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There are some alcohol abuse symptoms that we should all know about and be on the lookout for, both in ourselves and in loved ones.  Alcohol use and abuse is increasingly common these days and poses a serious risk if it is not dealt with in a timely manner.  Of course, not all alcohol use leads to abuse.  Many people drink in moderation and it is not a problem.  But we should be aware of some alcohol abuse symptoms so that we can recognize them if we see them in ourselves or those we care about and take action when needed.

Physical Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse

Some physical symptoms of alcohol abuse to watch out for include:

Developing tolerance- it takes more and more alcohol to get the same effects Withdrawal symptoms if you try to stop drinking, like shaking, sweating, nausea, and vomiting Things like slurred speech, dizziness, or clumsiness while intoxicated Having blackouts while drinking Loss of weight Stomach problems, either pain and/or an upset stomach Redness of the face Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet

Mental Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse

Some mental alcohol abuse symptoms to watch out for include:

Can’t control drinking- “just one” always leads to one more Engaging in dangerous behaviors while drinking, like driving drunk Avoiding activities that don’t involve alcohol Withdrawing from family and friends Increased irritability Being overly emotional or weepy Difficult sleeping or sleeping too much Missing work or school frequently

Alcohol Use and Abuse

Of course there is a difference between alcohol use and abuse, but it can be a fine line.  In general, if alcohol use is causing problems in a person’s daily life, it may be abuse.  In addition to being on the lookout for the alcohol abuse symptoms listed above, just ask yourself if your drinking is causing problems in your life.  Is it causing problems in your relationships?  Is it making it hard for you to be productive at work or school?  Is it causing you to feel physically ill?  Are you worried about your drinking?  If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you might have an alcohol abuse problem.

Getting Help for Alcohol Use and Abuse

If you recognize some alcohol abuse symptoms in yourself, seek help.  You can attend an AA meeting, or you can find a counselor that deals with substance abuse issues.  You might actually want to try both of those things.  Group self-help meetings like AA can be very helpful, but some individual counseling will give you the opportunity to explore your alcohol use and abuse a bit further.

If you recognize symptoms of alcohol abuse in someone you care about, encourage them to seek help.  You should understand, though, that you can’t make someone else stop drinking and you can’t make them get help.  They have to decide to do that on their own.  If they are willing to get help, you can help them find a local AA meeting or a counselor to see.  You could even attend an AA meeting with them (just make sure it is an “open” meeting first; “closed” meetings are for alcoholics only, so you can’t attend with them unless you are an alcoholic, too).

If you are dealing with a loved one who has an alcohol abuse problem, you might also want to check out Al-Anon.  It’s a self-help group for family members and friends of alcoholics.  They can help you deal with your own feelings while you deal with your loved one’s problem.

Research has shown that up to ten percent of depressed people also abuse alcohol. Many people abuse alcohol when depressed because it makes the sad feelings go away. However this is only a temporary ‘fix’.  People abusing alcohol think they are treating their depression when in fact large amounts of alcohol can actually worsen the illness.

Depressed people do not realize that the more times they drink alcohol, the more they are increasing their tolerance levels to alcohol. This then requires even more alcohol to induce the same feelings of relative happiness that the first few drinks used to achieve. This is how alcohol can become addictive and gets to the abuse stage.

Unfortunately both depression and alcohol abuse are more common than ever before. While 10% of depressed people also abuse alcohol, up to 40% of alcohol abusers show signs of depression. These numbers are growing every day. These numbers keep growing as more and more people become addicted to alcohol and/or become depressed due to the increasing levels of stress in today’s world.

Often the symptoms of alcohol abuse and depression can be interchanged. Both illnesses show changes in behavior such as becoming increasingly impulsive, increasing acts of violence and aggression, increasing isolating tendencies, and impaired judgment. Both illnesses can lead to problems in the marriage and result in the breakdown of the family. One must also be concerned with the fact that depressed people are more likely to cause accidents within the home. There is also an increased link between alcohol abuse, depression and suicide. This is really a cause for concern for these individuals.

Research also indicates that the abuse of alcohol can be genetic. Children of alcoholic parents are much more likely to suffer from alcoholism themselves. Their alcohol tolerance levels are much higher than the average child the same age. The same research indicates that alcohol abuse affects chemicals in the brain. These chemicals affect the way the brain processes information. Depression is also immediately inherited from parents to child, as well as from relatives.

Trying to determine if an individual is depressed, abusing alcohol or both is difficult. Many of the symptoms are the same for each illness. Insomnia, waking up frequently, poor appetite, sleepiness, and feelings of disorientation are symptoms of both illnesses. To complicate the situation, many people who abuse alcohol become depressed over time. Doctors will first treat the alcoholism and see if the person’s mood improves; if it does not then they will treat the depression.

Alcohol is in a set of drugs known as sedative hypnotics. Other drugs in this category are tranquilizers. Many depressed people, especially young adults, abuse other drugs as well as alcohol. Some of the antidepressant medications on the market today also contain a sedative. Thus if combined with alcohol, the person becomes severely sedated and can even stop breathing.

The danger of combining alcohol with drug treatment for depression is one doctors know well. This is why they tend to treat the alcoholism before the depression.

Chronic alcohol abuse symptoms can show early signs of real potential health problems such as loss of muscle tissue, loss of memory, and loss of testosterone, just to name a few.

Alcohol also affects every cell within your body, and if this condition stays chronic, it will start to kill cells, and once a cell is dead, it stays dead.

Alcohol is a toxin and will travel through your bloodstream into every organ and cell in your body. Liquid vitamins and minerals, because of their superior absorption into our systems can be a very strong asset to someone that consumes too much alcohol.

Alcohol is the most abused drug by the world as a whole, but other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine can affect the desired results of vitamins, but by far and way alcohol is the largest nutritional threat to the majority of people.

Chronic alcohol abuse prevents the absorption of vitamins and is often associated with a poor, and in some cases, a very poor diet. Your body needs vitamins and minerals to function normally, and they must be in the correct balance to do so.

Dehydration that is often caused by chronic alcohol abuse will interfere with the narrow limits of each ion in our body, such as calcium, sodium, and potassium.

A reduction in these ions by abuse can and often does lead to excess thirst which may lead to muscle cramps, as well as the potential for sudden dizziness or fainting spells.

If you are prone to getting cramps, especially in the middle of the night, you might want to revisit your alcohol intake.

Although the loss of vitamin B12 is the deficiency most associated with chronic alcohol abuse symptoms, there are several other critical vitamins and minerals that are affected by abuse of this drug.

Folic acid is a nutrient that helps your body to make new cells, including red blood cells, which are critical for carrying oxygen in your body. Vitamin B12 helps to maintain the red blood cells as well as the nerve cells, but folic acid is also a major contributor.

Also at risk with a loss of this nutrient because of chronic alcohol abuse symptoms is folic acid deficiency anemia, a condition where you don’t have enough red blood cells. Most people will be affected by this condition simply because they don’t eat enough of the proper foods that contain folic acid, or you have a hard time in absorbing it.

Pregnancy also puts you at a risk of this deficiency, and chronic abuse of alcohol during pregnancy can severely place the fetus at risk of birth defects.

Thiamin or Vitamin B1 is also a nutrient that is threatened by alcohol abuse. This nutrient is especially important in the metabolism of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, as well as the formation of hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is especially important to our bodies as it is a protein that is carried by red blood cells and delivers oxygen from the lungs and delivers it to peripheral tissues.

This delivery system by your body allows for the maintenance of cell viability. Alcohol abuse destroys this process, thus the killing of your cells.

Zinc is yet another nutrient severely affected by chronic alcohol abuse symptoms. Although your body does not require a lot of zinc, next to iron, it is the most plentiful of all the trace elements in your body.

It has been utilized throughout history for wound healing but also plays critical roles in the immune and reproduction systems, and is important to growth, taste, vision, smell, and blood clotting. However, perhaps the most important function of zinc in our bodies is its role in the metabolic process that produces energy.

A loss of this nutrient reduces endurance, and in chronic situations, muscle mass as well. This is one of the major reasons people that have drank too much feel so tired the next day.

But the damages to your body do not just end there with chronic alcohol abuse. Alcohol in your body also reduces testosterone which is critical for development and recovery of muscle.

This toxic drug also slows your body’s ability to heal itself.

Alcohol holds very little nutritional value, but it works very effectively in reducing the nutrients in your body, especially if abused. In fact, because of its high calorie content, the body treats it as fat, and as a result it breaks down the sugars in alcohol into fatty acids.

However, chronic alcohol abuse symptoms does more than just destroy nutrients in your body; it affects your appearance as well.

Alcohol can affect your skin, (loss of vitamin A) especially if you are prone to acne or blemishes; it can age you prematurely, dries up your hair, cracks your lips, and will also give your skin a puffy appearance.

It also affects your brain, as it deprives your brain of water cells and glucose, the brain’s food supply. It can also lead to blackouts, diminished memory, stupors, and in severe cases, comas.

Chronic alcohol abuse also causes increased stomach acid production which may lead to heartburn or even ulcers. However, because of the livers role in breaking down alcohol, it is the most effected organ in the body.

Chronic conditions will destroy liver cells which normally are in the state of constant rebuilding, can cause fat accumulation around the liver, and may eventually cause cirrhosis of the liver, which is fatal.

The list of damages to you body by chronic alcoholism alcohol abuse symptoms could go on and on, but maintaining the supply of vitamins and minerals in your body effectively is extremely important if you choose to drink alcohol regularly.

http://www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com/

Alcohol abuse effects can be far-reaching and devastating. The effects of alcohol abuse not only have consequences for the drinker but those around her or him as well. Alcohol abuse effects can be both psychological and physical. Alcohol consumption causes changes in behavior. The physical effects of alcohol abuse can be experienced with as little as one or two drinks. Impaired judgment and coordination needed to operate a car safely may result in the drinker having an accident.

Alcoholism is an illness where alcoholic beverage consumption is at a level that interferes with physical or mental health, and negatively impacts social, family or occupational responsibilities. Alcohol abusers are drinkers that may drink excessively at various times with resulting immediate alcohol abuse effects at the time of excess alcohol consumption.

The immediate physical effects of alcohol abuse can be experienced as soon as ten minutes after drinking begins. With continued alcohol consumption on that occasion, the immediate effects of alcohol abuse worsen and become more serious.

Here are five of the immediate physical alcohol abuse effects:

1. Inhibitions Become Reduced – at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05, changes in a person’s behavior begins to be noticable. Alcohol abuse effects and reduced inhibitions can put a person at higher risk for actions they would otherwise not participate in, such as sexual activity, continued drinking or illegal drug use.

2. Loss of Muscle Control – at the level of 0.10, slurred speech will likely be evident. Impaired judgement and poor coordination are physical effects of alcohol abuse that can lead to falls and accidents.

3. Memory Loss and/or Blackouts – since alcohol depresses the brain’s control mechanisms, as blood alcohol levels increase, periods of time and certain situations and events may not be remembered afterward.

4. Stupor – at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.40, a person can hardly function, acting seriously dazed and confused.

5. Coma – at a blood alcohol level of 0.50, a person is at risk for coma, which can be life-threatening. And at this level or higher, respiratory paralysis and death become very much a possibility.

Other alcohol abuse effects that are short-term include nausea, hangovers, headaches and fatigue. The longer a person abuses alcohol over time, the higher the chances of other alcohol abuse effects being experienced and alcohol dependency developing. The most severe form of alcoholism is ‘alcohol dependency’. Physical alcohol dependence is characterized by withdrawal symptoms when alcohol consumption is interrupted, by tolerance to the effects of alcohol abuse and by the presence of alcohol-related illnesses.

Malnutrition can develop from a reduced appetite plus inadequate absorption of nutrients in the intestinal tract and from consuming ‘empty’ calories in alcohol. Calories from alcohol are called ‘empty’ calories since alcohol contains no beneficial nutrients, vitamins or minerals.

And with continued alcohol consumption and abuse over years, many of the body organs will be affected. Alcohol is especially harmful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of breaking down alcohol. Alcohol destroys liver cells, and it destroys the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This condition leads to progressive imflammatory injury to the liver and eventually can result in cirrhosis of the liver.

Additional long term alcohol abuse effects include damage to the brain, high blood pressure, heart muscle damage, nerve damage, pancreatitis, bleeding in the esophagus, erectile dysfunction in men, fetal alcohol syndrome in the offspring of alcoholic women, insomnia, depression and increased cancer risks.

If you or someone you know may have problems with alcohol and you’d like to learn more about alcoholism and perhaps seek help, there are proven resources available. It is never too late to begin recovery from alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse effects.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing

Treatments for alcohol abuse are quite varied in keeping with the multiple perspectives of the condition itself. Counselors approaching the condition as a medical disease will recommend different treatment processes and goals than, for instance, those approaching the condition as one of social choice. Most treatments focus on helping abusers completely discontinue their alcohol intake, as well as providing life training and/or social support to help them resist a return to alcohol use. Since alcohol abuse involves many factors which encourage a person to continue drinking (psychological/social, physical, and neurochemical), all of these factors must be addressed in order to successfully prevent a return to active alcohol use.

The most common approach to alcohol abuse treatment is detoxification followed by a combination of supportive therapy, attendance at self-help groups, and ongoing development of coping mechanisms. The treatment community for alcohol abuse typically supports an abstinence-based approach, as studies have shown that the vast majority of people who abuse alcohol cannot learn to drink in moderation.

The effectiveness of alcohol abuse treatments vary from successful to counterproductive. When considering the effectiveness of treatment options, it is important to consider the percentage of those who drop out of a program, not just those who complete it. Most programs can boast a high cure rate for those who complete it because most people only complete a program if it works for them. It is also important to consider not just the percentage of those reaching sobriety but how many of those experience relapsing.

Here are the most common treatment options for alcohol abuse:
Detoxification
Detoxification (commonly referred to as “detox”) is the process of eliminating alcohol drinking and giving the drinker’s bodily system time to re-adjust to the absence of alcohol. Drugs that have similar effects to alcohol are used to ease the withdrawal symptoms, which can actually be deadly in extreme cases if left untreated. The most often used drugs are sedative-hypnotics, such as diazepam or clonazepam. Less frequently, barbiturates such as phenobarbital are used. Many weeks after alcohol intake has completely stopped individuals may still suffer from milder withdrawal symptoms; sleep is generally the last function to return to normal.

Detoxification is not a treatment for alcohol abuse itself, but is simply a treatment of the physiologic effects of ongoing abuse of alcohol. It provides an initial path for an abuser to stop drinking in the first place. Detoxification treatments without supplemental help for the patient to continue abstinence have a very high rate of relapse.

Detoxification often takes place within an inpatient environment, but some programs do offer outpatient detoxification.

Group therapy and psychotherapy
After detoxification, various forms of group therapy or psychotherapy can be used to deal with underlying psychological issues leading to alcohol abuse, and also to provide the recovering abuser with relapse prevention skills.

In the mid-1930s, the mutual-help group-counseling approach to treatment began and has become very popular. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best-known example of the support group movement. Other groups that provide similar self-help and support without AA’s spiritual focus include LifeRing Secular Recovery, Smart Recovery, Women For Sobriety, and Rational Recovery.

Medications
Medications for alcohol abuse are most often used to supplement a person’s willpower and encourage abstinence.

Antabuse (disulfiram), for instance, prevents the elimination of the chemical acetaldehyde. This causes severe discomfort when alcohol is ingested, effectively preventing the abuser from drinking in significant amounts while they take the medication. Heavy drinking while on Antabuse can result in severe illness and death.

Naltrexone has also been used because it helps curb cravings for alcohol while the person is on it. Both Antabuse and Naltrexone are used to encourage abstinence. The have, however, been demonstrated to cause a rebound effect when the user stops taking them.

Pharmacological extinction (also called the Sinclair Method)
Pharmacological extinction is the use of opioid antagonists [e.g. naltrexone] combined with normal drinking habits in order to eliminate the craving to consume alcohol. While standard naltrexone treatment uses the drug to curb craving and enforce abstinence, pharmacological extinction targets the endorphin-based neurological conditioning. Our behaviors become conditioned when we do something and endorphin bathes our neurons, and that conditioning is reversed when we do that thing and we don’t receive the endorphins. This method involves the alcohol abusers going about their normal drinking habits (limited only by safety concerns). Naltrexone is used to prevent the endorphins from being released by the alcohol, and thus rewarding the drinker’s neurochemistry. As such, the desire to drink is eliminted over a period of about three months. This allows an alcohol abuser to give up drinking as being sensibly unbeneficial. The effects persist after the drug is discontinued, but the addiction can return if the person drinks without first taking the drug. This treatment is highly unusual in that it works better if the patient does not go through detoxification prior to starting it.

This technique is used with positive results in Finland, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and is sometimes referred to as the Sinclair Method.

However, there is a lot of professional bias against this treatment for two reasons.
First, most alcohol abusers cannot successfully drink in moderation. Second, some studies have also been done which claim to demonstrate naltrexone to be of questionable value in supporting abstinence. However, the evidence is inconclusive.

Nutritional therapy
Nutritional therapy is not a treatment of alcohol abuse itself, but rather a treatment of the difficulties that can arise after years of heavy alcohol abuse; many alcohol dependents have insulin resistance syndrome, a metabolic disorder where the body’s difficulty in processing sugars causes an unsteady supply to the blood stream. While the disorder can be treated by a hypoglycemic diet, this can affect behavior and emotions. These side-effects are often seen among alcohol dependents in treatment. The metabolic aspects of such dependence are often overlooked, resulting in poor treatment outcomes.

There are other less popular treatments for alcohol abuse. This list is not meant to be an exhaustive compilation of every known treatment, but merely a general description of the most common treatments in use today. People are unique; what works best for one alcohol abuser may not be the same treatment that works best for another. For the greatest level of success, the treatment used must address the root causes of abuse to begin with. Only then will long-term success be achievable.

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