When most people think of addiction, they think about the current opioid epidemic that the country is facing. The reality is that many people each year are dying from alcohol-related deaths as well. The question everyone continues to ask, “is alcohol addictive” and the answer to this may save some lives. It’s important to first understand how any form of addiction develops to understand how you can become addicted to alcohol.
How is Alcohol Addictive?
There have been debates throughout the years about whether addiction is a disease or not, but that debate is over. Now, we have people who are not only addicted to drugs, but many are addicted to alcohol, gambling, and even technology. Science has discovered that a rewiring of the neuro-pathways in the brain is what causes an addiction to form. This is due to a restructuring of a person’s habit loop, which includes the following through phases:
- Trigger
- Behavior
- Reward
When people ask, “is alcohol addictive?”, they should understand that when they continue to drink based on a trigger, they can become addicted. For example, if a person drinks every time they’re triggered by the stress from work, they can soon become dependent. Even on days in which they have a great day at work, the restructuring of the habit loop makes him or her need alcohol. This leads to a situation where a person continues to drink and can’t stop when he or she wants to.
Spotting the Signs of Alcohol Addiction
Now that you understand the answer to the question, “is alcohol addictive?”, it’s important to know the signs of addiction. The first thing to realize is that just because someone functions with an addiction, it doesn’t make it okay. Alcoholism still destroys a person’s life even if he or she is able to maintain their job or financial responsibilities. The first sign of alcoholism is not being able to stop once you start. If you have found that when you say you’re only going to have one or two drinks but can’t, this is a problem. Another sign is that your friends, family members or even coworkers have commented about your drinking too much. This often makes people defensive, but that’s one of the primary symptoms of alcoholism. When you really begin to see the damage this is doing to your life, it’s time to get help.
Finding Help Through Detox
Serenity House Detox & Recovery is an alcohol detox facility that’s here for you when you realize you have a problem. We also offer the following programs:
- Medical detox
- Holistic approach to treatment
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Marijuana detox
- Opiate detox
Find out more about our detox, the answer to “is alcohol addictive” and treatments for drug abuse by calling Serenity House Detox & Recovery right now at 866-294-5306. A better life is a phone call away.
