From binge drinking while you are out partying to the occasional social drinking, once alcohol becomes a regular part of your life, there is on a fine line until you might actually develop an addiction problem. Alcohol abuse is a growing issue in today’s society, and while not all addicts actually admit having a problem in this department, the physical and emotional consequences are still experienced. If you have become used to drinking on the regular, perhaps even on a daily basis, you might find yourself in that position without even realizing it. But what exactly are the repercussions that come with this type of addiction? How can alcohol abuse affect your life, from a physical and emotional point of view? Here are a few of the effects that you might be currently dealing with, or could in the near future:
Physical problems linked to long-term alcoholism
After a long night of binge drinking, dealing with nausea, vomiting, dehydration and even poor balance and coordination is highly common. While these symptoms are only temporary and will fade away in a couple of hours, the long-term problems of alcoholism are far more severe and worrying. If you do a bit of research on the topic, you will discover just how many physical health issues can actually arise, when you have been abusing alcohol for a long period of time. Brain damaged is pointed out to be one of the issues that could potentially be developed here, especially among people who start drinking at a young age. A heavy volume of alcohol intake over an extended period of time will cause structural changes in the brain. Another already known physical effect associated with alcoholism is liver damage – the healthy functioning abilities of your liver can be affected by your chronic drinking. Other common physical health repercussions are erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, internal bleeding or pancreas inflammation. If you dolt put a stop to a serious chronic drinking problem on time, the negative consequences in terms of physical health can become unsolvable ones
Mental and emotional effects
The mental and emotional effect of alcoholism can make their way into your life slowly but consistently. Specialists at Help4Addiction in Birmingham explain, the repercussions involved here can vary from one individual to another, having to do with other factors related to one’s mental health and well-being, but in the majority of cases, depression, social withdrawal, and anxiety are prone to appear.
Anxiety
While anxiety might have been one of the reasons why you started drinking in the first place, this mental disorder being quite frequently linked to alcoholism, developing a drinking problem will only worsen your anxiety symptoms. From panic attacks to a constant state of worry, everything that you might have experienced in the past in the anxiety department will be heightened and will affect your mood, peace of mind and quality of life in general.
Depression
Because you are relying on alcoholic beverage to feel at ease, happy or content with your life, facing depression episodes during your few moments of sobriety is another normal repercussion here. Feeling sad and unsatisfied with your life will only be the beginning, and depression can aggravate itself once your alcohol abuse issue develops further. In more cases than not, depression and alcohol addiction go hand in hand.
Social consequences
One of the most frequently encountered problems alcoholics deal with is a complete change in their social life. You might slowly find yourself in situations where you withdraw yourself from your family or group of friends. Because you will be seeking to interact with people with the same drinking pattern, actually managing to maintain meaningful relationships will become more difficult, and soon, you might isolate yourself from the most important people in your life. The severity of the social consequences involved can range from simply not making the time to see your family members to even ruining a long-term relationship and marriage. This will only contribute to the further development of your binge drinking problem.
What can be done?
The potential results of being addicted to alcohol are clear ones, and once you become aware of these issues, you will need to make a complete change in the way you associate yourself with drinking. Giving up on an addiction is certainly not easy, so you will need will power to actually get your life back on track and fight against this harmful behaviour. Each situation is different, so some things might work better in some cases than others, but there are some clear steps that should be followed by any individual who admits they are dealing with an abuse issue.
Ask for help
Whether it’s a professional or someone close to you, it’s important to ask for help, and not fight against this worrying issue on your own. Alcohol abuse is a complex problem, and without receiving the necessary support, overcoming it might be an impossible prospect. A bit of outside support can make a significant difference.
Choose the right rehabilitation centre
Because going to rehab can be essential in many situations, start looking for a facility that provides effective sobriety programs. Joining a great rehabilitation program might be the solution you needed all along in reaching healing and recovery.
AA meetings
Don’t settle for just a single rehabilitation program, but keep yourself focused on long-term healing by joining meetings dedicated to alcohol addicts. Attending AA discussions can come with impressive results, so think about this possibility.
Alcohol abuse can take over your life in ways you haven’t imagined, and once you fall on this path of addiction, breaking your unhealthy and harmful patterns should come as a priority. As you can see, such a problem can bring various physical and physiological consequences, affecting your quality of life and happiness in general. If you believe your alcohol consumption has gone past the occasional social drinking, and you have already started experiencing repercussions, it’s time to take action and combat a potential addiction. Alcoholism will only worsen, if no solutions are being sought after.
