Alcohol addiction can be one of the most devastating addictions that a person can face. Alcohol addiction is a unique addiction and can affect every aspect of a person’s life. People can become addicted to alcohol for many different reasons, but in the end the results are the same.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholism
If one is worried about themselves or a loved one suffering from an addiction to alcohol, but are not sure if it is a full blown problem, here are some of the symptoms to be sure.
- Person is unable to control their drinking once started
- Person makes excuses to drink
- Person drinks to excess on a regular basis
- Person may drive while drinking
- Person may suffer from blackouts or loss of memory due to alcohol
- Person has to drink every day
- Person suffers from “the shakes” after drinking
- Person puts drinking above other priorities
- Person’s work, home life, finances and other quality of life aspects are negatively effected by drinking, yet the person cant or wont stop drinking
- Person drinks despite risks to health
When a person has become a full blown alcoholic, for the most part it can be pretty obvious to those around them. The person themselves may even know that they have a problem, but can feel helpless to do anything about it.
Alcoholics and loved ones of alcoholics have suffered irreparable damage to their lives due to drinking, yet often the alcoholic will continue to drink. If the alcoholic is not willing to get help, they can often become quite hostile when confronted about their drinking. Alcoholics can also become violent if they are drunk and someone tries to take their alcohol from them.
Long Term Alcohol Abuse
When a person uses alcohol on a long term basis they can do a lot of damage to their body. There are many conditions that are associated with alcohol abuse. Alcohol related deaths make up one fourth of the deaths in America and these do no include those due to motor vehicle accidents. Alcohol can cause the following physical ailments.
- Liver damage
- Kidney damage
- Various types of cancer
- Increased blood pressure
- Heart damage
- Brain damage
- Cirrhosis to the liver
- Pancreatic damage
- Ulcers
- Death
Alcoholic Liver Disease
One of the most common ailments that alcoholics suffer from is liver damage. There are three stages of alcoholic liver disease. The first stage is a fatty liver. If diagnosed early enough, a person can make a full recovery in this stage of alcoholic liver disease, if they quit drinking and eat a good diet. The second stage of alcoholic liver disease is liver inflammation, or alcohol induced hepatitis. Although more serious than the fatty liver stage, this stage is also completely reversible if the person takes it upon them self to quit drinking. The liver is one of the most regenerative organs in the body. If alcohol liver disease is addressed early enough, a person can completely recover from it. The third stage of alcohol liver disease is known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs from scar tissue being formed in the liver. Once this begins to happen, the damage has become irreversible. The only treatment for cirrhosis is a liver transplant. This means that a liver must be taken from a cadaver, or from someone who is willing to donate a piece of theirs, and put into the body of the person who is suffering from liver disease after the diseased liver is removed.
This is a very difficult operation to recover from for the person who donates part of their liver to the patient who is suffering from alcoholic liver damage. The recovery time can take up to six months for the donator. If the person does not have anyone who is willing to donate part of their liver to them, they then have to go on a waiting list to wait for liver from someone who has become deceased.
Many physicians are skeptical in performing these operations on alcoholics because they wonder if the person is just going to damage the new liver that they are given. A person must quit drinking for at least six months before they become eligible for a new liver.
Fighting Addiction to Alcohol
Most of the physical problems associated with alcohol abuse are 100 percent preventable. All someone has to do is not drink. It is often when a person has gotten to the point where they can no longer control their drinking that these physical problems come up in the first place. If someone is suffering from alcoholism and feeling physical damage as a result, they need to get help right away.
Narconon is a very successful rehab in helping treat alcohol addiction. Narconon is a long term treatment center and the longer an alcoholic can spend in a treatment center the better. There are many Narconon drug rehab centers located all over the world. Narconon deals with the physical, as well as social aspects of alcohol addiction. Alcoholics can suffer from brain damage due to lack of proper nutrition and the Narconon New Life Detoxification program helps the person focus on their nutritional needs. Once the person finishes this aspect the program, they then learn the social and cognitive skills that are needed to succeed in life without using alcohol. Once the person finishes the program, they may decide that they would like to continue to receive support from a twelve step group such as AA. This is highly encouraged if the person feels they need it. Not all people who graduate from the Narconon program need continued support. This is determined on an individual basis.
If the person needs a free treatment center, there are many resources available on the internet. If the internet is not available to the person there are also resources available by calling the United Way. The United Way is easily contacted by telephone by dialing 211.
