Alcohol
Addiction
What is alcohol?
Alcohol is a liquid substance that affects the central nervous system. It’s a depressant, so it slows down mental and physical processes. Alcohol is found in liquor, beer, and wine. It’s often used in social situations because it has a calming effect on anxiety, but with too much alcohol in the blood, it can quickly lead to impaired coordination, motor skills, speech, emotional regulation, and decision-making ability.
Alcohol is a legal and regulated substance. Alcoholic drinks can also be considered liquor or spirits. “Hard liquor” includes tequila, rum, vodka, gin, brandy, and whiskey. Consuming alcohol on a daily basis and consuming too much at one time, otherwise known as binge drinking, can cause problems with long-term effects. These conditions can be referred to as alcoholism and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
What does alcohol look like?
Alcohol itself is a clear liquid. Spirits can remain clear, such as with vodka or rum, or come in a variety of hues. It’s in beverages that are light yellow and have carbonation, like with beer and champagne. It may also come in dark beers, and a variety of different shades of wines.
How is alcohol
taken?
Alcohol is a liquid substance that is consumed as a beverage. It can be found in beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. It can be mixed with other non-alcoholic drinks and will specifically show a percentage of alcohol content by volume (ABV) on the bottle or can.
Why do people
use alcohol?
People often use alcohol to ease anxiety and nerves in social situations or when they are alone. Alcohol has a calming effect, which can be beneficial in moderation. However, it also has an intoxicating euphoric effect, leading many people to overuse and abuse alcohol. It is both a mentally and physically addictive substance, so people can easily become dependent on it and will continue to use it to ease the symptoms of withdrawal.
Slang Terms
- Booze
- Spirits
- Having a drink
- Liquid courage
- A cold one
- Getting drunk, tipsy, or buzzed
- Brewski
- Getting hammered or wasted
History of Alcohol
Today, beer is made with water, barley, hops, and yeast. Wine is made from fermented grapes. Thousands of years ago, alcohol was made with fermented grain, fruit juice, and honey. Around 2700 B.C., the Babylonians worshipped a wine goddess, and in India, an alcoholic drink called sura was made from distilled rice. Greece had an alcoholic drink called mead, made from water and honey, and South America had a drink called chica, made from corn and grapes or apples.
In the 16th century, alcohol was used medicinally. In the mid-18th century, alcoholism became widespread in Britain after a law passed that allowed the use of grain to distill spirits, which gave easier access to cheap alcohol. In the 19th century, there was a push for moderate use of alcohol. In 1920, the United States prohibited the making, selling, and trading of alcohol. In 1933, they removed the ban because the illegal alcohol trade was booming.
What are the Symptoms of Alcohol Addiction?
Alcohol abuse is considered any use of alcohol that ends with negative consequences. The symptoms of alcohol addiction can be mental and physical. You’ll start to recognize that you or your loved one is addicted to alcohol when they start to have withdrawal symptoms from it. Before withdrawal symptoms, there are also warning signs. Here’s what you may notice when you or your loved one are in the early stages of addiction to alcohol.
Signs and Symptoms
- Consistent drinking or binge drinking
- Strong craving to drink alcohol
- Hiding alcohol from family or friends
- Body tremors or shakes
- Inability to resist alcohol
- Consistently drinking alone
- Blacking out
- Inability to control drinking or stop
Paraphernalia
- Paper bag
- Kegs, beer bongs, and funnels
- Empty bottles and bottle caps
- Disposable party cups
- Cans and tabs
- Wine glasses and corks
- Beer pong tables
- Shot glasses
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What are the Effects of Alcohol Addiction?
Alcohol addiction can affect you in a short period of time. When you’re used to binge drinking or have multiple drinks per day on a consistent basis, your body may start to depend on it. At first, you or your loved one may start to experience withdrawal symptoms when you’ve stopped drinking, as soon as 8 hours after your last drink. Below are the symptoms you may have when you continue to drink excessively.
Short Term Effects of Alcohol Addiction
- Developing a tolerance
- Raised blood pressure
- Loss of memory and coordination
- Being unable to stop drinking
- Mood swings
- Trouble concentrating
- Withdrawal symptoms when sober
- Spending a long time trying to get alcohol
Long Term Effects of Alcohol Addiction
- Anxiety
- Liver damage
- Insomnia
- High blood pressure
- Irritability
- Epilepsy
- Loss of memory and balance
- Heart and pancreas damage
Alcohol Addiction Statistics
25.8%
adults in the U.S. had alcohol use disorder in 2019.
2 million
people in the U.S. suffer from liver disease due to alcohol.
39%
increased chance of stroke for binge drinkers vs. non-bingers.
How is Alcohol Addiction Treated?
Alcohol addiction can be treated in rehabilitation facilities, such as Gratitude Lodge, that offer alcohol detox programs and addiction recovery programs. It’s a safe, professionally staffed place where you’ll naturally get rid of the rest of the alcohol in your body and be given medication to help offset the withdrawal symptoms that may occur. After the physical addiction has gone away, mental addiction, which takes longer to treat, will be the next focus.
There are programs in rehab such as group therapy, individual counseling, and a 12-step program to help the mental addiction of alcohol. Alcohol addiction has to be treated in a medical environment because serious and fatal side effects could accompany withdrawal symptoms when there is a long-term addiction.
Common Drug Combinations with Alcohol?
Alcohol is commonly paired with cigarettes and caffeine. Both caffeine and Adderall are stimulants, which can lead to blackouts because a drinker may not feel the effects of alcohol during consumption. Other drugs such as painkillers and cocaine are commonly mixed but should not be because the result can be fatal.
- CAFFEINE
- PAINKILLERS
- NICOTINE
- ADDERALL
- MARIJUANA
- COCAINE
- BENZOS
- MUSHROOMS
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