Alcoholism and its consequences annually claim the lives of a huge number of people. It seems that everything is obvious: drinking a lot is not only bad, but also dangerous. But how not to miss the moment when the desire to drink turns into an addiction? Clinical psychologist Kira Romanova tells what signals you should be especially attentive to.
In our country, alcohol is not sold to persons under 18 years of age. It is believed that an adult is able to control how much, where and under what circumstances he drinks.
In general, everyone who has experienced alcoholism has probably believed for a long time that he succeeds. Until the consequences of intoxication become too tragic.
According to the traffic police for 2019, more than 15 accidents were caused by drunk drivers. It would seem obvious that driving while intoxicated is unacceptable, but it seems that the statistics say otherwise.
It seems to many that only experienced alcoholics get into such situations, but this does not concern us, we control everything. But is the line always so obvious when the desire to relieve stress, relax after a hard day’s work becomes a sign of addiction?
Where does addiction come from?
Psychologist Kira Romanova explains that alcohol abuse is always associated with internal discomfort. A person constantly experiences dissatisfaction, which is accompanied by loneliness, dissatisfaction with oneself, shame or guilt.
However, he soon finds a way to alleviate his condition: for example, it is worth having a drink in the company of friends, as internal discomfort disappears for a while. Then there is a desire to repeat, and soon a stable connection is formed in the brain, a “painkiller” has been found that helps relieve mental pain.
At some point, we realize that something is wrong. You want to relax with the help of alcohol more and more often, and more and more glasses are required for this. Now, after another drink, a person feels guilty.
Attempts to limit the amount of alcohol increase the discomfort: when it becomes unbearable, a person gives up, gets drunk, and wine “covers” him again. Then everything repeats again and again, and it is not possible to cope with the addiction on your own.
The situation is aggravated by the traditional attitude towards alcohol. Without it, it is difficult to imagine any holiday, and in some social groups, refusal to drink — oddly enough, «for health» — is perceived as an insult to the owner of the house.
Alarms
Many of us are accustomed to celebrating significant events with gatherings with friends, where we allow ourselves some amount of alcohol.
But “when people gather solely to drink, relax, relieve tension, if a person becomes uncomfortable at a holiday without drinking alcohol, these are the first signals of the formation of psychological dependence,” explains Kira Romanova.
The next stage is an increase in tolerance to alcohol. This means that if before a couple of glasses were enough, now a person does not get drunk by drinking three or four.
“Alcohol tolerance is increasing, and this is a sign that the biochemical processes of the body are changing and it is chemical dependence that is beginning to form,” the expert notes.
Refusal of alcohol causes already not only psychological, but also physical discomfort.
Another sign is loss of control. For example, a person expects to drink a couple of glasses, but, having relaxed, he allows himself much more. He knows that he will feel bad from drinking so much, but the situation easily gets out of his control.
Perhaps you have met married couples in which the wife monitors the number of glasses drunk by the husband, since he himself is not able to do this.
The strongest limit that will help prevent the development of addiction can only be set by ourselves.
The body initially has a barrier — it cannot process more than a certain dose of alcohol. As soon as we «sort out» — he will react with a gag reflex.
“We can break down this defense mechanism and develop a chemical addiction in the body. If in the morning a person feels sick to the point of nausea and headache, this is not a hangover, but poisoning, which is common to everyone. But when it’s bad in the morning, but a person, drinking a little, feels relieved, this is already a symptom of addiction. In this case, alcohol tolerance has accelerated to such an extent that in order to maintain a good condition, a person needs a small amount of alcohol to enter the bloodstream.
Therefore, a hangover is the main criterion for an already formed chemical dependence.
Of course, it would be possible to ban the consumption of alcohol altogether, introduce a new dry law or other measures that regulate its sale. However, external restrictions will not help to cope with internal discomfort, they only deprive us of the usual “pain reliever”.
The strongest limit that will help prevent the development of addiction can only be set by ourselves. And if you can’t deal with the cause of discomfort, this is an occasion to seek the help of professionals. And the sooner the better.