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Speaking of stress, it plays a large role in what makes alcohol addictive. After all, many people are convinced that social occasions need to include alcohol for them to be fun. As a result, it’s easy for peer pressure and social cues to drink to become overwhelming.
Substance use disorders are a major public health problem facing many countries. “The most common substance of abuse/dependence in patients presenting for treatment is alcohol.” In the United Kingdom, the number of ‘dependent drinkers’ was calculated as over 2.8 million in 2001. About 12% of American adults have had an alcohol dependence problem at some time in their life. In the United States and Western Europe, 10 to 20% of men and 5 to 10% of women at some point in their lives will meet criteria for alcoholism.
The Benefits & Limitations of 12-Step Programs for Addiction
Alcohol use disorder is the most common type of substance use disorder in the U.S., with nearly 15 million cases of alcoholism in people 12 and older in 2019 alone. Don’t wait to get the alcohol addiction treatment you need to take back your life. Help is one call away and addiction recovery is better than you can imagine. After you detox from alcohol, you need to discover the reasons why you use alcohol so you can learn to cope with challenges without substance abuse.
Those who frequently experience these symptoms and use alcohol to “treat” them are likely to develop a dependency over time. Following alcohol addiction treatment, you’ll want to have resources in place that support long-term recovery. Your treatment staff will help create an aftercare plan that will do just that.
Physical effects of alcohol addiction on the body
It involves casual drinking that gradually becomes more frequent, and tolerance to alcohol begins to develop. Excessive drinking has numerous impacts on your body and mind, ranging from mild to severe. Learn which signs to look out for, and how to care for your well-being. Alyssa who is the National Director of Digital Marketing, joined the Banyan team in 2016, bringing her five-plus years of experience. She has produced a multitude of integrated campaigns and events in the behavioral health and addictions field.
If why is alcohol addictive is used to cope with stress or anxiety, it can quickly become a crutch. For example, people may start to turn to alcohol to feel more comfortable in social settings or deal with their difficult job. After some time of relying on alcohol, it becomes a learned habit, and then a person naturally feels like they need a drink to cope.