One of the greatest risks of alcohol abuse is how easy it is to fall into that habit. Alcohol is legal, and it is considered an acceptable part of nearly every adult event or gathering. It is also difficult to discern when exactly, drinking turns from a social activity to alcohol abuse. The risks of alcohol abuse fall into several categories. These include physical, emotional, and social. In many cases, the categories overlap each other. The risks of alcohol abuse include addiction, but they aren’t limited to only that.
At Rockland Recovery Treatment Centers in Weymouth, MA, we understand the complexities of alcohol abuse and how best to treat it. So, whether you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use disorder, our alcohol addiction treatment program may be just what is needed.
Physical Risks of Alcohol Abuse
The most noticeable, and most lasting risks of alcohol abuse are the physical ones. Alcohol touches every system of your body over time. It increases problems with your liver, your stomach, your heart, and your brain. Regular alcohol abuse can increase your chances of getting certain types of cancers. Over time, your brain changes, and you may find things like memory, judgment, and executive functioning skills being affected. While under the influence of alcohol, you experience problems with balance that can result in falls and other accidents. Your body also heals much slower when you have alcohol in your system.
Psychological Risks of Alcohol Abuse
One of the most noticeable psychological risks of alcohol abuse is the increase of any underlying depressive disorder. Alcohol abuse and depression have become so intertwined that it is almost impossible to determine whether depression causes alcohol abuse or whether alcohol abuse causes depression. The truth most likely is somewhere in the middle, where they both affect the other, causing a vicious circle that gets increasingly confusing. In treatment, both depression and alcohol abuse must be addressed at the same time to break the cycle. Because depression is the most common mental health disorder in the nation and alcohol is so ubiquitous, it’s not difficult to see how the two may dovetail.
Social Problems Associated With Abuse
When you first start drinking alcohol, you may feel your social life is improving. Over time, however, alcohol abuse causes issues with friends, family, and coworkers. You can find yourself have issues with the law, and financial problems may cause a great deal of trouble between you and those who must come to your rescue. The lying and secrecy that so often becomes part of the life of someone abusing alcohol can put a wedge between them and family members. No longer being able to depend on you becomes a basis for lost friendships. In the end, a person who abuses alcohol may find themselves alone without realizing what exactly happened.
Find Help at Rockland Recovery
At Rockland Recovery, we understand the risks of alcohol abuse. We offer gender-specific programs to treat alcohol abuse with our men’s rehab center program and women’s rehab center program. These gender-specific programs supplement our standard day and evening intensive outpatient programs. But, we’re certain you or your loved one will find what they need with us.
When you contact us at 855.732.4842, we can help you evaluate where your life has been changed because of the abuse. Next, we work to help you change your behavior and heal the hurts that have been created over time. By the time you are ready to leave, you will have gained the necessary tools to meet life from a different perspective and with a greater sense of control. Alcohol does not have to ruin your life or that of your loved ones. Take that first step toward gaining your deserved power of control today.
