One bad decision fueled by drugs or alcohol can cause a lifetime of problems. According to the National Institutes of Health, over a million people visit emergency rooms each year for illicit drug or alcohol-related issues. In addition to accidents, physical illnesses, and even death, almost all of these visits could have been avoided with proper guidance and treatment. If you're wondering if alcohol addiction is a real problem, there are several reasons to seek treatment.
Side effects of alcohol abuse
The long-term consequences of alcoholism can impact every aspect of your life, from relationships to financial troubles. Drinking too much can lead to liver complications, heart problems, and high blood pressure, just to name a few. Even worse, excessive alcohol can impair your ability to work, cause a lowered IQ, and result in infertility. In addition, heavy drinking can lead to accidents.
After drinking heavily, alcohol withdrawal symptoms can begin as soon as four to five hours after your last drink. They range from trembling hands to sweating. Some individuals experience hallucinations or anxiety when they experience alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal can impair your ability to function in social settings. If you're concerned about the consequences, seek help from a licensed physician as soon as possible. It's worth remembering that the symptoms are not always immediately fatal.
Long-term effects of alcoholism
Long-term use of alcohol can damage nearly every system and organ in the body. It can also damage the developing adolescent brain. Heavy drinking during pregnancy can also cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. While alcohol use can affect both men and women equally, women are far more likely to experience long-term consequences than men. Even worse, the long-term effects of alcoholism can ruin your life.
The effects of alcohol can affect the body, brain, and emotions. Some of these effects can be felt immediately after a single drink, while others may take several hours to appear. This is because alcohol damages parts of the cerebellum, which is responsible for motor skills. Afterwards, an individual may have problems with memory, emotional responses, and balance. While the alcohol effects are often subtle, the effects can affect the quality of their life.
Long-term effects of alcohol abuse on relationships
Whether you're in a committed relationship or just dating someone who is constantly intoxicated, the long-term effects of alcohol abuse can be disastrous for your relationship. Intimate relationships, especially those that involve children, are particularly affected by a partner's alcohol consumption. Often, this can lead to conflict, which only encourages the abuser to continue drinking. In addition to causing problems for the couple themselves, alcohol abuse can also have an effect on other members of the family, such as relatives, friends, and coworkers.
The effects of alcohol on intimate relationships are often difficult to recognize. When both partners are drinking, they often misperceive each other's actions, and are less likely to resolve conflict without escalating their anger or frustration. Additionally, alcohol can cause partners to misinterpret each other's behaviors, and may even provoke dangerous aggression or domestic violence. Furthermore, alcoholism also increases the risk of domestic violence, which has many detrimental long-term effects on relationships.
Long-term effects of alcohol abuse on finances
The long-term effects of alcohol abuse on finances can severely disrupt an individual's personal stability. In addition to causing financial problems, alcohol abuse can also cause an individual's spending habits to impact other areas of their life. For example, a person who regularly drinks may find themselves neglecting other financial obligations, including child support. Additionally, alcoholism often leads to higher rates of poverty, which exacerbates other financial issues. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 38% of people who become homeless are alcohol dependent.
Along with destroying a person's personal relationships, alcohol abuse has long-term consequences. Most often, the alcohol abuser's behavior is erratic and uncoordinated. Children of alcoholics experience frequent mood swings and erratic behavior. They may become dependent on their partner, or develop codependency. This can lead to financial troubles, especially for those who are financially dependent on the alcohol abuser.
Long-term effects of alcohol abuse on spirituality
The spiritual practices of an alcoholic can be beneficial in long-term recovery because they provide the individual with hope and help them create new, positive patterns of behavior. Spirituality is about stepping from darkness to light and transforming the alcoholic into a new person. Alcoholism is a very destructive behavior, so it's imperative that patients who are suffering from it find a new way to cope.
The connection between alcohol and spirituality is complicated. Alcohol abuse messes with the balance between the two halves of the brain. Excessive alcohol use anesthetizes the left hemisphere, which is connected with the "action mode" of consciousness. Excessive alcohol use, on the other hand, allows a person to engage in the right-hemisphere "receptive mode," which is associated with religious experience. If alcohol is a catalyst for these "receptive" experiences, a model of spirituality based on these hemisphere functions may offer a non-chemical alternative to alcohol abuse.
