Drink Less Alcohol and Live Your Best Life
Whenever you read this word what comes first to your mind? Is it a bottle of champagne? Is it beer? Do you see a wine-closet filled with hard liquor? Or does the picture of a liquor store pop up In any case, alcohol connotes some kind of a celebration or a party to us, doesn’t it? It is something enjoyable and fun, not something sad and gloomy. That’s why alcohol is generally seen as a symbol of joy and recreation worldwide. Unfortunately, there is much more to alcohol than what one may imagine. Alcohol consumption can both be sweet and bitter, depending on what circumstances prevail and how one deals with alcohol in general. Take a look on the effect of alcohol and alcoholism on the lives of people.
Recreation and Alcohol
Alcohol is a renowned symbol of recreation. Even slight consumption of alcohol can have great effects on your body and your thinking capacity. Take a look at the following effects alcohol has on your body It suppresses activities in the prefrontal cortex(planning area) and temporal lobes(memory area). This downplays stress and anger. It is also why you don’t remember much once the effect wears out.Alcohol activates the dopamine neurons in the mesolimbic reward pathway, in turn, creating a sense of joy. It also charges the opioid cells which release endorphins. This engages a sense of euphoria.
Alcoholism
Also known as alcohol abuse, alcoholism can be seen as an addiction to alcohol consumption. Because of the above-mentioned impact of alcohol on the body, one might wish to consume even more alcohol consecutively. What one does not immediately comprehend are the following side effects of alcohol consumption. Take a look:
Short term effects
Lack of focus
Hazy vision
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Suffocation
Impaired hearing/speech
Declining presence of mind
Cold flashes and blackouts.
Loss of appetite.
Long Term Effects
Sober injuries because of impaired sense of judgment.
Sense of violence and uncontrollable fits of fury.
Lack of willingness to work and a sharp fall in productivity.
Social discord and marital problems.
Alcohol poisoning
Heart diseases and strokes.
Frequent liver and kidney troubles.
Permanent nerve and brain damage.
Increased memory loss, even from early sober years.
Gastric Ulcers and GERD
Cancer of the mouth and throat.
Why is it so addictive?
What one may wonder about at this point is the need for alcoholism. While it is true that alcoholism is not a direct consequence of alcohol consumption and that many people have been able to control their urges for alcohol to only parties and celebrations, there are still many others who keep facing problems with alcohol. And why is that? Why does alcohol have such an addictiveness to it? Let’s find out.
• The myriad of Endorphins: Alcohol keeps your body hooked on happy hormones. Once the effect of a dose of endorphins starts to wear out, you start feeling low and wish to pursue that high. This is when the addicts up their dose and try to drink their way through the lows.
• A sense of accomplishment: Endorphins don’t just initiate a sense of euphoria but also make you feel as if you have achieved something and that this pleasure is a reward for that. For those who are desperate for some form of results tend to quickly indulge in alcoholism because of this disguised reward mechanism.
• Emotional imbalance and triggers: Almost everyone has a sharp emotional trigger/mark that steers them off of their emotional balance. One needs to be wary of such traumas because, for many alcoholics, it is only such triggers that push them to intoxicate and forget about their worries.
• Low blood sugar levels: Recent study suggests that alcohol craving could just be a side effect of low blood sugar and hunger. That’s why it is suggested to eat a balanced meal instead of dwelling on toxins right away. You might not even want alcohol with your blood sugar restored.
• A sense of evasion: Looking at the effect of alcohol from a psychological perspective, it may be seen as a rudimentary coping mechanism for adults and even young teenagers when it comes to facing the reality. It gives them a sense of delay and a quick escape from the problems and challenges in life one has to deal with.
• Another addiction undercover: This is very common among addicts. Because they have found for themselves a coping mechanism and a sense of achievement via an addiction their addiction generally keeps on shifting shapes as and when the addict quits it. Alcoholism is no stranger to it. Some addicts just try to fill the void by drinking alcohol even when they don’t like it as much.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Alcoholism
With everything being. Said, it is imperative on our part to give a subtle disclosure as to alcoholism. An addiction to alcohol is not an ordinary mistake or so. It is a mental illness and requires therapy. It is just like any other disease except for its recovery process. And why is that? Because alcoholism leaves a mark on your body and recovering from that without drinking more alcohol can be painfully tough. The following are withdrawal symptoms of alcoholism that one may face after quitting it.
• Shivers and body ache
• Fatigue and dizziness
• Nausea and GERD
• Hypertension
• Cold sweats and flashes
• Loose temper
• Loss of focus
• Sleep trouble and insomnia
• Night terrors
Recovery and alternatives
For those who are facing social, mental, physical, and sexual agony due to alcohol abuse, there remain a number of treatments available. No matter what, it is never too late to choose recovery over relapse. Here are some treatment alternatives for alcohol abuse.
• Individual therapy.
• Group therapy.
• Couple counseling.
• Neuroscientific medication and sedatives.
• 12 step Recovery programs.
If you feel like taking on the road of sobriety, it is still not too late. Contact the nearest psychiatrist to you and begin your new life today. Click here to book with them now.