Alcohol abuse is a devastating condition that affects 12.7% of all Americans. Roughly 1 in 8 adults in the US struggle with a dependence on alcohol, whether they’re in recovery or still in the throes of their addiction.
Chronic alcohol abuse can have a much darker effect on some individuals, and the team here at Lantana Recovery are fully trained to help people cope with their alcohol abuse disorder and start living sober once again.
Signs & Symptoms
There are many telltale signs of alcohol abuse which are different n different stages of alcoholism. If you’re wondering whether a loved one is struggling with alcoholism, look for some of these signs:
- Short-term memory loss or blackouts as a result of drinking
- Extreme mood swings for no apparent reason
- Irritability (especially when sober)
- Making excuses to drink, especially when alone
- Prioritizing alcohol over important things in your life
- Hiding alcohol or being secretive about it
- Feeling hungover, even when you’ve not been drinking
- Spending time with new groups of people (perhaps bad influences)
- Appearance and grooming become more dishevelled
Side Effects of Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol dehydrates your body and can wreak havoc on your health over time, despite how fun and harmless it might seem in the moment.
Short term side effects of alcohol abuse include:
- Poor judgement and a lack of inhibitions
- Dangerous decision-making
- Loss of concentration
- Poor coordination
- Reduced sensory perception (blurred vision etc.)
- Mood swings
- Increased blood pressure
- Vomiting
Long term side effects of alcohol abuse may include:
- Memory loss
- Reduced attention span
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Irregular heartbeat
- Difficulty taking in new information
- Liver fibrosis and fatty liver
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Cardiomyopathy
- Various cancers, including mouth, throat, esophageal & breast
Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Every day, 6 people die from alcohol poisoning – drinking too much alcohol too quickly in one sitting. 30% of the people who die from alcohol poisoning are thought to be alcoholics, and most of them are white American men. While alcoholism is a worldwide problem, it’s particularly concentrated in the United States.
Alcohol abuse is the 3rd leading lifestyle-related cause of death in the United States, just behind smoking and obesity. In the US, 17% of men and 8% of women will be classed as an alcoholic at some point in their lifetime. Millions of Americans are dependent on alcohol.
Alcohol Abuse Treatment
There are multiple different ways to treat alcohol abuse – it all depends on you and your circumstances. Detoxing and slowly transitioning to sobriety can be a good method for some people who prefer to stop drinking entirely.
Some people also like to seek individual or group therapy, similar to AA meetings. Therapy or counselling may dig into the root cause of your alcoholism and help to change your patterns of thinking that make you feel dependent on alcohol.
There are also some medications which can help you to become sober, get through the withdrawal process, or make drinking less enjoyable. While alcohol abuse requires behavioural changes, medications can help to facilitate these changes.
FAQs
Blood tests only show recent alcohol consumption, so your doctor may ask you questions about your lifestyle and take note of your general physical and mental health in order to diagnose alcoholism
People who are prone to blackouts will usually experience them when drinking 4-6 units of alcohol in 1 hour or less. You’re more likely to experience blackouts when drinking heavily and/or on an empty stomach.
