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Family members and society as a whole must assist an individual who recognizes the negative consequences of alcoholism in breaking free from the cycle.
Understanding Alcohol Addiction
Addiction is an obsession in which a person keeps drinking alcohol in the knowledge of the hidden risks and the strong zeroes attached to it. It is always impossible for any person to set a drinking limit, and it becomes even more challenging for him to stop drinking all the time.
What is Alcohol Addiction?
Alcohol addiction, in simple words, can be explained as the strong desire for continuous usage of substances. The reason for this continuous usage can be psychological or social and varies from individual to individual.
Individuals experiencing alcohol addiction will have a very strong carving towards alcohol. They will forget their responsibilities towards the family as well as society and give the foremost priority to drinking alcohol. This condition of binge drinking is dangerous for the individual, and it affects his mental and physical health drastically.
Alcohol Dependence Leads to a Cycle
This excessive alcohol consumption will start a cycle that the person won’t even be aware of. When people first start drinking, it could be for social reasons or just for fun, but eventually, it becomes a daily habit.
While the system collects a tolerance to more alcohol as more of it is imbibed, the rate of absorption also goes up. It then progresses to the point where an individual will have to consume more and more alcohol to achieve the initial happy effects, developing a tolerance.
This cycle will intensify when the individual ceases the consumption of alcohol due to compulsion from his family or friends. The symptoms the individual displays during this period are called alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The alcohol dependency further intensifies, pulling the individual into a deep cycle of continuous usage of alcohol.
Effects of Alcohol on Physical and Mental Health
The usage of this substance has various negative effects. One major part of the body that affects the most is the liver. Prolonged use of alcohol can cause inflammation in the liver, leading to many other diseases related to it. Some of them are life-threatening also.
Excessive drinking raises blood pressure, which might result in heart-related conditions. The immune function system of the body may also be impacted. Because of this, the human body is incredibly fragile and prone to many illnesses. Alcohol use often causes additional difficulties, such as digestive disorders.
The cycle of Alcohol use disorder
The cycle has various stages. It starts with a social or fun consumption of alcohol, which slowly progresses to alcohol misuse. Once it becomes part of daily life, the individual goes through various stages, finally ending up in a continuous cycle.
Various Stages of Alcohol Use Disorder
The first stage is experimentation, where the individual tries the taste of the alcohol and enjoys the associated feeling after the consumption. At this stage, a tolerance towards alcohol is not yet developed, and the negative impacts may not be evident in this stage.
In the second stage, the consumption of alcohol will increase, making it part of the daily routine. In this stage, tolerance develops slowly, and the negative impact of it starts affecting the body. The individual now wants to be more involved in gatherings involving alcoholic beverages.
As the consumption increases, the individual will now become deeply dependent on alcohol for relief from the pressure or to forget the thoughts that are giving him pain. The drinking becomes more intense, and the deep craving for it will increase. The individual will experience an inability to control alcohol consumption and to stop drinking.
The final stage is when the individual is deeply addicted to alcohol. The individual now considers alcohol as the priority over all other responsibilities.
The Signs and Symptoms: Triggering Elements and Deep Cravings
Various triggering elements push an individual to alcohol dependency. It may be the work pressure or the problems in the family. It can also be due to the influence of friends or any other environmental factors such as the advertisements of alcohol.
Once addicted to alcohol, the individual displays various symptoms. One such symptom is a deep craving for alcohol. Regardless of the time or space, the individual starts consuming it for the desired pleasure. On the non-availability of alcohol, the individual shows stress and becomes an emotionally bad state. This will be evident to other people observing him. Over time, tolerance will also increase, and consumption will be higher.
Alcohol Affects the Behavioral Pattern
The mental well-being of the individual is severely affected by the usage of alcohol. As a result, a drastic variation in the individual’s behavior is observed. One major change observed is the inability of the individual to make a decision or the ability to judge the external factors reduced. This may cause injury to the individual. One of the common behavioral changes observed is aggression and behaving violently, even for very minor issues.
The individual will feel comfortable in isolation and want to withdraw themselves from social gatherings and family functions. The individual will also experience the breakup of relationships and a feeling of lost control towards each and everything.
Breaking the Chain of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Seek Professional Help
There are various institutions and sober centers that offer treatment for addicted individuals. A professional can asses the patient and prescribe the correct medications for a smart recovery at the earliest. A professional can make a detailed assessment and personalized treatment plans.
Identify the root issue: Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder.
It is one of the crucial and the first steps toward the treatment of alcohol use disorder. This step ensures the root cause for the individual to start consuming alcohol and later makes the individual completely dependent on it. Various factors are to be considered while trying to determine the root cause, including family background, status in society, and relationships with family members and friends.
Maintaining Sobriety: A Journey Away from Alcoholism
With proper treatment from a professional and support from family members, any individual can recover from the web of alcoholism. The journey away from alcoholism will be like a hill trip with lots of ups and downs. The family members will have to be strong and should be taking care of the individual all the time for a successful recovery from the state of addiction.
Various Resources for Recovery
Once the individual decides to recover from the claws of addiction, the individual should get the maximum support from the family members and society. They should take this as their responsibility until the individual is fully recovered.
FAQs
There are various minor and major issues that affect the human body both mentally and physically. It includes damage to various parts of the human body, like the liver and the heart. It also causes mental instability and disorders.
Someone with addiction shows a strong desire for it and craves more of it. Usage of alcohol can also induce behavioral changes like restlessness, anxiety, and aggression towards minor issues.
Though most of the symptoms are the same, how they are displayed varies from individual to individual. For some individuals, it may be deep aggression, while for others, it may be a state of depression.
