Author: Gary Jackson

Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

Many people drink alcohol as a personal preference, during social activities, or as a part of cultural and religious practices. People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons. Knowing your personal risk based on your habits can help you make the best decision for you.

Common Questions on Alcohol Addiction

It also increases the risk of injury and death due to impaired judgment. Regardless of the type of support system, it’s helpful to get involved in at least one when getting sober. Sober communities can help someone struggling with alcohol addiction deal with the challenges of sobriety in day-to-day life. Sober communities can also share relatable experiences and offer new, healthy friendships.

As individuals continue to drink alcohol over time, progressive changes may occur in the structure and function of their brains. These changes can compromise brain function and drive the transition from controlled, occasional use to chronic misuse, which can be difficult to control. The changes can endure long after a person stops consuming alcohol, and can contribute to relapse in drinking. Physical alcohol addiction occurs when the body becomes dependent on it and requires more alcoholic substances to experience its effects.

Health Challenges

Repeating the same action until it becomes an automatic response forms habitual behaviors. The more a person drinks, the likelier they are to become dependent on alcohol to manage stress and emotions. Someone with an alcohol addiction who has remained sober for months or years may find themselves drinking again. They may binge drink once or drink for a period of time before getting sober again. It’s important that the person get back on track and resume treatment.

Lifestyle Quizzes

People experience pleasure upon drinking in the first stage. Their brain registers the sensation, creating a craving for more. Gradually, this craving becomes habitual, resulting in automatic, unthinking repetition. In the United States, people younger than age 21 are not legally able to drink alcohol.

About Mayo Clinic

Some people drink heavily all day, while others binge drink and then stay sober for a while. 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.

Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death. This is of particular concern when you’re taking certain medications that also depress the brain’s function. This disorder also involves having to drink more to get the same effect or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.

1. The changes can endure long after a person stops consuming alcohol, and can contribute to relapse in drinking.
2. When it comes to alcohol, if you don’t drink, don’t start for health reasons.
3. Someone with an alcohol addiction who has remained sober for months or years may find themselves drinking again.

For more information about alcohol’s effects on the body, please visit the Interactive Body feature on NIAAA’s College Drinking Prevention website. For more information about alcohol and cancer, please visit the National Cancer Institute’s webpage “Alcohol and Cancer Risk” (last accessed June 6, 2024). Many people addicted to alcohol also turn to 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). There are also other support groups that don’t follow the 12-step model, such as SMART Recovery and Sober Recovery. Unlike cocaine or heroin, alcohol is widely available and accepted in many cultures.

The Cycle of Alcohol Addiction

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. Once you’re well enough to leave, you’ll need to continue to receive treatment on an outpatient basis. Alcoholism, referred to as alcohol use disorder, occurs when someone drinks so much that their body eventually becomes dependent on or addicted to alcohol. As a loved one of someone with an alcohol addiction, try to be encouraging and provide emotional support. Friends and family members of people who have an alcohol addiction can benefit from professional support or by joining programs like Al-Anon.

See your doctor if you begin to engage in behaviors that are signs of alcohol use disorder or if you think that you may have a problem with alcohol. You should also consider attending a local AA meeting or participating in a self-help program such as Women for Sobriety. You can prevent alcohol use disorder by limiting your alcohol intake.

A common initial treatment option for someone with an alcohol addiction is an outpatient or inpatient rehabilitation program. An inpatient program can last anywhere from 30 days to a year. It can help someone handle withdrawal symptoms and emotional challenges. Outpatient treatment provides daily support while allowing the person to live at home.

Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal. And the same goes for driving or if you need to be alert and able to react to changing situations. Drinking also adds calories that can contribute to weight gain. And drinking raises the risk of problems in the digestive system.