Alcoholism
is drinking alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health,
mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities.
Alcoholism
is a type of drug addiction. Often, alcohol abuse develops from efforts to self-treat
an illness. There are both physical and mental dependence on alcohol.
Alcoholism
is divided into 2 categories: dependence and abuse. People who are dependent on
alcohol spend a great deal of time drinking alcohol, and getting it.
Physical
dependence involves:
• A need for increasing amounts of alcohol to get
drunk or achieve the desired effect (tolerance)
• Alcohol-related illnesses
• Memory lapses (blackouts) after drinking episodes
• Withdrawal symptoms
when alcohol use is stopped
The most severe drinking behavior includes
long drinking binges that lead to mental or physical problems. Some people are
able to gain control over their dependence in earlier phases before they totally
lose control. But no one knows which heavy drinkers will be able to regain control
and which will not.
There is no known common cause of alcoholism. However,
several factors may play a role in its development. A person who has an alcoholic
parent is more likely to become an alcoholic than a person without alcoholism
in the immediate family.
Research suggests that certain genes may increase
the risk of alcoholism, but which genes or how they work is not known.
Psychological
factors may include:
• A need for anxiety relief
• Conflict in relationships
• Depression
• Low self-esteem
Social factors include:
• Ease of getting alcohol
• Peer pressure
• Social acceptance of alcohol
use
• Stressful lifestyle
The incidence of alcohol intake and related
problems is rising. Data indicates that about 15% of people in the United States
are problem drinkers, and about 5% to 10% of male drinkers and 3% to 5% of female
drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent.
Alcohol Treatment programs
have varying success rates, but many people with alcohol dependency make a full
recovery.
Information contained above is courtesy of U.S.
National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health for more information
please visit: http://www.nlm.nih.gov
Looking for an Alcohol Treatment
Center
To confidentially inquire about New Dawn addicton treatment
programs, or to ask a treatment-related question, please email us at recovery@newdawnaddicioncare.com.
Your email address will not be shared with third parties, nor will we add your
email address to an electronic mailing list.
We encourage you to get in
touch with us to have all of your questions answered. If you wish, we will send
you a brochure so you can learn more about our programs and share the information
with your family and any professionals involved with your care. We can also schedule
a visit to our addiction treatment center so that you can meet our staff and even
talk to program residents.
We hope we have addressed your questions and
concerns. We hope you choose New Dawn Recovery to help you begin your transformation
to a new and healthy life. We look forward to welcoming you to New Dawn Recovery.
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