Because the body has adapted to deal with an alcohol-rich environment, the alcoholic physically needs it to avoid the painful symptoms of withdrawal. By the time they’ve reached the third and final stage of alcoholism, drinking has consumed their lives. Their alcohol withdrawal symptoms are so severe that they must drink How to Help a High-Functioning Alcoholic continually to avoid them.

Other Risk Factors of Alcoholism

While any form of alcohol abuse is problematic, the term “problem drinker” refers to someone who starts experiencing the impacts of their habit. Not only does AUD affect the health of the person with the disease, but it also impacts the lives of those around them. Medications, behavioral therapies, and social support groups are among the strategies to combat this disorder. When healthcare providers screen for this condition, they look at drinking behavior patterns within the last year to determine a diagnosis. They use a set of 11 criteria established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) to assess alcohol use severity. Friends and family members of people who have an alcohol addiction can benefit from professional support or by joining programs like Al-Anon.

1. End-stage alcoholics are also at a high risk of dying from accidents, trauma and suicide.
2. Medications also can help deter drinking during times when individuals may be at greater risk of a return to drinking (e.g., divorce, death of a family member).
3. When babies are exposed to alcohol in the womb at any stage of pregnancy, they have more difficulty later in life with learning, memory and attention.
4. Scary and sad as it was for her, after all those years together, if Ray continued to refuse to accept help, she was going to file for divorce.
5. Dopamine, the feel-good chemical, stops working well in the ventral striatum when you struggle with alcohol abuse.
6. If the drinking world is conceptualized as a spectrum, normal social drinking is one on end (a few drinks per month, almost always in a social context) and alcohol use disorder is on the other end.

While some people have no problems limiting their alcohol intake, others cannot seem to resist the strong impulse to continue drinking. BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat. Alcohol abuse can also adversely affect the ventral striatum part of the brain. This part of the brain processes reward expectation and reward prediction errors.

Loved ones can provide immeasurable support, but they almost take care of themselves throughout an often difficult journey. Depression and alcohol use also have a complex, bidirectional relationship. Those with depressive symptoms may turn to alcohol for temporary relief. However, alcohol misuse can contribute to the onset and severity of depressive symptoms since alcohol is a central nervous system depressant.

Many people have significant risk factors for diseases or disorders and never develop them. Childhood trauma can fuel problematic drinking in adulthood, because the person might use alcohol to cope with feelings of anger, depression, anxiety, loneliness, or grief. Compared to people without a drinking problem, men and women who sought treatment for alcohol addiction had a higher prevalence of childhood trauma, research finds. Furthermore, the greater the abuse or neglect experienced, the more severe their drinking problem was. Therapy can help people who suffered as a child to address those challenges and develop healthier coping skills.

However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Alcohol use disorder affects millions of people, but it often goes undetected. The later stages of addiction can yield physical changes, but behavioral signs can help detect it early on. People with an addiction often develop rigid routines that revolve around uninterrupted access to alcohol and other drugs; they may be irritated by schedule changes and blame their frustration on others. They may have powerful mood swings that seem to change their personality.

What Are the Causes of Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse?

Carolina Center for Recovery is an accredited drug and alcohol treatment center. With a holistic approach to treating alcoholism, we offer different treatment programs to fit each person’s unique needs. Our therapists work closely with you to treat the underlying causes and risk factors for alcoholism. Getting over alcoholism isn’t easy, but it is possible with a little help. Being aware of the risk factors for alcoholism helps to identify if you or a loved one are more susceptible to alcoholism. However, even with this awareness many people still become alcoholics.

Physical Factors that Cause Alcoholism

In addition to working through past traumas and current issues, individuals learn new coping mechanisms that include healthy behaviors to reduce the risk of relapse. Before it becomes problematic, why do people turn to alcohol in the first place? One is simply its rewarding consequences, such as having fun or escaping social anxiety. Having an impulsive personality plays into the decision to seek rewards despite negative repercussions.

Blackout episodes, where the individual does not remember what they’ve said or done while drinking, may occur. One of the biggest concerns with risky drinkers is when they don’t think they have a problem. Moderate drinking is the only safe way to consume alcohol, but drinking in general isn’t safe for everyone. Alcohol addiction is characterized by a physical and psychological need to drink. Frequent, uncontrolled alcohol abuse eventually leads to problem drinking.

The mental and physical health of alcoholics are rapidly deteriorating at this stage, and unless they seek alcohol rehab, they may drink themselves to death. But some people who drink face a risk of developing this chronic and progressive disease, which affects roughly 1 in every 8 Americans and contributes to about 88,000 deaths annually. You may become more depressed, more anxious, or start losing sleep. You may start to feel sick from heavy drinking, but enjoy its effects too much to care. Many drinkers at this stage are more likely to drink and drive or experience legal troubles as a result of their drinking.