Alcohol is a legal, controlled substance that lowers anxiety and inhibitions. If a person becomes addicted to alcohol it is known as alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease that can affect anyone regardless of social status, age and race etc. Psychological, genetics and behavioral factors can all contribute to getting this disease. This disease that changes the brain and neurochemistry which makes a person affected with alcoholism unable to control their actions. Not everyone that drinks alcohol is an alcoholic, but if an individual’s life is negatively affected by alcohol on a consistent basis, they are considered to have an alcohol use disorder.
Alcohol Addiction Symptoms
When a person becomes dependent on alcohol, a person becomes physically and/or mentally addicted to alcohol; an alcoholic will always have a strong urge to drink and will feel like they must drink to get by. Abusing alcohol means that a person has unhealthy or dangerous drinking habits. They might be drinking daily or drinking too much at a time. This can lead to lost income from missing work and can harm relationships and create legal problems if you get caught drinking and driving. Alcoholics will continue drinking even if they know they are causing these problems. How much a person drinks and the kind of alcohol consumed is different for every person affected. While some alcoholics drink all day long, every day others might binge and then remain sober for a few days.
Other Warning Signs of Alcoholism
Someone who has an addiction to alcohol, needs to drink heavily and are unable to stay sober for extended periods of time. They may also become depressed, restless and irritable when drinking. They may display an inability to control drinking, violent or erratic behavior and a decrease in activities with friends and family to spend more time drinking. The person can’t control their alcohol intake or how much they consume. They need to increase their alcohol intake to get the same effect and they experience withdrawal symptoms like feeling sick to the stomach, sweating, shakiness and anxiety when they stop drinking. Trying to quit or cut back with these withdrawal symptoms means there’s an addiction to alcohol.
How much Alcohol is Too Much?
Alcohol is everywhere and has its place in cultural and family traditions. This makes it difficult to know when you begin drinking too much. Some indication can be given if a woman consumes more than three drinks at one time during the day or more than seven drinks a week and a man who has more than four drinks at one time or more than fourteen drinks a week. If you find yourself switching up what you drink in an effort to drink less or remain sober and forget what happened while you were drinking, you are drinking too much. Always worrying about whether you’ll have enough alcohol for the night or weekend is another sign of alcohol addiction.
Help & Recovery for Alcohol Addiction
Alcoholism is a long-term disease and should not be seen as a weakness or a lack of willpower. If you’re having problems with alcohol you should talk to your doctor. Successful treatment depends on the individual drive of the person addicted to get better and the earlier treatment starts, the better the chance for successful treatment. If you’re ready to overcome an alcohol addiction, contact Meehab Addiction Recovery for help. They can provide advice, resources and support to help in recovery of alcohol addiction. Leave your addiction behind and call us today.
