We’ve all been warned of the negative ramifications of alcohol at some or other point in life. Whether you take heed to it or not, is your choice. One such person who made his choice was Arun*. Arun* came into our clinic needing help for his alcohol addiction. Once he was allotted one of our psychologists, he revealed that his addiction issues were the tip of the iceberg.

A 47-year-old man, Arun* struggled with depression, and amnesia found it difficult to cope with his everyday life, was lonely, and told us that he heard voices. He also said that when he tries to let go of his alcohol addiction, he tends to be aggressive and has cravings, blackouts, and withdrawal symptoms. He said that while he was struggling internally, he had good relationships with his wife, children, and work. He’s also had normal friendships as a child, teenager, and young adult.

His first depressive episode was when he was 25 years old and right now, his most prominent depressive symptoms were feeling irritated, inability to make decisions, fatigue, guilt, difficulty motivating herself to perform daily tasks, loneliness, social withdrawal, and a loss of pleasure. Initially, when Arun* came in, he refused to acknowledge that he was an alcoholic due to the shame and stigma associated with it. So, our therapist first started out by helping him accept that he was an alcoholic but that recovery is possible. Once Arun* saw himself as an individual who needs to be accountable and take responsibility for his own actions, he also saw progress in himself.

He started being mindful of his impulses and his thoughts and emotions. This reduced his fear, frustrations, paranoia, and most of his depressive symptoms. Somatically, his body aches and high blood pressure also stopped and he completely stopped drinking.

(*name changed for anonymity)