What Are the Causes of Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse?

If a person grew up in a family of alcoholics, that is what causes alcohol addiction in some. If a woman abused alcohol during the pregnancy, her child is more likely to become addicted, too. Alcoholism is a deadly disease with millions of people struggling with addiction all around the world.

• Some have criticized Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs because they are rooted in religious ideology rather than scientific principles.
• A person’s genes are their biological building blocks which provide a person with their appearance, health, and even personality.
• The chance of developing any health problem is related to the genetic code we are born with.

If you or someone you know is experiencing two or more of the above symptoms, it may signify the presence of alcoholism. For more information about alcohol’s effects on the body, please visit the Interactive Body feature on NIAAA’s College Drinking Prevention website. Alcohol consumption by an expectant mother may cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and pre-term birth complications. A  causal relationship has been established between harmful drinking and incidence or outcomes of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.

Psychological Factors

Alcoholism is considered a mental illness itself, but when it appears along with other mental health problems, like depression or PTSD, it is called a co-occurring disorder. Moreover, having a mental illness predisposes a person to alcohol use and abuse as far as drinking is often used for self-medicating in an attempt to relieve the inner pain and avoid the emotional triggers. Recent studies are showing more and more that genes have an impact on how an individual thinks and acts, and this includes addiction and alcoholism. Roughly speaking, if someone had an alcoholism gene, then their risk for developing an addiction would go up tremendously. However, genes cannot and must not be considered to be an excuse for excessive drinking.

It involves heavy or frequent alcohol drinking even when it causes problems, emotional distress or physical harm. A combination of medications, behavioral therapy and support can help you or a loved one recover. There are many risk factors involved in the potential for developing why are people alcoholics alcoholism. Alcoholism risk factors do not mean you will develop a drinking problem; however, they should serve as a prevention measure. If you have one or more risk factors, speak with a medical health professional about alcoholism warning signs and prevention resources.

Factors affecting alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm

Explore how many people ages 18 to 25 engage in alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has. Learn how many people ages 12 to 20 engage in underage alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has. Reviva, Vivitrol Campral, are relatively new drugs that help reduce alcohol cravings, and can also help reduce some people’s desire to consume alcohol. Vivitrol and Revia can help people drink less alcohol even if they don’t want to stop drinking entirely.

This ultimately results in drinking more to produce the same feeling, which can eventually develop into alcoholism. A return to normal drinking is often possible for individuals who have abused alcohol for less than a year, but, if alcohol dependence has persisted for more https://ecosoberhouse.com/ than five years, efforts to return to social drinking usually lead to relapse. Thus, although the frequency of alcohol-related problems is highest among men aged 18–30, the development of chronic alcohol dependence for both men and women is most common from ages 25 to 50.