If you are an alcoholic, and stop drinking, are you cured? Many people would answer yes. But that’s not necessarily the case. Alcoholism is a disease of excess, but in order to really conquer the demon and move on with your recovery, you have to get to the root of the problem. That means understanding why the behavior happens, and what type of actions need to take its place. The condition known as Dry Drunk Syndrome occurs when someone quits drinking, and that’s it. Instead of finding happiness in sobriety, having new habits and activities in your life, the dry drunk is stuck in the angry mindset of an alcoholic. Although they are not drinking, they may still be the same miserable person, struggling through every day.

1. ADDRESSING DRY
DRUNK ANGER
R O X A N N E W I L M E S A N D C H U C K H O R T O N
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2. I F Y O U A R E A N A L C O H O L I C ,
A N D S T O P D R I N K I N G , A R E Y O U
C U R E D ? M A N Y P E O P L E W O U L D
A N S W E R Y E S . B U T T H A T ’ S N O T
N E C E S S A R I L Y T H E C A S E .
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3. A L C O H O L I S M I S A D I S E A S E O F E X C E S S ,
B U T I N O R D E R T O R E A L L Y C O N Q U E R T H E
D E M O N A N D M O V E O N W I T H Y O U R
R E C O V E R Y , Y O U H A V E T O G E T T O T H E
R O O T O F T H E P R O B L E M . T H A T M E A N S
U N D E R S T A N D I N G W H Y T H E B E H A V I O R
H A P P E N S , A N D W H A T T Y P E O F A C T I O N S
N E E D T O T A K E I T S P L A C E .
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4. T H E C O N D I T I O N K N O W N A S
D R Y D R U N K S Y N D R O M E
O C C U R S W H E N S O M E O N E
Q U I T S D R I N K I N G , A N D T H A T ’ S I T .
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5. O N C E A P E R S O N S T O P S U S I N G , T H E Y N E E D
T O F I N D A N O T H E R P A S S I O N I N W H I C H T H E Y
C A N F I N D J O Y . W H E T H E R I T ’ S R E P L A C I N G
T H E D R U G W I T H E X E R C I S E , S T U D Y I N G
S O M E T H I N G N E W , A H O B B Y , R E L I G I O N , E T C . ,
S O M E T H I N G N E E D S T O D I V E R T T H E T I M E
O N C E S P E N T O N D R I N K I N G T O A P O S I T I V E
A C T I V I T Y . W I T H O U T T H I S D I V E R S I O N A N D A N
U N D E R S T A N D I N G O F T H E I R P E R S O N A L
T R I G G E R S , R E C O V E R Y W I L L B E E L U S I V E .
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6. S O M E O F T H E S Y M P T O M S
O F A D R Y D R U N K A R E :
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A Q U I C K T E M P E R , E S P E C I A L L Y W H E N S T R E S S E D , B U T A L S O
I N S I M P L E R S I T U A T I O N S
R E P L A C I N G O N E B A D H A B I T F O R A N O T H E R , L I K E C I G A R E T T E S
O R A N O T H E R D R U G F O R A L C O H O L
E X T R E M E S E L F - P I T Y , T H E Y M A Y T H I N K L I F E W I L L N E V E R
G E T B E T T E R F O R T H E M
F A I L I N G T O R E M E M B E R H O W B A D T H I N G S R E A L L Y W E R E
W H E N T H E Y W E R E D R I N K I N G — L I K E R O M A N T I C I Z I N G A P A S T
R E L A T I O N S H I P , Y O U O F T E N F O R G E T T H E B A D T I M E S W H E N
Y O U ’ R E M I S S I N G T H A T P E R S O N
R E M A I N I N G N E G A T I V E A N D B E I N G U N A B L E T O I M A G I N E A
P O S I T I V E F U T U R E

7. W H E N T H E S E S Y M P T O M S A R E P R E S E N T I T
D O E S N ’ T T A K E L O N G F O R A R E L A P S E T O
O C C U R . B U T I S A R E L A P S E I N E V I T A B L E ? I S
T H E R E N O H O P E F O R S O M E O N E
C A T E G O R I Z E D A S A D R Y D R U N K ?
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8. T H E R E I S A L W A Y S H O P E . O N E K E Y
C O M P O N E N T I N S U C C E S S F U L R E C O V E R Y I S
N O T T R Y I N G T O D O I T A L O N E .
A L C O H O L I C S T E N D T O B E M O R E I N S E C U R E
A N D D E P R E S S E D , H A V I N G L O W E R S E L F -
E S T E E M A N D F E W E R H E A L T H Y A D U L T
R E L A T I O N S H I P S . T H E Y O F T E N S U F F E R F R O M
A T R A U M A O R S I T U A T I O N W I T H W H I C H
T H E Y H A V E Y E T T O C O M E T O T E R M S .
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9. I N S T E A D T H E Y O P T T O S T U F F T H E I R
F E E L I N G S , D R I N K I N G T O F I N D S O L A C E
F R O M T H E P A I N . B Y W O R K I N G W I T H A
T R A I N E D C O U N S E L O R , I T I S E A S I E R T O G E T
T O T H E R O O T O F T H E P R O B L E M S A N D
P R O G R E S S I N R E C O V E R Y .
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10. A L C O H O L I S M I S A D I S E A S E T H A T I S A S M U C H
M E N T A L A S P H Y S I C A L . S T O P P I N G T H E
C O N S U M P T I O N O F A L C O H O L I S T H E F I R S T S T E P .
B U T T H E R E N E E D S T O B E A H O L I S T I C P L A N T O
R E M A I N S O B E R . T H E A N G E R T H A T A C C O M P A N I E S
Q U I T T I N G F O R S O M E P E O P L E , T H E D R Y D R U N K ,
C A N B E A V O I D E D W I T H A W E L L - R O U N D E D P L A N
T H A T E N C O M P A S S E S B O T H M I N D A N D B O D Y . A N D
T H A T S H O U L D B E A P L A N T H A T I N V O L V E S O T H E R S
A N D A P A T H T O A H A P P Y A N D S O B E R F U T U R E .
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