Alcohol addiction, commonly known as alcoholism, is an addiction that afflicts people from every walk of life. For years researchers have tried to unearth the specific factor that causes addiction, such as sex, race, genetics, psychological state, or socioeconomic state. However, they haven’t managed to pinpoint a single factor because there is no single cause. Multiple factors, including behavioral factors, psychological state, genetics, etc., lead to this addiction. Moreover, it is crucial to note that alcohol addiction is a real disease like any other, as it causes severe harm to the body and changes an individual’s neurochemistry. And this leads to many uncontrolled actions that can prove detrimental to the person and the people around them.
Signs of Alcohol Addiction
Identifying the signs of alcohol addiction can be difficult, as drinking is widely acceptable in several cultures worldwide, unlike other drugs. Most often, alcohol happens to be the center of a social gathering, and it is associated with enjoyment and celebration. However, excessive alcohol consumption can adversely affect you and the people around you. For example, it can lead to carelessness, such as driving under the influence of alcohol. It can cause accidents that can be highly life-threatening.
For this reason, if you notice signs of alcohol addiction in your loved one or yourself, it is time to seek help. Approaching reputed addiction recovery centers, such as Delphi Health Group, can help overcome alcoholism for good.
However, before you seek help, you have to cross some telltale signs of alcohol addiction, such as:
- Increased frequency and quantity of alcohol use
- Developing high tolerance and lack of hangover from drinking alcohol
- Drinking alcohol at inappropriate times, situations, and places, such as in the morning, drinking at work, etc.
- Always carrying alcohol
- Wanting alcohol to be present in every situation and avoiding situations where there is none available
- Changes in behavior: being more erratic, impulsive, anger issues, etc.
- Changes in friendship
- Avoiding loved ones
- Hiding alcohol and drinking in secret
- Depending on alcohol to function daily
- Increase in depression, lethargy, anger issues, and other emotional issues
- Professional problems such as loss of a job or getting in legal trouble
Addiction only gets worse over time. It means that if you ignore the early signs of alcohol addiction, you will have to deal with the repercussions later on. Therefore, if you identify these signs early and turn towards treatment and intervention, you can avoid major problems and diseases.
Hence, some measures that you can take to tackle alcohol addiction include:
Measures to tackle alcohol addiction
Overcoming alcohol addiction is a challenging and arduous process. At times, you may feel that it is impossible to quit. However, if you’re willing to get better, you can surely recover from alcohol addiction by taking the right measures.
1. Evaluate the cost and benefits of drinking
If you are hesitant about quitting alcohol, you must weigh the pros and cons of drinking alcohol and the pros and cons of quitting. For example, under the pros of drinking, you can write points such as having fun, or it relaxes you and helps let go of your problems. While the benefits of quitting can mean that your relationships will improve, your health will get better, and so forth. Under the cons of drinking, you can note points regarding the depression it causes and how it hinders your ability to be a responsible adult.
In contrast, the cons of quitting will be that you will need to find another coping mechanism and own up to the mistakes you have made, and take responsibility. Once you write these points down, you will realize the significant cons of drinking compared to any benefits that it brings.
2. Set your goals and prepare
Once you see that you are better off without alcohol, it is time to establish your goals. These goals should be realistic, specific, and easy to achieve. For example, your main goal can be to stop drinking during work hours. Or that you will limit your drinking to three drinks per day on the weekdays and four drinks on the weekend.
These goals are clear and not daunting for a beginner. They will help lessen the intensity of your addiction.
The next viable step is to limit the intake even more. For example, your next goal should be to cut down weekday drinking completely and have two drinks on the weekend after three months.
3. Take measures to accomplish your goals
Once you have established your goals, it is time to generate ideas about achieving the desired results. You can:
Get rid of temptation: The biggest cause of alcohol addiction is the presence of alcohol everywhere. Hence, getting rid of the flask you carry or the alcohol cabinet you keep at work or home will help you cut it down.
Announce your goals and ask for help: Your friends and family truly care about you and want you to tackle this addiction as well. So, asking for their support can help greatly, as they will do what they can to help you achieve these goals.
Avoid bad influences: Your drinking buddies are the bane to your health, and therefore, a great temptation. So, avoid such company by giving up on some social settings and friends.
Set your limits: Even if you want to keep certain friends in your life, you must establish your limits. For example, you can specify a rule that there will be no drinking in your home, or you will not attend an event where alcohol is served.
Conclusion
Whether or not you can tackle your alcohol addiction completely and how long it takes depends on the severity of your addiction. However, all of your goals should lead to quitting alcohol entirely. The withdrawals and temptations can be too much, and taking drastic measures won’t work in the long term. You have to change your habits and get your body used to drinking less and less. Moreover, consider addiction counseling to find out the root of your problem and ways to tackle it.
