How many song have we heard that is about the excitement of Fridays and the anticipation to cut loose with some alcohol?
Alcoholism is not the consumption of alcohol when you are getting together with your loved ones. It is the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol. Many people start drinking regularly to cope with the stress and frustrations of their life, a quick way to forget their pains. If your use of alcohol is having negative consequences in your life in regards to your job, personal life, social life, etc it could be that you have an alcohol use disorder.
We all know the physical side effects of alcohol like liver damage and cardiovascular diseases and behavioral changes like aggression, self-destructive behavior, and agitation, but did you know it also takes a toll on the psychological state of an individual? The brain of an alcoholic person will crave alcohol more and more when they stop drinking all of a sudden. People with certain mental health illnesses also tend to self medicate through alcohol.
A person who drinks to forget about their depression will feel numb and uninhibited for some time till certain brain chemicals drop and they fall back into a deeper depression to which they will try to cope with even more alcohol. This cyclical process can harm the brain permanently. Alcohol interference with other brain chemicals and tips the balance of one’s hormones which makes them extremely vulnerable to anxiety as well as different mood disorders.
Alcoholics reach out to rehabilitation centers to quit drinking. This is a place where they can get through their withdrawal safely with supervision which is followed by counseling and therapy sessions.