Alcohol use disorder can be defined as a medical condition that involves frequent or severe alcohol use. Alcohol use disorder sufferers can’t stop drinking even if it causes physical or emotional harm to others or themselves.
Does Alcohol Use Disorder Constitute A Disease Or Condition?
Alcohol use disorder can be considered a medical condition. It is a degenerative disease of the brain and requires both psychological and medical treatments.
A disorder of alcohol consumption can be severe, moderate, or mild. It can either develop quickly or take a long time to develop. It can also be called alcohol dependence (or alcohol addiction) or alcohol misuse.
Why Is Drinking Too Much So Harmful?
Exercising alcohol too often can cause health problems. It’s often associated with:
- Brain damage, including dementia
- Despair depression & death
- The breast, liver, colon, colon, and stomach are all cancers
- Fetal alcohol syndrome (if a mother is exposed before birth to alcohol)
- Accidents like falls or burns
- Liver problems: cirrhosis Hepatitis fatty life
Personal problems can also result from excessive drinking:
- Money
- Relations with others
- Work
Symptoms & Causes
What Are The Causes Of Alcohol Abuse Disorder?
Scientists are still trying to find out what causes alcohol misuse disorder. It appears to be a combination of one or more of these factors:
- Genetics.
- Early childhood events
- Try to relieve your emotional pain.
People are more likely to become alcoholics if:
- Alcoholism can be a problem if you consume it often or in large quantities.
- Experiencing trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse
- Do you have a family history of alcohol-related problems?
- Having mental health issues, such as grief, anxiety depression eating disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder
How Can You Tell If Your Child Is Suffering From Alcoholism?
You can see these signs as an indication of an alcohol use disorder:
- You may forget what happened or you might blackout
- It is okay to continue drinking even if it causes you distress, harm, or other people
- Drinking more water than you plan
- If you don’t drink, you might feel cranky and irritable
- Habitual hangovers
- Drinking can put you in danger (e.g. driving, drinking unsafely, or falling)
- It’s okay to give up certain activities to be able to drink
- To feel a craving for alcohol
- Constant problems with school, work, and relationships
- Drinking more is required to achieve the same effect
- Once you start drinking, it is difficult to stop
- Spending a lot on drinking or recovering from drinking
- Not being able or willing to make cuts
- Obsession with alcohol
How Does Alcohol Use Disorder Get Diagnosed?
There isn’t one laboratory test that will determine if you have an alcohol-related disorder. Talking to your healthcare provider can help determine the cause. If you have been drinking and it is affecting your health or interferes in your daily life, this diagnosis will be made.
Treatment For Alcohol-Related Disorders
You may also be treated with a combination of the following:
Behavior Therapies: Therapy, or talk therapy, is a form of counseling that you can have with a professional such as a psychiatrist or psychologist to help you change your behavior.
Alcohol Medication: Both naltrexone & acamprosate have been approved for use in the treatment of alcohol misuse disorder by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Gabapentin, as well as topiramate, may reduce cravings in some individuals. Disulfiram, an old medication, is only used occasionally. These medications seem to help decrease your background obsessional thoughts around alcohol.
Support Groups: Meetings with other alcoholics are a great way for you to stay sober. Alcoholic’s Anonymous meetings are usually free and located in most towns. You can also join Celebrate!
Your recovery stage and the severity level of your illness will impact which treatment option you choose. Inpatient or residential rehabilitation (rehab), as well as outpatient intensive therapy and maintenance, may be required.