Many people around the world are fond of drinking alcohol. Some drink daily, some drink alternately, and the rest prefer to drink on weekends. This habit of drinking was started long back, some thousands years down the current time.

But, what if you are addicted too much that you drink beyond the standard maximum daily units (units can be the number of glasses)? What if just can’t function or stay without consuming alcohol? This is a signal to you that you are spoiling your health by your own hands. If you still continue to drink by your own wish and do not do anything to overcome the addiction, it is nothing but sheer foolishness of wasting this human life for no good reason! Such people need to wake up their minds and simply follow the three great lines – “Health is wealth”, “Anything in excess is dangerous, and “Drinking alcohol is injurious to health”

According to a scientific study, little and normal quantity of alcohol is found to have a good impact on the heart and blood circulation. However, alcohol beyond limits is often an invitation to health hazards.

Alcohol has always obtained an uncertain state in the society. This is because one cannot determine how much consumption of alcohol is considered enough to endanger one’s own health. Excessive amount of alcohol intake results in physical illness, multiple organs’ damage, and mental and social distress. The increasing amounts of alcohol consumption in combination with addiction to other drugs results in a serious health problem irrespective of any age, especially, in the young ones.

Measuring Alcohol Addiction

The ease of using alcohol and the manner in which it is used might form the major factors that affect the probability of being an alcoholic or alcohol dependent. Mostly, alcohol dependence is left undetected for a long time. Sometimes, this dependence might be due to genetic factors, but it cannot be assured that this is due to the learning pattern.

The ‘CAGE’ questionnaire helps you in determining whether you are addicted to alcohol or are completely dependent on it for proper functioning. It contains a list of questions, wherein positive answers to two or more of these questions indicate addiction or dependence. Listed are a few of these questions.

• Did you ever feel to reduce your drinking?
• Have you ever felt irritated when others criticize your drinking?
• Do you feel bad or guilty regarding your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink, as the first thing in the morning, to come out of hangover?

Too much use of alcohol is medically termed as alcoholism or alcohol dependence. It precisely means the unusual over consumption of alcohol is the sign of upcoming health problems. If a person is completely dependent on alcohol, there are many factors or features that affect his/her behavior. Listed below are these features or factors.

• Drinking becomes a mandatory activity and holds the topmost of priority among other daily or professional duties.
• Tolerance increases that results in more alcohol intake.
• Withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety occur within a short period if not drunk, which means more alcohol intake to reduce them.

Problems Due to Excessive Alcohol

Listed below are the health problems caused due to too much consumption of alcohol.

• Liver cirrhosis
• Heart failure
• Damage to the brain and nervous system
• Depression

Besides these ones, it also results in strain on relationships, finances, and jobs along with legal problems.

Mental Problems

These problems are common consequences or causes of alcohol addiction. Among these problems, depression is a more common factor leading alcoholism. This is because a depressed person wants to remain away from the problems. But, alcoholism only adds the state of depression, as it is a depressant in itself.

Another problem is of anxiety that can be tackled for a short period using alcohol. However, this in turn, leads to frequent drinking and addiction.

Alcohol Treatment

A doctor might not be able to suspect alcoholism as it is not that obvious and only come to attention after some medical tests done for checking other medical conditions.

The best choice of treating alcoholism is to reduce its consumption slowly under a supervision of a medical expert. For example, if you are taking it daily with too many glasses, the expert ask you to take only a few glasses daily, then reducing to only a glass, and so on. It is not good to stop drinking suddenly as even this has its own health effects.
You also need the support of you family and friends.

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