Alcohol abuse is a topic that is rarely discussed in our society. Sure, people talk about who has had too much to drink (once), but when and how is the problem tackled when the seriousness of the situation is recognized?
Strange, because for many people around the world, and especially in Europe, it is a serious problem and health risk.
According to the WHO, an estimated 237 million men and 46 million women worldwide suffer from alcohol use disorders, with the highest prevalence among men and women in the Europe region (14.8% and 3.5% respectively) and the Americas region (11.5% and 5.1% respectively). Alcohol use disorders are more prevalent in high-income countries.
Personally, I only realized the seriousness of this disease when a friend, then still living on Koh Samui, actually reached his limit. And I thought I had already seen a lot…
I did what I thought was best, but soon recognized that I didn’t have enough knowledge to help “efficiently”. So I turned to an AA coach for advice.
I was standing outside my friend’s front door with water and soup in hand when the AA coach called me back and told me that what I was doing (bringing food, being there) wasn’t helping. His advice was to turn back. He also disagreed with me when I asked him if I could take the scooter key with me (so he wouldn’t put himself and others in danger on his nightly outings). The AA coach came to the conclusion that I can’t help him by bringing him food and just listening and giving advice. My friend needs to hit rock bottom, stop drinking and go back to AA meetings.
Michael died 1.5 years later at the age of almost 40.
I think everyone has to decide for themselves what the right path to recovery is.
AA seems to be the right path for many people. It’s not only a starting point for the person concerned, but also for the people in their immediate environment who also need help.
Another option is private alcohol detox centers or clinics.
Since summer 2023 I have been teaching in Alcohol Detox Retreat on Mallorca.
The fact that yoga & meditation can play an important role in holistic healing is recognized at Vida Libre.
The holistic approach, the professional team of experts assembled for this purpose and the friendly environment in which everything is embedded make it a recommendation for anyone looking for the right place.
If required, just take a look here.
A few weeks ago, a local newspaper wrote about the Vida Libre Project (unfortunately only in German). But it was a good opportunity to get a picture of the team.
