Alcohol abuse is a serious problem that causes harm to your health, your family, and your life. It can be triggered by several factors, including genetics, psychological traits, and social pressure.

Treatment helps people stop drinking and learn new coping skills. It also includes counseling and support groups. Recovery from addiction is a long-term process that takes patience, self-compassion, and a commitment to treatment.

Causes

Alcohol abuse is a complex problem, involving genetic, physiological, psychological and social factors. It can lead to alcohol dependence, and can cause or worsen more than 200 disease and injury conditions.

People who drink alcohol regularly have a high risk of developing mental illness, and heavy drinking can damage the brain, heart, liver and pancreas. In addition, excessive drinking increases your risk of cirrhosis and cancer.

Depression and other mental health problems can also increase your risk of drinking too much. These illnesses can reduce your ability to recognize warning signs and stop drinking when you’re under the influence.

Other risk factors include easy access to alcohol, stress and peer pressure. These risk factors can cause people to drink more than they would otherwise, especially if their friends or partners also drink. They can also make it more difficult to get professional help for alcohol misuse.

Symptoms

Alcohol abuse can cause a wide range of problems. In some cases, the problem is so severe that it can affect a person’s physical health or life.

It can also lead to a variety of behavioral problems and interpersonal relationships. This can interfere with a person’s job, school or home life.

In addition, alcohol use can be a serious health risk if an individual drinks too much or too quickly. This can cause severe impairments in motor coordination, impulse control and other functions that are important to life.

It is very common for people to have trouble controlling their drinking, and to be preoccupied with it. They may have to drink more than they should or get withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking rapidly.

Treatment

Getting help for alcohol abuse can be a big step in recovery. Treatments can range from medication and counseling to support groups and lifestyle changes.

A doctor can diagnose alcohol use disorder by doing a physical exam and asking about your drinking habits. He or she also may ask about your family history of substance abuse.

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) can help you better understand your problems and develop a plan to tackle your drinking. Therapists can help you identify the causes of your addiction, learn coping skills to avoid triggers and improve your relationship with yourself and others.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a proven way to stop drinking and manage cravings. CBT focuses on changing your thoughts and beliefs to make you more able to control your drinking. It also helps you deal with stress and anxiety that may have contributed to your drinking problem.

Prevention

Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in significant and recurrent adverse consequences for the drinker. It may interfere with work, school, and family obligations or cause legal problems.

Binge drinking (defined as consuming 4 or more drinks per occasion for women and 5 or more drinks per occasion for men) and heavy drinking (defined as consuming 7 or more drinks per week for women and 14 or more drinks per week for men) greatly increase the risk of developing alcohol use disorder and other mental and physical health problems.

Prevention involves reducing the overall intensity of consumption among existing users and preventing the progression of high-risk consumption to more severe levels. It also reduces harmful drinking behaviors such as driving while intoxicated or drinking during pregnancy.

A broad range of players are involved in the prevention of alcohol abuse, including government agencies, community groups and individuals. These include health services, social and family services, the law enforcement sector, education, public policy and other organizations.