If you are consuming alcohol frequently in large amounts, you may suffer from an alcohol dependency where you need to drink alcohol in order to feel ‘normal.’ Learn more about how you can break free from an alcoholic dependency.
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What Is Alcohol Dependency?
Alcohol dependency is when a person feels they are not able to function correctly in their everyday life without consuming alcohol. Some will believe that they can’t live without having a drink during their day and it’s often the most important factor of their day drinking alcohol.
Alcohol addicts who end up becoming dependent on alcohol will need to consume more to feel the effects they once had. People who are alcohol dependent will often choose drinking over-committing to obligations such as work and activities such as family life. Due to being dependent on alcohol once withdrawn, they can start to feel withdrawal symptoms which can be damaging short-term and long-term such as depression and physical damage such as liver damage.
If you believe you are starting to become dependent on alcohol or know a loved one that is currently suffering from alcohol abuse, you can reach out to a rehabilitation centre which can help treat their addiction in a safe and medical manner.
How Does Alcohol Rehab Work
Alcohol Rehab is a treatment for people who have an alcohol problem. The first step in Alcohol Rehab is to detoxify the body from alcohol and any other drugs that may be present at the time of admission.
In some cases, medically-assisted detoxification may be necessary to help with withdrawal symptoms. After alcohol detoxification, you will need to learn about your addiction and why you drink or use drugs in order to find out how to stay sober.
You will also learn coping skills such as stress management and relaxation techniques that can help you deal with cravings and urges when they come up.
At the end of your treatment program, if you still feel the need for support after completing your treatment, most rehab centres provide aftercare services, online support and resources.
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Physical & Mental Health Problems With Alcohol Dependency
There is a wide range of health risks that increase when consuming alcohol frequently on a daily basis. Abusing alcohol can end up becoming seriously dangerous and leaving you with health problems and becoming dependent on it is likely to increase these health problems more.
Some health problems include cancers of the throat, mouth and breast, bowel cancer, high blood pressure, a higher chance of having a stroke and alcohol heart-related diseases.
It’s just not only physical health problems that you can suffer from when building an alcohol dependency but your mental health is more than likely to suffer also. You can start to feel heavy anxiety, depression and even suicidal feelings as they develop in the brain when becoming dependent on alcohol as alcohol is a downer. Heavy drinking can cause-effect with the chemicals inside your brain that are needed in order for you to have good mental health.
When dependent on alcohol you will also find that your relationships will suffer greatly as well with close family members, friends and partners. Financing an alcohol addiction can become expensive meaning your financial state can take a hit or even worse spending everything in order to fund your addiction leads to a higher chance of serious depression.
Alcohol has been found to cause aggression in people, if you are trying to consume alcohol in order to feel better it could lead to a worse cycle with severe mood swings.
How Can You Tell If Someone Is Suffering From Alcohol Dependency?
Many people think that an alcohol dependency is drinking lots of alcohol on an extreme basis but that isn’t always the case. You can be drinking regularly and still form an alcohol dependency on a lesser scale.
When dependence is established inside your brain, you will start to find that you are craving more alcohol and spend most of your time thinking about having a drink or trying to obtain alcohol to consume.
Then when the dependency starts to become stronger and take over, it will start leading to withdrawal symptoms such as the shakes so people will start to drink more alcohol in order not to feel these effects happening to them.
These are some signs you can start to look out for if you feel you have an alcohol dependency or starting to suspect someone you love has it:
- Needs the feel to have a drink.
- Find themselves in trouble after drinking.
- People are warning them about how much they drink.
- All problems come from drinking.
If you are worried about these symptoms, seek out a rehabilitation centre that can start you or your loved one on the road to recovery.
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How To Get Treatment For Alcohol Dependency
It can be a difficult road to recovery in treating an alcohol addict but there are treatment options available to help people get back to their most healthy version of themselves such as rehabilitation.
Being dependent on alcohol means you have reached a point where your body and mind feel they can’t function without alcohol and trying to stop drinking can lead to some serious physical withdrawal symptoms such as heavy sweating, the constant feeling of nausea and shaking. Having these symptoms after a couple of hours of not drinking can lead to more serious physical withdrawals such as seizures.
Rehabilitation centres have specialist teams that are qualified in handling patients that suffer from alcohol dependency and can perform a safe medical detox while monitoring them to ensure a correct detox is done properly to avoid serious harm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about alcohol dependency? Learn more and how you can help yourself or a loved one face their alcohol addiction.
If you love someone with an addiction, it can be difficult to know how to help them. You might feel like you’re walking on eggshells around them without knowing what will set them off. It’s important not to give up on the person because they need your support and encouragement more than ever. You might want to consider reaching out for professional guidance from a counsellor or psychologist who specializes in addiction counselling so that you can learn ways to help your loved one and handle any emotional distress that is affecting you.
The answer to this question is a resounding YES. You may have tried to overcome your addiction on your own and it was not working for you. You are not alone in feeling this way, many people who suffer from alcohol dependency try to fight their addiction without professional help and they end up failing.