Alcohol abuse – signs and treatment |
Posted: August 19, 2020 |
How can you tell if you suffer from alcohol abuse when you don’t fit the stereotype? You never stole money to buy alcohol, don’t hide your drinking habits from your friends, have a job and family, and never get a DUI. Are you even addicted to alcohol if you didn’t do any of these? The truth is, alcoholism takes different forms, and the stereotype can mislead you some time. So how can you tell when a few drinks with your friends become an alcohol addiction? Some signs can help you detect if you abuse alcohol. Some may be recognizable, but some are difficult to identify. Often, mild alcohol abuse is overlooked, and the early warning signs you have a bad habit are ignored. Casual drinking isn’t a problem if you don’t have personal or religious restrictions. A glass of wine for dinner isn’t an issue, as long as you don’t add other drinks before or after your meal. The problem starts when you abuse substances. Let’s take a look at three different habits. Casual drinking – you sip some drinks with your friends, have a glass of wine at dinner or drink a beer while you watch football matches Alcohol abuse – a pattern of drinking excessively even if it has negative consequences on your health Alcoholism – an addiction or dependence to substances Even if many use these terms interchangeably, it’s best to know what each implies to determine if you’re dealing with an issue.
Now let’s check the signs that point you may abuse on alcohol. You drink excessive amounts of alcohol Casual drinking is defined as less than two drinks a day, for the average individual, spending on their gender and body weight. But even casual drinking can be problematic if it triggers side effects like health issues. If you drink more than five drinks a day, you’re probably binge drinking. To say you suffer from advanced alcoholism, you should drink more than ten glasses daily. But, usually, problematic behavior develops slowly, and you may think you need to increase the amount of alcohol you sip to feel the original effects. After a while, you no longer feel euphoric or relaxed after a glass of wine because your body gets used to the amount of alcohol you drink and builds resistance. You lose control while drinking When you struggle with alcohol addiction, you make a promise to yourself or to someone you love, that you will cut back on drinking. But when you cannot keep your promise because your body craves for a beverage, you may have an issue. You cannot stop drinking because you have reached a moment when your body needs the substance it’s addicted to. You cannot stop after you drink a beer. And you don’t think ahead of the consequences this habit has on you. Once you have the first glass of alcohol, you keep drinking until you get wholly intoxicated, and your behavior changes. You keep drinking even if alcohol triggers many issues Your partner divorcing you, and your DUIs cannot convince you to change your life and part with your bad habits. Everyone around you tries to make you aware of the problems alcohol causes, but you’re the only one who doesn’t seem to notice its effects. At some point, they feel powerless because they cannot choose in your place. You can even reach a point when you are so caught up in your denial that you cannot fully understand the extent of your deprivation and the consequences this habit has. Your downward spiral continues because alcohol makes you lose perspective and control. It’s challenging to face the issues it causes, but with the help of a therapist you can heal, no matter how severe your problem is. Most of your activities are alcohol-related When you spend a great deal of time engaging in activities related to drinking alcohol, you probably experience an issue. You tend to ignore all the other activities that imply for you to quit drinking alcohol. Financial obligations, family commitments, job requirements, property care, hobbies, and home care trigger your interest because they don’t imply drinking. When your family and friends point it out, you defend yourself by saying that you drink only to unwind because stress and problems overwhelm you. No one seems to understand the issues you’re dealing with, and your only companion is your booze. You experience withdrawal symptoms Alcohol withdrawal symptoms develop when you suddenly give up drinking alcohol. Most times, alcohol withdrawal symptoms include tremors, headaches, sweating, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, vomiting, and nausea. You can experience them when you try to get over a day without sipping your favorite booze. Sometimes you can even feel fatigue, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, symptoms similar to depression, and irritability. At some point, when you don’t provide your body with alcohol, you can deal with severe symptoms like convulsions, hallucinations, blackouts, and fever. When you experience any of the above signs, contact a specialist because you need professional support. You have an increased tolerance to alcohol After you drink excessively for a long time, your body develops a tolerance to alcohol. This makes you drink more alcohol because you want to feel the same effect that you once felt. But because your body is used with the substance, you need to drink more. You think you don’t have a problem because you don’t feel intoxicated every time you drink. In fact, most times, you don’t feel any effect. But only because you’re tolerant of alcohol doesn’t mean it’s healthy for your body. It still does a lot of damage, only that it works like a silent killer. We hope this article helps you figure out if you’re experiencing an alcohol addiction because most people who struggle with alcoholism don’t think they have a problem. Your family and friends can see the warning signs, and they can even highlight them, but it’s up to you to figure out if you have a bad habit.
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