The alcohol abuse disorder, also known as alcoholism, is an illness that provokes the craving to ingest alcohol, no matter the consequences this will have on this person’s life and work. Once this person starts to drink, they cannot stop or control themselves. They’ll feel the physical dependence and increase the tolerance to the effects of drinking the same amount of alcohol.
Unfortunately, a truckers’ lifestyle favors the development of this condition. Besides the usual factors that develop alcoholism such as genes, depression, easy access, low self-esteem and advertising; Truck drivers’ routines, boredom, endless hours behind the wheel, loneliness, fatigue or the concern about having enough money, since they are paid per mile, makes them more vulnerable to drink excessively.
The alcoholism can cause the following physical problems:
- Memory loss
- Gastrointestinal complications (pancreas damage, gastritis and more)
- Fatigue
- Hypertension
- Eye muscles
- Erectile dysfunction
- Diabetes
- Hypoglycemia
- Nervous system problems
- Liver diseases
- Thinning bones
- Cancer
- Mental illness
- Heart problems
In addition to these problems, the consequences of driving drunk in the road can be fatal. So, truck drivers must be able to detect alcoholism, from the signs that will be described below, in their own behavior or in their truckers colleagues’ conduct and make dramatic changes to avoid accidents and keep the road safe:
- Feeling a big need to drink
- Been drinking in secret or lying about it
- Lack of capacity to limit the amount of alcohol consumed
- Blacking out
- Giving up the hobbies
- Forgetting about periods of time or events
- Having nausea, shaking and excessively sweating if not drinking
- Keeping alcohol in hidden places of the truck
- Gulping alcohol to feel good
How truckers can fight against alcoholism?
Truckers can overcome their addiction after the condition is diagnosed, through different treatment possibilities such as getting help from a qualified counselor, joining support groups, requesting their doctor to prescribe some medications to avoid the cravings to drink or to prevent withdrawal symptoms and more. Truckers should seek family support and for some, it is crucial to know the word of God. The important thing is to combat alcoholism on the road; the chosen method varies between trucker to trucker.
