People who drink too much alcohol are at risk of developing a host of health conditions and disorders including certain types of cancer, liver disease, and heart disease. Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the brain and other organs, and it also increases the chances of developing sleep problems, depression, and other mental health problems. Alcohol can interfere with a person’s ability to care for their other medical conditions or make other medical conditions worse.
Hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares strategies for coping with alcohol cravings and other addictions, featuring addiction specialist John Umhau, MD. It is never easy for family members and friends to talk about a drinking problem. A professional may have to help loved ones — kindly, but realistically — talk to the drinker about the painful impact that drinking has on them. Knowing that others are going through what you are can help with the loneliness and stigma and support you when you’re struggling.
Medically managed withdrawal or detoxification can be safely carried out under medical guidance. Medications, such as benzodiazepines, are given to help control withdrawal symptoms. If necessary, patients may receive intravenous fluids, vitamins, and other medications to treat hallucinations or other symptoms caused by withdrawal.
Brain scans also show the biological impact of chronic alcohol use, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. CT scans have revealed that atrophy, or wasting away of cells, commonly occurs in the brains of alcoholics. The earliest damage occurs in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for memory, decision making, behavior and executive function. Treatment may involve alcohol and violence statistics standard therapies used to treat other mental illnesses, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is commonly used to treat depression, among other disorders. You can prevent alcohol use disorder by limiting your alcohol intake. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, women shouldn’t drink more than one drink per day, and men shouldn’t drink more than two drinks per day.
Two of three people seeking treatment do reduce their intake and improve their overall health. Some people will go through periods where they remain sober, but then relapse. Treatment used to be limited to self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (established in 1935).
For many people, alcohol seems inextricably linked with a social life. Friends gather for after-work drinks, spouses have cocktails together for “date nights” or some may just be in the habit of ending the day with a beer or a glass of wine—or two—or more. It can be hard to identify the lines between casual and occasional drinking and unhealthy alcohol use including alcohol use disorder. Behavioral treatments—also known as alcohol counseling, or talk therapy, and provided by licensed therapists—are aimed at changing drinking behavior. Examples of behavioral treatments are brief interventions and reinforcement approaches, treatments that build motivation and teach skills for coping and preventing a return to drinking, and mindfulness-based therapies. Other types of brain scans have revealed that alcohol damages parts of the nervous system and the brain stem, causing issues with problem-solving and emotional regulation.
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. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re under stress and think you may be at risk for relapse. Under the direction of licensed therapists or counselors, behavioral therapies involve psychological strategies to modify drinking behaviors. The therapy goals are to develop the skills needed to manage your habits, build social support, set and work toward realistic goals, and deal with or avoid things that trigger drinking. When healthcare providers screen for AUD, they look at drinking behavior patterns within the last year to determine a diagnosis.
It’s triggered by genetic and environmental factors, and it causes biological changes in the brain that make abstaining from alcohol nearly impossible without medical treatment. Alcohol use disorder is considered a progressive disease, meaning that the effects of drinking alcohol become increasingly more severe over time. Taking an alcoholism screening quiz can help you determine whether you have the symptoms of an alcohol use disorder.
Like diabetics who learn to eat healthy foods to cope with their disease, alcoholics can learn skills to cope with alcoholism and maintain long-term sobriety. Many people say that you can never become an alcoholic if you choose to never drink alcohol. Relapsing doesn’t mean that treatment has failed, though — it takes time to change behavior. You can work with a health professional to try new treatments that may work better for you. In many organs, the effects of alcohol increase over time, and the damage becomes apparent only after years of abuse. Alcohol use disorder is diagnosed on the basis of criteria defined in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).