What is Alcohol Abuse?

What is Alcohol Abuse and What Symptoms of an Alcoholic Should You Look Out For?

Before we delve into the alcohol abuse signs, it’s important that we understand the answer to the question: What is alcohol abuse? While most people are rather familiar with the idea of alcoholism, and drinking too much in general, the vast majority of people do not understand that beyond simply having a desire to drink, alcoholism comes with a compulsion that pushes alcoholics to drink despite negative the consequences that may result.

Alcohol abuse in its most simple explanation, is the habitual misuse of alcohol, but what does that entail exactly? Well, alcohol abuse can be using drinking as a coping mechanism, drinking and driving, drinking too much, drinking alone, or drinking when your legal, social, emotional or financial situation does not benefit from it. The most common form of alcohol abuse is when someone uses alcohol as an unhealthy coping mechanism, or a way to handle stressful or emotional situations without dealing with them head on. While using alcohol this way may seem effective at first, it soon spirals into pent of emotional turmoil, exacerbating the situation.

What is Alcohol Abuse: What Makes Alcoholism So Dangerous?

Alcoholism is one of the most common forms of addiction, and it can also be one of the hardest to recover from or to confidently diagnosis. This is largely to blame on the social acceptance of alcohol, the ease of access to alcohol, and the societal pressures to drink in various different social settings. When you couple these factors with strange occurrences like the functioning alcoholic, you get a widespread yet hard to diagnosis disease that affects the lives of the vast majority of first world nations. Luckily for concerned family members, doctors, and treatment specialists alike, there are a number of different symptoms of an alcoholic that you can look out for.

What is Alcohol Abuse: Symptoms of an Alcoholic and Alcohol Abuse Signs

Alcoholism is a widespread problem in America, and all over the world. It’s one that takes the lives of millions of people on a regular basis, whether it’s due to drunk driving accidents, the health risks of alcoholism, or even seemingly stupid decisions made while under the influence of alcohol. Make no mistake, as accepted as alcohol is, it is still an extremely deadly substance when used incorrectly. Unfortunately, there are thousands of people who are either physically or mentally incapable of drinking in moderate amounts, and the medical field has come to calling these people alcoholics.

Some common alcohol abuse signs are seen in the actions performed by alcoholics. Small signs such as problems at work or school due to drinking, that means situations like showing up late or missing responsibilities completely, drinking in irresponsible or dangerous situations like while driving. If you cannot remember what happened after a night of drinking, a situation commonly referred to as blacking out, this is one of the most common alcohol abuse signs. Legal problems can be another indicator of a problem as well, arrests, law suits, and suspended licenses or tickets due to intoxication are a clear indicator of a problem. One of the less talked about symptoms of an alcoholic are the effects it can have on your physical body and the relationships you have with loved ones. Alcohol, while seemingly social in moderate amounts, generally drives people into isolation when addiction begins to take hold. Drinking alone and neglecting relationships is another common sign of alcoholism. In addition, liver damage can be one of the alcohol abuse signs as well.

Some other symptoms of an alcoholic include:

• Lacking control over how much you drink.
• Needing to drink more to get the same effects as you used to from alcohol. (aka building a tolerance)
• You experience discomfort and withdrawal symptoms when you cease drinking for extended periods of time.
• You spend most of your time drinking or experiencing hangovers.
• Giving up on other activities to make time for drinking.
• Continued drinking after experiencing issues in relationships or health problems.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse, it’s important that you get them the help they need, either by calling a treatment center, or by educated them on the dangers presented by alcoholism. In many cases, alcoholics will deny their problem for as long as possible, avoiding the conflict, hard work, and humility that comes with striving for sobriety. If you do decide to get the help you need, we highly recommend seeking the help of an alcohol treatment center equipped with a medically supervised detox. Why? Well, alcoholism has some of the most intense withdrawal symptoms of any substance. In fact, alcohol withdrawals can be potentially deadly. Please, get the help you need in the most responsible way possible, by calling us today to discuss your potential treatment options.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.