Across the world, individuals struggling with alcohol addictions continue to be portrayed in a negative light.  However, alcohol addictions do not discriminate.

If you have to come to realise that an alcohol addiction is impairing the quality of your life, you may be somewhat bewildered when considering what has caused you to become addicted to alcohol.

Like many others, you may not be able to ascertain when your addiction surfaced, and you may wish to determine what causes alcohol addiction in a bid to understand your disorder better.

Should this resonate with you, we have provided insight into what causes alcohol addiction here.

 

What Is An Alcohol Addiction?

Alcohol addictions are psychological disorders that arise when an individual is unable to control their use of alcohol.

Often surfacing when alcohol is consumed in a harmful way, the World Health Organisation states that alcohol addictions are among the leading risk factors for health globally.

  

Signs and Symptoms Of An Alcohol Addiction

When an alcohol addiction arises, various signs and symptoms indicate that it is taking a toll on the body and brain.  While the signs and symptoms vary from person to person, physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms are normally encountered.  These include, but are not limited to, the following.

  • Weight loss or weight gain
  • Organ failure
  • High blood pressure
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Anaemia
  • Heightened anxiety
  • Depression
  • Prolonged periods of low mood
  • Insomnia
  • Paranoia
  • Intense cravings
  • Financial difficulty
  • Isolation from others
  • Hiding addictive behaviours

 

Recognising Someone Has An Alcohol Addiction

Recognising that someone has an alcohol addiction can be tricky.  However, if you are concerned that a loved one or friend has become reliant on alcohol, there are several signs that you can look out for.  You could even ask yourself the following questions to help you recognise an alcohol addiction is someone else.

  • Does the individual consume large quantities of alcohol?
  • Does the individual consume alcohol every day?
  • Does the individual consume alcohol at various times of the day?
  • Has the individual in question ever stated that alcohol helps them get through the day?
  • Has the individual in question expressed that they need alcohol after a stressful day?
  • Has the individual started to isolate themselves from others?
  • Have you noticed physical and behavioural changes in the individual?

Although the questions above will not always determine that an addiction is present in an individual’s life, they often indicate that alcohol addiction treatment is required.

 

Many Factors Contribute To The Development Of Alcohol Addictions

If you have come to appreciate that an alcohol addiction has reduced the quality of your life, it is not uncommon for you to wonder what causes alcohol addictions to arise.

Likewise, if you are worried that a loved one or friend is reliant on alcohol, you may question what has caused them to become addicted to alcohol. You may even worry that you have contributed to their addiction.

Should this resonate with you, you are not alone.  Thousands of people question “what causes alcohol addictions?” every day.

While you may have expected to pinpoint what has caused an alcohol addiction to develop with ease, understanding what has caused an alcohol addiction is difficult.  This is because many factors contribute to the development of alcohol addictions.

To understand the cause of an addiction, alcohol addiction rehabilitation must be obtained.  This is because therapies administered during rehab, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, enable those in treatment to reflect on their life with a psychologist to determine the cause of addiction.

Although therapy helps many understand the cause of addiction, if you find yourself questioning “what causes alcohol addictions?” we have outlined just a few common causes below.

  • Trauma
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety
  • Stress
  • Reduced self-esteem
  • The body and brains response to alcohol
  • Genetics
  • Environmental factors
  • Lifestyle
  • Peer pressure

 

Treatment Is Available For Alcohol Addictions

In England alone, only 18% of individuals with alcohol addictions receive treatment. 

Although admitting that treatment is needed for an alcohol addiction is scary and overwhelming, treatment is readily available for alcohol addictions.

By securing treatment, you will have the opportunity to ascertain what causes alcohol addiction. You will also be able to uncover the cause of your alcohol addiction, and you will have the chance to determine how you can overcome your addiction thanks to therapies encountered during rehab.

In addition to therapy, treatment for alcohol addictions typically include alcohol detox, rehabilitation and aftercare support.  Combined, these treatments will help you recover from the ramifications of addiction and ensure that you have every chance of making a long-term recovery and maintaining your sobriety.

 

Contact Us Today For Alcohol Addiction Treatment

If you believe that you are struggling with an alcohol addiction, you must seek treatment as soon as possible.

At Ocean Recovery Centre, we welcome you to contact us today to discuss how we can help you overcome your addiction at our private drug and alcohol rehab.

If you are worried that a loved one or friend is struggling with an addiction, we also welcome you to contact us for support and guidance.

Comprehensive Health Web Directory including Disease, Condition, Medication, Drug, Healthy Living and more.

 

Sources

https://www.alcohol.org/alcoholism/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol

https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-statistics

HealthEcho.com – Directory of Health

John Gillen - Director at Ocean Recovery

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: January 13, 2022

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.