Side Effects Of Alcohol Abuse

When you think about the side-effects of alcohol abuse, health complications may be the first thing to come to mind. While abusing alcohol can lead to health problems, health is not the only issue you need to consider. If your friend has developed a drinking problem, you may see many other side-effects, too.

A person who is addicted to alcohol may engage in behavior that is dangerous to him or herself or to others. He or she may drink before driving, or even while he or she is driving. He or she may have casual sexual encounters with people he does not even know. He or she may increase the risk of toxicity by drinking while he or she is using medications. Your friend may not even think of the consequences of these kinds of behaviors.

Alcohol abuse can cause his or her social situations to change. Your friend may not want to attend events or visit homes where alcohol is not served.

Instead, he or she may drink alone, spend his or her time at bars, or associate with people who love to drink. Alcohol abuse side-effects often include the family. Depending on his or her personality, he or she may start heated arguments or withdraw from his or her family as much as possible. His or her family may say they cannot communicate with him or her anymore, because he or she is no longer rational.

Addiction to alcohol often shows itself in the alcoholic’s irresponsibility. Your friend may expect someone in his or her family to enable his or her behavior, or he or she may expect you to. If he or she does not meet his or her responsibilities, does something wrong, or forgets something important because of his or her drinking, he or she may want someone else to cover for him or her, make excuses, or accept the blame.

All of these side-effects of alcohol abuse are not your friend’s fault. When he or she is controlled by alcohol, it can be stronger than his or her ability to be rational, function normally, and make sound decisions. As alcoholism is a disease over which he or she has no control, it is not helpful to make him or her feel guilty or feel bad about him or herself. Instead, urging him to seek help should be the priority.

All of these behaviors have the potential to cause a great deal of harm. The sooner he or she gets into treatment, the less likely he or she will suffer devastating consequences. Side-effects of alcohol abuse can also ruin his or her health. From immediate problems such as headaches and nausea to long-term effects such as cirrhosis of the liver, many medical problems can be connected to drinking. It can also affect his or her mental health.

Even if your friend cannot function in his or her daily life without drinking, he or she may be in denial. This means he or she cannot recognize the problem even when it is very clear to those observing him or her. He or she may lie about drinking, or hide his or her liquor, yet still not see he or she has a serious problem. If you can get through to your friend, encourage him or her to go to a treatment center. However, if he or she will not listen to you, you may need to take a different course of action. One idea is to ask his or her doctor to speak with him or her. Another idea is to stage an intervention with an intervention specialist.

Whichever method you feel is best, do not hesitate to do it today. Regardless of the particular side-effects he or she is demonstrating, alcohol abuse is too serious to ignore. Treatment can prevent a tragedy, and can stop his or her problems from becoming worse. Whether he or she has only recently started to abuse alcohol or has been doing so for many years, the only way he or she can overcome his or her addiction is with professional help. You can save your friend’s life by getting him or her into a treatment program.

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