People reference alcohol use disorder in various ways, including the term alcohol addiction. Alcohol use disorder describes when people have difficulty controlling their ability to stop alcohol misuse even when they understand it’s negatively impacting numerous parts of their lives. Alcohol use disorder will affect a person’s personal, work and school life and other aspects of their routine or well-being.
Seeking treatment for yourself or someone you care for alcohol use disorder is the best thing someone can do. People can look out for the various signs and symptoms of alcohol use disorder if they suspect that they are struggling or someone they care for needs help. A medical or mental health professional diagnoses people with alcohol use disorder. These professionals will consider the symptoms or signs of alcohol use and determine their condition on the addiction spectrum. The addiction spectrum ranges from mild, moderate and severe.
The signs and symptoms of alcohol use can impact a person’s physical health, mental health and behavior. Each aspect of a person’s overall health is essential throughout a lifetime, and substance use or alcohol use disorders severely impact each category.
With years of studies on alcohol use disorder and numerous medical professionals treating patients with this condition, there is still no clear answer on what causes the disease.
Addiction appeals to the section of the brain that handles pleasure, and the feelings of euphoria and relaxation that people feel when they consume alcohol impact this part of the brain. Alcohol consumption signals the brain to release dopamine, a chemical that turns on the brain’s reward system. A person will begin to feel good when they drink and crave the positive feelings they experience from drinking. This cycle can motivate a person to continue drinking and allow alcohol use disorder to develop.
A person’s risk for alcohol use disorder greatly depends on the amount of alcohol they consume, how often they drink and how quickly they drink. The more a person drinks, the stronger their tolerance grows, and they’ll require more alcohol to continue their positive feelings. People who have alcohol use disorder will start to prioritize drinking over other life activities, which can begin the start of their addiction.
Alcohol use disorder treatment features different stages that work to help make the process successful. While every patient should have a treatment plan created specifically for them, most treatment plans follow these three stages.
After quitting any substance, a person may begin to experience symptoms of withdrawal. Withdrawal describes the combination of mental and physical effects that a person feels after refraining from the substance they commonly use. The symptoms people experience from withdrawal vary in severity depending on a person’s addiction or alcohol dependency. It’s a widely unpleasant process that makes reducing or quitting alcohol a challenge.
A medical professional oversees the process of detoxification and helps patients conquer withdrawal symptoms, sometimes with medication.
After a patient completes detoxification, they’ll move on to their primary treatment stage. This process can involve various treatment or counseling options that help people find healthy ways to cope with their new lifestyle.
One of the treatment options includes inpatient therapy. Inpatient therapy happens in a place where people recovering from alcohol use disorder live and complete treatments with around-the-clock supervision. This residential treatment option is beneficial for those recovering from severe alcohol use disorder or who want a well-rounded treatment option before getting back to normal life.
Another option is outpatient treatment therapy. This treatment option is beneficial for people who don’t need intensive treatment or still need to complete personal life obligations, like work, school or child care and need a more flexible treatment process.
After completing treatment for alcohol addiction, people will slowly start getting into their new everyday routine. Addiction is a lifelong disease, and people must continue maintaining their sobriety and find ways to continue improving their lifestyles. A helpful way to accomplish this is by joining support groups or continuing to see a therapist. Both options continue to encourage people to stick on their path of recovery and provide a much-needed support system that they can trust.
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