In October 2022, at the age of 18, I was diagnosed as an alcoholic.
I started drinking when I was in high school.
I would come home later and later, relying on my parents to be asleep, I would sleep out at friends’ houses.
However, my parents suspected something even though they had no proof. Every now and then, when I would come home, they would smell alcohol, they would see that I was not lucid, I would sleep most of the day, I would talk little and I would tell a lot of lies.
They immediately sought help; they took me to the general practitioner, who was still the pediatrician at the time. He listened to me, he had me do blood tests, which showed nothing, and he advised us to have me helped by a psychologist.
However, I didn’t want to go and since I was 18 they couldn’t force me.
In the meantime, I started to have intestinal problems.
The family doctor prescribed some specific tests for me which showed various food intolerances and a very high triglyceride value for a girl of my age.
We went to an endocrinologist, also because I had gained weight in a short time. Amazed by the triglyceride values, the specialist advised me to have a balanced diet, but while he was talking to me and from my answers, he realized that there should be something more. The doctor then starts to talk about alcohol and explain to me the effects on present and future health considering my young age and the limit of alcohol units tolerated because a risky drinking does not set in.
Finally there is a doctor who starts to frame the problem, which until then I had denied and underestimated.
This brings to light, for everyone, that the problem exists.
At that point I realized how serious the situation was and I decided to get treatment.
I am now out of alcohol addiction, but I have a health problem (triglycerides) related to alcohol that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
From my experience, I thought it would be important for the school to structure its own information/education plan against alcohol abuse to be proposed periodically every year to keep attention always high on these very serious problems that can threaten the health of us young people.