Alcohol Use Impact Mental Health
Many people see alcohol as what we turn to when relaxing, socializing, or at times celebrating. However, drinking too much alcohol severely affects our well-being and mental health. People with depression and anxiety consider drinking alcohol to ease their symptoms, but extensive use of alcohol can lead to adverse mental problems. Extensive studies have been done on the complicated connection between alcohol and mental health. This blog will examine how mental health is affected by alcohol, what causes alcohol consumption in people, and why it is important to seek professional assistance or alcohol addiction counselling in Scottsdale, Arizona when experiencing mental disorders from extensive alcohol use.
Why Do People Consume Alcohol?
There are numerous reasons why people, consider drinking alcohol.
- Consumption of alcohol becomes an escape for many from their stressful lives consisting of professional, and family problems.
- People with anxiety disorders consume this substance to relax and feel more confident.
- It is a drink for many to socialize and enjoy public events or parties.
- Individuals start consuming alcohol at an early age, because of peer pressure.
- It becomes a means to relax after an exhausting day.
The Impact Of Alcohol On Mental Health
Alcohol is used as a depressant drug, and it can have a huge impact on your mental stability. Our brains function with a proper balance of chemicals (brain cells) and processes to regulate mood and emotions. Prolonged intake of alcohol causes an unbalance in these brain chemicals causing the person to feel sad and helpless. In addition, alcohol disrupts judgement making a person vulnerable to other hazardous actions that worsen a depressive state. This might also lead to anxiety and panic attacks.
An individual might also suffer from sleep problems or insomnia due to long-term consumption of alcohol. Your sleep patterns get disrupted which compromises your quality of sleep, thus making you feel drowsy and less active to perform your daily chores efficiently throughout the day.
Memory also gets affected by excessive consumption of alcohol. Your ability to recall certain things and events in life becomes difficult. Poor judgment is also one of the biggest symptoms, one may get frustrated during average scenarios or conversations because of a disbalance in their mental health due to overuse of this substance.
Effects Of Alcohol on the Body
Brain: Excessive consumption of alcohol disturbs your brain function, thus resulting in blurred vision, bad memory, balance coordination issues, etc. It also affects other organs of your body.
Kidneys: Alcohol dehydration your body, which adversely affects the proper functioning of your kidneys.
Liver: Heaving drinking habits take a toll on the liver causing problems like fatty liver, and other liver inflammations which affect and stop your liver from working properly.
Pancreas: Pancreatitis is caused when your pancreas starts producing toxic substances, and blood vessels in the pancreas swell up causing improper digestion and other issues in the digestive system, this happens due to excessive consumption of alcohol.
How To Recover From This Problem?
Seeking help from a trained professional is the best way to cure alcohol addiction and its repercussions. Alcohol damages your mental and emotional health adversely and considering a therapist or a counselor is important in order to gain back your mental stability and lead a healthy life. We have a team of therapists at Diebold Behavioral Counseling that is highly skilled in handling substance use disorders and mental illness. We strive to meet you and walk with you on a journey of recovery from this dangerous life-threatening problem.
What Are The Treatment Options?
There are various treatment options that will help you to get better slowly and steadily, day by day. All you have to do is strictly follow the advice of your mental health specialist and you will be perfectly fine.
Counseling and Therapy: One-on-one therapy gives you a chance to find out the basic reasons for your alcohol addiction and how you can cope with it in case of different conditions such as stress anxiety or depression.
Group Therapy: Speaking about your experiences with other people with the same problem who are also undergoing recovery may make them feel supported, as all their efforts are aimed at improving. It is a way to connect with each other to help and support throughout the recovery process.
Medication-Assisted Treatment: Sometimes, a doctor may administer drugs like benzodiazepines to reduce intense side effects caused by alcohol use disorder. This will help reduce anxiety, depression, etc. These medications are only available with a prescription.
Family and Relationship Counseling: It is imperative to repair relationships that are broken as a result of alcohol abuse. Counseling with your loved ones is necessary to help re-connect with them and have all the love and support for better-coping mechanisms.
These are the impacts of alcohol on mental health, with options that lead to a pathway to healing from this mental condition. But in order to fully leave this habit behind one must be serious and determined of totally banning the use of this substance from their life.
