Author: James Anderson

Alcohol Use Disorder: Understanding Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention

Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, and the risk increases the more you drink. The second is a medicine to reduce any urge you may have to drink. The most common medicines used for this are acamprosate and naltrexone. There are 2 main types of medicines to help people stop drinking. Dependent drinking usually affects a person’s quality of life and relationships, but they may not always find it easy to see or accept this.

1. The condition is likely the result of a combination of genetic, social, psychological, and environmental factors.
2. Alcoholism can be difficult to detect from the outside, particularly early in the course of the disease.
3. No matter how hopeless alcohol use disorder may seem, treatment can help.
4. There’s a chance your doctor may order blood work to check your liver function if you show signs or symptoms of liver disease.

Symptoms of dependence include becoming tolerant to some of alcohol’s effects and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not consumed. A person who is physically dependent on alcohol may also experience cravings — an intense need or desire to drink. Alcoholism has been known by a variety of terms, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. You’re likely to start by seeing your primary health care provider. If your provider suspects that you have a problem with alcohol, you may be referred to a mental health provider. Alcoholism is a treatable disease, with many treatment programs and approaches available to support alcoholics who have decided to get help.

Elevated Liver Enzymes

Because alcoholism rewires the brain and affects a person’s mood, thinking and behaviors, it’s classified as a mental illness. Thus, many of the hallmark signs of alcoholism involve changes in behavior. While alcoholism is a complex disease and diagnosing it isn’t an exact science, several signs and symptoms can indicate when your drinking has crossed the line into addiction. The first is to help stop withdrawal symptoms and is given in reducing doses over a short period of time.

Most residential treatment programs include individual and group therapy, support groups, educational lectures, family involvement, and activity therapy. While there’s no specific blood test that can diagnose an alcohol use disorder, certain lab results can point to chronic alcohol abuse and possible alcohol addiction. Alcohol misuse is when you drink in a way that’s harmful, or when you’re dependent on alcohol. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week. Some people may drink alcohol to the point that it causes problems, but they’re not physically dependent on alcohol.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Despite its prevalence, alcoholism often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Drinking alcohol excessively can affect the quality of his sperm. If you’re trying to conceive, your partner should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which should be spread evenly over 3 days or more.

If someone loses control over their drinking and has an excessive desire to drink, it’s known as dependent drinking (alcoholism). Although the exact cause of alcohol use disorder is unknown, there are certain factors that may increase your risk for developing this disease. Treatment for alcohol use disorder can vary, depending on your needs. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay. Working to stop alcohol use to improve quality of life is the main treatment goal.

Management and Treatment

While the exact causes of alcoholism are not known, a number of factors can play a role. The condition is likely the result of a combination of genetic, social, psychological, and environmental factors. Between 3 and 43 percent of alcoholics suffer from thrombocytopenia, a low level of platelets in the blood. Low platelet counts affect the body’s ability to make clots to stop bleeding. Alcoholics often have defective red blood cells that die prematurely, which can cause a lower-than-normal red blood cell count. Gastrointestinal bleeding, a symptom some alcoholics experience, can also cause anemia, as can iron deficiency.

This often leads to “relief drinking” to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Severely dependent drinkers are often able to tolerate very high levels of alcohol in amounts that would dangerously affect or even kill some people. People who binge drink (drink heavily over a short period of time) are more likely to behave recklessly and are at greater risk of being in an accident. It’s a disease of brain function and requires medical and psychological treatments to control it. Because denial is common, you may feel like you don’t have a problem with drinking.

In severe cases, a person may develop delirium tremens, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes hallucinations, confusion, seizures and psychosis. Not everyone with an alcohol use disorder develops a physical dependence to alcohol, but people may exhibit other physical symptoms. Alcohol use disorder (sometimes called alcoholism) is a medical condition. It involves heavy or frequent alcohol drinking even when it causes problems, emotional distress or physical harm. A combination of medications, behavioral therapy and support can help you or a loved one recover.

You might not recognize how much you drink or how many problems in your life are related to alcohol use. Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.

The most common of these medicines is chlordiazapoxide (Librium). Many people who seek treatment are able to overcome the addiction. A strong support system is helpful for making a complete recovery. Typically, a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder doesn’t require any other type of diagnostic test. There’s a chance your doctor may order blood work to check your liver function if you show signs or symptoms of liver disease. Your doctor or healthcare provider can diagnose alcohol use disorder.

They’ll do a physical exam and ask you questions about your drinking habits. Diagnosis is based on a conversation with your healthcare provider. The diagnosis is made when drinking interferes with your life or affects your health. Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition involving frequent or heavy alcohol use.