Inpatient drug and alcohol programs include intensive therapy to address the underlying causes of alcoholism. In addition to working through past traumas and current issues, individuals learn new coping mechanisms that include healthy behaviors to reduce the risk of relapse. A growing body of research confirms that genetics plays a key role in alcohol addiction.

Neurochemical Changes Over Time

That’s not just a stat — that’s someone’s parent, spouse, or kid. Whether it’s the pain of past trauma, the weight of depression, or the racing thoughts of anxiety — alcohol becomes the shortcut to escape. In cities like Columbus, Ohio, alcohol addiction hits harder than people think. It’s not just the individual who suffers — it’s the entire network around them. Alcoholism affects every aspect of a person’s life, including their physical health, mental well-being, relationships, and finances.

Therapy

They can seek help from peer support groups and mental health professionals as well. Like all addictions, alcohol use disorder is linked to a complex combination of biological, social, and psychological factors. Research highlights a genetic why do people become alcoholics component to the disorder, as about half of one’s predisposition to alcoholism can be attributed to genetic makeup.

• It is a collection of symptoms that develop when the central nervous system attempts to adapt to the lack of alcohol after becoming habituated to it.
• Recognizing these impacts is crucial for understanding the urgency of treatment.
• Alcoholism, also known as an alcohol use disorder, is classified as a person being dependent or addicted to alcohol to the point that they cannot control their drinking.
• This is why alcohol is so commonly used to self-medicate, as it provides a short-term distraction from our emotions or problems.

About Our North Carolina Addiction Treatment Programs

Most are men in their late 20s who started drinking around age 15. Unlike young adult alcoholics, antisocial alcoholics don’t drink socially with peers. Instead, antisocial alcoholics drink alone and typically struggle with co-occurring mental health problems. It is not uncommon for people to get behind the wheel of a car after having one too many cocktails, and get pulled over from Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Getting a DUI does not necessarily mean that you are an alcoholic. It means that you exercised extremely poor judgement and put other lives in danger.

For many, beer, wine, and spirits conjure up thoughts of social gatherings and tipsy fun. But alcohol is a nervous system depressant and easily alters behavior, culminating in some cases in the emotional pain and physical disintegration of alcohol addiction, colloquially known as alcoholism. Experts continue to debate the benefits and risks of drinking and passionately argue over whether moderation or complete abstinence is the best option for those who struggle with alcoholism. A person who experiences feelings of low self-esteem or self-worth may start drinking alcohol more frequently to numb intrusive thoughts. When a person does not have a positive self-image, they may care less about the consequences of heavy or frequent drinking.

They consciously avoid repeating patterns of behavior seen in family members who were misusing alcohol. They do so in response to trauma despite inheriting genetic predispositions. Genetics plays a significant role in increasing the chances of someone becoming drug addiction treatment an alcoholic.