Alcohol Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment

The substances’ strength and predictability can be significantly affected, and even deadly. Alcohol, in particular, is dangerous to mix with other substances since it is a depressant. Severe damage to the heart, brain, and other organs can occur, as well as overdose.

• If you have a parent or grandparent that struggled with alcoholism, it’s wise to be extremely careful with drugs and other substances.
• But the prospects for successful long-term problem resolution are good for people who seek help from appropriate sources.
• Consequently, people suffering from psychological dependence will spend excess time obtaining drugs, using the drugs, and recovering from the side effects of the drugs.
• Submit your number and receive a free call today from a treatment provider.

As tolerance builds up, you’ll find that you need to drink more and more to catch the same buzz. When this happens, it becomes difficult for people to experience joy and pleasure from regular things. Your brain has become accustomed to associating dopamine release — pleasure — with drinking, making it hard for you to enjoy anything else. Anxiety and depression are difficult and unpleasant emotions that many people prefer not to experience.

Alcohol Abuse vs. Alcohol Dependence

It’s a disease of brain function and requires medical and psychological treatments to control it. The study appears today in the CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease. If you or a loved one is ready to overcome an alcohol addiction, reach out today. Treatment providers can connect you with programs that provide the tools to help you get and stay sober. Additionally, consuming too much alcohol can affect your long-term health.

Generally, why is alcohol addictives can be broken up into either psychological or physical components. When you swallow the first sip of an alcoholic beverage, the alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed to various organs in the body. Drinking alcohol, irrespective of the amount can be dangerous in certain situations, such as drinking and driving, drinking while pregnant, and combining alcohol with certain medications.

Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse

Severe acute withdrawal symptoms such as delirium tremens and seizures rarely occur after 1-week post cessation of alcohol. The acute withdrawal phase can be defined as lasting between one and three weeks. In the period of 3–6 weeks following cessation, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbance are common.