Alcoholism: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Alcoholism is not moderate social drinking. If you drink moderately during gatherings such as parties, that’s not alcoholism. Rather, when you go overboard every time you drink to the point that you end up downing loads of glasses at every sitting, then you might be an alcoholic. You can be an alcoholic even if you’re capable of holding your liquor to the point of appearing sober even after drinking multiple glasses of alcohol that would normally have other “lightweights” down and out.

It certainly is a problem how well-accepted alcohol consumption is. Some people end up as drunkards because they’re encouraged to drink a lot through peer pressure and to fit in with people they’re hanging out with.

 Causes of Alcoholism

 There are many environmental, sociological, and psychological factors behind alcohol addiction. It certainly doesn’t help how society encourages and praises excessive alcoholic beverage consumption even as, at the same time, government warnings tell people to only drink alcohol moderately. Also, as a disclaimer, not all alcohol consumers are automatically alcohol addicts. Most people don’t get addicted to alcohol.

There are many social drinkers who never cross the line of addiction and understand the importance of drinking moderately. This article covers addiction from a small albeit numerous alcoholics in the U.S. and beyond. After all, even a small percentage from a population of hundreds of millions equals millions or hundreds of thousands of people who have issues with drinking and physical dependence to alcohol.

At any rate, here are the many causes of alcoholism.

• Acceptance in Society: Like in the case of the wide social acceptance of smoking for centuries, especially during the early half of the 20^th Century, the wide social acceptance of alcohol has arguably aided in the proliferation of addiction. No one is saying it’s bad and in many cases people look up to others who can take many drinks.

Think about it. Why are so many drinking games in existence? Why are entire city economies dependent on their bar scene and liquor supply? Then again, alcohol banning back in the Prohibition Era as contraband didn’t really help curb consumption and, if anything, led to more instances of alcohol poisoning due to people being “forced” to consume poorly made “moonshine” or homemade alcohol in order to get their alcoholic fix.

• Alcohol Legalization and Easy Access to Alcohol: Unlike illicit drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and even marijuana, alcohol consumption is a perfectly legal and government-regulated vice. Anyone who’s of legal age to drink (this may vary from state to state, but it’s usually 18 to 21 years old) can consume alcohol.

With that in mind, a measure of responsibility must be observed for this privilege. Alcoholism typically happens whenever someone legally over-consumes alcohol to dangerous levels but not necessarily to the point of alcohol or liver poisoning. Alcohol is legal so more people have access to them. That’s not a statement in support of prohibition; it’s just an observation of fact.

• Peer Pressure: Although alcoholism can get costly at times, this isn’t enough of a deterrent from developing to full-blown alcoholics in light of how ubiquitous this addiction is. Then again, societal acceptance usually isn’t enough to turn an alcohol consumer into an alcohol addict.

The extra push can come from so-called friends they have in a bar or tavern. What’s more, drinking is typically viewed as par for the course in any fun party, whether it’s a college kegger (complete with beer pong) or a formal event like a wedding or dinner party. Those who wish to belong in the clique will drink as much alcohol as they can.

• Having Enablers: Aside from being pressured by family and friends to drink, there are also peers who passively enable you to drink around the point where you’re actively searching for the bottle. These loved ones who should know better and friends who should look out for you could end up doing nothing as you go on a downward spiral of alcoholism.

There are many reasons for this. Maybe your spouse himself or herself is an alcoholic. Or your friends don’t care enough to stop you from drinking or even encourage you to drink them under the table. Perhaps your children are too young, scared, or weak to stop you from drinking. They can even pay for your tab, thinking drinking is the key to your happiness and approval of them.

• Problems with the Family: How severe your alcoholism is depends on the effects of your alcohol consumption on your relationships, ability to function, and life in general. With that said, alcoholism can also be caused by relationship strains, like estrangement with your parents and siblings, a death or deaths in the family, and divorce.

You may end up drinking in order to escape your home issues. Drinking to the point of alcohol abuse can serve as your means to cope with trauma and depression (more on this later), especially if your familial support system has disintegrated and your friend support system believes that letting you drink your problems away is your best course of action.

• Trauma and Depression: Aside from issues with your support system that would normally keep you away from the bottle, trauma and depression from death of a loved one, loss of a job, being stuck in a dead end job, having a career standstill, a breakup, divorce, inability to fit into your social circle, loneliness, betrayal, harassment, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and so forth can lead you to drink.

Clinical depression in particular is more often than not “treated” by those who are depressed with trips to the bar, so much so that alcoholism is one of the indicators of symptoms of the disease. In such cases, it’s ideal for you to search for alcoholism rehab in places that have dual diagnosis so that you can get treatment for both your depression and your alcohol addiction at the same time.

Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholism

When it comes to determining when people abuse alcohol, you can judge by how many glasses or bottles they’ve had in one sitting. Four to five drinks or more is a red flag already. That’s typically a whole big bottle of wine or whiskey or four bottles of beer. It also depends on how big the glass or serving is.

It’s also better to judge alcoholism by objective parameters like how many drinks you’ve had in one sitting instead of how drunk you are. This is because many alcoholics are high-functioning people who can hold their liquor. If you can’t hold your liquor or control yourself when drunk, then that’s all the more reason for you to avoid alcoholism altogether.

According to the CDC or Centers for Disease Control, they define alcohol abuse and alcoholism based on the follow:

• Binge Drinking: If a person consumes enough alcohol in one sitting to get a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more, then he’s probably binge drinking. It’s at this point you’re defined by law as inebriated (drunk) and legally impaired (you should not drive).

• 4-5 Drinks: These drinks are typically defined as 250 milliliters of alcoholic beverage or what’s typically contained within a typical glass or mug. This rule of thumb varies in light of the size of the glass, the amount of alcohol in your drink, and other parameters. An average of 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men within 2 hours is considered as binge drinking.

• Heavy Drinking: If a man were to drink 15 drinks or a woman were to drink 8 drinks, then that’s considered heavy drinking and they’re labeled as heavy drinkers. More likely than not, they’re probably also suffering from alcoholism already, particularly if they binge drink or heavily consume alcohol on a daily basis.

So we’ve now defined what’s considered binge or heavy drinking. Let’s now discuss the warning signs of alcoholism. If you or a love one is suffering from the following red flags of alcohol abuse and addiction, then you or he/she should check into rehab, whether it’s a local one or one you can get through rehab tourism like Lanna Rehab.

• Comments from Others: If people have been speaking behind your back (or when they think you’re not around and you overhear what they’re saying) about you being a drunkard or alcoholic, then that’s a red flag right there. This is doubly true if it’s your family and friends who are commenting about the change in you, how you drink too much and at inappropriate times, or how troubling your alcoholism is.

• Legal Issues: Another clue that you might be alcoholic is if you’re facing loads of legal issues related to your drinking. You may have been arrested for disturbing the peace while drunk or have a DUI or drinking under the influence while driving. Also, not many people know this, but some states can actually arrest you for public intoxication. Any jail time due to drinking should clue you in that you have alcoholism.

• Withdrawal Symptoms: As you attempt to abstain from alcohol, you also have to worry about withdrawal symptoms such as having panic attacks or issues with focusing on anything other than getting a drink. The more you withdraw or abstain, the stronger the symptoms get until you either quit from withdrawal or survive the ordeal. With that said, here are the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:

• • Hallucinations
  • Heart palpitations
  • Panic attacks
  • Muscle pain
  • Relapse
  • Digestive discomfort
  • Insomnia
  • Tremors
  • Delirium tremens
  • Seizures
  • Headaches
  • Nightmares
  • Anxiety
  • Psychosis
  • Inability to focus
  • Agitation
  • Increased risk of severe symptoms with the next withdrawal attempt

• Alcoholic Cravings: Another sign that you’re an alcoholic is if you have hourly or daily cravings for alcohol even if you don’t stop drinking alcohol, so it’s not just a withdrawal symptom but also a symptom of outright addiction. Even if you yourself are in denial that you drink every day or every hour, your family and friends will probably tell you straight out that you have a problem, even if it’s in the form of side comments or worried asides.

• Relationship Problems: Another indicator that you have an out-of-control tendency to drink is if you have relationship problems, which can stretch all the way from verbal abuse to domestic violence. If your romantic or familial relationships are strained due to the bottle and yet you still can’t help yourself but drink then it’s about time you’ve entered yourself into rehab just to stop your family from suffering any further with your alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

• Physical Symptoms: Observe physical changes in your body and behavior. Pay attention to your loved ones when they notice your changes in hygiene and appearance as well as any bodily manifestations of your alcoholism. These particular symptoms include the following:

• • Notable weight loss or weight gain
  • Broken capillaries on the nose and face
  • A decrease in your personal hygiene habits, such as showering, dental care, and grooming
  • A flushed look
  • Beer gut or a large belly
  • Breath that smells of alcohol or outright halitosis
  • More rapid onset of the signs of aging, like the increase of wrinkles and age spots
  • Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • Dry skin
  • Brittle hair and fingernails

Treatment of Alcoholism

 If many of the abovementioned signs are present, then that means you or a loved one could be suffering from alcoholism, thus necessitating treatment at a rehabilitation facility. First and foremost, you’ll undergo medical detoxification. Afterwards, you’ll be given medicine and other treatments in order to deal with AWS or Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms.

Detox is quite the important step because without it, you could suffer from fatal complications due to your sudden alcohol withdrawal. Quitting cold turkey isn’t recommended because the resulting AWS such as delirium tremens and seizures could very well take your life if you’re not taken care of in a medical facility or reputable rehabilitation center with detoxification doctors on hand.

You can specifically avail of the following treatments from various rehab centers (such as Lanna Rehab):

• Medications: There are prescription medications approved by the FDA or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration used to treat alcohol dependence. Depending on the diagnosis of your rehabilitation doctor, you might take one or several of them. They include the following:

• • Naltrexone: This can assist you when it comes to reducing all of your heavy drinking tendencies.

• • Acamprosate: Taking this medication can make it easier for you to abstain from alcohol.

• • Disulfiram: This drug blocks the metabolic breakdown of alcohol by your body, which causes unpleasant symptoms like flushed skin and nausea. These effects can assist people to avoid drinking due to the nasty effect that alcohol with Disulfiram does to their system.

Take note that not all people will respond favorably to the medicine. However, a subset of individuals can use these agents to overcome their alcohol dependence without suffering through various withdrawal symptoms and side effects.

• Behavioral Treatments: Also known as alcohol counseling, rehab counselors can help you out when it comes to your psychological dependence or addiction to alcohol. The idea here is to change your behavior that typically leads you to drink heavily. These treatments share certain properties and features, such as:

• • Working out some reachable goals towards sobriety
  • Helping you cope or avoid the triggers of alcoholism relapse
  • Building a strong social support system for you or a loved one
  • Skill development required to reduce or altogether stop drinking alcohol

In regards to the specific types of behavioral treatments, they include the following:

• • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: This involves 1-on-1 sessions with a therapist or a small group of people in a sort of confessional. It concentrates of identifying the situations and feelings leading to heavy drinking or stress-induced alcohol consumption. This therapy involves both addiction and relapse treatment through skills development for coping with alcohol dependence.

• • Motivational Enhancement Therapy: This therapy type involves building and strengthening your motivation to change your drinking behavior. There’s a focus on building confidence, formulating a plan to make changes to your drinking habits, and identifying the pros and cons of rehab.

• • Marital and Family Counseling: If the excessive drinking roots from marital problems or stress from a broken family of alcoholics, then marital and family counseling can assist in improving or even repairing ruined family or spousal relationships.

• • Brief Interventions: This also involves small-group or 1-on-1 counseling sessions, but this time with a time limit. Here, the counselor provides you info regarding your drinking pattern and the consequences of your bad habits. After getting personalized feedback, you can then work with your counselor to set goals that help you make a change in your behavioral pattern.

Conclusion

If the alcoholic in question and the people in his life are aware of the signs of alcoholism, then it’s easier to know when the addict should enter local rehab or a rehabilitation center from overseas like Lanna Rehab. Knowledge of the causes of alcoholism can also give loved ones the red flags they need to prevent the alcoholic-to-be from being swallowed by his own addiction. The information contained in this article is just what you need to help stop the addiction cycle and start work towards recovery.

Alcohol Abuse and Withdrawal Treatment at Lanna Rehab

Lanna Rehab Clinic is a Thailand-based wellness center that has a dedicated staff and crew trained to deal with both medical alcohol detoxification and alcohol addiction or alcoholism treatment. The center is staffed with international-grade doctors, nurses, therapists, counselors, sponsors, and caregivers who will help you all throughout the 30 to 90 days of treatment. They even have aftercare included in case of relapse. Call their 24-hour hotline for more details.