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The days just seem to run together sometimes. I get up, go to work, and come home with nothing to do but drink.
It adds a little something to my day, I guess.
The drinking has cost me almost everything. My wife left around six years ago, and the kids decided to go with her because they were tired of watching me drink, too. I mean, what teenager wants to watch their dad drink himself to death?
I’ve tried to stop before, but it has never worked out. I just cannot find something that comforts me like drinking.
Can I ever change?
Alcoholism, now more commonly and effectively known as alcohol use disorder, is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as “a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences.”
Unlike what many may believe, there is no certain amount of alcohol a person has to drink to become a person living with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
The NIAAA continues by stating that, “(AUD) encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the similar term, alcoholism.”
Alcohol use disorder can range from mild to severe and can cause lasting changes to the body and mind. In the United States, according to a 2019 survey, 5.6% of American adults had an AUD. This totals out to about 14.1 million Americans.
In Oregon, the rate of AUD is higher than the national rate. According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 7.4% of adult Oregonians lived with an AUD in 2018. Adolescents ages 12-17 years old in Oregon also outpace the national rate of alcohol use disorder among adolescents. While 1.6% of American adolescents have an AUD, the rate of Oregon’s adolescents with an AUD is 2.3%.
When someone has an alcohol use disorder, it can be both harder and easier to determine than with other substance use disorders. While we can see the obvious signs when someone has been heavily drinking, because of how we view alcohol consumption in the United States and the fact that it is legal to consume, we can lose sight of the impact it can have on us and those around us.
When determining whether or not a person has an AUD, only a healthcare provider can make the true determination. However, with some assistance, and a willingness to accept the truth of the answers, you can easily find this answer yourself.
If you do decide to find the answer yourself, the key is to not continue the road to improving and reaching recovery alone. You are far more likely to reach and live in recovery with the help of a dedicated and compassionate team.
Healthcare professionals use criteria from the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition” (DSM-5) in assessing:
Meeting any two of the criteria often is enough to diagnose a person with AUD. In the DSM-5, there are 11 potential criteria to meet:
Healthcare professionals, using these criteria, can determine how severe the AUD is by this simple equation: meeting two to three criteria suggests someone has mild AUD, meeting four to five criteria suggests moderate AUD, and meeting six or more of the criteria means the disorder is severe.
Consuming heavy amounts of alcohol is dangerous for your health. Heavy drinking, while not the same as alcohol use disorder, is a common sign of alcohol use disorder.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heavy drinking is considered drinking 15 or more drinks in any given week if you are a biological male and eight or more drinks in any given week if you are a biological female.
A standard drink is considered to be any of the following:
Continued heavy drinking can lead to alcohol use disorder, which has many long-term health, financial, social, and personal effects.
In terms of health in the long term, you may have:
Along with health concerns, you run the risk of having issues with continued employment and relationships. These things can lead to further mental health distress and financial woes.
If someone is showing signs of an alcohol overdose, call 911 immediately.
Alcohol affects us nearly immediately when consumed. This is clear as we feel many things with continued consumption. We experience things like:
Blackouts are often a symptom of prolonged drinking that can lead to the point of what we know as alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is an emergency, and if someone you know may be suffering from it, call 911 immediately.
Alcohol poisoning signs and symptoms include:
Alcohol use disorder is treatable. A life in recovery is possible with a dedicated and compassionate team behind you — a team with experience in helping others.
With evidence-based treatments like one-on-one counseling with components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), clients will be able to learn from their behaviors and make positive changes.
In CBT, clients are treated with the goal of helping them identify and challenge their common negative thoughts and behaviors. This learning will allow them to build self-help skills and strategies for future situations.
In DBT, clients will work to learn why their behaviors lead to substance misuse. This requires digging deep with a therapist to learn ways in which they can cope without using drugs.
Clients should also take part in group therapy, which breaks down the fear of being alone in treatment. Spending time and speaking with others in similar situations can help.
Millions of Americans live with AUD, but millions of others live in recovery from AUD. There is hope, especially with alcoholism rehab at Serenity Lane.
Serenity Lane has existed for nearly 50 years and has been a pioneer in the field of addiction treatment. Founded in 1973, Serenity Lane exists with a commitment to provide excellent client care while being sensitive to the needs of our clients.
With decades of recovery experience under our belts, we have become licensed as a inpatient treatment center in treating addiction, and all of the programs at our facilities are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Serenity Lane is also the only treatment center in Oregon that is fully licensed to provide medical withdrawal support.
If you are interested in inpatient treatment at our facility in Coburg, Oregon, or outpatient treatment in Coburg or at any of our six other facilities throughout Oregon, call us at (541) 204-2704.
What are the symptoms of drinking too much alcohol?
The answer to this comes down to what your idea of too much alcohol is and in what context.
If you are asking about what heavy drinking is, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines heavy drinking as binge drinking five or more times in any given month. Heavy drinking symptoms in the short term include confusion, lack of coordination, anemia, and a higher risk for accidents that may cause injury or death. In the long term, heavy drinking can cause major health issues like heart disease, cancer, liver disease, high blood pressure, or stroke.
If you ask what is too much alcohol on any given night, you are likely asking about alcohol overdose or alcohol poisoning. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow breathing, irregular breathing, blue coloring of skin, hypothermia (low body temperature), or loss of consciousness (passing out).
If someone you know is suffering from alcohol poisoning at this moment, call 911 immediately. It could be lifesaving.
What qualifies you as an alcoholic?
Alcoholism, or better yet alcohol use disorder, is considered to be an addiction to and/or dependence on alcohol. There is not a certain drink amount to qualify someone as living with an AUD. Instead, AUD is better described as the inability to stop drinking alcohol despite the negative consequences that come with it.
How many drinks a day is considered enough to make someone an alcoholic?
There is not a certain number of drinks that makes a person someone with alcohol use disorder. Alcoholism, better known as alcohol use disorder, is defined by the inability to stop alcohol consumption despite the negative consequences brought on by it.
Heavy alcohol consumption can be an early warning sign of alcohol use disorder. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines heavy drinking as binge drinking five or more times in any given month. Binge drinking is the process of drinking in one sitting to the point that blood alcohol content (BAC) reaches the legal limit of 0.08%.
The CDC reports that according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, “adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women, when alcohol is consumed. Drinking less is better for health than drinking more.”
How does alcoholism make you feel?
In the short term, alcohol can make you feel relaxed, drowsy, or euphoric (overall joy); and it can cause mood swings, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lowered inhibitions, headache, slurred speech, impulsive behaviors, blurred vision, muffled hearing, lack of concentration, lack of coordination, the inability to focus, or loss of consciousness (passing out).
Continued and frequent use of alcohol can lead to the following long-term effects: consistent mood swings, mental health disorders (such as anxiety or depression), changes in weight/appetite, changes to sex drive, weakened immune system, insomnia (trouble sleeping), memory loss, and relationship struggles.
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