How We Get Hooked: Understand Alcohol Misuse

According to a study by the National Institute of Health, parents that abuse alcohol may have an insufficient ability to provide a safe environment for their children. Additionally, they face a higher risk of neglecting their children’s physical and emotional needs. Alcohol abuse has been shown to impact children’s cognitive, emotional, behavioral conditions. Not to mention, children from alcoholic households are more likely to abuse alcohol later. Understanding how alcohol affects the mind, body, and overall health can help you make the most informed decisions about your consumption habits.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

When your partner struggles with an alcohol use disorder (AUD), it impacts the entire family unit as well as the day-to-day functioning of the household. The constant agitation, drowsiness and confusion experienced by those suffering the effects of alcoholism are likely to cause problems for anyone in a relationship with the sufferer. People who find themselves in a romantic relationship with someone struggling with alcoholism may end up making excuses for their lack of attendance or improper conduct at social functions. They may find their options for other social interaction limited, and this may further be compounded by financial troubles or other problems related to the incidence of alcoholism.

You Become a Different Person When You Drink

• Alcohol can cause intimacy issues that lead to breakups, estranged marriages or lost friendships.
• If your loved one agrees to seek treatment, you as their spouse (or other family member) need to actively support them in their recovery.
• If you’re in doubt whether making an amends is appropriate, ask your sponsor or support group.
• These support groups can serve as a source of stability, resources, and advice for people who have loved ones who are struggling with alcohol addiction.

Not only injured by his drinking but also by his lies, she lost faith in Jim because she never knew when he was telling the truth. Many alcoholics wind up divorced because their spouses cannot bear living with them. If alcoholics remain married, their relationships are often troubled, with the anger sometimes spilling how does alcohol affect relationships over into domestic violence. Studies have shown that 67 percent of people who attacked their spouse or other intimate partner had been drinking. Stories of how drinking alcohol destroys people’s goals, dreams, carriers, families and physical bodies are told by thousands every day in twelve step programs.

Impact of Alcoholism on Children

Additionally, mental health problems can become more severe, and major problems with socializing can worsen if a person becomes a reclusive alcoholic. Families and others that rely on a sufferer of alcoholism are likely to experience problems related to financial troubles caused by drinking habits. The costs of alcohol increase as the person builds tolerance to the drug in his or her system. This requires the person to take in ever-greater amounts of alcohol in order to feel the same effects. The psychological effects of this alcohol tolerance and dependency may cause the sufferer to become withdrawn and less supportive of colleagues, friends and family members. Sufferers may no longer attend social functions that do not allow drinking and may not be fully aware of their behavior if attending functions where their drug of choice is allowed.

Effects of Alcoholism on Families and Close Friends

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common addiction, affecting nearly 15 million adults in the United States. While alcohol dependence can be devastating to one’s health, it can also impact a person’s relationships, including the most meaningful people in their life. Abuse of alcohol may have major consequences for a person’s physical as well as mental health. These consequences can include increased stress, diminished well-being, and a strain on the overall health of all parties engaged in the relationship. Keep in mind, the family member with alcohol misuse issues could be a child or adolescent—as opposed to an adult.

Stress, Paranoia, And Anxiety Result In Personality Changes

In people assigned female at birth, consuming more than four drinks in one sitting is considered binge drinking. However, there may be legal, financial, or relational consequences for drinking heavily. The lowering of inhibitions after drinking alcohol can lead to promiscuity, aggression, and sometimes even violence, especially damaging in a domestic setting. Alcohol and abuse in relationships can tend to go hand in hand as statistics show that a vast portion of domestic violence calls occur with an individual who is intoxicated. The issue is that when substance abuse leads to addiction, the addicted person starts to put their substance use above all other priorities, including time spent with family or loved ones.

If drinking becomes transparently more important to you than spending time with your partner, problems are imminent at home. When lies and suspicion build, this places a significant strain on romantic relationships, possibly even leading to a breakup. Managing an addiction to alcohol and relationships often can be difficult to navigate. Consuming alcohol does not always lead to the development of alcohol use disorder, and many people can drink moderately and without incident. Alcohol addiction often has negative effects on social relationships, as it often leads to isolation, unreliability, heightened emotions, and other difficult issues to navigate. Anyone drinking alcohol heavily or frequently is liable to find most close relationships impacted in various ways.

Tips for healthier drinking and happier relationships

• Substance abuse treatment programs often include family therapy and relationship counseling.
• Even the most powerful love can be diminished in the face of feeding the demon of substance abuse.
• It can indicate unhealthy coping mechanisms, lack of self-control, and potential challenges in communication and emotional well-being.
• If you already have high blood pressure, NSAIDs can prevent several common meds such as ACE inhibitors and diuretics from doing their job.

In this section, we explore ten key reasons why alcohol can disrupt and how alcohol destroys relationships. Alcohol can impair cognitive functioning and inhibit effective communication in a relationship. It can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and difficulties in expressing thoughts and feelings, which can strain the quality of communication and hinder healthy interactions.

Support Groups for Family Members