What images come to mind when you talk about alcohol use. Parents and sometimes friends raise a glass full of alcohol to propose a toast to a newlywed couple. Friends gathering after work or on weekends have alcohol as a must to have a drink to cheer their mood and a host gives his guests a special treatment by preparing champagne set on the dinners and special events. This is the picture that comes to mind when thinking about the alcohol lifestyle.

But there is a darker side too. Many of us have seen car accidents caused by drinking, family fights stirred up by the use of alcohol, harassment cases where a large number of suspects include drunk people.

Signs Of Alcoholic Addiction

Sometimes it is hard to recognize the alcohol addiction in someone because it is widely accepted in many cultures as mentioned above and associated with many social events like gatherings and celebrations.

Some use it when they are happy and some take it when they are upset to deal with their depression. Alcohol addiction comes in a variety of ways. But regardless of this fact, it is difficult to point out the difference between someone who consumes alcohol as a lifestyle drink or the one with complications. However, there are some common symptoms seen in people with this disease:

• Frequent increase in the quantity
• Drinking without occasions or at inappropriate times
• Changes in social patterns
• Drinking without time schedules
• Increased depression and emotional stress
• Negative changes in behavior
• Work-Life problems
• Not being able to balance yourself while walking at times

These symptoms are somehow the major signs to look for the problem. However, if you know someone with alcohol addictions, the best attitude is to be supportive and not shaming them. In worse cases, alcohol addiction is cured with the help of certified alcohol addiction centers.

Alcohol rehabilitation centers are often the only way to get help for people struggling with severe addiction. These conditions can get worse over time leading to serious health issues.  Some serious health issues associated with alcohol addiction include:

Alcohol And Mental Health

Affects The Performance Of The Brain

An increase in alcohol consumption harms mental health. The brain relies on a weak balance of chemicals and processes. Alcohol is depressing, which means it can disrupt that balance, affect our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and sometimes it affects the overall mental well-being.

This Leads To Serious Anxiety

Some people drink alcohol to ease their symptoms of anxiety but those feelings stay for a while.  Depending on alcohol to ease anxiety disorder may lead to greater dependency on it and with the time that person needs to consume more alcohol and can’t resist it and results in frequent hangovers. It is unknown, but frequent hangovers can also raise feelings of anxiety. And this behavior is generally unnoticeable and makes these symptoms even worse.

Drinking too much alcohol can make a person go through serious anxiety issues as well. For example, a fully drunk person is not likely to respond to the warning signs around him and ignore the alarming situations. And if he suddenly faces something serious and threatening, he might get sudden panic and lose focus which results in an increased heart rate and even more serious condition.

Causes Self-Harm And Suicidal Attempts

Alcohol can make people behave impulsively which leads to actions that can harm them. Study shows that there is a strong connection between drinking heavily and making suicidal attempts.

Drinking at extreme levels can lead to psychosis where a person experiences reality in a different way such as hearing intense voices and perceiving that people are trying to harm them. And these feelings can lead to self-harm.

 Alcohol And Physical Health

Too much alcohol can harm physical health in any way

Liver Damage

As alcohol is a toxin, it’s your liver’s job to flush it out. But if you start drinking too much, your liver loses its capacity because it kills the liver cells and can also give you a liver disease called fatty liver disease which does not allow your liver to function properly.

Heart Disease

Blood clots and high levels of fats in the body lead to heart issues. Alcohol causes cholesterol to get high and causes the trouble of pumping blood to the heart. This leads to a higher chance of heart disease.

Cancer

There is a close link between excessive use of alcohol and cancer diseases. Consuming alcohol in large quantities can kill the cells in your throat and esophagus and gives a higher chance of the chemicals present in the tobacco entering your body cells and causing damage.

Digestive Problems

As it is clear that excessive alcohol consumption damages the cells of the esophagus, a part of the digestive system, causing the inflammation of the stomach lining and other issues like heartburn, ulcers, acid reflux, etc.