Alcoholism is one of the main addictive disorders present in our country, and currently represents a true public health problem both due to the impact it has on the person who suffers from it and on their family and social environment.
This type of pathology is associated with a series of very characteristic symptoms and classic signs that can be used as guidelines to know if a person has alcoholism or not
Of course, although many of these symptoms are usually recognized superficially by anyone, it is important to clarify that The diagnosis of alcohol use disorder can only be made by health professionals
What is taken into account when knowing if a person has developed alcoholism?
Here you will find the signs and symptoms that psychology professionals establish as the main indicators of a case of alcoholism.
1. Hazardous use and consumption
The most visible characteristic of an alcohol addiction is excessive use of this substance over a long period of time and even reach levels that can endanger your health both physically and mentally.
A sudden change in the way people consume alcoholic beverages, as well as in the person’s relationship with alcohol both outside and inside the home, can be a very useful indicator to identify that there is an alcohol addiction problem.
On the other hand, alcohol consumption does not have to lead the person to a state of clear intoxication for it to be considered that there is an addiction (for example, there are profiles of people who need to drink a little constantly: delta type alcoholics)..
2. Impact on social relationships
Continued alcohol consumption affects all areas of a person’s life, and especially the way in which you relate to your immediate environment, that is, friends, family and loved ones
This affectation usually translates into greater conflict with the person’s friends, partner or family, which usually ends with progressive social isolation and a loss of the relationship in the short or long term.
When you begin to notice specific effects on relationship skills or have interpersonal relationship problems that did not exist before, we may be talking about a case of alcoholism.
3. Withdrawal syndrome
Withdrawal syndrome is another of the essential characteristics that people with alcohol use disorder present and this is based on a series of very recognizable physical and psychological symptoms
The main physical symptoms that occur in a person with withdrawal syndrome are: chills, excessive sweating, tremors, nausea, headache, tachycardia or dehydration.
On the other hand, the main psychological symptoms are usually anxiety, irritability, hallucinations, agitation, or delirium tremens
4. Tolerance
The phenomenon of tolerance takes place in addiction to any type of addictive toxic substances and occurs when the person needs to increase the levels of alcohol ingested to achieve the same effects of intoxication in the body, once consumption is continued.
This is another of the unequivocal signs and warning signs that indicate a case of alcoholism and is highly dangerous because promotes increasing alcohol consumption in the affected person
5. Alteration in habits
Continued consumption of alcohol can also significantly alter a person’s lifestyle habits, to the point of leaving aside the activities one normally did to focus exclusively on drinking.
This usually means that the person with alcohol addiction begins to noticeably modify the practice of daily activities that previously satisfied him or that they simply stop doing them.
Likewise, it usually happens that a person with alcoholism begins to develop activities related solely to alcohol consumption, such as always being at the bar or drinking alcohol in any place or situation in which they find themselves.
6. Breach of obligations
This change in habits also translates into a complete lack of concern for any responsibility that the person in question may have had before developing an addiction to alcohol.
People who have a case of alcoholism They tend to leave aside work, family, personal or emotional obligations with their closest environment as alcohol becomes the center of his new life.
7. Failed attempts to quit
Many people with alcohol addiction often go through different attempts to quit the addiction without obtaining positive results, a fact that It makes them enter a spiral of frustration and discomfort that usually causes a greater need to continue drinking
This usually happens when the person decides to quit on their own or tries to moderate their consumption, something impossible when you have an addiction of this type.
That is why it is so necessary to request the services of a specialist, since only a professional specialized in addictive behaviors will be able to help us overcome this problem.
Related article: “The Marlatt and Gordon Relapse Prevention Model”
8. Health problems
Continued addiction to alcohol is linked to a wide variety of physical and psychological problems that daily endanger the state of health of the person.
Some of the main physical or psychological alterations associated with alcohol consumption and addiction are heart disease, stroke, depression, digestive problems, cirrhosis and various types of cancer.
9. New social relationships in the addiction environment
As indicated, people with alcohol addiction often change old habits and activities that they previously carried out completely normally, and adopt new ways of relating to their environment.
As a result of repeated alcohol consumption, changes usually occur at the level of activities and also in the people with whom these activities are carried out, since it is common for a change of friends to occur and start meeting people who may have the same problem.
10. Expose yourself to dangerous situations
Finally, another characteristic that usually indicates a case of alcoholism is habitual exposure to dangerous or criminal situations. without the person being aware that they are putting their life and that of others at risk
Some examples of this phenomenon may be driving under the influence of alcohol, carrying out criminal activities or having unprotected sexual relations with strangers.
