Alcoholism also called alcohol use disorder (AUD), affects the parts of the brain that deal with pleasure, just like other addictions. When you drink alcohol often, your brain starts to link it with feelings like euphoria, relaxation, and not caring what other people think. This and other things that make someone more likely to want to use can lead to cravings and dependence. Here are the answers to the 7 most common causes of alcoholism.
Since there isn’t just one cause of alcoholism, experts look for “risk factors” that make it more likely to happen. Psychiatrists think that these things may play a role in the development of alcohol use disorders because they have been seen in the lives of many people who are dependent on or addicted to alcohol.
Risk factors can come from the environment, the body, or the mind. Even though these things don’t always mean that someone will develop an alcohol use disorder, it’s important to be aware of the situations and factors that can sometimes lead to alcoholism.
The following may be the risk factors that might lead one to become addicted to alcohol
Family history:
A big part of what makes people drink too much is their family history. You have a higher propensity to develop an addiction if a parent or other close family member has struggled with alcohol use disorder. Even though there is no single gene that causes alcoholism, many scientists believe that several genes are responsible for about half of the risk of getting it. People with these genes are also more likely to abuse alcohol if they deal with social and psychological factors linked to addiction.
Starting at an early age:
The younger you start drinking, especially under 15, the more likely you will become dependent on it. If you start drinking when you’re young, you might get used to it.
This is true for high school and college students who drink a lot. People start drinking in their late teens, drink the most in their 20s, and drink less in their early 30s. When you start drinking at a young age, it can cause problems that can last into your 40s and 50s.
Mental health disorders:
It can be hard and frustrating to have schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, or bipolar disorder. People with mental health problems often drink to ease their symptoms and make themselves feel better. Even if alcohol temporarily helps with anxiety and depression, drinking too much can lead to a high tolerance and, in the long run, alcoholism. On top of that, drinking alcohol can sometimes make mental health problems worse.
People with mental health problems might also be too embarrassed to ask for help. They might think drinking is easier because they’re afraid people will judge them for their mental illness. But with addiction treatment centers, people dealing with addiction issues can help people with the concern and help overcome it.
Stressful environments:
People can drink when they are stressed at work or home. People who work long hours and have high-demand jobs, like doctors, nurses, lawyers, and construction workers, are more likely to become alcoholics because they drink to relieve stress. Studies show that men are 1.5 times more likely than women to drink too much when stressed. People trying to get over alcoholism may also find that stress triggers them to want to drink again.
When people use alcohol as a means of coping with pressure, it might set them on the path to dependency. To avoid becoming dependent, you must find a healthier way to deal with stress.
Becoming a victim of peer pressure:
Kids in high school and college want to be “cool,” to fit in, and to feel like they are a part of the fun. Heavy drinking has long been seen as normal for teens and young adults between 18 and 34, and continuing to drink after this age is one cause of alcoholism.
Those of any age can feel the effects of peer pressure. Around the world, drinking has been socially acceptable for a long time, and adults can feel pressured to join in. People of all ages are also encouraged to drink by the media.
Dealing with previous traumatic experiences:
Abuse in childhood, at home, or by a sexual partner is likely to leave a mental scar on anyone, putting people at high risk for alcohol use disorder. If you don’t talk about past abuse in therapy the right way, you might drink a lot to make yourself feel better in the short term. This is a bad habit because it leads to a cycle of bad things.
Talking to a therapist can help you deal with trauma and get past it. They will speak to you about how these events have changed you in the long run, and you will learn how to deal with trauma without drinking. Seeking help from alcohol addiction treatment in Coimbatore at the right time can help you or your loved ones come out of the deadly addiction.
Making wrong choices:
Before we knew what alcoholism was about from a medical point of view, there was a long-running debate. Is drinking too much a choice or a disease?
Science tells us that alcoholism is a medical condition, as we said above. But even if a person knows about warning signs or personal risk factors and hasn’t yet become biologically dependent on alcohol, they may still choose to drink in a bad way.
For example, disordered drinking is drinking too much and often spending a lot of money. This is often called “binge drinking.” Even if this doesn’t always meet the clinical criteria for alcohol dependence, it’s still a big risk to a person’s physical or mental health.
Getting help for alcohol addiction:
Are you worried that you or a loved one may have a problem with alcohol consumption? If so, it might be time to seek help from a doctor for alcohol addiction. The majority of treatment facilities for alcoholics offer a diverse array of conventional and holistic treatment modalities in order to facilitate the physical, mental, and emotional recovery of their patients. Depending on how bad your problem or that of a loved one is, we offer different levels of care to meet each person’s unique treatment needs.
