Alcohol, a psychoactive substance with addictive properties, has been widely consumed in many cultures for centuries, however, harmful consumption of this substance carries a heavy social and economic burden on societies, in addition to various mental pathologies associated with its consumption. One of them is the disorder caused by alcohol consumption.
Causal relationships have recently been established between harmful consumption and the incidence of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV; on the other hand, the consumption of alcohol by a pregnant woman can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome and prenatal complications. can cause serious problems for the person who consumes it uncontrollably.
- Alcohol consumption is a causal factor for more than 200 diseases and disorders and is associated with the risk of developing mental health problems.
- Including alcoholism.
In addition, there are important non-communicable diseases such as liver cirrhosis, certain types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases related to uncontrolled use, trauma and traffic accidents; in addition, alcohol affects the development of disorders that many people suffer from.
Alcohol-related disorder is defined as a set of behavioral and physical symptoms, including withdrawal, tolerance, and an intense desire to consume.
Alcohol withdrawal is characterized by symptoms that develop between 4 and 12 hours after reduced consumption, after prolonged and intense intake, withdrawal can be very unpleasant, people can continue to consume to avoid or relieve their symptoms.
Some of these symptoms can last months with low intensity and lead to a relapse. Once a repetitive and intense pattern of consumption develops, people with a disorder caused by alcohol consumption can spend a lot of time getting and consuming alcoholic beverages.
On the other hand, after continuous consumption of similar amounts of alcohol, there is a minor effect, so the person must increase their dose to feel the initial effect, this loss of sensation and the need to increase the amount of alcohol characterize tolerance. .
The intense desire to consume alcohol manifests itself in a great urgency or need to drink that makes it difficult to think of something else, that is, the spirit of the alcoholic is totally focused on the drink.
As a result, academic and professional performance is deteriorating, either due to the effects of consumption or poisoning at work or at school; other consequences are neglect of both childcare and domestic responsibilities; In addition, school and professional absenteeism is common.
The person can consume alcohol in dangerous circumstances (for example, driving a car, using machines?) And can even continue to consume knowing that it causes significant physical, psychological and social problems.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) establishes a set of criteria for diagnosing this disorder, which are:
Alcohol consumption problem that causes clinically significant deterioration or discomfort and manifests itself in at least two of the following events over a 12-month period:
Alcohol use disorder is usually associated with the same problems caused by the use of other substances (e. g. cannabis, cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, sedatives, hypnotics or anxiolytics). Risk factors include:
On the other hand, alcohol can also be consumed to alleviate the side effects of other substances or to replace them if they are not available.
As we see, excessive alcohol consumption is problematic and can become a disorder if a number of criteria are met; However, this disorder has a solution. Looking for a specialist is recommended, he will be able to explain what types of treatments are available and which best suits the situation of each person.