The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that over seventeen million American adults have an alcohol use disorder. Another nine hundred thousand adolescents and teens between the ages of twelve and seventeen struggle with alcohol addiction. Unlike some other addictions, alcohol dependence doesn’t happen after a single use — it develops out of long-term alcohol abuse.
Is Alcohol Addictive?
Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused addictive substances in the nation. According to the National Council on Alcohol & Drug Dependence, nearly twenty million Americans struggle with alcohol dependence or addiction. Alcohol carries addictive qualities with both physical and psychological impacts. When you drink, your body produces dopamine and endorphins, chemicals that create feelings of pleasure and satisfaction while also acting as a natural pain reducer.
Over time, chronic alcohol use physically changes brain chemistry. The longer someone drinks, the more their brain craves alcohol to keep repeating those feelings of happiness and pleasure. Left untreated, alcohol abuse often evolves into full alcohol dependence and addiction.
What Are the Signs of Alcohol Dependence?
Someone struggling with alcohol dependence will keep drinking even as it introduces new challenges into their life. Once dependence develops, physical symptoms tend to follow. Some of the most common indicators include:
- Continuing to drink despite new or ongoing physical and psychological challenges
- Craving alcohol when it isn’t available
- Developing a tolerance, needing more alcohol to achieve the same effect
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not drinking, such as nausea, sweating, agitation, a racing heart, and tremors
Many people believe their drinking, especially if it’s moderate in frequency and amount, won’t become a problem, or isn’t one already. It’s also a common misconception that infrequent drinking prevents dependence from developing. Unfortunately, the reverse is often true: even occasional long-term drinking can lead to increased tolerance and a growing desire to drink more, chasing the relaxation and ease that come with intoxication.
Once someone becomes significantly dependent on alcohol, it can become much harder to decide to get sober or successfully achieve sobriety without addiction treatment.
What Is the Best Course of Action to Take When Dealing With Alcoholism?
Unlike many chronic illnesses, you can overcome alcohol dependence by seeking addiction treatment and completing detox and rehab. We recognize that deciding to enter therapy is a challenging step. Despite how much attitudes toward addiction treatment have shifted over the last decade, real and upsetting stigmas and misconceptions still surround those who struggle with addiction.
You may wonder how a stay in an addiction treatment center will affect your job and your family. Many people are also concerned about their physical and emotional well-being while away from loved ones during treatment.
Achieve Sobriety at California Recovery Center
Withdrawal from alcohol is often just as challenging — if not more so — than detoxing from any other addictive substance. Detox isn’t a process you should undergo alone or without adequate physical, emotional, and medical support, such as what a medically supervised detox program provides.
We’ll work with you to develop a unique, individualized treatment program tailored to your specific needs and goals. Using a combination of evidence-based traditional therapies and holistic, alternative therapy models, our programs are built to give you the best opportunity to attain and maintain sobriety. If you’re ready to start your journey to a life without substances, contact our admissions team today.
