Alcoholism Symptoms

Alcoholism is a worldwide problem, it often times leads to unfortunate deaths due to accidents and illness. For instance, drunk driving is one of the leading causes of death today among American teenagers. In addition to accidents, serious medical conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver, cancer, heart disease and pancreatitis can also be a direct result of alcohol abuse.

For these reasons and many, more it is important that people know alcoholism symptoms when they see them, and most importantly what to do about it when they do! Alcoholism symptoms may be subtle at first; in fact, the abuser might try to hide them from loved ones. Some common symptoms include:

Weekend binge drinking- Many people feel they are all right when it comes to alcohol consumption because they abstain from drinking all week. The truth is anyone who drinks on a regular basis is likely dependent on the substance.
Legal Problems- Treatment centers will tell you that if you have ever been in trouble with the law, such as DWI, and you continue to drink and drive then you are an alcoholic.
Black outs- If you or a loved one has ever suffered significant memory loss while drinking you are exhibiting classic alcoholism symptoms. Alcohol interferes with the brains ability to form coherent memories, in extreme cases the sufferer can actually have entire days blacked out.
Rosy Cheeks- Those blushing cheeks are another of the alcoholism symptoms. You see alcohol dilates the blood vessels near the skin, particularly on the nose and cheeks.
Regular Consumption- The time that an alcoholic spends drinking will vary, however if you or someone you know is drinking to the point of inebriation on a regular basis they or you are likely an alcoholic. Alcoholism symptoms will often times be different from person to person, just remember that regular consumption is a definite sign.

What Next?

Once you have determined that one or more alcoholism symptoms are present, what should you do? If the problem is yours, the answers are simpler, the first thing you need to do is seek medical assistance.

A check up with your doctor to find out if you have any medical conditions as a side effect of your alcohol consumption is best. Your doctor can then lead you to treatment options in your area. If you are uncomfortable with seeing, your physician first then at least attend an AA meeting.

When the problem is with a loved one things become more difficult. Unless you can prove beyond any doubt that the person is a danger to themselves or others you are limited. For the most part, you will not be able to force them into any type of treatment no matter how many alcoholism symptoms you have seen.

The only thing you can really do is to be supportive and understanding while encouraging them to seek treatment. In severe cases you could stage an intervention with professionals and family members, however if a person does not want to stop drinking the chances are slim that this will have a lasting effect.

Other post you may be interested in reading: alcoholism facts and alcohol withdrawal symptoms

Alcoholism Symptoms

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