Having trouble stopping alcohol? You could be suffering from an alcohol use disorder, if you aren’t unsure what that means. We’ve put together these article go further why people struggle stopping drinking and how you can treat it.
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What Is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?
Alcohol Use Disorder or as it’s known short AUD is a medical condition described as an impaired ability to put a stop to or have control over their alcohol use despite the social consequences that come from mistakes drinking or underlying health problems.
It is known to have the same conditions there people most know as alcohol addiction, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency. AUD is a brain disorder that can either be mild, medium or heavily severe depending on the user. Enduring changes that happen in the brain from alcohol misuse continue AUD and make the user more likely to relapse.
There are some positives as regardless of the severity of your AUD, there are many ways that you can start to achieve and maintain recovery and start living a healthy lifestyle today.
Treatments such as rehabilitation have been known to be the most effective when treating patients with detoxing, behaviour therapy sessions such as one-to-ones with trained counsellors who are there to listen & support you through your road to recovery.
If you feel that you are suffering from Alcohol Disorder or know someone in your family who is showing signs of AUD then it’s best to face the problems early on and reach out to support as alcohol abuse can lead to serious mental and health problems over time.
Physical Symptons Of Alcohol Disorder
The symptoms that you find with alcohol misuse can often overlap with AUD but the difference is that alcohol misuse can have an effect that is more immediate whereas alcohol disorder symptoms may show longer in time.
Having a high concentration of alcohol in your blood system can lead to physical symptoms such as –
- Their speech is slurred and can’t hold a conversation.
- Reflexes are slow.
- Experiencing blackouts and memory loss.
- Making bad decisions you wouldn’t make sober.
- Can’t focus.
An extreme amount of concentration of alcohol in your blood system can lead to more serious problems that can end in death such as breathing difficulties and coma from alcohol poising.
Mental Symptoms Of Alcohol Disorder
Excessive drinking can lead to you becoming cognitively impaired which can make you more prone to risky behaviour that can result in either death or injury for you or an affected person.
People that suffer from AUD make up for 20 to 35% of committed suicides. Research shows that there is a highly parallel between alcohol misuse and behaviour such as high-risk sexual acts, violence, self-harm and a higher chance of ending up in a motor vehicle accident which can lead to the death of innocents.
You should never attempt to drive vehicles over the legal limit in the United Kingdom under the effects of alcohol.
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Complications From Alcohol Disorder
Many people that currently suffer from an alcohol disorder will either continue to drink under the influence that they don’t know they have AUD or will ignore it. Not facing this alcohol disorder can lead to complications if they continue to drink over the long term.
- Trouble sleeping. (Insomnia)
- Sexual dysfunction.
- Brain injuries such as brain damage.
- Dementia
Due to the after-effects that come with an alcohol disorder, you may suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit drinking which can range from strong sickness feeling, sweating and shakes. Heavier alcohol abuse can lead to serious withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, heavy fever and hallucinations.
If you have a history of suffering from these withdrawal symptoms when trying to remove alcohol from your life then it may be best to reach out to a rehabilitation centre before trying to quit yourself which under no medical supervision can be seriously dangerous.
Treatment For Alcohol Use Disorder
Getting treatment for alcohol disorder in a rehabilitation centre focuses on treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the correct manner and getting through to the root of the need why you need to drink alcohol frequently and suppressing any cravings in the long term.
Not every road to recovery is the same in alcohol use disorder, this is many factors from genetics, the severity of their alcohol addiction and the length of time using. The rehabilitation centre’s treatment involves a detox done by trained medical staff who will be able to monitor your progress followed by therapy whether that’d be one-on-one sessions or group sessions with other people.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about alcohol use disorder? Get the answers and learn more about how you can deal with alcohol disorders.
It’s not always easy to convince someone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs to go for help. They might be scared about what will happen, or they may not want their family and friends to know how bad things are. But if you really care about them, it’s worth it. You don’t have to do this alone – the experts at rehab are there to help provide support and advice.
Rehab for alcohol addiction is a treatment which can help you to overcome this problem. If you are an alcoholic, it is essential that you get treatment as soon as possible. The sooner you do so, the easier it will be for your body and mind to recover from the damage done by alcohol.
Rehabilitation centres are facilities where people who have a drinking problem can receive help in order to stop drinking. They offer medical care for any physical problems caused by excessive drinking, counselling and support groups for recovering addicts, education about the effects of alcoholism on health and finances, and other activities such as relaxation therapy or outdoor pursuits.