Dangers of an Alcohol Addiction
What is alcohol addiction?
An alcohol addiction or an alcohol use disorder or alcoholism is when someone is no longer able to control their drinking even if it is affecting their relationships, their work and their health. Alcohol addiction is not an uncommon occurrence especially in developed countries and countries like India. Studies conducted in the last couple of decades associated alcohol use disorders with a wide variety of factors such as socioeconomic conditions, gender and even race. But a lot of that research on the subject has hence been proved wrong. Alcoholism is currently proved to be caused by the changes to the brain as a result of long-term alcohol consumption. Studies also indicate that there are some individuals that are more at risk of developing a dependence on alcohol than others. Factors such as pre-existing mental health conditions and history of addiction in the family could be factors that could make someone prone to an alcohol use disorder.
What causes an alcohol addiction?
Alcohol consumption can affect the levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain. The resultant changes in the levels of neurotransmitters can have positive effects on the mood of an individual. They will crave for more alcohol or alcohol more often. Persistent long-term alcohol use can build a “tolerance” in a user – due to which they will need to consume larger quantity of alcohol to feel the same high as when they started out. At this stage quitting alcohol consumption can be painful and an individual will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop.
What are the symptoms of an alcohol use disorder?
In many cases, individuals or their family only seek help for addiction when things get really bad. An example is that an individual end up as either the cause or the victim of an accident when drunk or if they are suffering from an organ damage caused by the addiction. But the warning signs of an addiction are especially visible if one knows what to watch out for. Our team at Phoenix has come up with a couple of tell-tale signs that can indicate an addiction in a user. We list some below:
- They are single-mindedly focussed on the consumption of alcohol. They end up consuming large quantities of alcohol without any regard for the time of the day or where they are.
- They hide their drinking habits from their friends and family.
- They aren’t able to maintain a job due to their inability to control their drinking.
- They could be arrested as a result of their drinking.
- They spend less time with their loved ones and instead spend time with new and unscrupulous social circle with whom they consume alcohol.
What are the effects of an alcohol addiction?
Alcohol consumption can have an adverse effect on a user’s health. Some of them are listed below:
- Mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, mood swings, impulsive behaviours, lowered inhibitions can be caused by alcohol consumption.
- Alcohol consumption can lead to dehydration which by itself can lead to other conditions such as Headaches, Nausea, Vomiting and Hangovers.
- Alcohol use during pregnancy can be devastating to the health of an unborn child and lead to miscarriages.
- Alcohol use can also affect cardiovascular health and lead to high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, stoke or heart attacks.
- Long-term alcohol use is linked to Liver diseases as alcohol is first processed in the liver. Liver diseases such as the Cirrhosis of the Liver, Fibrosis, Fatty Liver are caused by persistent, long-term alcohol use.
- Alcohol use over a long-term can lead to a weakened immune system and also the development of Cancer in the Liver, Colon, Rectum and Breast.
How can we help?
Since long-term alcohol use can make changes to the brain that are hard to reverse, it is best to get the right professional help that can help you beat it. A Licensed Rehab with an experienced team and a proven treatment program such as Phoenix Rehab can help provide the right mindset and the tools that can help you lead a life free from an addiction to alcohol. For help, reach our addiction counsellor at +91 77999 19293.
