Teaching About Alcoholism – Why it’s Important

 At Mental Health TV, we create educational content on mental health. Some might not realise that addiction ties into mental health heavily, and often those who are struggling with substance abuse benefit from therapy as well as help with withdrawal. With addiction there is a stigma, and it is our aim to help reduce this stigma.

What is alcoholism?

You may have heard people speak very badly of alcoholics. At points it can be dehumanising. However, someone suffering with alcoholism is still a human being and you have to take into account how they got to where they are. What happened to them? What is going on in their mind and body? An alcoholic is unable to control their drinking and would struggle to stop consuming it themselves.

What causes Alcoholism?

Alcoholism can be caused by a number of things. Family, home life, workplace, religion and culture can all play a part in it. Family is thought to be one of the main causes – if a child has a parent who struggles with alcoholism, it’s more likely that they will develop issues with alcohol themselves. Environmental factors also play a part in alcoholism. For example, somebody who lives near bars and pubs might drink more regularly, making them more susceptible to alcoholism. When it comes to psychological factors, some people may find relief from stress, anxiety and depression when they drink alcohol, making them more at risk of becoming reliant on the substance. People who drink alcohol on a very regular basis develop tolerance to it over time, meaning they have to drink more to feel the effects of it.

Why can’t alcoholics ‘just stop’?

Some may find that it is the habit of being intoxicated they struggle to let go of, while others may have progressed to the point that their body is physiologically dependent on the substance. At this stage, withdrawal is a problem, which may dissuade them from stopping their drinking. For those that self-medicate with alcohol for psychological or physiological reasons, it may feel more painful mentally or physically to stop drinking, than to be intoxicated.

Relapse

Some may feel like a failure if they relapse back into alcohol abuse. However, relapse is expected when recovering from addiction. Recovering from addiction is a big challenge. It takes a lot of hard work for an addict to learn and understand what their triggers are, and to learn to cope with difficult life-situations or feelings sober. Sometimes people can be triggers, and it can be hard to distance from them. According to alcoholrehabguide.org, old habits, stress and anxiety, social pressures, mental or emotional instability, anger, frustration, and temptation to feel drunk again are all reasons that people relapse.

Treatment

Treatment for alcoholism can be extremely helpful. It’s difficult to fight an addiction alone, for reasons listed above and alcohol dependency. Withdrawal symptoms can be extremely unpleasant – shaking nausea, and in severe cases when alcohol intake is cut off too suddenly, it can be life threatening. This is why it’s recommended that people who are dependent on alcohol have medical support to help them become sober.

Educational Content

If you want to learn more about alcoholism, the way it is treated and the way that it affects individuals, please visit our website – www.mental-health.tv – for educational content on the subject.