How Do People Become Alcoholics? Most Common Causes
When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I drank a huge amount. Why didn’t I go on to be an alcoholic? There is one guy I know who is an alcoholic. He started out just like me. So how do people become alcoholics? In this article, I’ll reveal the most common causes of alcohol addiction. This will help you to get really clear about where you are at with alcohol, what you should be concerned about, and, more importantly, what to do about it.
What Is An Alcoholic?
It’s all about whether you can control it or not. Typically, an alcoholic drinks too much but just can’t seem to stop, no matter how hard they try. They also have needed more and more alcohol over time, to achieve the same “buzz”. An alcoholic will continue to consume alcohol even though their relationship might be on the point of breakup, even though their job is under threat, or there is some negative consequence in their daily life.
There are many anecdotal stories of people being warned in their workplace about the effects of their drinking. A person who is suffering from alcoholism knows the consequences but they just can’t stop. How many alcoholics know their driver’s license is vital for their job and yet they keep drinking and lose their license? Many of these people have been in denial about having a problem with alcohol.
One of the most important things you can do is to be open to the idea you might have a problem. Have a look at the following four stages of alcohol addiction and be honest with yourself. Place yourself in one of those four stages honestly, and then take whatever action is necessary for you to deal appropriately with that.
The Four Stages Of Alcohol Addiction
In 1960, a book called “The Disease Concept Of Alcoholism” was published. The author, E. M. Jellinek was an alcohol abuse researcher. He said there were four main stages of alcoholism and they are:
- Pre-alcoholic: During this stage, there are no signs to indicate you are going to become a full-blown alcoholic. You do drink a reasonable amount but, to an outsider, you don’t seem to have any problem with drink. Without really thinking too deeply about it, you may have started to drink a bit more when you are stressed or anxious. You might drink to escape from the pressures of work or from a relationship that is giving you headaches. You’ve started to get emotions tangled up with alcohol.
- Early Stage Alcoholism: You start to drink a little more, and also you drink more often. When compared with friends, you are now becoming the one who can always be relied on to go for a drink. You use live acts, party nights, social occasions, and sporting occasions as an excuse to go drinking. You might also be the one who uses the old saying “the hair of the dog” to go drinking to soothe a hangover.
- Middle Stage Alcoholism: This is where you are starting to become dependent on alcohol and it can be described as heavy drinking. You might find yourself saying things like “I’ve had a hard day so I have to have a drink” or you might find yourself even starting your day off with a drink. In this stage, there are some negative consequences. You may, or may not be aware of these or take them seriously. It might be where a family member mentions your drinking and tells you they think you have a drinking problem. Or, it might be where a partner starts having arguments with you about why you weren’t home when you said you would be. At this stage, the hangovers are worse and you may even experience blackouts.
- Late Stage Alcoholism: This is where you just have to have a drink. You now have no control over it. For many alcoholics, alcohol becomes the most important thing in their lives. They have to have it. Moreover, it feels totally normal to their body and their body feels weird when it doesn’t have the required amount of alcohol. Not having the right amount of alcohol creates cravings. This is what’s called alcohol dependence.
Self-Hypnosis Audio To Overcome Alcohol Addiction
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to help you visualize your new sober future and get excited about it.
Common Signs In The Development Of Alcoholism
- Have you had blackouts?
- Are you a bit irritable recently?
- Do you drink alone at times?
- Is stress an excuse to drink?
- Has drinking become more important to you recently?
- Have you started isolating yourself from others a bit more recently?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions and you know that the reason is alcohol, then you may need to seek professional help.
What Is The Difference Between Binge Drinking And Alcoholism?
Binge drinking can be one of the steps that lead to alcoholism but it is not alcoholism of itself. Most young adults have had too much alcohol at one stage or another. When young people see their peers drinking, they want to be part of the gang and do what everyone else is doing. That first time you drank, you probably got those pleasurable feelings after a couple of drinks. I know I certainly did. This made me think “Hey, this drinking thing is great – give me more!”.
Binge drinkers will typically have a lot of alcohol in a short time. Depending on your age group, that may be regarded by your peers as impressive. This validation adds to your tolerance of this behavior, so you’ll probably binge-drink every chance you get. Social situations are an excuse to get drunk. Occasions are an excuse to get drunk. Your excessive drinking isn’t a problem. You know you can stop any time you want.
Alcoholism, on the other hand, is different. An alcoholic feels like they can’t stop. Their withdrawal symptoms are worse. They know they are risking liver disease but it still doesn’t stop them. Many alcoholics have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism which means that, when they are at the binge drinking stage, they have a greater risk of developing full-blown alcoholism. Children of alcoholics are more likely to experience heavy alcohol use because that’s what they grew up with.
Self-Hypnosis Audio To Overcome Alcohol Addiction
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to help you visualize your new sober future and get excited about it.
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder?
"Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences"
You are at higher risk of developing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) if:
- Your first drink is when you are quite young
- An immediate or close relative has an alcohol problem
- You have a mental health condition like PTSD, depression, etc.
What Causes People To Become Alcoholics?
I was fascinated many years ago by the question “Why didn’t I become an alcoholic?”. When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I drank as much as anyone I knew. There was one friend of mine I went to college with and he became alcoholic and I didn’t. Why was that? Experts, even now, aren’t entirely sure why that is.
It has been theorized that, for some people, alcohol consumption causes a higher production of dopamine in the brain than for others. Others have speculated that certain areas of the brain are overstimulated by alcohol in some people and not in others. This is why there can be a family history of alcoholism. If genetic factors dictate that a number of family members create the same higher level of dopamine,
Then, of course, there are psychological factors to take into account. If you suffer from mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, those psychological problems can be risk factors for developing alcoholism. One of the mental health disorders where there is a high rate of alcoholism is bipolar disorder. Now of course, in saying that, it is important to note that not everyone who suffers from mental health conditions will become alcoholic.
Self-Hypnosis Audio To Overcome Alcohol Addiction
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to help you visualize your new sober future and get excited about it.
Who Are Most Likely To Become Alcoholics?
A person’s risk of becoming an alcoholic is down to a wide range of factors such as:
- Genetic Predisposition
- Social Factors (such as peer pressure)
- Early Age (starting drinking at an early age)
- Coping Mechanisms (using alcohol as a coping mechanism)
- Mental Health Problems (such as PTSD, depression, etc.)
Just because you identify one of these factors in your drinking habits does not mean you are doomed to become an alcoholic. For instance, some people who start drinking at an early age never develop into alcoholics.
Best Treatment Options For Alcohol Abuse
The best treatment options for alcohol abuse are the ones that are suited to your level of addiction. This varies from person to person. For some people, they stop drinking and seek the help of support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. This might not work for those who have really heavy alcohol consumption and may need medical supervision in order to avoid life-threatening consequences of withdrawal.
The first step, if you are concerned that you may be suffering from alcoholism, is to get the support and advice of medical professionals such as your doctor, or an alcohol abuse counselor. I would also recommend downloading and listening to a self hypnosis recording such as “Overcome Alcohol Addiction“. This will help you to stress less about alcohol and visualize a future without alcohol.
Self-Hypnosis Audio To Overcome Alcohol Addiction
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to help you visualize your new sober future and get excited about it.
Self Hypnosis For Alcohol Problems
Self-hypnosis has long been recognized as an excellent aid to overcoming addictions of all types. Perhaps the most common use of hypnosis is to overcome nicotine addiction. Many of the same principles apply to alcohol addiction. Self-hypnosis for alcohol problems is essentially the same process and group of techniques.
To make it easier for the addict to succeed, we have to
- Pain: Get the addict to associate huge pain with their alcohol intake. This is done so that when the option arises to drink, images of that painful future will pop into mind, causing a change in behavior.
- Pleasure: The addict has got to imagine falling in love with sobriety. Every time you listen to a self-hypnosis recording, you’ll be prompted to really feel that pleasure of being sober.
- Pattern Interrupts: There is a pattern to your alcohol-related thoughts. The self-hypnosis recording will help you to “interrupt this pattern so that you lose track of what you were thinking of.#
My many years of experience of having successfully worked with alcohol addicts have gone into the scripting and recording of “Overcome Alcohol Addiction“. You can download this mp3 right now. Listen at home for 30 days and you’ll find some interesting changes during the first month of listening to it. It will make your journey to sobriety easier and act as a great psychological support.
Author: Paul Hunter
Although thousands of people read his blog every month, Paul's path to success was not an easy one. Click here to read his amazing story "From Unwanted Baby And Adopted To A Respected Self Help Blogger". If you want to send Paul a quick message, then visit his contact page here
