Alcohol Addiction

WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS ALCOHOL IS ADVERSELY AFFECTING YOUR LIFE?

By Health & Wellness Staff

Alcoholism is also referred to as alcohol use disorder, or AUD. According to www.addiction. com, alcoholism is a chronic disease in which excess drinking of alcohol makes it difficult for a person to live a healthy life – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Alcoholism is the second most common form of substance abuse, affecting an estimated 17 million adults and 855,000 adolescents in the United States, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol addiction affects people from all walks of life. A family history of addiction to alcohol puts a person at higher risk for developing AUD. Children of parents who have trouble with alcohol have a fourfold increased risk of developing the disorder. Psychological, genetic and behavioral factors can all contribute to AUD.

Physical manifestations of alcohol addiction include tremors, sweats and feeling sick to your stomach. Alcohol addiction can result in heart disease and liver disease, in addition to ulcers, diabetes, sexual dysfunction and brain damage. Women who drink heavily are at higher risk of developing breast cancer and osteoporosis. Drinking is also associated with an increased incidence of suicide and homicide.

The first step toward overcoming alcoholism is admitting you have a problem. There are a variety of treatment options and resources available that can help someone with AUD, as well as his or her family. Quitting on your own (“cold turkey”) is generally not recommended for a deeply entrenched addiction. Detox can be life threatening.

A drinking problem can range from mild to moderate to severe. Some people can drink socially, practicing restraint and self-control. Other people cannot seem to stop drinking once they start, and they keep drinking even when they suffer consequences such as hangovers, illness, alienating family and friends, blacking out or getting arrested for DUI. Some of the warning signs that alcohol is adversely affecting your life include:

You need a drink to get started or to fall asleep. You tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want to, but you keep getting drunk. You miss days at work or school due to drinking. Your ability to hold a job or maintain relationships with friends and family has deteriorated. You can’t stay sober for an extended period of time. Your tolerance for alcohol increases; that is, you have to drink more to achieve the desired high. You drink at inappropriate times, such as first thing in the morning, or in appropriate places, such as church or work. You hide alcohol and/or hide while drinking. You continue to drink even though it makes you feel depressed or anxious or adds to other health problems you have.

Alcoholism is the second most common form of substance abuse.

Perhaps the best known and most effective treatment for AUD is Alcoholics Anonymous (www.aa.org), a fellowship made up of recovering alcoholics who are dedicated to helping others learn to quit drinking and stay sober. They know exactly what you’re going through because they have been there themselves. Group members talk about their own drinking and the trouble they got into and share how they stopped. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking.

The stark truth is, if you have a problem with alcohol and keep on drinking, it will get worse – never better – until you realize you need to stop drinking. But only you can decide when that time has come – when, as A.A. says, you get sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Sources:

• Harvard Medical School (www.health.harvard. edu/addiction/alcohol-abuse) • Healthline (www.healthline.com) • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism (www.niaaa.nih.gov) • www.addiction.com

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