Alcohol Addiction and How to Cope - Kelvin 23

Feeling Overwhelmed
Kelvin had a crazy year in college. The courses that must be studied that semester were highly challenging, and he felt that everything was hard to grasp. He tried to attend all his classes because he did not want to miss a lecture. He had always done well in school and hardly struggled until now.
The semester finally ended, which meant it was time to sit for the future semester exams. Kelvin felt so unprepared to take any exam. This was the first time, but he had no choice. There were seven examinations that students had to take to conclude the semester, and as the days went by, Kelvin and his classmates got through the most challenging exams they had ever sat for.

‘’Things began getting out of hand.’’
When he completed the last paper, Kelvin was out of the exam hall and into a liquor store. He did not usually drink much, but this time he was so stressed, and all he could think of was how he would fail his exams. His drinking spree soon got out of hand and became a daily occurrence. He started holding house parties where people came to drink alcohol and use other common drugs like weed and cigarettes. While doing all this, his girlfriend was not too happy and asked him to cut down on the drinking, and when she felt like he was not going to cut down soon, she decided to end the relationship, which stressed Kelvin even more.

‘’Blow of Realization’’
One day, Kelvin got into a nasty physical fight with one of the people he had invited to his house party. It was not someone he knew; however, the war was so bad that both got seriously injured and ended up in the hospital. While in the hospital, he got time to reflect on his new behaviour, and he did not like how he behaved. He had already lost so much, including his girlfriend and a few friends and his parents were unhappy with him. He did not think things could get out of hand like this, and that is when he decided to get help. He got online, searched for places where he could get help and came across the 1190 helpline that supports adolescents and youth.

‘’Getting help’’
He immediately reached out and was connected to a counsellor. After being informed that he was in a non-judgmental space and that his concern would be treated with utmost confidentiality, he found it easier to open up and share his story. The counsellor listened with empathy as Kelvin shared his experience. The counsellor thanked Kelvin for reaching out and sharing his challenges. She created an action plan to inform how the subsequent sessions would progress as they continued working together. The counsellor would conduct follow-up sessions to ensure Kelvin got the best psychosocial support and learnt how to properly cope with stress and intense pressure, such as challenging exams and managing a breakup.