Knowing the Signs of Alcoholism Can Save Lives

Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt bad or guilty about drinking? Do you have a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a drinking problem. In the United States, 23 million people have a substance abuse problem and more than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

Alcoholism is a disease involving the strong need to drink, the inability to limit drinking, withdrawal symptoms (nausea, sweating, shakiness), and the need to drink a greater amount of alcohol as time passes.

Research has found that willpower alone cannot beat alcoholism since the need for alcohol is so strong that the ability to not drink is overridden. Many scientists think alcoholism is genetic and certain environmental factors—such as living arrangements, family, friends, and culture—influence whether a person develops alcoholism.

Alcohol affects the brain and body, and abusing alcohol can lead to death. In the short term, drinking causes a loss a coordination, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, and blackouts. But over time, drinking can lead to liver and heart disease, cancer, and inflammation of the pancreas.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), more than 2 million Americans suffer from alcohol-related liver disease, which can take the form of alcoholic hepatitis (fever, jaundice, and abdominal pain) or alcoholic cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). Both of these diseases can lead to death, while alcoholic hepatitis may be reversible if the drinking stops.

Treatment

There is no known cure for alcoholism. For successful recovery, cutting down on alcohol is not enough. Alcoholics who remain sober for years always remain susceptible to relapse and must avoid all alcoholic beverages. Still, relapses are common and do not mean alcoholics cannot recover. The support of family, friends, and treatment professionals is especially important at this time to get alcoholics back on track so they can stop drinking.

The road to recovery is long for alcoholics and must be taken 1 day at a time.

Youth and Alcohol

About 80 percent of adults receiving alcohol treatment reported they first became intoxicated before they were 18 years old, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). In fact, people who begin drinking before they are 15 years old are 10 times more likely to become alcoholics than those who begin drinking at age 21.

Signs of alcohol abuse in youths include the following:

Although research shows that 70 percent of Americans between 12 and 20 years old don't drink regularly, SAMHSA reported the following statistics in their 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse:

In youth, problem drinking often occurs with other behavioral problems such as impulsiveness, anger, high levels of assertiveness, and time and stress management issues. Because of these coexisting problems, different approaches must be taken in treatment. A focus must be placed on developmental issues, differences in values and belief systems, peer influences, and educational requirements. Other issues are age, gender, ethnicity, family structure, cognitive and social development, and cultural background.

Source: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)