“Shaken not Stirred” - When James Bond orders his martini, who doesn’t feel like placing an order for a drink. When your rendezvous with alcohol crosses all permissible limits you end up being an alcoholic and even a citizen in conflict with the law.  

When you cannot stop or control your alcohol intake, you develop a condition called Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) or Alcoholism. Even though your drinking habits completely disrupt your social life, job, and health, you do not have any control over it. 

Unhealthy alcohol use includes binge drinking- where a man gulps five or more drinks within two hours, or a woman quaffs at least four drinks within two hours. Any drinking by pregnant women is considered binge drinking. Heavy drinking is when men consume 15 or more drinks per week or women down eight or more drinks per week.  

When you continue to take alcohol compulsively, despite medical complications, it negatively affects your job and family. It’s then you have alcohol dependence or harmful use. 

When it comes to alcohol, how much is too much

Adults of the legal drinking age can choose not to drink. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US states that a standard drink contains 14.0 grams or 1.2 tablespoons (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol. If you still insist on drinking, you should limit your intake to two drinks or less in a day for men or one drink or less in a day for women. 

(Statutory Warning: Consumption of alcohol is injurious to health. In India, the legal drinking age varies between 18 and 25)  

Symptoms  of alcoholism

• Alcohol serves as an escape route from feelings
• Being pessimistic when not drinking
• Being unhappy and irresponsible 
• Dependent on alcohol while carrying and caring for kids   
• Drink and Drive  
• Drink to fall asleep 
• Drink to start the day and keep going
• Fails to do important activities  
• Ignore all risks and drink  
• Makes matters worse by drinking  
• Unable to recall what you said and did while drinking
• Unable to relax or socialize without drinking
• Unable to reveal how much you drink  
• Uncontrollable urge to drink, zero control on how much you drink  
• You always think of your drink  
• You drink more and more to get the kick out of alcohol 
• You try to stop drinking but fail miserably
• You turn abusive and angry when you drink  
• Your drinking leads you to legal troubles  
• You have tremors (shaking) and lack of sleep if you miss your normal quota 

Causes / Reasons of Alcoholism

Alcohol triggers your brain to release dopamine, a pleasure-giving chemical. This leads you to drink more, and as you drink more, you become an addict. You will experience less pleasure. When you try to stop drinking, you experience withdrawal symptoms.   

Genetic, psychological, and social factors and the stressful events one has seen or lived through can make a person alcohol dependent. 

Treatment  for Alcoholism

Treatments for alcohol dependency include outpatient and inpatient programs, individual or group counseling, behavioral therapy, medications, and family and social support. 

Consult your doctor for a detailed medical examination and treatment.