Consequences of Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol Addiction Has Serious Consequences

If drinking excessive amounts of alcohol led to happiness, it might be considered wrong to try to dissuade people to stop the behaviour. The truth is, though, that drinking excessively leads to misery – not only for the individual, but also for everyone who cares for them. There are serious consequences for this behaviour. It is vital that people know about these consequences so that they can see where the path of addiction is taking them.

The best way to sum up the consequences of alcohol addiction is to say that the person becomes caught up in a downward spiral. Some people who are involved in this behaviour may object to this claim – they point out that they have good days as well as bad days. These people are missing out on the truth of their situation. Over any significant period of time, say one year, the person’s situation will be deteriorating. The number of good days decrease, and the number of bad days increase. After the person has been sober, they also come to the realisation that even the “good days” during the midst of their addiction were pretty miserable.

Consequences of Alcohol Addiction

The consequences of alcohol addiction are wide ranging and they include:

• Alcohol is a toxic substance in the body, and this means that it causes damage. Every organ in the body can be damaged by the alcohol abuse, and this destruction can reach a stage where it is beyond repair. Alcohol addiction is a slow form of suicide, and if the individual is unable to stop the behaviour, it will kill them unless something else kills them first.
• Alcohol addiction is completely toxic for mental health as well, and this is usually even more disturbing for the individual than their physical deterioration. The individual will have their sanity eroded, and they will be left feeling afraid, alone, and hopeless. Some people who fall into addiction will have an untreated mental health problem to begin with but others will develop symptoms such as depression because of the abuse.
• Alcohol is involved in most suicide cases, and those individuals who abuse this substance will be at a very high risk of taking their own life. One of the real dangers of inebriation is that it means that the person will often act impulsively and make bad decisions – this can easily lead to suicide.
• Over time, the person will likely find that their self-esteem is eroded. As the person struggles with their addiction their self worth plummets, and they may even begin to believe that they deserve the pain of addiction.
• The individual will usually be unable to take care of their family responsibilities. It is often claimed that alcoholism is a family disease, and the sad fact is that it is usually the children in the family who will end up suffering the most. The alcoholic may be physically or emotionally violent, and the hardest thing for the family to deal with may be the unpredictability of the person. Another impact of the abuse will usually be that the family finances are a mess.
• Many people who become addicted to alcohol will struggle with their jobs. They may miss days of work because of hangovers, and they may perform well below what is expected of them when they do go. The individual may have to move from job to job until they reach a stage where they become unemployable. Of course, this will have a real impact on their finances.
• By staying in addiction, the individual will be missing out on many of the good things in life. The time that they have lost to addiction can never be clawed back.
• In order to maintain the addiction the individual will usually need to behave unethically. This can range from telling lies to committing serious crimes.
• The person will often be full of remorse and regret. The person will get moments when they can see the reality of their situation, and this can be extremely painful for them.

These are just some of the consequences of alcohol abuse. If you want to find out more about how this behaviour could be damaging your life just contact us here.

High Functioning Alcoholics

Some people who are dealing with an alcohol addiction could be classified as high functioning alcoholics. This means that they appear to be performing fairly well in life despite the fact that they are caught up in addiction. The high functioning alcoholic can be doing well in their job, live in a nice house, have a family that adores them, and be respected members of their community. This person may seem to have it all, but the reality is that their addiction is breaking them down from the inside. If the individual persists in the behaviour, they will end up losing everything. The fall of high functioning alcoholics can be particularly nasty because they will tend to be more resistant to getting help – they may feel that they have too much to lose by admitting to their problems.

Escape the Consequences of Alcohol Addiction

If you already feel that you have lost enough to alcohol addiction, you will be ready to stop. This is something that you will be able to achieve so long as you are 100% committed to the change. We are experts in the field of addiction treatment plans, and we will be able to suggest something for you.