When to go to Rehab for Alcohol
Alcohol is a legal substance that if consumed in excess can cause damage to an individual’s health as well as affecting the lives of those around them.
When consumed at a controlled rate, alcohol can lower feelings such as anxiety, making the consumer feel better.
However, if your life is negatively affected by alcohol consistently, this could be a sign that you have an alcohol addiction.
This article explains the signs, symptoms and dangers of alcohol abuse as well as the treatment you can seek.
Signs of alcohol addiction
Just like any substance, if you consume too much alcohol your body can become dependent on it to function normally. This means when trying to abstain from alcohol, you could experience intense withdrawal symptoms due to not maintaining the levels of the substance within your body. Therefore, if you are experiencing these symptoms it may be a sign that you have an alcohol addiction.
Side effects of alcohol abuse
· Excessive sweating
· Morning retching
· Increased anxiety
· Shaking and tremors
· Loss of appetite
· Decreased coordination
Brain
The effect alcohol has on the brain is felt early in the process of consumption. Alcohol can cause temporary complications such as lack of coordination and loss of memory. However, as well as the temporary complications, alcohol also has long term side effects which can affect an individual’s health permanently.
Alcoholism can permanently interfere with the brains functions and damage specific areas of the brain including the limbic system, cerebral cortex and cerebellum.
Damaging these areas of the brain can, therefore, have an impact of the body’s communication pathways as well as your motor skills.
Liver
Due to the body’s natural processes, your liver is the organ which helps break down alcohol and in turn removing it from the blood. However, due to the liver having a working capacity, the over-consumption of alcohol can place too much stress on this organ and lead to a fatty liver. A fatty liver involves the build of fats in the liver and can lead to further health complications such as liver failure.
Other complications of alcohol can cause to the liver include:
- Alcoholic cirrhosis
- Alcoholic fibrosis
- Alcoholic hepatitis
Heart
Overtime the excessive consumption of alcohol can impact the heart in many ways. When consuming alcohol it can impact the how vital nutrients and oxygen are distributed to other vital organs within the body.
Alcohol can also be the trigger for cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat, for which one should seek immediate medical guidance, as continued use of alcohol with these symptoms can lead to stroke and sudden cardiac death.
Dangers of alcoholism
Alcoholism holds multiple dangers that can lead to serious health issues, which are sometimes fatal. Findings from the World Health Organisation has found that alcohol addiction can be linked to 60 diseases as well as injuries. Some of the health issues and injures that can be linked to alcohol include:
- Auto crashes
- Epilepsy
- Oesophageal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Cirrhosis of the liver
Rehab for alcohol
After reading this article, you are concerned that either yourself or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can seek rehab for alcohol.
At New Leaf Recovery, we provide alcoholic rehab for those struggling to break their relationship with alcohol, by creating bespoke treatment programmes for our residents at our rehabilitation centre.
Our rehab centre is equipped with everything you need to overcome your addiction, including a team of committed recovery workers who can guide you through your programme. For more information on rehab for alcohol contact us on 0300 999 0330 or complete our online contact form.