Because drinking is so normalized, it may not cross a person’s mind until it is too late that excessively doing so poses serious threats to their well-being. Many people operate with the mentality that because something traumatic hasn’t happened to them or someone they know, that automatically means they are more secure. The truth of the matter is that abusing alcohol, even once, can pose real dangers to a person’s physical, mental, and even financial well-being.

Some risk factors of abusing alcohol include:

• – Short and long-term effects on the brain: Because alcohol disrupts neurological communication pathways, a person’s behavior, mood, and other important cognitive functions can be drastically affected. Damage can also occur as a result of nutritional deficiencies that are common among alcoholics. Perhaps the most troubling is the effect that drinking can have on the brain development of an unborn baby, with fetal alcohol disorder presenting health risks that stay with that child all of their life. 
• – You can quite literally poison yourself: A common misconception is that it is mainly people with chronic addiction that are at risk for alcohol poisoning. The reality is that it can occur in any situation where an excess of alcohol is consumed by a person whose body is not able to keep up with the toxic substance that is being ingested.
• – It is more dangerous than crack or heroin:¹ In 2010, British scientists determined that alcohol abuse was a factor in an overwhelming majority of drug-specific instances of death, health complications, and familial conflict, among other devastating effects.
• – Financial problems are not uncommon: First, alcohol on its own can be really expensive. Depending on the part of the country, it can put any person back a paycheck without even realizing it. This is even more prevalent in people that are addicted because if a person is drunk a majority of the time, whenever they are buying alcohol, they likely are not considering any financial obligations that they are responsible for.
• – It poses a greater risk for violence, aggression, and other catastrophic situations: Alcohol contributes to a devastating amount of physically and sexually violent occurrences. Additionally, people may be less inhibited in considering the risk of getting behind the wheel of a car. Drinking alcohol and driving is dangerous because it results in a devastating amount of fatal collisions each year.

Someone caught in the throes of addiction may not consider these factors until it is too late. If you or someone you love is struggling, our Cincinnati rehab offers some of the best alcohol treatment in Ohio.

Physical Signs of Alcoholism

While some people may be better at hiding their bad habits than others, there are still a variety of ways to tell if you or someone you care about is struggling with this addiction.

These signs include:

• – Strong, uncontrollable cravings to drink
• – Heightened tolerance, or needing to drink more to get the same effects
• – Memory loss and blackouts
• – Experiencing withdrawal symptoms, like nausea, difficulty sleeping, and body tremors
• – Continuing to drink despite the clear presentation of negative side effects

Before attempting to stop on one’s own, keep in mind the dangerous withdrawal symptoms that you may experience. Our Legacy Detox will take away the guesswork and make sure that you move through that process as safely and comfortably as possible.

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