What Is Alcohol Dependence, And How to Treat It Effectively?
Apart from drugs, many addictions are hogging the limelight, and one among them is alcohol addiction. Alcohol addiction starts when a person cannot curb his desire to drink alcohol, irrespective of the consequences. Addiction leads to dependence.
Causes of alcohol dependence
- Isolation
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loneliness to some extent
- To show off
- as a societal trend
- Peer pressure
- To ward off frustration levels
- In all such cases, alcohol comes to the rescue. It is one of the most demanded non-essential commodities.
How alcohol consumption does impacts immunity?
Your friend might have told you that alcohol does not impact immunity. Rather, it boosts it or can help battle certain diseases. Let’s find out if it’s true or false.
- Overconsumption of alcohol weakens your first line of defense, which are white blood cells that help you fight in case any virus or bacteria enter your body.
- It slows down your immune response to foreign viruses or bacteria, making you vulnerable to diseases.
- It kills good bacteria inside your body and damages the gastrointestinal tract, causing bacteria to leak into the bloodstream.
- Over-alcohol dependence can make you prone to certain respiratory disorders like pneumonia, pulmonary diseases, TB, and other respiratory disorders. Many people think that smoking makes them susceptible to respiratory disorders; however, this is not true. Alcohol is lethal, too.
- Regular drinking habits can lower down your immunity cell numbers.
Signs and symptoms of alcohol dependence
The symptoms of alcohol abuse are many, and they will negatively impact different facets of life. The symptoms include physical, psychological, social, etc. Let’s start discussing the same.
Signs of alcohol dependence
Many symptoms point towards your addiction
Drinking a large amount of alcohol
Spending time, energy, and money on buying drinks
Most of the time, you appear hungover and are recovering from alcohol effects
Signs of intoxication include poor hand movement coordination, speech, and walking trouble.
Decreased self-care and falling.
Poor oral hygiene.
Falling prey to risky behavior.
The Smell of alcohol around the home.
Significant gain in the weight.
Other physical signs of the abuse include
Cardiac problems, high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeat
Liver concerns
Damage to the pancreas
Cancers.
Psychological symptoms of alcohol consumption
The psychological signs arise when alcohol interferes with brain functioning. The visible signs that you will notice are
Frequent mood changes
Increased irritability, anger, depression
Not able to carry out daily tasks and responsibilities
Problem with concentration.
Anxiety disorders.
Hallucination or delusional thinking.
Withdrawal symptoms.
Social symptoms of alcohol addiction
Alcohol addiction extends beyond physical, immune, and psychological signs and includes social signs. The most visible signs are
Social withdrawal
Isolating yourself from friends
Spending time on the internet
Change in behavior or pattern
Failing to do the required tasks.
Conflicts between family members and co-workers.
Decreased output at work.
No longer able to carry out nicely in sports activities.
Cognitive behavior therapy:Â In this therapy, the counsellor will identify the feelings or cues that are stopping you from overcoming the habit and create a roadmap on how to end it. The goal is to change your thought process to positively respond to situations that trigger alcohol consumption.
Motivation alcoholism therapies:Â These therapies are conducted to strengthen your behavior. The therapy focuses on creating a plan, developing confidence, and creating an urge to stick to the plan.
During the treatment, brief interventions are made to analyse the individual’s drinking patterns and risk-taking behaviour and take steps to overcome them. Even personal feedback is given to family members to make a change.
Wrap Up
The best alcohol addiction treatment is to find a professional who makes you feel respected and understood. Contact us for more details. 
