What Is Alcoholism?

Since you’re reading this article it is fairly obvious that you are trying to figure out what exactly alcoholism is. Maybe you know somebody who is hooked on alcohol and you are trying to learn more about it so that you can help them. Or maybe you might be hooked on alcohol yourself and you just want to learn as much as you can about the problem that you find yourself facing.

Either way, it’s important that you understand this condition so that you can get a better idea of what you or a loved one are in store for. You may even need convincing of the reasons you need help and the consequences of not getting it. So let’s take a look at alcoholism and everything that it entails right now.

What Is Alcohol Dependence Syndrome?

Alcoholism is actually also known as alcohol dependence syndrome. It is officially categorized as a disease and there are quite a few different reasons why it does so. One of the reasons it’s considered a disease is because of the cravings that alcoholics experiences. The alcoholic will have a strong sense of urgency to drink.

Another reason why alcohol is considered a disease is because an alcoholic has lost control of their ability to stop drinking. Once a person is truly in the grips of alcohol addiction they may want to try and stop drinking often, but they will only find out that they just can’t seem to do it on their own no matter how hard they try. This is very difficult for the alcoholic and it’s a serious stage that the alcoholic needs to get through so they can sober up and reach the other side without further damaging their life.

Having a physical dependence to alcohol is also another major reason why alcoholism is considered a disease. A person will become physically dependent on alcohol when they ingest it to the point where their body cannot seem to live without it. When alcohol is taken away their body will experience withdrawal symptoms that are often really painful for the alcoholic and almost unbearable. Some of the withdrawal symptoms are:

Nausea Anxiety Tremors

Sweating Irritability Shakiness

Alcoholism

The last sign that you need to be aware of that proves that alcohol abuse is truly a disease is tolerance. An alcoholic will build up such a high tolerance toward alcohol that they have no choice but to ingest more and more alcohol each day just to try and make themselves feel normal. Being at this stage of the disease is extremely difficult for the alcoholic and they are at such a low point in their life that they would do anything to make it stop so that the pain can finally come to an end.

Negative Effects of Alcoholism

One of the reasons why alcohol addiction is such a problem is because the alcoholic just cannot manage to make themselves quit no matter how hard they try. This person will often lie to themselves and say they’re only going to have one or two drinks and then go home for the night, only to find themselves completely obliterated and blacked out at the bar at closing time, just like they are every other night.

The alcoholic does not want to live this way, but they are in such a strong grip of this disease that they really have no choice in the matter at all. It usually takes some serious intervention for an alcoholic to finally muster up the courage to do what it takes in order to stop living this way. It’s often a very painful experience and I honestly wouldn’t wish it on my own worst enemy. But it’s something the alcoholic needs to do if they ever want to get their life back.

You’ll be so happy that you made this decision to quit drinking when you finally wake up one day, possibly months from now. It may be later than a few months, but you’re going to wake up one day and thank God that it’s over. You’re going to be so happy that you were able to change and finally quit drinking that you will be forever grateful for the life that you have and the life that you are capable of leading clean and sober.

So there is definitely some light at the end of the tunnel and although quitting drinking is going to be hard the rewards that you will experience in your life when you finally do kick this habit are going to be so great that you’ll wish you would have quit sooner. So do yourself a favor and stop drinking right now because it’s the best thing for you and you know it already.