Alcohol is the most consumed psychoactive substance in Spain according to data from the Alcohol and drug survey (AGES), a practice that is duplicated in men with respect to women. The starting age of alcohol consumption is 14 years, which entails a real public health problem to be taken into account, since the repercussions can worsen the quality of life and lead to serious diseases such as some cancers.
On many occasions, the person who suffers from alcoholismat least in its early stages, is not aware of the problem. Among the symptoms that Mayo Clinic experts warn about are lack of control over quantity of alcohol that is drunk, the need to seek it, the excessive frequency and the impossibility of ‘quitting’ it despite being aware of the damage caused by alcohol consumption.
What is considered alcohol use disorder?
Alcohol use disorder depresses the central nervous systemand it is a pattern of alcohol consumption that consists of having problems controlling what you drink, being worried about alcohol, or continuing to consume it even when you are aware that it causes physical and mental health problems.
As specified by the Mayo Clinic expertsthis disorder also implies the need to have to drink more to achieve the same effect or the presence of withdrawal symptoms when tapering or quickly stop consumption. Alcohol use disorder includes a level of consumption often called alcoholism.
Unhealthy alcohol consumption is considered anyone who puts health and/or safety at risk who drinks, and that causes a series of related problems, whether of a social, personal or work nature. Also included in this health disorder is the so-called binge drinking, a consumption pattern in which men drink five or more alcoholic drinks in two hours, and women drink four or more.
The most common consequences are great affliction and difficulties managing ‘normal’ daily life. Although there are different degrees of addiction, the mild stage is already a problem in itself that must be addressed with professional help as soon as possible.
These are the symptoms that warn you of possible alcoholism
At first, when alcoholism has already established itself, the most common symptoms are, according to all experts, inability to limit the amount of alcoholic beverages we drink. To rule out a serious problem, try limiting your consumption to just one drink, and wait to see what happens… trying without success is a symptom to take into account.
Another warning sign is having the feeling of wanting to drink, and doing everything possible to get that drink. Once you have it, it is a bad sign that we spend a lot of time drinking, getting more alcohol and even recover after an intense day of eating.
At a higher level of severity, comes the non-compliance with work activities and social, and the fact that our leisure time is taken up with meetings in which only alcohol is drunk. Being aware that drinking is not good for your health is an important step, but it will be a step backwards if we continue with consumption even though we feel the physical, social and work problems it causes us.
Alcoholism: an increasing need to drink alcohol
An unequivocal sign that our body has already become ‘accustomed’ to consuming alcohol on a routine basis is develop tolerancewhich means that we need to take a larger amount to obtain the same effects. That is, noticing less effectiveness with the same amount of alcohol, and needing to ‘increase the dose’.
At a more advanced level, alcoholism can cause us the typical withdrawal symptoms such as uncontrolled sweating, tremors, rapid heart rate, agitation, anxiety, nausea and vomiting when we are not drinking…
Thus, alcohol use disorder can (and does) alternate periods of being drunk with withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal occurs when alcohol consumption has been heavy and prolonged, and then is drastically reduced. Acute alcoholism, for its part, occurs with an increase in the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream. This phase can cause behavioral alterations and lack of coordination.
References
Luz M. León, Luisa M. López, Alberto DomÃnguez, Cristina RodrÃguez, Begoña Brime, External Technical Expert of the OEDA, Noelia Llorens. ‘Monograph on alcohol 2024. Consumption and consequences’. Spanish Observatory of Drugs and Addictions, Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs. Ministry of Health. Government Delegation for the National Drug Plan, 2024,120 p. https://pnsd.sanidad.gob.es/profesionales/publicaciones/catalogo/catalogoPNSD/publicaciones/pdf/2024_OEDA_MonografiaAlcoholConsumoConsecuencias.pdf