Identifying & Dealing With Problem Drinking
Problem Drinking Is A Growing Issue
Alcoholism, or an addiction to alcohol, is frequently seen as a stereotypic, nonclinical problem, in the western world.
We tend to treat people who are dealing with problem drinking like they are weak-willed or broken. Even the leading therapy option of alcoholism (AA) suggests that there is no cure.
What we do not understand is that an addiction to this toxin takes a long time to establish. However, once it gets a hold, it quickly gets out of control.
Drinking problems, or alcohol use disorder, is, in fact, a medical problem that requires therapy. Problems with alcohol NEVER get better on their own.
Drinking alcoholic drinks within a moderate quantity is completely fine for most people. However, whenever consuming alcohol starts to impact someone’s way of life in an unfavorable way, it may be an indicator of alcoholism. When you can no longer look after your family or pay your bills because of your drinking, you need to sit up and take notice.
Problem Drinking is Defined as a Disease
Drinking problems are defined as a disease (by many, but not all) where the sufferer experiences a strong and overriding desire for booze.
This urge comes with a loss of logical authority to self-regulate their alcohol consumption. They can’t open a bottle of wine and just have one glass etc.
After a while (normally many years) this is followed by the establishment of a tolerance to the effects of the drug. Problem drinkers need more and more booze to obtain the effect they need. If the drinker attempts to disengage from drinking, he/she experiences uncomfortable withdrawal.
One in every dozen people in the UK is classified as an alcoholic. In the U.S.A, sixteen percent have been proven to be problem drinkers.
Six percent to eleven percent are male drinkers and four percent to six percent are female drinkers.
You are Not Alone
Alcohol abuse will start impacting a person’s life in many ways. Including at the office, home life, social life and also his/her private associations. Besides this, there are many other diseases that follow as a spin-off of a permissive drinking disorder. Such as cancer, damage to the liver organ, bra, n and various other organ problems.
The optimal method to deal with problem drinking or to help anybody dealing with alcoholism is to de-stigmatize the problem and seek help. The mindset about alcohol abuse as one that may be willfully controlled is not correct. However, it is also not an indicator of lack of willpower or self-control.
Make no mistake, alcohol is powerfully good at what it does. That is why it manages to kill someone every ten seconds, according to the world health organization. It is as much a medical condition as any other illness and needs to be dealt with in the same manner.
Understanding Problem Drinking
A dependence on booze can start in many ways: hereditary, emotional, social and even geographical. Western thinking about alcohol is very different from the mindset you find in different countries around the world.
The contemporary ‘illness concept of problem drinking’ states that the issue can even be an outcome of a brain illness. You need to be careful that you don’t come up with a justification for your drinking. Essentially, it doesn’t matter why you have the problem.
Life is not fair! Various individuals may be more impacted by drinking alcohol than others, it is impossible to predict who will have a problem.
A reliance on booze nearly always builds gradually and can alter the regular functioning of the mind. People who are addicted to alcohol start to use it to cope with the general stress of life. Any sort of emotional discomfort calls for the bottle to be brought out.
Following routine behaviors may boost the threat of Alcohol addiction:
- Continued and steady alcohol consumption over a long period of time
- Family history when father and mothers or close relatives have alcoholic problems
- Clinical depression and other mental health issues
- Friends or loved one who drinks regularly
Alcoholism Symptoms
Alcohol addiction may be minor, moderate or excessive. The three problems will exhibit symptoms as required. The more and severe the signs, the more significant the problem of alcoholism is. Symptoms of this problem consist of:
- Failure to control alcohol intake.
- Incapacity to cut down on your intake despite several tries.
- Wanting to reduce just how much you drink or having unsuccessful attempts to do so.
- Regardless of tangible and social harm, you still can’t stop drinking.
- Spending a considerable period of time drinking alcohol or planning your time around booze.
- Failing to satisfy your job or home responsibilities and obligations.
- Reducing societal actions – choosing to drink over other social options.
- Consuming alcohol in hazardous circumstances, such as when driving or operating machinery.
- Needing more quantity of booze to reproduce a comparable impact.
- Experiencing nausea or vomiting, excessive sweating and shaking (withdrawal symptoms) when you stay clear of drinking, delay or stop it
Consuming alcohol excessively can lead to the following health problems:
Liver organ disorders & failure
Drinking excessively can result in fats in the liver (hepatic steatosis), inflammation of the liver (alcoholic hepatitis), or irreversible destruction and scarring of liver cells (cirrhosis).
Cardiovascular system issues
Alcohol addiction may cause hypertension and increases the risk of enlarged heart, cardiac arrest or stroke.
Gastrointestinal issues
Alcoholism can trigger inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis), as well as abdomen and esophageal ulcers. It can also impede absorption of nutrition and can result in swelling of the pancreas.
Diabetic problems
Alcohol addiction can lead to an increase in the threat of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
Birth irregularities
Alcoholism may lead to miscarriage or bodily and developing concerns in the child.
Raised risk of malignant tumors
A threat of alcohol-related cancer. Including malignant tumors in the mouth, esophagus, liver, digestive tract and also breast cancer increases with too much alcohol consumption.
Alcohol Compromises immunity
Alcoholism can make body immune system weak, having the drinker much more prone to several diseases particularly chest infections and pneumonia.
Neurological problems
Alcoholism can affect your peripheral nervous system, this can create a lot of issues, some minor some serious. Inducing but not limited to, pins and needles, cluttered and cloudy thinking, dementia, and short-term memory loss.
Alcoholism Prevention Tips
- People often use alcohol to avoid dealing with a problem or void in life. Emotional counseling may help better comprehend the problem and getting your friends and family’s encouragement can also aid recovery.
- Many drinkers worry about withdrawal symptoms. Most won’t have a problem with this but if you are drinking at that level your GP can give you a prescription to help.
- Warning! Your doctor may also prescribe Antabuse or naltrexone. However, the Stop Drinking Expert does not recommend drugs to deal with a drug problem. It doesn’t make any sense!
- Eastern introspective practices (such as yoga) can soothe the physical body and aid healing.
- Therapy for other emotional conditions which are resulting in your problem drinking can also give you leverage on the problem.
- Changing your environment and lifestyle will help. Implement more healthy routines like exercise, stress control, sleeping well, eating healthy, and so on
The most important thing is to take action. So many people just ignore or deny the problem exists. However, alcohol addiction does not getter better, it only gets worse. This is a powerfully addictive drug and not the harmless social pleasantry that we are led to believe.
If you are ready to cut back on your drinking click here to get some help.
