One of the most commonly abused substances in the world is alcohol. Drinking alcohol on a regular basis over a long period of time, has the tendency to cause severe health issues, chronic health diseases and eventual death.
For some people, they take alcohol moderately, and there is no accompanying adverse effect, while others drink alcohol, and they eventually become addicted.
Alcohol addiction affects the overall state of health of an individual, resulting in the impairment of organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and the immune system. In addition, alcohol addiction has also been associated with cancers of the throat, larynx, mouth, breast, esophagus, rectum, stomach and pancreas.
In addition, alcohol addiction also has both short and long-term effects on the brain, and it affects the communication pathways of the brain, which can affect the cognitive function, mood and behavior of an individual. Damage to the brain could also occur via alcohol-induced nutrition shortages.
It has been researched that brain problems which are caused by alcohol, can be fixed when proper treatment is in place. Staying away from alcohol for a long period of time, can help to repair the effects of alcohol addiction.
Furthermore, alcohol addiction affects the behavior of an individual. The person has slurred speech, confusion and temporary memory loss. Hence, this is why drinkers are more susceptible to injuries, accident and unruly behavior.
Drinking heavily can also cause dangerous sexual behaviors such as unprotected sex, which can cause pregnancy and STDs. Alcohol addiction has dire consequences which can last for a lifetime.
Individuals who are addicted to alcohol, should not be scared of opening up. As a matter of fact, one of the most profound ways to defeat alcohol addiction, is to open up, and come to terms with the fact that you have an addiction problem.
This phase is usually conducted with a counselor who is an essential feature in the alcohol addiction phase.
The amount of time needed for an individual to break free from alcohol, depends on the severity of the addiction, and it should be noted that for each patient, there is a required personalized treatment plan.