Causes And Complications Of Alcoholic Use Disorder (Alcoholism)

Alcoholism is also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol dependence syndrome, is a broad term for any drinking of alcohol that results in harms and complications. It is a pattern of alcohol use that involves a person drinking large amounts of alcohol, face problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, alcohol is strongly desired or continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, usage results in social and health problems, having to drink more to get the same effect, or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male consumes five or more drinks within two hours or a female downs at least four drinks within two hours. Binge drinking causes significant health and safety risks.

You likely to have alcohol use syndrome if your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life. It can range from mild to severe. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important.

Alcoholism Causes

A mixture of genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors causes the risk of the development of alcoholism. Genes that influence the metabolism of alcohol also influence the risk of alcoholism, and may be indicated by a family history of alcoholism. Drinking too much alcohol may change the normal function of the areas of your brain associated with the experience of pleasure, judgment and the ability to exercise control over your behavior.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for alcohol use disorder include:

Drinking and Family: A person with a parent or sibling with alcoholism are three to four times more likely to be alcoholic themselves. This may be influenced by genetic factors.

Mental Health Problems: People having high stress levels, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (a mental condition marked by alternating periods of elation and depression) are more likely to be at alcoholic syndrome risk.

Social and Cultural Factors: These include social, cultural, and behavioral influences. Having friends or a close partner who drinks regularly could increase your risk of alcohol use disorder.

Alcoholism Complications

Alcohol use can affect all parts of the body but particularly affects the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and immune system. It depresses your brain and initial reaction may be stimulation or sedated.

Too much alcohol consumption affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain and can cause mental illness, Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome, an irregular heartbeat, liver failure, increased risk of cancer and even causes a life-threatening coma or death. It also causes social problem which include:

Relationship Problems

• Poor performance at work
• Increased chances of being the victim of a crime
• Legal problems or problems with employment
• Problems with other substance use
• Engaging in risky, unprotected sex, or becoming the victim of sexual abuse or date rape
• Increased risk of attempted or completed suicide

Health Complications Include

Liver Problems: Alcohol can cause inflammation and increased fat in the liver (alcoholic hepatitis), and over time, irreversible destruction and scarring of liver tissue (cirrhosis).

Digestive System Complications: Alcohol drinking can cause esophageal ulcers and inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis). It also can hinder with absorption of vitamins and other nutrients. It is also marked with inflammation and pancreas damage (pancreatitis).

Heart Problems: Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to hypertension and increases your risk of an enlarged heart, heart failure or stroke. Even a single binge can cause a serious heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation.

Sexual Complications: Excessive drinking can interrupt menstruation in women and can cause erectile dysfunction in men.

Worsen Your Diabetes: Alcohol drinking can aggravate your diabetic complication as components in alcohol interfere with the release of glucose from your liver and can increase the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). This is dangerous if you have diabetes and are already taking insulin to lower your blood sugar level. 

Bone Problems: Alcohol consumption can cause thinning of bones (osteoporosis) thus creating an increased risk of fractures. Your blood cells production can also be hindered as alcohol can also damage bone marrow. This can cause a low platelet count, which may result in bruising and bleeding.

Nervous System Complications: Excessive alcohol drinking can affect your nervous system, causing numbness and pain in your hands and feet, disordered thinking, dementia, and short-term memory loss.

Cancer Problems: Mouth, liver, colon and breast cancer has been linked with long-term excessive alcohol use. Even moderate drinking can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Other problems include birth defects like miscarriages, eye problems like involuntary rapid eye movement (nystagmus) as well as weakness and paralysis of your eye muscles and weakened immune system.