Alcohol Addiction
How is alcohol addiction defined?
Alcohol addiction (also known as alcoholism) is the incontrollable need for alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and other spirits – this is different to alcohol abuse.
A person considered an alcoholic craves alcohol and cannot stop once they begin drinking. A person addicted to alcohol can start drinking the minute they awake and throughout the entire day. The craving to drink is so strong that nothing else matters except the next drink, which bears a strong resemblance to drug addiction.
People suffering from alcohol addiction will steal money from family members to buy alcohol, and even sell belongings.
As a person begins to rely on the alcoholic beverage to handle their emotions, the more alcohol a person will need in order to reach that same state. If the person does not have a drink, they can experience shakiness, sweating, anxiety, and nausea.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Addiction
With alcohol addiction, there are both physical and psychological signs.
The physical signs you can watch for with alcohol addiction include:
- Passing Out
- Black Outs – doing things that are not remembered
- Weight loss
- Upset stomach
- Sore stomach
- Redness in the face
- Redness in the cheeks
- Numbness in the hands and feet
- Tingling in the hands and feet
Another physical sign is that of tolerance which means that the body begins to depend on the alcoholic drink and will need more in order to have the same effect.
Those that drink heavily may experience shaking in the morning, and if they do not obtain an alcoholic drink their body can react in ways such as not only shaking but also sweating, vomiting, confusion, seizures, and hallucinations.
Psychological & behavioural signs that you can watch for with alcohol addiction include:
- Unable to control or supress the urge to drink alcohol
- Irrational or dangerous behaviour such as driving while intoxicated
- Increased irritability
- Increased agitation
- Increased anger
- Lowered threshold for violence
- Avoiding events where alcohol will not be served
- Sudden & unexpected weeping
- Sudden & unexpected emotional displays
- Unexplained absences
- Unexplained days off work
- Failure to uphold commitments
- Sleeping too much
- Problems sleeping
Causes of Alcohol Addiction
Some scientists believe that alcohol addiction is hereditary or that if a person in your family was an alcoholic then children exposed to this behaviour may also be at a greater risk of having an alcohol addiction themselves.
Alcohol addiction has been seen to develop or become worse due to a persons environment or if they have had a traumatic experience. Other causes may include peer pressures, family, friends, and culture.
As with other addiction, research is ongoing to determine if hereditary or environmental factors may be at the root cause of alcohol addiction.
Dangers of Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol addiction can lead to all kinds of problems not only for the person with the addiction but others that may come in contact with the person.
At this time it is estimated that alcohol plays a part in about half of all crimes, murders, accidental deaths, and suicides in the UK.
Health problems associated with alcohol addiction include brain damage, diseases of the liver, and heart disease. If a person does not stop drinking, they reduce their life expectancy by ten to fifteen years.
Brain damage occurs due to the fact that too much alcohol can detroy brain cells which of course will cause brain damage.
In addition to harming the brain, alcohol can also damage the central nervous system by disturbing its structure and function.
If the central nervous system is damaged the result can include the obstruction of the ability to retrieve, combine, and process information.
A person that is addicted to alcohol can also experience inflammation in the mouth, stomach, and esophagus, which could lead to cancer in these areas, especially if the person is a smoker.
Alcohol has been known to damage sexual function, harm the vision, cause water retention, cause malnutrition, and cause slow circulation. Alcohol in large quantities can lean to skin disorders, pancreatic disorders, weakening of the muscles, weakening of the bones, and a decrease in the immune system.
The liver is often the worst hit when a person is addicted to alcohol, since the majority of the alcohol is broken down in the liver.
As a person consumes excessive amounts of alcohol over time, the liver can suffer from disorders or serious damage.
Liver damage from alcohol addiction is seen in three stages including:
- Stage 1: liver enlargement – liver cells have been attacked with abnormal fatty tissue
- Stage 2: alcoholic hepatitis – liver cells swell, become inflamed, and then die
- Stage 3: cirrhosis – fibrous scar tissues are formed
Eventually the liver can be irreparably damaged requiring a liver transplant, or of course, death.
Learn more about alcohol rehab, alcohol abuse, & alcohol addiction treatment.
