Is alcohol addiction really that bad?

For many of us, alcohol is an intrinsic part of how to make and maintain relationships and spend our free time. Consuming small to moderate amounts might help the way you socialise, or even act as a de-stressor after a heavy week of work.

However, the initial stages of alcohol addiction can silently slip under a person’s radar, opening the door to risky decision-making and habitual binge drinking.

Today’s blog aims to promote awareness of alcohol addiction and to recognise the severe consequences of alcohol abuse.

What classifies as “alcohol addiction”?

When a person develops problems related to how much alcohol they drink, we often use the broad phrase  “alcoholism” to describe what they’re going through. Medical professionals and clinicians prefer to use the term “alcohol use disorder,” Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is defined as the inability to control or stop drinking even when it has negative social, work-related, or health consequences.

What are the knock-on effects of alcohol addiction?

Having an addiction to alcohol means your physical and mental health will inevitably suffer over time. In the short term, drinking too much can lead to alcohol poisoning, sleep problems and digestive issues. Your behaviour may become more reckless, and you could be more inclined to engage in risk-taking activities.

However, these effects can occur in someone who doesn’t have an addiction. More severe risks present themselves as a person heads deeper into alcohol addiction.

The physical consequences of alcoholism

Long-term alcohol misuse takes a massive toll on your body and raises very serious health conditions. Some of these consequences include:

• Increased risk of heart disease
• Strokes and high blood pressure
• Liver damage and liver disease, including cirrhosis
• Increased chance of cancer
• Sexual dysfunction
• Rapid weight loss/gain
• Increased risk of accidents like falls, burns and crashes

Psychological risks inherent to alcohol addiction

On top of the threats posed to your physical body, long-term alcohol addiction results in damage to the brain. The more you consume alcohol’s active ingredient ethanol, the more damage is likely to occur in the brain. Some psychological effects on the brain include:

• Increased risk of mental health illnesses, such as anxiety disorder, depression and psychosis
• Problems with memory retention
• Impaired cognitive ability from damage to brain cells and tissues
• Increased propensity to self-harm or consider suicide

Personal and parasocial impact of alcohol addiction

Not all of the effects of alcohol addiction can be measured or plotted on graphs, either. Deep personal and social problems are likely to form in a person addicted to alcohol. These are often highly specific to the person’s social relationships and environment. Some of these impacts may result in:

Family breakdown: Alcohol use disorders (AUD) over time can be catastrophic for the family unit, driving wedges between people who love one another. Alcohol impairs decision-making, which can manifest in ways like blowing a family budget, neglecting the needs of children and deprioritising scared family values.

Social dysfunction: Alcohol is closely linked with “risky behaviours,” which understandably affects the people around you. An unaddressed alcohol addiction over time is likely to impair your social abilities. Supportive friends may silently decide to become less involved in your life. Strangers observing someone excessively drinking, even in a pub or bar, are often likely to avoid interacting with you. If they do decide to engage with you, it might be done with a more malicious intent.

Domestic and public violence: Leading on from risky and anti-social behaviours when addicted to alcohol, research also shows that people with an alcohol use disorder are associated with higher degrees of violence. That is not to say that all drinkers are simply more violent people, but a person may find themselves closer to violent crimes when in the clutches of alcohol addiction.

What are some common misconceptions about alcohol addiction?

For centuries, medical professionals have built upon the research conducted before them to cultivate a deep understanding of substance addictions. This we can be deeply thankful for.

Clinical research into the nature of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is continuously expanding and evolving, so understandably, a lot of the risk factors, symptoms and effects of AUDs are not common knowledge. Many of us hold assumptions about alcohol use disorders that are close to the truth but not completely correct.

To help our understanding of the potential severity of addiction, below, we’ve listed some of the common misconceptions people have about alcoholism and alcohol use disorders.

Quitting alcohol requires willpower alone

One of the first and most dangerous misconceptions we may have about alcohol addiction is underestimating what it takes to quit. A person may downplay how much resolve is for quitting at any stage of their addiction or even before they’re addicted.

Someone who drinks only once or twice per year may not ever have to think about addiction treatment. A person who drinks socially once or twice a week may be on the cusp of excessive drinking and still pay no mind to the slippery path of addiction and how to stop it. Following this trail, a person deep in alcohol addiction may, at times, convince themselves:

“I can quit this addiction any time I want to, all I need to do is put my mind to it.”

The truth is that entering into alcohol addiction comes with physical dependence which strengthens and fortifies over time. Your body and mind won’t function the same without alcohol if you suddenly go cold turkey.

While the dangers of each person’s addiction can vary, alcohol withdrawal comes with serious and sometimes fatal complications such as seizures and delirium tremens. For severe sufferers, medical detox programmes require intense medical supervision.

In addition, sustained love and support from friends and loved ones could be the difference between a successful recovery and a tragic outcome.

People addicted to alcohol can’t hold down a stable job

When trying to recognise an addiction in a family member or friend, a thought may occur to you along the lines of:

“His/her addiction can’t be that bad; they’re still able to function at work and hold down their job”

The sad reality is that many people with an alcohol use disorder can hide their addiction and mask the severity of their suffering. Research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that most adults with an addiction work full-time.

In addition, researchers often divide alcohol use disorders into five subtypes that help show levels of alcohol dependence. One of these is the “functional” subtype. Even for people who have a long family history of addiction, the majority in this category still work full-time.

A person with an addiction drinks “all day, every day”

Many people grow up without someone close to them who has a substance addiction. It may be the case that the only time a person witnesses addiction is in fictional depictions. For the sake of drawing audiences in, addictions are often exaggerated, giving an unrealistic representation.

Alcohol use disorders manifest in many different ways. Someone you know may be suffering from an AUD, yet you might not pick up on it simply because you sometimes see them not drinking.

There are 11 key indicators for diagnosing AUD. Meeting just two of them could result in a mild diagnosis. One might be when a person stops doing previously enjoyed activities and drinks instead. Another is engaging in more risky behaviours like drink-driving.

A person with an AUD doesn’t necessarily need to be drinking all day every day to meet these criteria. Functional alcoholics, for example, drink an average of 181 days a year, averaging out to drinking every other day.

Meeting two or more criteria for diagnosing alcohol use disorder can happen without someone drinking every single day. Recognising realistic signs and symptoms of addiction can help you or a loved one get help at the most critical time.

I need help with an alcohol addiction now

If any of today’s points resonate with you or a loved one, it may be time to take action. Recognising and addressing alcohol use disorders early on will help the chances of recovering from an addiction. This is when we want to reach out to you.

Here at UKAT, we understand how long and difficult the recovery process can be. We have designed substance detox programmes that help to slowly and permanently remove addiction from your life. Our expert staff deliver detox, therapy and aftercare programmes to help you navigate the path to a healthier, substance-free life.

We are only one phone call away. Reach out to us today to help you on your journey to lifelong sobriety.