Are you or someone you know struggling with excessive alcohol consumption? Are you uncertain about whether it qualifies as a disorder? You've come to the right place for knowledge on this matter! Here, we'll discuss and learn about alcohol use disorder symptoms and more.
Alcohol Use Disorder(AUD) has various synonymous names: alcohol dependence or addiction – but what does that mean exactly?
AUD refers to an extreme pattern of frequently consuming large amounts of alcohol totaling at least one thousand four hundred fifty milliliters, i.e., fourteen standard drinks weekly for men and three hundred eighty-five ml else three standard drinks each day for women, making them unable to stop despite their harmful consequences.
Some people might consider it merely a life choice, given those individuals have no idea how extensively it harms physical well-being.
How Common Is Alcohol Use Disorder?
Alcohol use disorder is actually quite common, affecting millions of people in the United States each year. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), an estimated 14.5 million adults ages 18 and older had alcohol use disorder in 2019 alone. That's about 5% of all adults! It affects people from all walks of life, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and ethnicities - it doesn't discriminate!
Causes and Risk Factors of Alcohol Use Disorder
With rising cases of AUD around the world, it is paramount to understand the causes and risk factors associated with it in order to better prevent and treat it.
- Biological and Genetic Factors
Research indicates that some individuals may be genetically predisposed to developing alcoholism. Genetics plays an essential role in how our bodies process alcohol, which may lead some individuals to experience adverse effects after consuming just a small amount, while others can consume much alcohol without a severe impact on their health.
- Environmental and Psychosocial Influences
Individuals exposed to drinking alcohol heavily or unhealthy drinking habits tend more towards binge drinking or alcohol misuse. Now, this results from environmental pressures such as peer pressure, family culture, feeling unhappy, etc., so do their social upbringing patterns determining prolonged consequences over time.
Other influences also include stress at home or work and financial struggles leading them towards depression, finally triggering excessive drink consumption for mitigation.
- Co-occurring Mental Health Disorders
If a person with a mental health disorder like bipolar disorder isn't properly treated for it, they are more likely to become addicted to drugs. This is called a "dual diagnosis," which means that the person has both a mental health problem and an addiction to drugs.
It becomes hard to care for either problem on its own unless both are treated at the same time through cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on understanding triggers, response mechanisms, and possible suicidal thoughts.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol consumption is pleasurable for most individuals without causing any significant issues - you may not even realize the symptoms. But when it becomes habitual, the consequences can be severe and affect both physical and psychological health.
- Physical Symptoms of Alcohol Misuse
If you drink too much alcohol, it can take a significant toll on your physical health. Heavy drinking over time can lead to alcoholic liver disease and high blood pressure, causing long-term effects such as:
-Nausea and vomiting
-Insomnia
-Tremors in hands or other body parts
-Weight gain or loss due to irregular digestion
Continued use, even after experiencing these symptoms, may progress the signs into worsening stages like cirrhosis.
- Behavioral Symptoms of Excessive Drinking
Behavioral changes are common in people with alcohol use disorders. People may experience increasing cravings and an inability to stop drinking despite regularly experiencing negative consequences.
Social behavior can decline rapidly as it negatively impacts relationships, work, or academic performance. Examples may include - missing work regularly (or poor performance once there) or withdrawal from social activities once enjoyed, like hobbies or friends/group events.
- Stages of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol use disorder develops over a continuum from mild to severe addiction.
During the early stages, drinking may escalate quickly once started (blackouts/dizziness); individuals may neglect various responsibilities due to excessive drinking yet still carry on drinking.
As alcohol abuse becomes more habitual with frequent consumption, and clear patterns become evident, reducing desires for other things that were once enjoyable, like hobbies or social activities, is common during the later stages.
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Consequences and Impact of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol use disorder can have a significant impact beyond your thoughts. Let's get into the consequences of alcohol use disorder by examining its effects on health, social interactions, individual safety, and relationships.
- Health Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder
Heavy drinking can lead to a range of health issues, such as high blood pressure, liver disease, and an increased risk of cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use can also weaken your immune system, making it harder for you to fight off diseases.
Continued consumption causes a loss of tolerance that may cause physical dependence on alcohol. Withdrawal symptoms from sudden stopping may range from mild (like shaking or sweating) to moderate levels, like confusion or seizures, up to severe symptoms like hallucinations. Diligent moderation in the consumption of alcoholic beverages is encouraged.
- Social and Interpersonal Consequences
The impact of alcohol use disorder extends to one's social and personal lives. It often results in erratic behavior that affects work, education, and family relationships, as well as creating problems interacting with colleagues or friends. Those affected face the risk of needless violence and aggressiveness while drunk, leading to alienation from those close to them.
People may feel social isolation due to difficult interactions brought about by unpredictable outbursts caused by their drinking habits.
Research suggests that individuals who suffer from alcohol abuse might experience "depressive symptoms," which eventually limit their capacity for remorse and end up pushing away people around them.
- Impact on Safety and Relationships
Alcohol use disorder can harm both safety and relationships. Drinking or being excessively intoxicated can lead to unsafe activities, such as drunk driving or risky sexual behavior.
Also, alcohol abuse might impact an individual's personal conduct, causing relationship troubles with friends and family members.
Remember that being under the influence impairs your judgment. That puts you at risk for accidents or any significant event showing negligence leading up to losses against lives/money/property etc.
Diagnosing Alcohol Use Disorder
Diagnosing alcohol use disorder involves a comprehensive evaluation by a healthcare provider. They will ask about your drinking habits and any related issues, such as withdrawal symptoms or risky behaviors while under the influence.
DSM-5 criteria help to classify mild, moderate, and severe AUD based on the number of positive criteria individuals meet out of 11 potential symptoms. These may include - continuing to drink despite negative consequences or experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using alcohol.
It is important for an individual with AUD to speak with their healthcare provider in order to receive a proper diagnosis and support.
Support and Recovery
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use disorder, it's important to know that recovery is possible. With the right support and strategies in place, individuals can successfully overcome this condition.
- Building a Supportive Network
One of the keys to overcoming alcohol use disorder is building a supportive network that offers encouragement, guidance, and help to those with addiction symptoms. This may include trusted friends and family members who can provide moral support when it is most needed.
It may also involve finding new connections with people in recovery groups, which give significant access to judgment-free mutual emotional support, among others.
- Self-help Strategies and Coping Skills
Developing self-help strategies and coping skills is an important part of overcoming alcohol use disorder. There are simple techniques - journaling, mindful breathing exercises, or seeking out other sober-friendly social outings—that may help relieve pressures that trigger thoughts resulting in substance abuse.
It could be taking up a relaxing hobby like reading or art, which promotes calmness, replacing leisure activities ordinarily requiring the consumption of alcohol.
- Peer Support Groups and Recovery Programs
Peer support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) provide emotional bonding where someone who has successfully battled addiction symptoms offers mentorship and guidance to those starting their journey.
Recovery programs hosted by trained health care providers offer numerous life skills that sufferers of alcohol use disorder can tackle one at a time, in addition to proper education. Collaborating with such initiatives can be useful in managing symptoms of withdrawal or reinforcing healthy habits tailored toward building vital coping strategies.
- Relapse Prevention Techniques
Creating a relapse prevention plan is crucial for anyone seeking to overcome alcohol use disorder symptoms. This might involve identifying potential problem areas during recovery, developing positive coping strategies, and having an honest discussion with individuals you can trust, as well as your therapist or clinician.
Having a support network and self-care practices such as healthy nutrition coupled with exercise may make an individual far less susceptible to common triggers related to mental health concerns (trigger warnings).
How Can The Retreat Help?
Finding yourself or a loved one poorly dealing with alcohol use disorder? Help is available. The Retreat offers recovery programs and support services specifically designed to meet your unique needs.
Our team of professionals provides individualized care that focuses on personal growth and addiction management. With evidence-based practices and an emphasis on holistic healing, we can work together to create a brighter future free from substance abuse problems.
We welcome those suffering from alcohol use disorder in Minnesota to reach out because our specialists at 'The Retreat' believe that everyone deserves sobriety, which will enhance their lives!
Don't struggle alone! Contact us today if you or someone you know is seeking help in Minnesota for alcohol abuse.
We encourage anyone and everyone struggling - to seek help today if they are experiencing any symptoms of unhealthy alcohol use. So that they may start making progress toward improving physical and mental health.
