What Are The Signs Of Alcoholism?
- Topics: Alcoholism
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At least two perspectives can be address when discussion the signs of alcoholism, also known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIHAA), AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake, and a negative emotional state when not using. We can look at symptoms and signs as a third person, observing a loved one or associate. Or perhaps it is you, contemplating your own addiction and wondering what you should be considering. For ease and brevity, ideas for both are broken into categories related to the Bio-Psycho-Social model of recovery.
This list is far from exclusive and fully comprehensive but will serve as a guide to begin your processing:
Let’s break biological (physical) symptoms into a few main areas:
As alcoholics progress through their disease, emotions become amplified, unpredictable and potentially antisocial. Negative emotions that were already present, such as anger, resentment, guilt or sadness intensify and become even more self-fulfilling. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar or schizophrenia may present as an affected person uses alcohol more and more to suppress emotions. But to dive into the development of the craving response will show a powerful psychological sign of alcoholism that can not be denied:
In researching the development of craving response, it became evident that alcoholics may be unique in the progression of these stages. A casual alcohol user would have minimal if not be completely abstinent of these progressive craving responses:
The introductory phase of the craving response appears tame and benign as it may be how most of the general population perceives alcohol. A long schedule evening with friends finds you at a local bar (the “using site” can be very personal and defined as any location, person or even emotion that triggers this response) having a cocktail and dinner discussing sports or the latest popular television shows. After a drink or maybe even two, you begin to feel the physiological sensations of the alcohol. You might even say you feel “buzzed” or “tipsy”. And this is the extent of your alcohol use for a few more weeks, or until the next holiday or special occasion.
The maintenance phase has a subtle but significant addition to the craving response process. Even without taking a first drink, some activation for the neuropathways occurs automatically, just by being physically introduced to the “using site”. This mild craving serves to push the person toward drinking.
The disenchantment phase is much more developed and as the name implies has an emotional impact on the affected person. This is certainly an attribute of an alcoholic moving into dependency on the drug. Note that mild physiological effects can be realized simply by the thought of using and/or the “using site”. The craving has become a powerful event. The craving response that occurs when the person is near a trigger (such as a bar) is almost as strong as the reaction to the actual ingestion of the substance itself.
The disaster phase is the beginning of the insanity of the disease of alcoholism. Allowing oneself to merely think about drinking is almost the same as actually drinking alcohol. People who are addicted to this degree and who are attempting to stop drinking, need to be able to practice thought stopping techniques in order to interrupt this process.
A non-alcoholic does not progress through these psychological cravings for alcohol. They have the proverbial light switch to turn off the desire for alcohol and avoid the consequences of the disease. But an afflicted person with alcoholism progresses through these stages and finds themselves strongly effected at even the thought of alcohol, drinking and/or the very triggers of the event.
If only there were a blood test for addiction, but there is not. A diabetic can look at A1C counts. A person with cancer may be able to measure the size of a tumor. But for all practical purposes, addiction is self-diagnosed. We can look at all of these potential symptoms and signs, but an alcoholic must be willing to diagnose and prescribe selfcare in order to begin treatment. As painful as it may be to witness, our hope is that this list revealed some insight to helping know yourself or a loved one better.
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