You took your first drink years ago to have fun or relieve stress, but now you constantly crave alcohol and cannot go without a drink. The fun is gone, and now the drinking itself is causing you stress. These are signs of alcoholism. Quitting drinking may sound difficult, even impossible, but fortunately, once you have recognized that you have a problem, there are several options to help you eliminate alcohol from your life.

Alcohol - When is It a Problem?

Alcohol is, or may become, a grave problem if you have a persistent, strong, and irresistible need to drink or if once you begin drinking you are unable to stop.

As the disease of alcoholism progresses, the body develops a tolerance to alcohol. You will have to consume greater amounts of alcohol to experience a ‘high’ from drinking. Finally in the late stages of alcoholism, the body develops a physical dependence on alcohol. As a result, abstaining from alcohol causes nausea, tremors in the hands, and, often, night sweats. If you experience these symptoms, you need to seek help.

You may have other signals that indicate alcohol is a problem for you, such as a preoccupation with drinking and planning social activities around alcohol consumption, an unwillingness to disclose to your friends or family how often and how much you drink, poor memory and concentration span, an inability to remember events in your daily routine, or periods of blackout. You may faint, collapse, or become unconscious from drinking too much. Your drinking may cause conflict with your family or legal problems. Finally, you may become ill without alcohol consumption and develop delirium tremors, anxiety, and insomnia.

Early Stages

Alcoholism is a genetic illness, but this alone cannot explain the habit. Alcoholism develops over time as a result of heavy drinking. You may initially drink with peers or family members who drink frequently, or drink to relax from the stress of any unwanted situation such as a strained relationship. But slowly, your body develops a dependence on alcohol, and the balance of chemical messengers in your brain changes. Gradually, you need greater amounts alcohol to experience pleasure and avoid depression.

Health Effects

Alcohol can adversely affect your health in many ways. Your liver, brain, heart, pancreas, intestines, and sexual organs all stand a risk of damage. It can cloud your judgment and impair your memory, concentration, and coordination. Alcoholism can cause depression and even thoughts of suicide. Alcohol is high in calories and excessive consumption can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar. Alcohol is also risk factor for development of many cancers of the mouth, throat, breast, and liver. You may also lose shine in your skin and develop brittle nails.

Quitting

If you are experiencing any signs of dependence or addiction, or if alcohol is adversely affecting you health, family life, relationships, and/or employment, you should seek help to quit drinking. Signs that you should evaluate your drinking and consider stopping include accidents, legal problems, or physical injuries as a result of alcohol consumption.

A woman who is planning to conceive or is pregnant should not drink. Alcohol can adversely affect a developing baby and lead to ‘fetal alcohol syndrome,’ a condition that can cause irreversible physical and mental damage to the fetus.

In addition to these reasons, you may also need to discontinue drinking if you are taking medications that are adversely affected by alcohol consumption.

The first step in recovery from alcoholism is to realize and admit that you have a problem with drinking. Once you face your addiction you can seek the support of friends, family, and medical professionals who can help you to quit. There are many resources available to aid in recovery, such as behavior modification techniques, counseling, and self-help literature.

You may require medical supervision to help you quit if withdrawal symptoms are severe. Consider going to the hospital or a rehabilitation center with a detoxification unit if you are in the advanced stages of alcoholism. A doctor may prescribe antidepressants, sleep aids, or anti-anxiety medications that can help your recovery process. These medicines restore the normal balance of chemical mediators in the brain and help to recover from cravings for alcohol.

Remember you do not have to do this alone. Join a community program, like Alcoholics Anonymous or a similar 12-step support group, which offer support and a chance to meet others who are in the process of quitting.

Withdrawal

Quitting is not easy and you may even experience physical and psychological symptoms, but do not give up. Possible symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

 • Anxiety

 • Depression

 • Irritability

 • Agitation

 • Confusion

 • Nightmares

 • Hallucinations

 • Fever

 • Increased heart rate

 • Sweating

 • Headaches

 • Tremors of hands or other body parts