Causes of Alcoholism
Ben Affleck, Demi Lovato, and Ed Sheeran are all household names thanks to their incredible talent and exposure from the mainstream media. Yet, they all share a past in drug and alcoholism that debilitated the journey to achieving their success. Many may wonder how can a handful of people so great at what they do fall victim to becoming dependent on the physical symptoms of alcoholism. The reality is that almost a quarter of the entire adult population in the U.S. will binge drink alcohol once a month.
From alcohol being offered in nearly every store, served at every popular function, to being encouraged by the mass media, it’s hard not to give into the dialogue to drink alcohol whenever possible. No matter what your gender, social status, income, or industry background is, experiencing an intense physical reliance on the “high” that alcohol brings can quickly develop.
Some people are vocal about going through this struggle, while other battle the effects of withdrawal in silence. However, people who can recognize the root of the problem before they develop a full-blown addiction have a much greater chance to minimize the role alcohol plays in their life in the long run.
That’s where alcohol assessments come in; they’ll relieve the grey area of why you’re feeling down on otherwise normal days and point you in the right direction for seeking treatment.
Let’s Get Physical
Physical symptoms of alcohol aren’t anything new, but the lasting effects it leaves may surprise some. We’ve all seen the hit movies like Project X, Grown Ups, or Bridesmaids that showcase the funny events that follow getting drunk at a house party, bar, or music festival. These can all be fun events if you can control yourself.
The symptoms that come with alcoholism though range from subtle to extreme depending on how much a person drinks. Experts break down these symptoms between ones that cause a short and long term effect on the body.
For example, say you’re going out on a Friday night with your girls and hit up the nearest campus bar.
During the pregame, you’ll most likely be downing a couple shots to feel buzzed enough to get through the usually long line and wallet busting cover that the bar brings. In this stage, the body’s motor skills become slightly slowed. You’ll feel like you’re having slurred speech, slightly decreased balance, a warmer temperature, and maybe even feeling more confident to take on the night.
As you arrive to the bar with your group, you’ll want to buy a few mixed drinks to stay drunk or maybe you’ll strike lucky with a stranger who will kindly offer you one. While someone responsible will know their limit and stop accepting drinks by this point, someone who starts to binge will indefinitely experience the more nasty physical symptoms of alcoholism. It’s not uncommon to start to see a person go through uncontrollable vomiting, complete loss of balance, and even passing out.
If a person chooses to continue having nights or even days like the situation described above, they’ll feel the long term effects of alcoholism within a few weeks to a few months. By frequently binging on alcohol with weekly Saturday block parties or Friday night bars, the body’s mental and physical state can be drastically altered.
Over time, significant memory loss and decreased concentration can affect your ability to complete any important tasks for work, school, or even just personal errands throughout the day. Long time alcohol abusers will also increase their risk of cancer in the colon, liver, throat, breast, etc., high blood pressure, and a damaged digestive system if they don’t seek an alternative quickly.
If you’re older, your career and family environment can take a hit as you struggle to get through the day and inevitably don’t feel like yourself anymore.
Are You Treating Your Addiction or Just Getting By?
Even if you can recognize you have a problem, the way you treat your physical signs of alcoholism is crucial to your health. Your friends or family may be telling you to lay off the drinks and perhaps get a new hobby, but you combat their concerns by confidently stating you’ll handle it on your own. That mantra in itself is a slippery slope towards tumbling into a full-fledged alcohol addiction.
If you find you have free time, are feeling low, or want to celebrate, do you turn to alcohol as a crutch? If the answer is yes, you may have a larger dependency on your hands that’s far more severe than the normal occasional trip to the club.
Another key sign is recognizing a pattern in which you consistently try to limit yourself to a certain number of drinks for the night, but manage to fail every time. Keep in mind that having a “low risk” alcohol dependence still equal “no risk.”
No amount of delicious tequila sunrises will make you feel brighter about your health either. Make sure you can enjoy the substance in moderation before allowing it to take control of every other facet in your life.
Get An Alcohol Assessment
So you’re realizing that whether you like or not, you may be plagued with a dangerous but curable alcohol addiction. Even if you don’t feel comfortable or motivated enough to make major life improvements just yet, it’s imperative to seek online resources that will point you in the right direction. Also, getting help from a professional drug and alcohol treatment center in Florida may be helpful for you to understand your current state of health and learn why you keep going back to the crutch of alcohol. Experts also recommend taking an alcohol assessment to grow more reflective of how your thought process operates when alcohol is in the mix. From the comfort of your home computer or smartphone, you can take a free online assessment to get a proven recommendation on whether if it’s time to pursue treatment for your alcohol drinking. Don’t be afraid to reach for help and gain the huge benefits!