Alcoholism Treatment

Definition of Alcoholism

Alcoholism, also known by its clinical name Alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a condition defined by a person’s impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite negative social, occupational, or health consequences. Someone with AUD will be preoccupied with drinking, and will pursue drinking regardless of the risks associated with drinking. Alcohol use disorder is likely to put a person’s health or safety at risk or cause other problems related to alcohol consumption. AUD is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, but with the right support system in place people often recover from their alcohol use disorder and go on to live happy and healthy lives.

What are the Causes of Alcohol Addition?

There is no single cause of alcohol use disorder. Usually, AUD is the result of several interconnected factors in a person’s life that can influence a person’s drinking. Some of these factors are:

• Underage Drinking. If a person chooses to drink alcohol before they are 15 years old, they are statistically more likely to develop alcohol use disorder.
• Frequent Drinking. If a person drinks often and in large amounts, they are likely to develop AUD. This is because a person’s body adjusts to the presence of alcohol and starts to crave alcohol to feel normal.
• Family History. If a person has a family history of problematic alcohol use, it is more likely that they will develop their own problem with alcohol. Note that this is only one factor among many. A person’s family history does not determine their relationship with alcohol. It is only one factor among many.
• Mental health conditions. Sometimes mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression can cause a person to seek out alcohol for relief. At times these conditions are undiagnosed, and a person in need of help tries to self medicate with alcohol. In the long run, this only serves to worsen the mental health condition.
• Trauma. As with mental health conditions, someone who has experienced significant trauma might try to soothe themselves with alcohol use.
• Social factors. Social factors include the influence of a peer group, the customs related to a person’s culture, the support or lack of support from loved ones, and other factors related to the way in which a person interacts with the world.

How do you know if you need treatment for alcohol use disorder?

One major indicator that you may need treatment for alcohol use disorder is loss of control over drinking. This is often the first major sign of alcohol use disorder. The amount of alcohol that a person drinks can increase rapidly, even early in the progression of alcohol use disorder. Sometimes this presents itself in the form of binge drinking, which is the rapid consumption of alcohol that quickly raises a person’s blood alcohol content. Daily drinking is another sign of loss of control over drinking.

Craving alcohol is another sign that you may need treatment for AUD. There are normal times for a person to want to consume alcohol, such as with dinner, at a celebration, or at the end of the day when you are safely at home. Craving alcohol in the morning when you wake up or while you are at work is a sign that you are developing a tolerance to alcohol and that your body needs alcohol to feel normal.

Often a person with alcohol use disorder will place the consumption of alcohol over other responsibilities. One example of this is nightly heavy drinking that causes a person to perform poorly at work the next day due to a severe hangover. Another example is choosing to drink over fostering important relationships in your life. If you are choosing alcohol consumption over important things in your life, or if your alcohol consumption is negatively affecting your responsibilities, you may want to consider treatment options.

Blacking out is evidence that you may be developing alcohol use disorder. Blacking out means that you drink enough alcohol that you forget large periods. If you are blacking out you might wake up somewhere with no memory of how you arrived there.

Another significant sign that you have AUD is the presence of withdrawal symptoms such as shaking hands, nausea, headaches, or heavy sweating when you go without alcohol. This is a sign that your body craves alcohol to feel normal.

Serious health problems will start to occur as AUD progresses. Significant alcohol use can cause many health complications such as an increased likelihood of cancer, a weaker immune system, heart disease, liver damage, increased risk of stroke, and many more issues.

Not every person with alcohol use disorder will display all of these signs, but if you display any of these signs, it is time to pause and take stock of the amount of alcohol you are drinking and consider getting help.