The opioid crisis has highlighted the devastating impact these substances can have on individuals and communities. You might notice changes in sleep patterns, appetite, or energy levels. In more advanced stages, physical health can deteriorate rapidly, with symptoms specific to the substance of abuse. Stress, trauma, peer pressure – these external forces can push someone towards substance use as a coping mechanism. If you find yourself battling with alcohol cravings, and often giving into these cravings by picking up a drink, you may be well on your way to developing a physical dependency on alcohol. Without treatment, a physical dependence can cause physical and psychological discomfort.
It’s found at parties, sporting events, and just about every national holiday where people gather. It’s so common that going out for a night of binge drinking on an individual’s 21st birthday has even become somewhat of a rite of passage for young adults in most areas of the nation. Alcohol use disorder is a pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol or continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems. This disorder also involves having to drink more to get the same effect or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking. Alcohol use disorder includes a level of drinking that’s sometimes called alcoholism.
Alcohol addiction is diagnosed through clinical evaluation using behavioral patterns, health history, and standardized tools like the DSM-5 criteria, which identify compulsive drinking and its effects on daily life. The DSM-5 outlines 11 criteria for what is alcoholism alcohol use disorder, including drinking more than intended, unsuccessful attempts to cut down, cravings, and continued use despite physical or psychological problems. This condition involves an inability to stop or limit drinking, even when it leads to negative consequences, making it a severe form of alcohol use disorder. Marine Guloyan, MPH, ACSW brings over 10 years of experience working with individuals facing trauma, stress, and chronic physical or mental health conditions.
For example, it can increase cortisol, the stress hormone, leading to higher levels of anxiety and depression, which, in turn, may drive more drinking. Additionally, alcohol can interfere with insulin regulation, affecting blood sugar levels, which can lead to fatigue, why is alcohol addicting irritability, and cravings for more alcohol. The longitudinal analysis of 14,727,591 California residents revealed that 1.8% had alcohol abuse, with individuals lacking conventional cardiovascular risk factors showing a disproportionately higher susceptibility.
People addicted to alcohol who have tried to stop drinking know it’s not easy. This is because the brain constantly urges them to drink, making quitting difficult. Medicines that help with mental illness can take a while to start working and require patience.
Alcohol addiction can have serious physical and psychological consequences. https://smartworkscorp.com/what-are-living-amends-and-how-do-you-make-them/ Physically, excessive alcohol use can lead to organ damage, including liver disease. It can also lead to an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer.
