Alcohol addiction, also known as alcoholism, is a disease that affects people of all walks of life. Experts have tried to pinpoint factors like genetics, sex, race, or socioeconomics that may predispose someone to alcohol addiction. Psychological, genetic, and behavioral factors can all contribute to having the disease. Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms—mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). You may need to seek treatment at an inpatient facility if your addiction to alcohol is severe. These facilities will provide you with 24-hour care as you withdraw from alcohol and recover from your addiction.
Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay. Working to stop alcohol use to improve eco sober house quality of life is the main treatment goal. Friends and family members of people who have an alcohol addiction can benefit from professional support or by joining programs like Al-Anon. Therapy is useful to help teach someone how to manage the stress of recovery and the skills needed to prevent a relapse.
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder?
The more familiar term “alcoholism” may be used to describe a severe form of AUD, but physicians, researchers, and others in the medical community tend not to use the word. There are various short- and long-term health issues that can result from alcohol use disorder. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA), women who have no more than 3 drinks on a given day and no more than 7 per week are at low-risk for developing AUD.
They can assess whether you have a flakka wikipedia risky drinking pattern, evaluate your overall health, help create a treatment plan, and refer you to programs or other healthcare providers if necessary. Studies show most people with this condition recover, meaning they reduce how much they drink, or stop drinking altogether. They may start drinking to cope with stressful events like losing a job, going through a divorce, or dealing with a death in their family or a close friend.
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Also, a healthy diet can help undo damage alcohol may have done to the person’s health, like weight gain or loss. Mutual-support groups teach you tactics to help you overcome your compulsion to drink alcohol. AA is a 12-step program that provides peer support and applies 12 spirituality-based principles. The NIAA offers a list of a number of these support groups, including secular options.
- If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider.
- But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions.
- This can mean cutting off financial assistance or making it difficult for them to fulfill the addiction.
- A number of studies have looked at alcohol use among specific racial and ethnic populations, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
Research and Statistics: Who Has Alcohol Use Disorder?
Alcohol withdrawal after periods of excessive drinking can sun rocks weed cause debilitating symptoms hours to days later. Moderate and severe withdrawal syndromes can include hallucinations, seizures, or delirium tremens; the latter two can be life-threatening. Alcohol use disorder can cause serious and lasting damage to your liver. Your liver is responsible for removing toxins from your blood. When you drink too much, your liver has a harder time filtering the alcohol and other toxins from your bloodstream.
Treatment may involve standard therapies used to treat other mental illnesses, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is commonly used to treat depression, among other disorders. Symptoms of alcohol use disorder are based on the behaviors and physical outcomes that occur as a result of alcohol addiction. Alcoholism has been known by a variety of terms, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.
In order for treatment to work, the person with an alcohol addiction must want to get sober. You can’t force them to stop drinking if they aren’t ready. The severity of the disease, how often someone drinks, and the alcohol they consume varies from person to person. Some people drink heavily all day, while others binge drink and then stay sober for a while.
