Alcohol Is Everywhere

When scrolling through social media, you will constantly see alcohol advertisements. There are alcohol advertisements on billboards, in magazines, and on tv; it’s everywhere. After a long week at work, people sometimes celebrate by going out to have drinks. You graduate college, have an anniversary or birthday, and have champagne. Then, you go out for your birthday and order a special cocktail. Alcohol is used both to celebrate but also to cope. It is the most socially accepted substance. So because of that, it can be one of the most overlooked addictions.

Alcohol has been around for thousands of years. Over time, it has become more popular and has evolved. Now we live in a world with different types of beer, wine, liquor, and even hard seltzers. With all this so readily available, underage people find it much easier to party with their friends and sometimes with their families.

“85.6 percent of people ages 18 and older reported they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime.”

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2019, “85.6 percent of people ages 18 and older reported they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime.” Alcohol can be found at grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, restaurants, just to name a few.

With alcohol so socially accepted, the problem arises that it is easy to get and easy to get away with. The thing with alcohol is it is addictive, and kids are exposed at a young age without knowing its dangers. They think it’s all fun and games until it’s not. The scary thing about alcoholism is it can go unnoticed. So many do not realize they have a problem, and others do not really notice until it’s out of control.

Some signs to look for if you suspect alcohol addiction is the person will have slurred speech and may smell of alcohol. They also tend to injure themselves and lose memory, so often won’t know how the injury happened. In addition, they tend to be disoriented and may quickly suffer extreme mood swings, from happy to angry. Another way to tell is they will constantly vomit which may be from alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol addiction takes control of your life. You feel like you cannot live without the substance and while you started doing it casually, you now need it to survive. Alcohol takes control, and you wake up needing to drink, or you drink yourself to sleep, and or you drink throughout the day so your hands do not shake.

Withdrawing from alcohol can be one of the most dangerous withdrawals. If you drink heavily and quit cold turkey without medical supervision, it can lead to a fatal seizure. Signs of someone withdrawing from alcohol are they are shaky and have cold sweats. They tend to be vomiting and have diarrhea, along with trouble sleeping. This can also lead them to have body pain and seizures. It is vital an alcoholic is supervised when trying to get clean from alcohol abuse.

There are long-term effects that accompany alcohol abuse. For example, someone can look jaundiced when the whites of their eyes start turning yellow. Another thing to be on the alert for is liver disease. If the person has swollen ankles and legs, itchy skin, and a tendency to bruise easily, these are signs of liver failure from alcohol. Kidney damage is another thing that may result from alcoholism and this might only take a few days to cause damage. However, after a more extended period, it can lead to kidney failure and kidney disease.

The brain is also known to suffer with long term alcohol abuse. Long-term alcoholism can cause Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, also known as wet brain. Wet brain is due to the Vitamin B1 deficiency that typically results from alcohol addiction. It may be a reversable but may also result in permanent brain damage.

When watching alcohol commercials on television, you do not see these side effects advertised. Unfortunately, many health risks accompany alcoholism. If you notice any of these signs in a loved one, getting them help as soon as possible is essential. Alcohol is advertised as fun, but as you can see the side effects may be deadly.

If you or a loved one are seeking drug or alcohol treatment, reach out for help. Narconon helps those struggling with addiction overcome it and realize they are not powerless to their addiction.

Sources:

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics