Alcohol
Alcohol abuse or alcoholism is recognized as a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcohol its negative consequences. There are two types of alcoholics: those who have anti-social and pleasure-seeking tendencies, and those who are anxiety-ridden, able to go without consuming alcohol for long periods but cannot control themselves once they start, creating binge drinking.
Differentiating between alcohol abuse and alcoholism requires recognizing that alcohol abuse is when an abuser has faced profound consequences for their actions. The alcoholic has experienced a sense of withdrawal at the same time.
Drinking Pattern & Its Effect
Alcohol abuse is a drinking pattern that can result in serious harm to health, interpersonal relationships, and the ability to work. Furthermore, alcohol abuse can lead to failure to fulfill responsibilities at work, school, or home, and drinking in dangerous situations, including a motor vehicle's operation, can lead to harming self and others, leading to significant legal issues such as DUI. And lastly, alcohol abuse can contribute to acts of aggression and violence, unprotected sexual activity, and financial problems.
Alcohol abuse can lead to alcohol dependence, which essentially means that the alcoholic is dependent is psychologically and physiologically dependent on the consumption of alcohol to function without experiencing symptoms of severe withdrawal, such as seizures, nausea, vomiting, headache.
Signs and Symptoms
People with an alcohol use disorder will often complain of difficulty with interpersonal relationships, work or school problems, and legal problems. Additionally, irritability and insomnia are reported as leading to chronic fatigue. Signs of alcohol abuse are often connected to alcohol's effect on internal organs such as cirrhosis of and failure of the liver, enlargement of the male breasts, jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, and brain damage.
Alcohol abuse and the adolescent brain significantly increase the risk of brain damage and other long-lasting alterations to the brain, contributing to conduct disorder with lying and defiance, learning disabilities, and other social impairments.
Causes
The cause of alcohol abuse is complex. Alcohol abuse may be attributed to various factors, such as economic, social, and biological considerations. From a psychological perspective, the numbing effects of alcohol can become a coping strategy for those who have experienced trauma, enabling them to self-medicate or dissociate themselves from the trauma.
Unfortunately, however, the altered or intoxicated state of the individual abusing alcohol prevents them from having the consciousness necessary for healing.'
If your loved one is suffering from symptoms of Alcohol Abuse, call us now for a confidential review of your case at (305) 467-8666