Alcohol dependency, also known as alcoholism, is a brain disease where a person cannot stop or control alcohol use despite it causing problems in various areas of their life.
Who Is Considered an Alcoholic?
A person who consumes large amounts of alcohol frequently, desires alcohol despite the physical, mental, and social harm it causes, and requires treatment is considered an alcoholic. The risk of becoming an alcoholic for teenagers who start drinking at the age of 13 is 43%!
An alcoholic is someone who starts to think that alcohol is not interfering with their work, but rather that their work is getting in the way of drinking.
Approximately 2 billion people worldwide consume alcoholic beverages, with an estimated 76 million suffering from alcohol dependency. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 6% of all deaths worldwide (3.3 million) are attributed to alcohol use. In Europe, about one-tenth of all disease and premature deaths each year are attributed to alcohol.
In our country, there are around 17 million alcohol consumers. Unfortunately, the age of first alcohol use has dropped to 11 in our country. As the age of starting alcohol use decreases, the risk of becoming dependent in later years increases.
How to Recognize Alcohol Dependency?
Signs to look out for in recognizing dependency include:
Developing Tolerance: The individual starts consuming increasing amounts of alcohol to achieve the same effect.
Withdrawal Symptoms: Experiencing physical and psychological discomfort when not using alcohol.
Exceeding Planned Consumption: Consuming more alcohol than initially planned.
Failed Quit Attempts: Despite recognizing the dependency, the person often fails to quit or relapses frequently.
Deterioration of Physical and Mental Health: Alcohol dependency can lead to physical health problems (liver damage, heart issues, etc.) and mental issues (depression, anxiety, etc.).
Problems in Work, School, and Relationships: Alcohol dependency can negatively affect work or school performance and cause problems in relationships.
Craving: Constantly thinking about alcohol and experiencing intense desires to obtain or consume it.
These signs are indicative of someone developing alcohol dependency.
What Problems Does Alcohol Dependency Cause?
Esophageal, laryngeal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers
Impairment of brain functions such as proper thinking, decision-making, and movement disorders
Sleep disturbances, headaches, visual impairment
Heart and circulatory system diseases Preventing blood clotting Damage to the liver
What Should Family and Friends Do?
Help the dependent person see the consequences of their behavior. Show genuine care and remember that alcohol problems are a disease.
Educate yourself about addiction treatment methods. Talk to the dependent person about these.
Be prepared for the dependent person to accept help. Pre-arrange with the treatment center and make necessary arrangements. This way, you eliminate excuses that might prevent them from taking action.
Common Questions about Alcohol Dependency
Why Is Alcohol and Substance Use More Harmful for Young People?
Alcohol and substance use have physical and mental effects on individuals at all ages. These effects can lead to serious health problems that can negatively impact overall health. Heart diseases, gastric and esophageal problems, lung and liver diseases are just some examples. Additionally, alcohol and substances have negative effects on the brain. However, because young people are still in their developmental stages, they can be more susceptible to the harmful effects of these substances compared to adults. The difference between the brain structure of an adult and that of a developing young person can lead to more damage from addictive substances in young people.
Young people begin to undergo many changes in their brains from the age of 12, and this developmental process continues until their 20s. During this period, alcohol and substance use can damage and even reverse the connections of neurons that facilitate this development. Starting to use addictive substances at a young age can lead to lifelong health problems and developmental disorders. Damage to brain regions responsible for attention, memory, impulse control, logical thinking, and decision-making can lead to many problems.
Moreover, alcohol and substance use among young people can hinder steps towards adulthood such as identity formation, finding one's place in society, and developing a sense of responsibility. This can lead young people to feel excluded among their peers and may push them to use more alcohol and substances. This can make them the only accepted group among peers made up of addicted friends.
Young people often enjoy living in the moment and don't think about the future consequences. Since they don't immediately feel the long-term effects, they may think they won't be affected. By saying "nothing will happen to me," they may engage in riskier behaviors and engage in activities that indirectly harm themselves. For example, injuries or death resulting from traffic accidents due to alcohol are one of the biggest risk factors for young people.
Another example is alcohol use leading young people to start having sex at an earlier age, resulting in various consequences such as diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Increased behavioral disorders, self-harm, and decreased academic performance are observed in young people
