How To Detect the Signs Of Alcoholism.. Various Stages Of Alcoholism.. Alcohol Treatment Program helps with Recovery.. Causes and Risk Factors of Alcoholism..
Alcoholism refers to a chronic disease that is often progressive and can cause fatal damage to an individual’s health when left untreated. Regular heavy intake of alcohol causes chemical imbalances in the brain or leads to depletion of certain chemicals, which makes your body crave alcohol to feel good. This compels you to remain addicted for the sake of warding away negative feelings.
Stages Of Alcoholism
Typically, there are three stages of alcoholism: early stage, middle stage, and late stage. These stages have characteristic symptoms that the patient himself must be aware of, so that he can help himself before it is too late. The sooner you identify the symptoms, the earlier you can come to your rescue.
Early Stages Of Alcoholism
In this stage, an individual drinks to merely get relaxed or to deal with temporary problems that are causing him anxiety. The “feel-good” factor encourages him to resort to drinking whenever he has a problem, which may develop into a habit at a later stage. Gradually, the patient’s tolerance to alcohol decreases. Such an individual may completely appear normal in the initial stages but loses control over his postures and tongue after some time, entering the next stage of alcoholism.
Middle Stages Of Alcoholism
If an individual does not exercise control over his alcohol intake in the early stage, when it is particularly easy to do so, he begins to become physically dependent on alcohol. His desire to consume alcohol gradually increases. He begins to lose control over alcohol intake, and his body’s ability to process alcohol reduces. As a result, he gets intoxicated very easily, even with very little alcohol intake. In this stage, an alcoholic realizes that he has a problem but has already lost control.
Last Stage Of Alcoholism
In this stage, an alcoholic becomes obsessed with drinking and desperately looking for an excuse to drink. By now, everyone around him knows that there is a major problem, as the alcoholic’s mental and physical health are severely deteriorating. Also, the body’s immunity falters, and he is prone to other diseases as his appetite decreases. In fact, if the alcoholic does not sop drinking, he may even die. He has to seek abstinence and specialized medical assistance immediately to save his life. There are specialized health-care institutions providing such treatment in groups. For those who do not want group treatments, there are several treatment programs on a one-on-one basis.
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Alcohol addiction and physical reliance on alcohol occur slowly. Over time, drinking alcohol changes the balance of a few chemicals in your mind, like gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), which reduces impulsiveness, as well as glutamate, which excites the nervous system. Alcohol even raises the level of dopamine in the mind, which is linked with the attractive features of drinking alcohol.
Extreme, long-term drinking could increase or deplete the levels of a few of these chemicals, making your body to desire for alcohol to reinstate good feelings or to keep away from the negative feelings.
Other factors could lead to unnecessary drinking, which adds to the addiction procedure. These consist of
Genetics: Some genetic factors might cause an individual to be susceptible to alcoholism or additional addictions.
Emotional state: High levels of anxiety, stress or emotional distress can cause some individuals to drink alcohol to chunk out of the disorder. Certain stress hormones could be linked with alcoholism.
Psychological factors: Having low confidence or hopelessness may make you more likely to abuse alcohol.
Having a close partner or friends who drink frequently. However, who don’t abuse alcohol might be able to endorse extreme drinking on your fraction. It might be hard for you to distance yourself from these types of people or from their drinking habits.
Cultural and social factors: The impressive way that drinking alcohol is represented in publicity and in the media might send the message that it is OK to drink excessively.
Risk factors
Stable drinking over time could produce a physical reliance on alcohol. Drinking over 15 drinks per week for men or 12 drinks in a week for women augments the risk of rising confidence on alcohol. Though, drinking by itself is only one of the peril factors that add to alcoholism. Additional risk factors consist of:
Age: People who start drinking at an early age by age 16 or earlier are at a high danger of alcohol reliance or abuse.
Genetics: Your hereditary makeup might augment your danger of alcohol dependance.
Sex: Men are more probably to turn out to be needy on or neglect alcohol than are women.
Family history: The danger of alcoholism is high for citizens who had a parent or parents who abused alcohol.
Emotional disorders: Being harshly unhappy or having anxiety places you at a larger risk of abusing alcohol. Adults with concentration deficit/hyperactivity chaos also might be more probably to turn out to be reliant on alcohol.
Although a lot of people imagine otherwise, alcoholism is a treatable disease. Medications, self-help and counseling groups are among the therapies which can give continuing support to facilitate you improve from alcoholism.
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In College you drink. But have you become an alcoholic? Check out more at College.HealthGuru.com?YT Sure, you enjoy the occasional beer–or maybe you find pleasure from really letting loose once in a while. But does your imbibing mean you have alcoholism and just how many drinks does it take to make an alcoholic? In this video, we’ll explore alcohol abuse, from the effects of drinking too much to what it means if you spend a great deal of time drunk.
In medical terms, alcoholism can be defined as a chronic disease that is often progressive and can cause fatal damage to an individual’s health when left untreated.
Regular heavy intake of alcohol causes chemical imbalances in the brain or leads to depletion of certain chemicals, which makes your body crave alcohol to feel good.
Excessive alcohol intake may alter the composition of chemicals such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA responsible for inhibiting impulsiveness) and glutamate (stimulates nervous system). Excessive drinking can also deplete these chemicals, in the absence of which the body seeks alcohol to ward off negativity.
Such a condition, when left untreated, may fatally damage an individual’s health.
Alcohol addiction is predominant among youngsters. Many youngsters who do not have material obligations also take up drinking as a pastime and gradually get addicted to it. Statistics show that nearly 60% of youngsters take up drinking to feel that they are mature.
Alcohol Addiction And Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol abuse is a state in which an individual indulges in excessive intake of alcohol, which takes a toll on his health, but retains capacity to refrain from the habit. Alcoholism, on the other hand, is a dangerous stage wherein the individual completely loses control over alcohol intake and continues to consume it in spite of suffering from severe health hazards. This state is characterized by physical dependence on alcohol, which can be attributed to various social factors as well genetic and psychological issues.
Factors Leading To Excessive Drinking
Genetics: If you have a history of alcoholism in your family, you are more vulnerable to alcohol addiction.
Emotional Instability: Anxiety, high stress levels, or any emotional trauma can cause excessive drinking, as they excite the stress hormones.
Psychological factors: Low self-esteem and prolonged depression may lead to alcohol abuse. If you have alcoholics in your circle of friends, you are prone to the disease.
Social and cultural factors: Most people associate drinking with social class and believe that one cannot belong to the elites if he does not drink, as drinking is fashion. Moreover, the advertisements portray drinking as a part of ”belonging.”
Avoid Falling Prey To Alcoholism
An interesting fact about alcohol addiction is that the person indulging in the habit feels better not while indulging in it but at the time of deciding to indulge. This suggests that there is a scope to deal with this crisis situation by exercising control over the moment the thought of indulging in the act comes to mind.
Alcoholism can be a chronic disease that is often progressive and can cause chronic damage to a persons health, when left untreated. Heavy alcohol intake on a regular basis causes chemical imbalances in the individual’s brain.
For instance, it alters the composition of chemicals such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA responsible for inhibiting impulsiveness) and glutamate (stimulates nervous system). Excessive drinking can also deplete these chemicals, in the absence of which the body seeks alcohol to ward off negativity. Such a condition when left untreated may fatally damage an individual’s health.
Excessive drinking may also depress one’s nervous system, damaging the vital brain centers. This leads to a stage wherein the alcoholic completely loses control over his tongue and postures.Alcoholism may also cause fatigue, memory loss for a short term, weakness of eye muscles, and paralysis. In the last stage, the patient may even go into a coma, which can be life-threatening. In addition,, alcoholism causes the following health disorders:
Liver disorders: Excessive drinking causes alcohol hepatitis, a condition that is characterized by inflammation of the liver. Its symptoms include appetite loss, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, tenderness, jaundice, and dizziness. Upon continued excessive drinking, hepatitis may lead to cirrhosis, which is characterized by progressive scarring and destruction of the liver tissues.
Gastrointestinal problems: Excessive drinking may also cause inflammation of the stomach, giving rise to a condition called gastritis. In this condition, alcohol disrupts the stomach’s ability to absorb vitamin B such as folic acid and thiamin.
Alcohol, when consumed in heavy quantities, also damages the pancreas and interferes with the organ’s creation of hormones that regulate metabolism of the body by creating enzymes for digestion.
Cardiovascular problems: Excessive drinking may cause high blood pressure or damage the heart muscle, giving rise to a condition called cardiomyopathy.
Such a condition increases the chances of a heart attack.Diabetes complications: High alcohol intake inhibits the liver from releasing glucose, which increases the risk of hypoglycemia, which is characterized by low blood sugar.
This condition is dangerous for an individual who is already suffering from diabetes and is taking insulin to reduce the level of sugar in the blood.
Sexual function and menstruation: Prolonged alcohol abuse can give rise to erectile dysfunction in men and menstrual problems in women. Alcohol abuse during pregnancy could be very dangerous, as it can give rise to fetal alcohol syndrome. In such a case, the child is born with defects such as a small head, short eyelids, heart defects, and other abnormalities.
Moreover, research also indicates that continued alcohol abuse places one at higher risk of cancer and diseases of larynx, esophagus, colon, and liver.
Alcoholism is addiction to alcohol, which makes an individual dependent on alcohol to feel good. As a result, the addict graduates into excessive alcohol intake that causes fatal imbalances in his nervous system, making his body crave alcohol to feel normal. Heavy alcohol intake on a regular basis causes chemical imbalances in the individual’s brain.
For instance, it alters the composition of chemicals such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA responsible for inhibiting impulsiveness) and glutamate (stimulates nervous system). Excessive drinking can also deplete these chemicals, in the absence of which the body seeks alcohol to ward off negativity. Such a condition, when left untreated, may fatally damage an individual’s health.
Alcohol addiction is predominant among youngsters. Many youngsters who do not have material obligations also take up drinking as a pastime and gradually get addicted to it. Statistics show that nearly 60% of youngsters take up drinking to feel that they are mature. They see their parents drinking and take up the habit to become like them. There are several factors that lead to alcoholism among youngsters:
Genetics: If you have a history of alcoholism in your family, you are more vulnerable to alcohol addiction.
Emotional Instability: Anxiety, high stress levels, or any emotional trauma can cause excessive drinking, as they excite the stress hormones.
Psychological factors: Low self-esteem and prolonged depression may lead to alcohol abuse. If you have alcoholics in your circle of friends, you are prone to the disease.
Social and cultural factors: Most people associate drinking with social class and believe that one cannot belong to the elites if he does not drink, as drinking is fashion. Moreover, advertisements portray drinking as a part of ”belonging.”
Prevention from Addiction
Awareness on the subject can make a world of difference in terms of changing the perception of drinking among the youth. Parents must educate children on the subject and encourage them to talk to them about their friends. Since such habits are generally adopted after getting inspiration from someone, knowing that there is an unhealthy element near your child can help you to take precautionary measures.
Treating alcohol addiction may require intensive personalized treatment. There are specialized healthcare institutions providing such treatment in groups. For those who do not want group treatments, there are several treatment programs on a one-on-one basis. These sessions last for hours and are conducted by top therapists.
