“Negative freedom is freedom from – freedom from oppression, whether it’s a colonial power or addiction to alcohol oppressing you. You need to be freed from negative freedom. Positive freedom is freedom for, freedom to be. And that’s what’s routinely ignored today.” – Os Guinness

Addictions are some of the most damaging afflictions a person could have. This is because of the toll they take on the health of a person, as well as the potential for other diseases and conditions which they increase, with prolonged abuse. And, when it comes to addiction to substances, alcohol may very well be the worst one.

This is because not only is an alcohol addiction very easy to fall into, but also because alcohol is readily available in the US, and not regulated at all.

Alarming Alcohol Addiction Statistics

To that end, following are some alcohol addiction statistics, to highlight how prevalent the issue is.

• The number of Americans with an alcohol addiction is 17.9 million adults, as well as 855,000 underage citizens.
• Alcohol abuse is the third most major cause of American deaths, with 88,000 people dying from it on a yearly basis.
• The national cost of alcohol-abuse related cases was $249 billion, in 2010.

Benefits of Alcohol Counseling

When statistics such as the aforementioned are taken into account, one must also know and consider the benefits of alcohol abuse counseling. If you have someone around you who needs counseling, or if you are in need of counseling yourself, following are some alcohol counseling benefits to help you consider counseling, wither for yourself or a loved one.

1) Counseling helps align life goals

When you are addicted to a substance, it can be difficult to think too much about the future and life goals. Counseling, however, snaps a person out of this state, and forces them to consider their own future, which helps them align their goals in life.

2) Talking about addiction makes it easier to tackle

Admittance is the very first step towards improvement; this is a fact that every addict needs to know, and subscribe to. When we lay out the problems which plague us, we encourage the solutions to those problems, and come up with reasons why we should get rid of them as well. Alcohol addiction is not talked about that much in the addict’s immediate surroundings.

3) Counseling could save a life

One of the major detrimental factors regarding alcohol abuse is the number of lives it claims. By counseling someone, you could very well save a life. Similarly, if you, as an alcoholic, opt for counseling, you may be taking a positive step towards saving your own life, which is a win-win scenario.

4) Effective counseling makes both counselor and counselee better people

The fact that you helped prevent a disaster in the making; combined with the sense of achievement that comes with counseling, makes for the development of a more whole, and deeper personality. Similarly, if you are an alcoholic who takes counseling, you will come out of the addiction a better, more spiritual and all-round more positive person.