fall asleep on the couch every evening drinking vodka, you are poisoning yourself. If your go to drink is vodka, this is a major red flag for profound alcoholism. If you are sneaking a drink in during the day just so you can function, you are profoundly addicted. If you have to drink to sober up in the morning, you are end stage addiction. Your next bump in the road will likely be death.
Most of these deaths are related to alcoholic liver disease, followed by alcohol-related mental and behavioral disorders. The greatest rise in alcohol-induced deaths overall was in women - an increase of 255%.
Are you drinking more than five drinks a week? Four if you are a woman? Seek help. There are many reasons alcohol may seem the solution. It may be untreated anxiety, ADHD, a toxic relationship, overwhelm, or quite often unresolved trauma. Talk therapy isn't the only therapy. We have so many more options today.
You could change your life completely. No judgment. Ever.
