Symptoms and Causes of Alcoholism

How do you know if someone you are drinking with is suffering from alcoholism? Do you want to know in advance what may cause someone you know or love to become an alcoholic? Knowing in advance the symptoms and causes of alcoholism can give you the early start you need to warn someone to be careful about alcohol or to recognize the sign of alcoholism so that help can be given quickly to someone you care about.

The symptoms of alcoholism, a chronic and progressive disease include a person who is frequently discovered drinking alone or in secret, a person unable to limit the amount of alcohol that they consume or to stop drinking at will, the person may have periods where the "blackout" and are unable to remember what they did during these times including conversations, or commitments they made to others. Someone suffering from alcoholism often has ritualistic times that they drink such as always drinking before dinner and will become agitated if the routine is disrupted, the person may become uninterested in activities or hobbies that once held their interest in favor of drinking time. Alcohol can be found in unlikely places such as stashed in the car, bathroom or storage shed in an attempt to hide the fact that they drink as often as they do. These individuals are often in trouble with the law over alcohol-related incidents, alcohol-related relationship problems or financial problems exacerbated by alcohol usage. They build up a tolerance for alcohol that increases and they experience withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, shakes, and sweating that disappear when they consume alcohol.

Try not to confuse the symptoms of alcohol abuse from the symptoms of alcoholism for they are not the same. Symptoms of alcohol abuse include drinking in excess amounts of alcohol but not to the point of being compelled to do so or having cravings for alcohol that they cannot resist. They do not experience any physical symptoms of withdrawal when they are not drinking and they have no dependence on alcohol they can quit anytime they want to. They are able to control the alcohol habit if they so desire to.

The individual suffering from the symptoms of alcoholism usually feel a deep need to drink, feel guilty about drinking, especially drinking in private or while in hiding, feel that they need to cut back on the amount of alcohol that they are consuming but are unable to do so, and become annoyed easily if they are criticized by others about their drinking habits.

It is not necessary for a person to have all of the above symptoms in order to be suffering from alcoholism.

There are many causes for the disease, alcoholism. The physical dependence upon alcohol is a gradual thing and over time the alcohol alters the balance of chemicals in the brain of the alcoholic inhibiting impulsiveness, and exciting the nervous system. Alcoholism is a physical disease that changes levels of chemicals in the brain that are associated with the pleasurable aspects of what happens when a person with alcoholism drinks alcohol. When the person drinks alcohol over a long period of time the body starts to have an increase or decrease in certain chemical levels within the brain that triggers the cravings for alcohol. Alcoholism is thus an addiction to the drug, alcohol.

The factors that lead to alcoholism are both environmental and genetic. Emotions such as a high level of stress, being overly anxious, or experiencing high levels of emotional pain can all lead individuals to turn to alcohol to block out the emotional turmoil that they have difficulty coping with. It is also possible for certain stress hormones to be associated with the disease, alcoholism.

There are also psychological factors such as when a person has low self-esteem, or when they suffer from depression they may be more prone to suffer from alcoholism. If they have peers, or family members who drink alcohol on a regular basis this strong association with the availability of alcohol can promote an acceptance of excessive drinking that can lead to alcoholism.

Other social or cultural factors such as advertising and media portrayal of alcohol in a favorable light may send the message that drinking is "the thing to do" in order to be popular, pretty, successful etc.

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