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It’s important to learn the truth about alcohol abuse to help you make healthy decisions. People may believe that suffering from alcoholism is an isolated event. However, this is one of many myths about alcoholism that just aren’t true.
- It’s not necessary to wait until things are “bad enough” to ask for addiction therapy.
- This is one of the most common ways that people suffering from alcohol abuse or alcoholism end up relapsing.
- An alcoholic will likely suffer from symptoms for the remainder of his or her life.
Addiction can make someone change for the worse, sometimes become irritated, aggressive, or even violent in some cases. Time and time again, relationships are ruined and negatively affected by alcohol and drug use. This can also have an impact on the later generations as well (through a person’s children). Separation, divorce, and financial problems affect everyone around the person.
Demystifying the Myths of Alcohol
Learn more about A.D.A.M.’s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. For your consideration, here are some of the services offered by our world-class facilities. Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition that cannot be overcome with willpower alone. However, willpower can be a strong tool for those in recovery from substance use disorder.
In fact, if you need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol to feel an effect, it could be a sign you have a problem with alcohol. Being able to hold one’s liquor may indicate that the drinker has built a tolerance for alcohol. All of the causes of alcoholism are not yet known, but researchers do know that only people who are predisposed for alcoholism become addicted. Other people may drink frequently and heavily without becoming alcoholic.
Myth 2
Fortunately, with proper treatment and intervention, it is possible to get sober and learn how to cope with alcoholism. Another aspect of alcoholism people don’t realize is tolerance build-up. As a person continues to drink they become more and more tolerant to its effects.
It’s not necessary to wait until things are “bad enough” to ask for addiction therapy. In fact, alcoholics have great willpower, as they are often able to hold down jobs and get through a normal day while being hungover. A different sickness could easily keep a person home from work. A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, for Health Content Provider (). URAC’s accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services.
Myth #6: Those Struggling with Alcoholism Must Attend A.A. (Alcoholics Anonymous)
At the end of the day, it’s important to choose a program that will fit your needs and preferences. At Harmony Place, we strive to make you or your loved ones’ experience comfortable and personalized for you. While Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is one of the most widely accepted treatment methods for alcoholism it isn’t required for sobriety.
It is worth adding here that although alcohol itself does not kill brain cells, alcohol withdrawal can kill you. It is another myth, then, that you can’t die from alcohol withdrawal. A 2019 study of alcohol use in England found that people in professional managerial jobs had more occasions to drink than manual workers, casual workers, and unemployed people. Homeownership was also a strong predictor of alcohol consumption, according to the study.
I Can Just Have 1 Or 2 Drinks And Be Fine
If you are drunk, nothing will sober you up except the time it takes to pass the alcohol through your body. If something has alcohol in it, there’s a chance you can get hooked on it if you abuse it enough. While this might fit the description of some who are suffering from alcoholism, it hardly fits the description of everyone. Here we explore ten common myths or misconceptions concerning alcohol and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Is alcohol addiction for life?
Alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain, which necessarily means that it is a lifetime issue. That does not mean, however, that recovery is not possible. There are viable treatment options that can help you quit alcohol and feel better, however, it is important to remember that the disease lasts a lifetime.
We hope we can start changing the perception of what recovery really looks like. Every Google search seems to bring in another reason “why” I am an alcoholic accompanied with the latest and greatest get well now with some miraculous new remedy. Alcohol causes your judgment to be impaired, which increases the likelihood that you will make poor decisions that will be regretted in future. This can be decisions based on your health, relationships with others, financial decisions, and general responsibility.
And if you are under 21, driving after drinking any amount of alcohol is illegal and you could lose your license. Critical decision-making abilities and driving-related skills are already diminished long before a person shows physical signs of intoxication. Anyone is susceptible to developing an alcohol addiction or alcohol use problem. A person does not need to have character flaws, be sick or suffering, or have a hard time managing stress, to develop an alcohol problem. Anyone has the potential to develop an addiction, and once a person is dependent on alcohol, it is very difficult to quit. An alcoholic will likely suffer from symptoms for the remainder of his or her life.
Many people may think that they are required to go to AA to overcome alcoholism. While it isn’t as detrimental as the others on this list, it’s important to not be narrow-minded when it comes to alcoholism treatment. Alcoholism can be crippling and can lead to financial, mental, and physical ruin. Alcohol use disorder continues to consume the lives of millions of Americans every year.
Your blood alcohol concentration, or BAC — the percentage of alcohol in your blood — is what counts, not the types of drinks consumed. Food in https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/five-myths-about-alcoholism-you-probably-didnt-know/ your stomach only delays the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. A full stomach doesn’t stop the effects of alcohol or intoxication.
Following this logic, people tend to think that those who suffer from alcoholism are not as severely affected as people who suffer from other addictions. In fact, alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs to which you can have an addiction. Not only are you at risk of overdosing; you can die from withdrawing from alcohol as well. Alcohol is one of only two drugs that you can die from while withdrawing (the other drug class being benzodiazepines). Alcohol and other drugs can affect the neurotransmitters in a person’s brain. This can escalate to the point where the body struggles to receive and send signals to the rest of the body.