Author: Alex Thompson

What is an alcoholic? How to treat alcoholism

Alcoholism is a disease that can affect both children and adults, but it doesn’t affect everyone the same way. For some people, just one drink can result in intoxication, while for others, many more drinks are necessary to create the same effect. Of distilled spirits, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

For some people who are particularly vulnerable, it can happen within months. Excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol is not necessarily the same as alcohol dependence. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). When consuming alcohol, dopamine levels are raised just as high as they would with other drugs.

An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person. Many people who seek treatment are able to overcome the addiction. A strong support system is helpful for making a complete recovery.

The disorder makes a person who has it experience an intense desire for alcohol even when it adversely affects their health. However, referring to a person with this condition as an alcoholic has negative connotations that can be harmful and hurtful. If you find yourself regularly thinking about your next drink, or if you’ve tried to cut back on drinking and never quite succeeded, you may have an alcohol addiction. Alcohol use disorder can cause serious and lasting damage to your liver.

Risk factors

Many drinkers at this stage are more likely to drink and drive or experience legal troubles as a result of their drinking. Social factors such as peer pressure, advertising and environment also play an important role in the development of alcoholism. Young people often start drinking because their friends are doing so. Beer and liquor ads on television tend to portray drinking as a glamorous, exciting pastime. Those in the end stage of alcoholism, or late or deteriorative stage, are consumed by their drinking.

1. See your doctor if you begin to engage in behaviors that are signs of alcohol use disorder or if you think that you may have a problem with alcohol.
2. While the condition might not develop for several years in some people, it might take only a few months for others.
3. “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” provides diagnostic criteria for identifying alcohol use disorder.
4. Labels such as ‘alcoholic’ do nothing to help a person with the disorder get the help they need.
5. This disorder also involves having to drink more to get the same effect or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.
6. Those biological changes pave the way for the second stage, which is marked by a physical dependence on the drug.

Roughly 80% are from families that struggle with multigenerational alcoholism. Thousands of people from all walks of life battle alcoholism every day, and thousands make the decision to seek help. Why is it that some people can drink socially and not become addicted while others become alcoholics? The reason has to do with a combination of genetic, physiological, psychological and social factors. You don’t need to wait until the brink of disaster to seek help. While end-stage alcoholism is a dire situation, it’s not a hopeless one.

What is considered 1 drink?

If you have a pattern of suddenly feeling very sick after consuming alcohol, you may have developed sudden onset alcohol intolerance. Symptoms of alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal may take a few hours or days to show and get worse over time. Heavy regular drinking can seriously affect a person’s ability to coordinate their muscles and speak properly. Other than the fact that someone is drinking more than usual, it might be hard to detect that there’s even a problem because outwardly the alcoholic appears normal.

Late-stage alcoholics can get better if they seek treatment, and some of their health problems can even be reversed if caught early enough. The end-stage alcoholic suffers from a host of physical problems, including severe damage to vital organs such as the liver. Alcohol, in fact, is the cause of more than 50 percent of liver-disease related deaths in this country, and alcohol-related liver disease costs more than $3 billion annually. Despite efforts to hide their addiction, their drinking problem is quite obvious to others. Work performance usually suffers at this stage, and impairment in the workplace is common.

It usually lasts for between two and three days, and it can be fatal. Some chronic alcoholics develop a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which results from a thiamine (vitamin B-1) deficiency. The condition, which is sometimes called wet brain, is characterized by eye movement disorders, loss of muscle coordination, confusion and memory issues. It affects more men than women and is fatal 10 to 20 percent of the time.

While any form of alcohol abuse is problematic, the term “problem drinker” refers to someone who starts experiencing the impacts of their habit. The first stage of alcoholism is a general experimentation with alcohol. These drinkers may be new to different forms of alcohol and likely to test their limits. Over the long- or medium-term, excessive drinking can significantly alter the levels of these brain chemicals.

When the Stereotype Doesn’t Fit: Types of Alcoholics

Alcoholism, now known as alcohol use disorder, is a condition in which a person has a desire or physical need to consume alcohol. Terms like “alcoholic” and “alcoholism” are increasingly seen as an unhelpful and negative labels. Between 90 and 100 percent of alcoholics develop a fatty liver, which can progress to cirrhosis.

Early-Stage Alcoholism

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Recovery Is Possible

If you or someone you know is showing traits of alcohol use disorder, contact your healthcare provider. Alcohol use disorder is often linked to other mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. Talking to a qualified therapist can help you get to the root of your condition and devise a means to kick it. Treatment for alcohol use disorder varies depending on the severity of your symptoms and how long the condition has persisted. The most common treatment options for people with the condition include the following listed below. The term alcoholic refers to a person with a condition known as alcohol use disorder (AUD).