ALCOHOLISM
Symptoms, Causes & Treatments
OVERVIEW
Alcohol use disorder (which includes a level that’s sometimes called alcoholism) is a pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect, or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.
Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male consumes five or more drinks within two hours or a female downs at least four drinks within two hours. Binge drinking causes significant health and safety risks.
If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder. It can range from mild to severe. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important.
SYMPTOMS
Alcohol use disorder can be mild, moderate or severe, based on the number of symptoms you experience. Signs and symptoms may include:
• Being unable to limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
• Wanting to cut down on how much you drink or making unsuccessful attempts to do so.
• Spending a lot of time drinking, getting alcohol or recovering from alcohol use.
• Feeling a strong craving or urge to drink alcohol.
• Failing to fulfill major obligations at work, school or home due to repeated alcohol use.
• Continuing to drink alcohol even though you know it’s causing physical, social or interpersonal problems.
• Giving up or reducing social and work activities and hobbies.
• Using alcohol in situations where it’s not safe, such as when driving or swimming.
• Developing a tolerance to alcohol so you need more to feel its effect or you have a reduced effect from the same amount.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms — such as nausea, sweating and shaking — when you don’t drink, or drinking to avoid these symptoms.
CAUSES
Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior. Theories suggest that for certain people drinking has a different and stronger impact that can lead to alcohol use disorder.
Over time, drinking too much alcohol may change the normal function of the areas of your brain associated with the experience of pleasure, judgment and the ability to exercise control over your behavior. This may result in craving alcohol to try to restore good feelings or reduce negative ones.
TREATMENTS
Treatment for alcohol use disorder can vary, depending on your needs. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay. Working to stop the use of alcohol to improve quality of life is the main treatment goal.
){kind=link}
Comments
Comments are disabled for this post.