Other Dangers of Alcohol Addiction

People who drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol pose an additional threat to the health and well-being of their family members, and are a danger to themselves as well. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated or high can be a death sentence for that person, and for others.

One sign of a licensed driver with an alcohol problem is the amount of times they have violated the blood alcohol content laws while driving. The first time this happens it should set off a warning sign that tells them they may have a drinking problem.

What You Can Do to Help Yourself

The first thing to do to help yourself overcome a drinking problem is to admit that you have one. This is the most basic, and the most important step you can take. If a police officer stops you while driving because he suspects you of being intoxicated, it will be easier for you to take that first step.

Getting Support from Others

Once you make the decision to do something about an alcohol problem you have, it is imperative that you receive support from family and friends. Talk to them about your problem. Let them know you are concerned, and ask them for their help and support.

If you are wondering if you or someone you know might have a problem with alcohol here is a look at some of the signs that there might be a problem with alcohol developing.

The Development of Tolerance. Tolerance is the first warning sign that there is a problem with alcohol. Many people will believe that they are just drinking one small drink but many times one drink can turn into two or three and quickly spiral out of control. While tolerance isn’t always a sign of alcohol problems it can be a warning sign that there could be problems.

The Withdrawal Signs. The second major warning sign that there could be a problem with alcohol is that there are withdrawal signs. These symptoms will include nausea and vomiting, insomnia, irritability, fatigued, loss of appetite, headache and shakiness. A huge warning sign that there could be a problem is if someone believes that they need to relieve the symptoms by drinking even more alcohol.

Giving Up Activities. Another warning sign that there could be a problem with alcohol is when a person starts to give up activities that they love because it does not involve alcohol. Sometimes it isn’t even the fact that the activity doesn’t involve alcohol it is because the alcohol has taken such an important role in the person’s life that they no longer have an interest in anything else. Many times this is a sign that the person is developing a reliance upon the alcohol and it could be a potential problem.

When you realize that a friend or a family member has taken drug and/or alcohol use much too far, it may be time to see about an intervention. That can be done on a personal level, with family and friends, or it can be done on a professional level through making a person get help. You’ll know, generally, when it’s time to get help for someone. Alcohol use in someone who’s of age should be occasional and not excessive. Someone under legal drinking age shouldn’t be drinking at all. For drugs, there’s a sharper line. There shouldn’t be any illegal drug use, and legal medications should only be taken by the person they were prescribed to, and only in the specified dosage.

That doesn’t mean every underage person who sneaks one drink needs rehab, though, or every person who tries marijuana or takes a friend’s pain pill for a severe headache should be sent away to ‘get clean.’ Ideally, people wouldn’t use illegal substances and would follow rules that are set out for legal ones, but this is not a perfect world. Where intervention comes into play is generally through a realization that the person can’t stop the drugs or alcohol – or that he or she is getting sick from them.

Some people also lose jobs and families, and they continue to make lifestyle changes in order to accommodate drug and alcohol use. In those kinds of cases, intervention services may be necessary, significant, and important. The abuse has gone on for a long time at that point, and stopping on his or her own with willpower alone may no longer be possible. That’s when interventions can really have the most impact, and they can save lives that would otherwise very likely be lost to the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

While alcohol in small quantities can be beneficial for the heart, larger quantities can adversely affect it. Small quantities of alcohol can help raise good cholesterol and prevents clots from forming by keeping platelets from clumping together.

Alcohol is classified as a food since it provides calories for the body to burn, but those calories have no nutritional value. Unlike other foods, alcohol is not digested. It goes directly into the blood stream after being ingested. Almost 80% of the absorption happens in the small intestine while about 20% happens in the stomach.

One of the effects of high levels of alcohol in the blood is blood-sludging. This is a phenomenon characterized by the clumping of red blood cells, which block the small blood vessels. This deprives tissues of oxygen, leading to starvation of tissue cells. One of the worst hit and very often unnoticed are the brain cells. This affects the muscles too, including the heart muscles. This makes the heart weak and unhealthy. As a result, Cardiomyopathy, or a sluggish heart, is rife among alcoholics. Several days of sustained drinking can cause Arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. High alcohol levels can also affect the blood pressure.

In case the alcoholic is diabetic, the effect on his heart would be more detrimental. Alcohol in excess can cause sugar levels in the blood to rise, and that affects the circulation of the blood to the extremities. It also leads to poor blood supply to essential organs including the heart.

- Genetics: People with a family history of alcohol abuse
- Social Environment: People who associate with heavy and frequent drinkers
- Emotional Health: Mental problems like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder

Even though both categories consume unhealthy amounts of alcohol, there is a defined distinction between alcohol abusers and alcohol dependents. Alcohol abuse experts define alcohol abusers as those who have the ability to control their habit but choose not to. They choose the self-destructive and dangerous drinking pattern rather than being dependent on it.

Alcohol Abusers drink recklessly with little or no consideration for their own safety or of others. They might drink in situations where it could be dangerous, like before driving or operating heavy machinery. There alcohol habit is a way to relax and de-stress, but it can lead to them neglecting their responsibilities at home, work or school. Alcohol abusers can become alcoholics over a period of time.

Alcohol dependents, on the other hand, are physically dependent on alcohol and have no control over how much they drink. They develop a false tolerance to alcohol and drink more to get a similar high. If they stop drinking, they experience physical withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholics know they have a problem but are unable to stop.

A person may be considered an alcoholic if he:
- Feels guilty or ashamed about his alcohol consumption
- Feels the need to lie to conceal the habit
- Finds his family and friends worrying about the amount and frequency of his alcohol consumption
- Feels the need to drink in order to feel better emotionally
- Frequently blacks out after drinking
- Regularly consumes more than his intention

• Mixing drinks will make you drunker: This myth probably stems from the fact that when you mix drinks, you get sick faster. However, intoxication is only dependent on the amount of alcohol consumed, not type.
• Cold showers and coffee can help sober up a person: A person cannot be considered sober until all the alcohol is out of their system. This happens at a fixed rate, and cannot be speed up with any number of showers or coffee.
• A full stomach keeps you from getting drunk: Food in the stomach delays the absorption of alcohol in the bloodstream but you will still get drunk if you drink enough.
• One drink for women, and two drinks for men, is ‘safe’: Everyone’s body reacts differently to alcohol, depending on their body weight, metabolism, body chemistry, and any medications they may be taking at the time.
• Alcohol warms you up: Alcohol creates a sense of warmth because it dilates blood vessels. This makes the body lose heat rapidly. This false sense of warmth can lead to hypothermia if it is allowed to be the only ‘warming’ factor.
• Beer cannot damage you permanently: Beer, like any other alcoholic drink, has alcohol in it. if consumed in enough quantities, beer can be as damaging as any other alcoholic drink.
• Hangover is the only risk of having too much to drink: Alcohol that people consume is ethyl alcohol, and it comes from a family of carbon compounds known as ‘Alcohols’. All alcohols are extremely toxic and so is ethyl alcohol. If taken in large enough quantities, it can kill you.
• Drugs are bigger killers that alcohol: Drugs are dangerous, but alcohol kills because of health problems as well as drunken driving, violence and crime.

Alcohol Withdrawal
Alcohol addiction follows 4 basic characteristics.

The urge to repeat the process of getting high on alcohol can be quite overwhelming, and can sometimes be stronger than the person’s will power, in spite of the full awareness of the risks

The urge to satisfy the craving for alcohol becomes the number one priority in the addict’s life, eventually becoming greater than any of the other needs of the body, including hunger, sexual needs, and even survival

Any emotional high or low can trigger the desire to drink, making it inextricably linked with almost every aspect of life

No matter how long a person has been sober, the risk of falling back into the habit is always there. An alcohol-abusing person can never be cured of his habit, but can only learn to control it.

The tolerance for alcohol increases over continued consumption, which leads the person to assume that he can now drink more. It also leads to him drinking more to achieve the same high. Over a period of time, with regular use of alcohol, the liver might eventually get damaged. This manifests itself as a reverse tolerance where the body’s tolerance appears to go down. This is a sign of an advanced stage of alcoholism.
First stage Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are::

• Hangovers
• Sleep disturbance
• Irritability, anxiety and restlessness
• Tremors or Morning Shakes
• Physical weakness accompanied by a rapid heart rate
• Mental sluggishness
• Difficulty in thinking

If the person was not a heavy drinker or severely addicted, these symptoms clear up on their own after a period of abstinence. Second stage withdrawal can bring convulsions where the person experiences seizures after 12-48 hours of the last drink, unconsciousness and body control.

Third stage symptoms can be alcoholic hallucinates and delirium tremens. There may be a chance of death at this stage of withdrawal, without medical supervision.

There are a number of factors that determine whether or not a person is at risk for developing a drinking problem. Some of these include:

• Genetics. Many experts believe that alcoholism can in part be explained by genetics. A family history of alcoholism can be a result of learned behaviors as well as a genetic predisposition to alcohol addiction.
• Mental health. People with mental health disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, or others may be at a higher risk. Often times, people turn to alcohol to help them cope with their depression or illness.

These is no definitive answer regarding diagnosis of alcoholism. As a general rule, however, many health professionals will agree that if a person’s drinking is causing problems in their relationships, jobs or school life, or their ability to function in society, they have an alcohol abuse problem.

Some of the warning signs of alcoholism include:

• Feeling guilty about your drinking or lying to others about going to bars or the frequency with which you drink.
• Feeling out of control when you drink, like you can’t stop at one drink
• Turn to drinking to help cope with stress, depression, or other problems in life
• Friends and family members express concern with your drinking
• You miss work, school, or shirk other responsibilities because of your drinking

Recognizing there is a problem with alcohol abuse is the first step to getting it under control. Fortunately, there are many programs and treatment centers available for alcohol addiction.

It is a sad time for any family, when it is realized that someone in the home needs alcohol treatment. Unfortunately, this happens way too often in the United States. It has become common for those dealing with stress and frustrations to turn to alcohol. Some of these people are able to partake of a drink and not have a problem. Many others, though, are unable to do this. In fact, alcoholism is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

For those in the situation of dealing with alcoholism, it can be hard to admit that it is time to look into alcohol treatment. It can also be difficult for those around the person dealing with the problem to admit it. This is because it is a very hard thing to deal with. Admitting that there is a problem, as we all know, is the first step. But that first step can feel like a never ending fall to some. Many people believe that if you have to seek treatment or help that you are weak or have some sort of personality flaw. This is most definitely not the case. In fact, admitting that there is a problem, and seeking help for that problem is one of the strongest things that a person can do.

Alcoholism should not be treated lightly. It is something that hurts not only those that are dealing with it themselves, but also those around them. Cases of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse rise significantly when alcohol and alcoholism are in play. This is something that can affect everyone around you. If you feel that you have a problem, and may need help, or if you have a loved one that is in this situation, finding help is crucial. There are treatment centers for alcoholism out there that are there to help.

Almost from the beginning of the history of man examples can be found of the consumption of substances that offer no nutritional value. Consuming a plant or something that produces a feeling of ease or comfort provided man with a feeling of power. The consumption of alcohol or plants caused feelings of euphoria in early man, enough so that many civilizations thought that drugs or alcohol allowed man to tap into the power of the gods.

Perhaps the feature that most distinguishes man from other animals has been the ability to adapt or alter environment to promote survival. This led to the experimentation of using plants to improve or change an individuals’ psychological health. The resulting experiences that were the most profound have continued on and often been integrated into secular and religious cultures.

Some of the earliest documented drug experimentation occurred in ancient Mesopotamia. The poppy was cultivated sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C. The opium derived from the poppy was turned into gil, which means “happiness and joy”. Marijuana is another drug that shows up in the recorded history of early man. While these drugs have become taboo and even outlawed in modern society, alcohol has not only maintained its popularity since man first got plastered, it also has become a widely acceptable form of recreation.

Alcohol consumptions can be easily traced back to the earliest societies. Ancient Egyptian society often consumed beer, and the god Osiris supposedly taught the Egyptians about brewing. In Ancient Greece alcohol was a gift from Dionysius, the god of the grape.

Man’s experimentation with drugs and alcohol seems to be part of the human experience, which means that finding effect ways to combat addictions is difficult. Drugs and alcohol have always fascinated and enticed man. And with thousands of years of tradition and history on the side of experimentation the most effective form of treatment, prevention, faces difficult odds.

Addiction to drugs of alcohol is not a new social ill. Throughout the 19th century drugs and alcohol were regularly abused with terrible results. The holidays were time of terror in turn of the century America. Working class citizens would drink to excess and often get into violent fights either at the saloon or at home.

Women were behind the temperance movement in the United States and with understandable cause. Domestic violence was common in 19th Century America and excessive drinking was often the cause. The labor class would become so intoxicated that violence began tied to recreation. When not at work men could be found drinking and then fighting.

The behavior was uncalled for but also understandable. Factory labor was monotonous and held little prospect for advancement. Losing themselves in drink was a way for the working class to forget their plight at least for a moment. Rather than attempt to repair an unequal society, church groups focused on the ill that could be identified and potentially banned. By the end of the 19th Century a strong movement to ban the sales of alcohol had emerged. Prohibition emerged as the answer to the problem of drinking to excess. Rather than trust the working man to know when to say went a coalition of female rights groups, religious groups and conservatives pushes through a ban of alcohol in the United States.

The law proved to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption when initially implemented, but the laws became less and less effective as the public realized ways to circumvent the law. Alcohol consumption reached pre-Prohibition levels a few years after the ban. Making alcohol illegal proved to accomplish the empowerment of organized criminals. Despite this lesson from history the federal government continues to fight a war on drugs. History teaches that users will seek out a drug despite the law. Legislating morality has been a dangerous and thankless endeavor.

There has been a joke told among the staff at alcohol treatment centers that was presented as a litmus test for determining whether or not someone was an alcoholic. Follow the person to a bar at happy hour and drop a dead fly on top of his or her beer. If the person is a social drinker the drink will be discarded. If the person is a problem drinker the fly will be flicked out of the beer when no one else is looking. And if the person is an alcoholic he or she will finish the beer and then wring the fly out to get the last drops.

While the joke illustrates the desperation of alcoholics a proper method for determining addiction is the CAGE questionnaire, which was published inthe Journal of the American Medical Association. Answering yes to anyone of the questions indicates that there might be a problem.

C: Have you considered consuming less alcohol?

A: Have peers bothered you by suggesting to reduce your drinking?

G: Have you had negative feelings due to your drinking habits?

E: Have you started the day with a drink?

This simple test of asking people if they have ever had any problems due to drinking identifies the majority of people with an addiction. The problem with the test is getting people to answer it honestly. Denial is the common mechanism used to deflect seeking treatment. People who are truly addicted can come up with endless reasons and justification for the bad consequences of the addiction. Many also look for ways to defect the label of addict.

For people asking themselves the questions the answer is probably already know. The act of admitting the problem and sharing it with friends and family can be an embarrassing hurdle to overcome. There is also the difficult balancing act of admitting the addiction and figure out how to life without substance dependence.

Mild to moderate alcohol consumption may have little, if any, effect on the body. If a person does drink to the point that he begins to feel a “buzz” or feel “a little tipsy,” the decision is often made to stop drinking at that point in order to avoid any problems that may occur with over-consumption of alcohol.

However, some people, for different reasons, continue to drink to the point of intoxication. For some, the aftereffects (the hangover or vomiting that occurs from too much alcohol) are enough to make them decide to never get to that point again, or at least not do it very often. Others, however, continue to increase their alcohol intake, and thus become addicted, a condition sometimes referred to as alcoholism.

True alcoholism (as opposed to binge drinking or occasional drunkenness) will eventually cause long-term effects on the body. These can include such things as illnesses caused by nutritional deficiencies, and brain and organ damage.

Nutritional deficiencies occur because of alcohol’s dual effect on a person. For one thing, the person is so preoccupied with wondering where his next drink will come from and with procuring that next drink, that he gives little, if any, thought to eating. In essence, drinking is more important than food consumption.

Further, alcohol can contain anywhere from 25 to as much as 65 calories, or more, depending on the type of beverage. These, however, are considered “empty” calories. The person does not feel hunger, because his stomach is full of alcohol, but he has taken in no nutrients.

Alcoholism causes organ damage, especially to the liver. The liver is responsible for filtering out the harmful effects of alcohol. As it has to handle larger and larger volumes of alcohol, its filtering effects become diminished. Eventually, the liver actually begins to harden, a condition known as cirrhosis, which eventually leads to liver failure.

Alcoholism also affects the brain. Each time alcohol is consumed, brain cells are killed, and they do not regenerate. Further, excessive consumption can lead to episodes of memory loss, sometimes referred to as “blackouts”.

There are actually two types of addiction: physical and psychological. In the physical type, the body is actually reacting to the absence or withdrawal of the drug because it has become used to having it; in psychological addiction, the urges and cravings, as well as the physical symptoms, are present.

Psychological addiction can occur after just one use, as can be the case with crack cocaine or methamphetamine. That is because the first high from these drugs is so intense that the parts of the brain that record pleasure are stimulated to try to mimic that feeling again and again.

The same thing can also occur with nicotine. Nicotine is metabolized through the body within three days after a last cigarette has been smoked. No nicotine is left in the bloodstream, but the craving for a cigarette is still present.

Physical addiction manifests itself in true withdrawal symptoms when it is time for another “fix” or drink. The body actually begins to react to the absence of drugs. Symptoms can include nausea and vomiting, excessive sweating, muscle tremors, and other physical signs.

It is perhaps the psychological addiction that is responsible for those who have stopped using alcohol or drugs to refer to themselves as “recovering” addicts; in other words, it is an ongoing process. Once a person has stopped drinking or using drugs, a conscious effort must be made not to “slip up” and have just one drink or just one more ” fix.”

The recovering addict must be on the alert for signs that a relapse-an episode where alcohol or drug use does occur-is imminent and take steps to remove himself from the situation. This may mean not attending social functions where alcohol is served, or physically and emotionally distancing himself from those people with whom he shared the addiction.