Alcoholism, what is normally referred to as a family disease, has a myriad of negative effects on the individual and the family as a whole. Alcoholism is also commonly referred to as alcohol use disorder and can be described as a form of addiction. As stated by alcoholrehabguide.org, this disease is the most serious form of alcohol abuse due to the over-dependence on the alcohol.

Alcohol use disorder can be divided into three sections: mild, moderate and severe. Most individuals often graduate to severe alcohol use disorder if the disease is neglected and left untreated. Also, the longer a person drinks the alcohol, the more he or she is  likely to get addicted to it

Individuals suffering from alcoholism find it hard to function without consuming alcohol. This makes it harder for them to stop, and over time, the alcohol problem develops from mild to severe. This over-reliance will negatively impact their health, their professional pursuits, personal lives as well as their relationships.

However, even the negative impacts caused by their alcohol problem are not enough for them to stop. In other words, they are so dependent on or addicted to the alcohol that they do not care about the negative consequences. This remains true even if the consequences end up affecting their close relationships or costing them their jobs.

Now, how does alcoholism develop? As previously mentioned, the longer a person consumes alcohol, the more he or she is likely to become addicted. However, are there any risk factors that may increase a person’s chance of developing the disease? What causes alcohol drug disorder? Let us take a look.

The Development of Alcohol Drug Disorder

Alcohol consumption is not considered illegal within the continent of America. However, alcohol consumption is regulated and operates under certain prohibitions. In certain, if not most, states in America, individuals under the age of 21 are not allowed to purchase or drink alcohol.

Why? Alcohol has the ability to impair a person’s judgement and inability to make sound decisions. Additionally, the earlier a person starts consuming alcohol, the more he or she is likely to develop an addiction. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., bears testament to the above fact.

According to them, children under 15 years of age that are already drinking are more likely to develop an addiction problem later on in life. In fact, they are at least five times more likely to become addicted to alcohol as compared to those that start drinking at age 21. 47% of those that started drinking alcohol at 15 or earlier developed an alcohol problem, as stated by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Alcohol is a chemical substance that interferes with the chemicals in the brain. Hence, young individuals that drink early are not only in danger of developing an addiction problem, but they are also interfering with the brain’s normal development. Of course, this will, in turn, affect the person’s future success and overall performance.

Once a person consumes alcohol, the liquid interferes with chemical substances in the brain as mentioned earlier. The alcohol tends to increase and production of a substance known as dopamine, as well as other hormones that influence a person’s mood. The overproduction and release of dopamine tend to increase the feeling of pleasure and euphoria. In other words, after a person drinks alcohol and dopamine is released, the feeling of pleasure is heightened.

Hence, a person tends to drink more so as to experience the feeling over and over again. However, after a while, the alcohol may lose its effect, prompting the person to increase his intake so as to experience the pleasure he seeks. This will then cause the person to start over drinking, as the body becomes more and more used to the alcohol.

And as previously mentioned, the more and longer a person drinks, the more he or she is likely to develop an alcohol problem. Now, we’ve heard cases of people that drink alcohol on occasion, and do not suffer from the disorder. So, what gives?

Let us take a look at some of the factors that may increase a person’s risk for developing alcohol drug disorder. They include:

• Drinking at an early age More specifically, individuals that start drinking at the age of 15 years and below are likely to become addicted to alcohol.
• Family History
• Genetics
• Mental health problems such as anxiety
• Peer pressure
• Culture
• Stressful situations and environments
• Consuming alcohol with medicine
• Family abuse and neglect

Alcoholism is a disease that has dire effects and consequences. Yet, there are people that still choose to drink or consume it. As seen above, there are numerous reasons and factors that may lead a person into drinking.

However, the best way to deal with it is to abstain from alcohol consumption. Moderate consumption of alcohol may not cause physical or psychological harm. This is as long as the drinking does not progress to alcohol abuse or over-consumption.

This begs the question, how much alcohol is too much? What exactly is the moderate amount of alcohol consumption? Does it mean that you only drink on special occasions or you drink once a week?

Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.women should drink once a day, while men should drink at least twice in one day. One drink equals 5 ounces of wine, 15 ounces of beer and 1.5 ounces when it comes to drinking liquor. A person is recommended to watch their alcohol consumption by limiting it or abstain from it completely.

Now, let us move on to individuals that drink and end up developing Alcohol Use Disorder. What are the effects of the disorder? Let us take a look.

The Negative Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder

As we’ve seen from the above information, alcohol tends to affect individuals differently. While others can manage to consume a moderate amount without being affected, others end up abusing the alcohol. Others, end up developing a severe drinking problem known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

There’s a fine line between Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol Abuse. Alcohol abuse is where a person consumes too much alcohol in one sitting and ends up engaging in risky behavior. Alcohol abusers differ from those that suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder in that they are not dependent on the alcohol.

Those that suffer from the disease, on the other hand, are so dependent that they cannot go through a single day without it. They need the alcohol to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms and function normally. This is condition needs to be treated immediately.

The problem is that most people are not aware that they are suffering from the disorder. Others are hesitant and unwilling to admit that they have a problem, regardless of the consequences. So, how does one know that they are suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder? Let us take a look.

Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder

• Unable to control the amount you drink
• Unable to stop consuming alcohol
• The continuous urge to drink
• Drinks in order to socialize with others
• You drink at night to fall asleep
• You drink alcohol first thing in the morning
• Neglect of responsibilities due to drinking
• Experiences withdrawal symptoms such as shaking
• Drinking more to induce the heightened feelings of pleasure
• Unable to stop drinking despite legal, financial and social problems occur
• Drinking in seclusion
• Memory problems, especially after drinking
• Development of various illnesses such as cirrhosis
• You tend to experience involuntary shaking the morning after you were drinking
• Skipping or replacing hobbies and important matters for alcohol

Alcoholism, as earlier mentioned, is often referred to as a family disease. This is because it not only affects the individual suffering from the disease but the family as well. Everyone from the children to the spouse is adversely affected by this disease.

Below, are some of the ways this disorder affects the family. Let us take a look.

• Trauma to the family individuals including the children
• Children are forced to grow up faster
• The user may end up abusing his or her family members verbally, physically and emotionally
• The individual suffering from the disease may end up engaging infidelity: Alcohol is known to impair judgement and a person’s ability to make sound decisions. Hence, the person is more likely to cheat on the spouse.
• Divorce: Families end up splitting due to the problems caused by the individual suffering from the disease
• Codependency- The person suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder is likely to become dependent on his or her family for money to drink and survive
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Increase in stress
• Low self- esteem among the family members and the individual suffering from the disease as well
• Legal problems
• Financial instability and debt
• The children end up being neglected
• Foetal alcohol syndrome: This may occur if a pregnant woman drinks while pregnant. The alcohol easily passes through the placenta to the fetus, inhibiting normal foetal development. The drink limits the normal flow and the supply of oxygen and nutrition to the fetus, hence the lack of proper development. A baby that is born with foetal alcohol syndrome often exhibits the below-mentioned symptoms. They include:

1. Hyperactivity
2. Unable to focus or have a short attention span
3. Problems in speech and movement
4. Hearing problems
5. Sight problems
6. Heart problems
7. Inability to learn
8. Underweight and is below average in height
9. Has a small head
10. Lack of proper coordination
11. Slow growth rate

The symptoms are numerous. From the symptoms mentioned above, we can see that the baby will adversely affect both physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s best to stay away from alcohol, especially while pregnant for the sake of the baby’s health.

Let us take a look at how alcoholism affects the entire family in more detail.

Effects of Alcoholism To The Family If A Parent Suffers From Alcoholism

A parent with suffering from Alcoholism will end up affecting his or her family in more ways than one. Instead of focusing on his family, the individual will end up neglecting them. Instead, all his or her attention will be on drinking and how to deal with the withdrawal symptoms.

Moreover, the parent may end up neglecting his professional responsibilities. This may lead to job termination that may drive the family into financial problems. The family will have to look for ways to not only support themselves but support the parent with the addiction problem.

Once the parent loses his job, he will obviously be unable to fund his addiction. Hence, he or she might result in stealing from the family members or depending on them for money. This may drive them into financial debt and may find it hard to support their individual’s needs.

Alcoholism often causes the addict to be violent and abusive to those around him or her. Other than neglecting his family, the addict is likely to verbally, physically and emotionally abuse them. The addict will have a tendency to become violent and aggressive when the family tries to confront their drinking habits. This is because the addict may interpret the genuine care and concern of his family members as a threat.

Below, is the summary of the negative effects. They include:

• Constant fights and arguments
• Financial instability and debt
• Trauma
• Neglect
• Emotional, verbal and physical abuse

Effects of Alcoholism To The Children If A Parent Suffers From Alcoholism

Children in such situations end up getting neglecting. Instead of growing up in a secure and nurturing environment, they grow up in an unhealthy one. Such children may end up abusing alcohol or some other form of the drug to numb the pain or for a temporary escape.

Others end up becoming rebellious or taking up roles within the family as a way of dealing with the neglect and trauma. Of course, the children also end up taking up certain roles to help the family deal and cope with the problems they are experiencing.

In essence, children that grow up in an environment where one or both of the parents have a drinking problem always end up growing up too fast. According to Sharon Wegscheider, children end up taking up roles within the family as a means of survival, as mentioned earlier. The roles include:

• Family Hero: This position is often taken up by the firstborn; the eldest of the children. They are always the most hardworking and responsible. Yet, they are also hurting and dealing with feelings of neglect and low- self-esteem.
• The Mascot: Such children are the clown of the family. They enjoy having fun and making jokes. Regardless of their fun, enthusiastic and energetic nature, they battle with feelings of neglect, inadequacy and self- worth.
• The Scapegoat: This person seems rebellious, tough and very troublesome. This type of child often takes the blame for most things. Hence, he or she ends up engaging in unruly activities as a way of dealing with the pain and feelings of anger, neglect and unfairness.
• The lost child: This type of child appears to contend and is always daydreaming. In a way, the child seems unaffected by the things going on around him or her. However, this is not normally the case. Such a child is hurt, feels neglected and angry.

Below, is a summary of the effects:

• Children end up getting neglected
• Some, if not most children end up abusing drugs and/or alcohol as well
• Become rebellious
• Trauma
• Verbal, physical and emotional abuse
• They end up growing to fast and taking up family roles

Effects of Alcoholism To The Partner If The Spouse Suffers From Alcoholism

More often than not, the spouse or partner to the addicts often blames themselves. They end up feeling unworthy, angry, hurt and scared.

The partner suffering from the disease is often torn between wanting to drink more alcohol and wanting to stop. However, due to their inability to stop drinking, they end up blaming others for their problems and failures.

As a way of dealing with their anger, they may end up abusing the spouse or partner verbally, emotionally or physically. Such actions could end traumatizing the affected spouse considerably. Not only will the spouse be emotionally scarred and damaged, but may end up in the hospital from physical abuse.

Some addicts tend to steal money from their spouses or lie to them in order to get money for drinking. Whenever the addict is confronted, he or she is likely to lie so as to cover up their act.

Spouses in such a relationship are advised to seek assistance first before they can try to help their partner. The more equipped and informed they are about the disorder, they better they are likely to deal with it. Moreover, once they’ve learnt how to effectively deal with and treat the addict, partners and spouses are advised to have them treated immediately.

Below is a summary of the negative impacts on the spouse:

• Neglect: Emotional, physical and social neglect
• Physical, verbal and emotional abuse
• Financial problems
• Financial debt
• Have to deal with deceit and emotional deception
• Trauma

Effects of Alcoholism To The Family If A Child Suffers From Alcoholism

When a child is suffering from an addiction problem, the entire family is often on the verge of breaking up. Parents struggle and argue on how best to deal with the situation accordingly. Continued arguments and rows with each other or with the child may cause the parents to divorce.

If there are other children in the family, they may end up being neglected. Parents always tend to focus most of their attention on the child with the addiction problem and neglect the rest. Also, parents may end up taking it out on the other children.

In other words, the entire family will be in constant disarray, pain and anger. Parents are advised to take care of their needs first before they can attend to the affected child. Moreover, parents are advised to seek help from counselors, health consultants and even other individuals that can help.

Below, is a summary of the negative effects.

• Divorce
• Trauma
• Constant arguments and disagreements
• Parents end up neglecting the needs of the other children
• Parents end up neglecting their own needs

In conclusion, alcoholism is a serious disease that not only affects the individual but the family. It ends up affecting everyone emotionally, physically, socially, mentally and financially. The affected family members are advised to seek assistance on how to deal with a person suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder. Moreover, the family is asked to take care of their needs as well, so that they can effectively take care of the needs of the addicts.

Parents are also advised to ensure that the needs of the children are not neglected. Ensure that they grow up in a healthy environment by engaging in responsible drinking or staying away from alcohol altogether. If your spouse is suffering from the disease, seek help as well and have him or her treated immediately.

Alcohol Use Disorder is a disease that can be treated effectively. By taking the affected person to the proper rehab facility, he or she can receive the proper care and help that he need.

Taking alcohol is legal in the majority of the nations around the world. However, when it comes to its production, sale and consumption, some nations prefer to put some regulating laws so that their populations can consume it responsibly.

Due to this allowance of alcohol consumption, it plays a significant social role in various cultures since it is a recreational drug. This explains the drinking of alcoholic beverages in weddings, after funerals and other social functions. It seems to be something that brings people together for celebrations.

In a study conducted on alcohol consumption in the United States, the results indicated that about 89% of the adults consumed it in 2015, and 56% consumed it in a single month.

Alcohol

Every alcoholic drink that you take contains ethanol. This type of alcohol is extracted after the fermentation of fruits, grains and various other sugar sources and then mixed with other substances to form alcoholic drinks. There drinks come in three categories; spirits, beer and wine. Depending on the manufacturers, their alcohol content ranges from 3 to 50%.

Alcohol is known as a psychoactive drug because it is a depressant that causes various effects on you upon consumption. Additionally, if you consume it for a lengthy period of time, you may end up abusing it, developing alcohol dependence or becoming an alcoholic. As a result, men are advised to consume about 2 drinks a day, while women should only take 1.

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction does not begin instantly. Instead, it is a process that begins slowly and develops with time, depending on the amounts of alcohol that you consume, plus the frequency. As you begin to consume alcohol for recreational purposes, you tend to consume little amounts since your body is still vulnerable to its effects.
With time, your body adapts to the introduction of alcohol in your system, leading you to consume larger amounts. If you consume high amounts of the substance often, your body builds a tolerance with time, causing you to continuously increase your intake. After a while, you will want to take alcohol on a more frequent basis, especially if you are evading some life challenges or issues.

If you are not careful, you may become dependent on alcohol, to the point that you want to carry out most of your activities under the influence. At this point, it is highly likely that you will lose control and land in alcoholism.

As soon as you begin alcoholism, you can hardly manage your drinking habits. This alcohol use disorder can either be mild, severe or moderate. Each of these categories has serious symptoms that could later result to harmful side effects.

Drinking Reasons

You may begin and continuously consume alcohol for multiple reasons. As you begin, it appears as just a way to escape your issues. Unfortunately, this habit later results into alcohol abuse. The following are some of the reasons behind the development of drinking habits.

> Stress– stress in normal in the life of every human being. However, how you deal with it could determine the outcome of a lot of things. If you rely on alcohol to relieve your stress you are likely to develop a drinking problem since stress occurs from time to time.

> Loss – not everyone accepts the loss of a loved one instantly. Denial makes the situation worse because you will often rely on alcohol whenever reality of the loss hits you. This is a remedy to the development of a drinking problem.

> Excitement – during social events like weddings, you tend to be excited and happy. Since you do not want that happiness to end, you may turn to alcohol since it increases the pleasure feelings.

> Anxiety – you may be the type of person that is always anxious around people or less confident. Since alcohol is known to cause relaxation, you are likely to consume it. However, continuation of this habit will eventually cause a drinking problem.

Signs Of A Drinking Problem

At times, you do not have to become an alcoholic for you to realize that you have a drinking problem. There are so many signs that can help recognize the problem before it becomes worse. Most of the people that recognize these signs have self-awareness and defined goals, but probably get carried away due to bad company or situations.

Therefore, the following signs can help you if you are not too deep into drinking, but could land there if you do not take action.

• If you often have some temporary short-term memory loss or experience blackouts, it means that you have a drinking problem that causes you to take too much alcohol thus causing a high blood alcohol concentration.
• You may have extreme mood swings and irritability signs.
• You tend to prefer drinking alone rather than with friends.
• You create excuses to give for drinking or often lie about it.
• You forego obligations and responsibilities and prefer to drink.
• You have health problems related to the intake of alcohol.
• You have school and work problems such as lateness, punctuality and demotions, among others.
• Your behaviors while under the influence such as driving while drunk have often caused you legal issues.
• You like isolating yourself from friends and family members.

Signs Of Alcoholism

If your drinking problem has gone beyond the above signs, then it is possible that you are an alcoholic. The following signs can help you analyze yourself in deeper lengths.

• Your appearance has changed; you seem unwell, irritable and tired
• You cannot say no when alcohol is offered to you
• You have developed depression and anxiety, among other mental health issues
• You are often dishonest and very secretive
• You are intoxicated on a regular basis
• You hardly care about normal activities and self-care such as cleanliness
• You cannot control the amount of alcohol that you consume
• You have alcohol cravings when sober
• Your behaviors change after alcohol consumption
• You care more about drinking than catering to your responsibilities
• You spend a lot of resources on alcohol as you forego payment of essential bills

Effects Of Alcohol Abuse

The consumption of alcohol has different effects on your body. These effects are dependent on the levels of alcohol concentrations in your body, the alcohol amounts you consume, the alcohol percentage in your drinks, consumption time span, the food amount you have consumed and if you are taking any other drugs.

Short-Term Effects

Blood alcohol concentration of 0.03 to 0.12 % results to effects such as; euphoria, overall mood improvement, decreased anxiety, fine muscle coordination, increased self-confidence and sociability and impaired judgment.
BAC of 0.09 – 0.25% results to blurred vision, lethargy, balance issues and sedation. Blood alcohol concentration of 0.18 to 0.30% is known to cause impaired speech, dizziness, staggering, profound confusion and confusion.
BAC of 0.25 to 0.40% results to respiratory depression, unconsciousness, stupor, vomiting, which can cause death if you inhale the substances, and anterograde amnesia. Blood alcohol concentration of 0.35 to 0.80% may cause fatal alcohol poisoning, coma, respiratory depression that is quite life threatening. Other effects include; lowered inhibitions, slow reaction time, restlessness, reduced brain activity, poor reflexes and breathing difficulties.

Long-Term Effects

The long-term consequences for long term abuse of alcohol may not surface as soon as they begin. They tend to stay dormant for even years and later surface even after you have managed to quit drinking without medication.
Due to this reason, admission in a rehab center entails thorough diagnosis to determine the presence of any health issues. They include; vision damage, diabetes complications, liver disease, and heart problems such as stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Additionally you could suffer from brain defects like Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, bone loss and cancers like pancreatic cancer, female breast, esophagus, liver and oral cavity cancers.

Effects On Life

If you have a drinking problem, mild or severe, you are also bound to experience life challenges. For example, spending a lot on alcohol jeopardizes your chances of achieving financial as well as personal growth. You may pay your bills late since you opted to drink rather than pay the bills on time.

Your work or school life will also be affected due to issues like lateness, poor performance and bad productivity. Consequently, you could miss a scholarship to a good college or get expelled or get demoted or fired. Your relationships as well will suffer. Due to drunkenness, you may become violent leading to domestic violence or end up disrespecting your friends.

If caught driving while drunk, you will obviously face some charges in court. Such legal issues will affect your finances and work too. Additional, drunken driving is a known cause for deaths on the roads. If not due to road accidents, you could be among the three million people who die prematurely each year due to excessive alcohol consumption. Furthermore, this substance does reduce your life span.

Quitting Alcohol

Quitting the consumption of alcohol is quite a challenge. You are bound to experience some denial despite acknowledging the signs, and reason that it is not that bad. But then again you later find yourself wondering if you are an alcoholic. More challenges occur in maintaining your sobriety.

If you find yourself in this dilemma or find that you have severe signs of a drinking problem, it is time that you take action for the sake of your future. These tips of stopping alcohol consumption will probably work depending on the level of your abuse, dependency or alcoholism. Nevertheless, they are all worth trying because staying sober is worth.

1. Admit the problem
Admitting that you have a drinking problem could be hard because you tend to compare yourself with others that you drink with. You forget that what matters is you not them. For you to fully admit this issue, forget about the online assessments and comparisons and just ask yourself the following questions;

> Is drinking alcohol derailing your growth and preventing you from achieving your goals? If yes, then you have begun accepting facts in your life.
> Do you often compare yourself with other’s drinking habits? If yes it means you are aware of the problem but unable to fully accept. So stop justifying your drinking with others’
> Is this the life you want in about 5 to 10 years to come? If no, then it means that you really want to quit because you know your future could be better.

If you consistently ask these questions, it will finally hit you that you need to act on your current drinking trends.

2. Find reasons to stop drinking
The most known reasons for not taking alcohol is acquiring good health and living a good life. However, these are long-term reasons. What about the short term reasons that will encourage you to avoid the alcohol thoughts at any given moment?

> You will reclaim the lost time -let us assume you are a moderate drinker. You will probably drink three times a week, which is about 3 hours every time. So in a year, you will have lost almost two months on drinking, without counting the time you spend with a hangover. This is time you could spend productively when sober.
> Get richer faster – from the above assumption, imagine how much you could earn from the lost time. Additionally, if you spend 150 dollars on alcohol every week, you tend to waste 600 dollars a month. That is money you could invest.
> Acquire meaningful tasks – conversations made while drunk hardly build any solid friendship. So get sober so that you can create a network of friends that can benefit you socially.
> Sleep better- as alcohol causes tiredness; it disrupts your sleep patterns. Consequently, it throws off the balance of your body. On the other hand, staying sober guarantees you better quality sleep.

3. Healthy diet
The food you consume influences the behavior of your brain, which is prone to develop alcohol cravings if the diet is wrong. Therefore, it is important to eat foods that keep blood sugar stable since your decision making becomes better. Consumption of starchy and sugary foods could lead to energy crashes due to drops in blood sugar.
This causes food cravings as well as any other substance that can make you feel better including alcohol. So consume healthy high quality fats to maintain the blood sugar levels.

4. Practice mindfulness
Paying attention to your actions can help you assess your impulse to drink before you act. Therefore, mindfulness keeps you in control of your brain. To acquire mindfulness, you can meditate for a few minutes on a daily basis to raise your awareness and strengthen the pre-frontal cortex of your brain. Notably, its weakness is linked to addiction.

5. Manage stress
Stress is normal. However, lack of its proper management can lead you down the wrong path. When you are under stress, resisting impulses becomes very difficult. So keep your stress levels as low as possible through yoga, meditation, breathing exercises and physical exercises.

6. Sobriety should be a priority
Since you are on a journey towards sobriety, you should as well make it the first priority in your life. A partial commitment will cause you to fail because you will be unable to say no to any event that could lead to drinking. Instead, set some rules and ensure that you do not break them.

7. Good bye to you drinking pals
There are those friends that you only meet in the drinking zone. They have your contacts and will often call you for one or two drinks. You need to fire these pals for you to quit drinking. The rest whom you share meaningful relationships need to respect your refusal to drink and not pressure you. If not, say good bye to them as well. Your life comes first.

8. Advertise your intentions
You need to tell those you care about that you are on a path to sobriety. With this announcement, you will strive to be accountable. Additionally, they will exclude you in their plans of going out for drinks since they understand that you are not interested.

As you let your loved ones know about you choice, build a support system that will help you stay sober. These are mostly the individuals who support and respect your decision, and are ready to hold you accountable if you tend to relapse.

9. Change of attitude
Your attitude towards anything in life dictates what your actions will be. Therefore, adapt a positive attitude regardless of the things you did while under the influence of alcohol. Most of all, avoid people that bring any kind of negativity around regarding your choice.

10. Avoid temptations
Triggers are the most causes of drinking or relapse. So you need to identify the things that pushed you into temptations. Is it alcohol kept at home? Is it a bar near your house? Is it a restaurant that you like that sells alcohol? Whatever it is, you need to find a way around them. While doing this, it is advisable to find alternative activities that will keep you occupied and thus hardly realize the temptations. You can find new interests, hobbies and activities that are beneficial to you or others.

11. Reward progress
You can program your brain to expect a reward whenever you do something for yourself. So begin by setting short term goals like avoiding alcohol for a week. If you succeed, do something that yourself like, probably buy yourself a new cloth with the same money you could have spent on alcohol.

By doing this, you will improve your life, especially where you had neglected before and stay sober at the same time. As you make higher goals, make your rewards more beneficial to you.

12. Check into rehab
If you have tried all the above tips but failed, then you actually need professional help. This includes going to rehab to get the required treatment. Rehabilitation is mostly for persons that have already developed alcoholism since quitting their addiction is quite a hard task.

The majority of the alcoholics that have tried quitting alone have relapsed. If you are among such people, it means that you need alcohol treatment for you to sober up again. This treatment takes place in three stages.

> Detoxification
As soon as you get admitted in the rehab center, treatment starts with stopping alcohol consumption. This period is tough since you must stay without consuming alcohol and you are prone to experience some withdrawal symptoms.
These symptoms include; sweating, confusion, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, mood problems, seizures and shakiness. Luckily, the doctors may give you some medication to ease your pain.
> Rehabilitation
In this phase, you get to confront the reasons behind the heavy consumption of alcohol and identify your triggers. If you suffer from depression, you get therapy to get your mind back on track. Counseling is also available to let out your feelings and regrets so that you can feel burden free.
> Maintenance
As soon as you are done with rehabilitation, you go back to your society to begin a new life in sobriety. This stage is quite tough as well because you have to be strong for your own good. To make your path easier, there are support groups, recovery resources and counseling that keep you on your sobriety path for months and years.
> Bodily Response
After managing to quit alcohol for a while, you will notice a change in your body. First, you will sleep better since your brain is not intoxicated. Also, you will lose the unnecessary fat, since your exercises will get rid of the fat from the alcohol calories. Your skin will also look much better as your water regulation in the body will return to normal.

In conclusion, despite that alcohol is allowed in most places around the world, it does not mean that it is that good for you. Actually, those that do not drink are advised not to bother since they are better without it. Since it is your responsibility to take care of your body, consider all the above and strive to quit alcohol, especially if you have a drinking problem.