Figuring out what to say to an alcoholic about their drinking problem is difficult, but crucial. Learn more on how to confront an alcoholic.
Most research done into the nature and effects of alcoholism all reveal one thing: most Americans will consume alcohol at least once in their lifetime. Of those who do, at least 6.7% will inevitably develop an alcohol use disorder and most likely will undergo alcohol detox.
The latest statistics on the prevalence of alcoholism in the United States, indicate that more than 14 million adults have an alcohol use disorder, and this tendency to indulge in excessive drinking has resulted in at least 95,000 deaths every year. This staggering number of deaths is more than reason enough for confronting an alcoholic about how dangerous the habit is.
At Legends Recovery of Ohio, we have the resources and tools to help you confront an alcoholic, to encourage them to start their journey to recovery.
As with most forms of addiction, a component of alcoholism involves a biological function that reinforces the habit of chronic consumption. A recent study revealed that alcohol consumption induced the release of endorphins, which are hormones that are associated with the reward system of the brain. As such, the release of endorphins produces feelings of well-being and euphoria. Depending on the person, the number of endorphins released could vary greatly, although even just a small quantity of endorphins would usually be enough to give the person a good feeling.
This release of endorphins also incidentally dulls the body’s ability to sense pain and relieves the adverse feelings brought on by stress. These sensations alone would already convince most people to get into alcohol more frequently. Another sensation produced by the consumption of alcohol is a steady progression of sedation and relaxation, as alcohol is also a central nervous system depressant. This is why most people who have had too much to drink feel immensely sleepy, suffer from slurred speech, and have difficulty in motor control and coordination.
As alcohol continues to affect the central nervous system, particularly the brain, most people also feel a sense of liberation or freedom, as they begin to lose their inhibitions and become increasingly prone to bad judgment calls, which they admit to feeling no remorse at all while intoxicated. This loss of inhibition also brings about an increase in confidence, which is why alcohol is also often called “liquid courage”. This false sense of confidence, however, also tends to worsen the situation, particularly when combined with bad judgment calls made by someone drunk.
Almost everyone is aware of what the effects of alcohol are on a person. Alcohol inebriation comes with very specific signs, which is why in most cases, many don’t even need to smell the alcohol on the breath of another person to know that they are drunk. These effects, however, are far more than just the slurred speech, the loss of balance, and the impaired logic that most inebriated people show. Many effects come from chronic alcohol use, and perhaps the most alarming effect is that alcohol is slowly poisoning the body, as alcohol is a potent toxin, and yet so many people drink it willingly.
Alcohol comes with many effects on the entire body, including:
The Invitation Model Intervention is a type of psychological intervention that has been developed to address the needs of individuals who are struggling with emotional and behavioral difficulties. This model was designed to provide an environment in which individuals can explore their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and experiences without judgment or criticism. The goal of this intervention is to create a safe space for individuals to create meaningful change in their lives.
The Invitation Model Intervention is based on the belief that each individual has a unique and valuable perspective, which should be respected and honored. This model encourages individuals to examine their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and experiences with new eyes. Through this exploration process, individuals can learn how to identify triggers, patterns, and obstacles that may be preventing them from achieving their goals.
The sheer number of effects is indicative of how much of the body alcohol can affect. For people looking for what to say to an alcoholic, it might be a good idea to make them aware of how much of the body alcohol invades and what kind of things happen to the body’s organs once alcohol reaches them.
Specific parts of the body that are adversely affected by alcohol include:
When left untreated, chronic pancreatitis can cause serious complications. Therefore, seeking treatment in a residential treatment center in Ohio or php program as soon as possible is crucial to prevent long-term damage to the pancreas and improve the patient’s quality of life. Excessive intake of alcohol over time is known to cause inflammation of the pancreas, resulting in pancreatitis.
This inflammation could be temporary or acute, but it could also be a life-long or chronic condition. The most common symptom of this inflammation is abdominal pain. This pain is mostly caused by the release of pancreatic digestive enzymes, and when left untreated, could become a long-term condition and cause serious complications.
A damaged pancreas can also prevent the body from producing the needed insulin to properly use the sugar ingested. This inability to process sugar properly could lead to hyperglycemia, which in turn, means diabetes has also become a condition.
Alcohol works directly on the central nervous system, which is why people who have had more than their fill of it exhibit slurred speech, impaired coordination, significantly altered reaction time, disruption of memory, and impaired balance.
The network of nerves in the body is also largely affected by the intake of alcohol, and long-term consumption of alcohol is known to lead to the condition known as alcoholic neuropathy. In more general terms, neuropathy refers to nerve damage, and relevant to alcoholism, the chronic intake of alcohol damages the nerve tissue in the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy include:
Perhaps the worst neurological problem to arise from an alcohol abuse disorder is the risk of developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is a potentially life-threatening neurological condition.
This condition is a neurological disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). The syndrome includes Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff amnesic syndrome. These two conditions are not different illnesses but different stages of the same disease where Wernicke’s encephalopathy represents the “acute” phase of the disorder and Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome represents the disorder progressing to a “chronic” or long-lasting stage. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome’s main features are problems in acquiring new information or developing new memories, and in retrieving existing memories.
The role alcohol plays in this disease is that chronic alcohol intake is directly linked to thiamine deficiency. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is primarily caused by a severe lack of thiamine, which causes the brain to not have enough energy to work with. Alcohol makes it more difficult for the body to absorb thiamine and store it in the liver. Without prompt treatment and an addiction treatment program, this syndrome can become irreversible and fatal.
Alcohol can severely damage the tissues in the digestive tract over time, preventing the intestines from properly digesting food, which in turn affects the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins. This will eventually lead to malnutrition and other conditions brought on by the body’s inability to get the required nutrients for survival.
Alcohol can also induce inflammation and lesions in the digestive tract and stomach, and combined with a delayed food processing function, could cause the build-up of bacteria in food stuck in the stomach. The fact that alcohol is ingested means the very first organ to be damaged is the stomach, and the effects include:
The development of ulcers is particularly worrying because it could cause dangerous internal bleeding, which could in turn become fatal if not promptly diagnosed and treated.
Anyone confronting alcoholic people with circulatory system issues might not be automatically appreciated or even listened to, but the mere fact that chronic drinking can affect the heart and lungs should be more than enough to shock people into sobriety. Circulatory system complications include:
The simplest answer would be the possibility of early death. Almost all of the conditions brought about by chronic drinking lead to progressive damage to the organs, and with enough damage, the organs will simply stop functioning, which will also cause the body to stop functioning. It is important to plan the entire confrontation because one of the most difficult things in life is figuring out how to talk to someone about their drinking, as this is never taken well by the person with the drinking problem. This is why the confrontation or intervention should be planned out well.
People who plan to confront a person about their alcoholism or stage an intervention to save them from it should remember that it is done to help someone who is in great need of support. This being said, whatever issues or opinions that anyone might have about the person need to take a backseat, as it will not serve to help the process.
When left untreated, chronic pancreatitis can cause serious complications. Therefore, seeking treatment in a residential treatment center in Ohio or php program as soon as possible is crucial to prevent long-term damage to the pancreas and improve the patient’s quality of life. Excessive intake of alcohol over time is known to cause inflammation of the pancreas, resulting in pancreatitis.
This inflammation could be temporary or acute, but it could also be a life-long or chronic condition. The most common symptom of this inflammation is abdominal pain. This pain is mostly caused by the release of pancreatic digestive enzymes, and when left untreated, could become a long-term condition and cause serious complications.
A damaged pancreas can also prevent the body from producing the needed insulin to properly use the sugar ingested. This inability to process sugar properly could lead to hyperglycemia, which in turn, means diabetes has also become a condition.
Alcohol works directly on the central nervous system, which is why people who have had more than their fill of it exhibit slurred speech, impaired coordination, significantly altered reaction time, disruption of memory, and impaired balance.
The network of nerves in the body is also largely affected by the intake of alcohol, and long-term consumption of alcohol is known to lead to the condition known as alcoholic neuropathy. In more general terms, neuropathy refers to nerve damage, and relevant to alcoholism, the chronic intake of alcohol damages the nerve tissue in the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy include:
Perhaps the worst neurological problem to arise from an alcohol abuse disorder is the risk of developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is a potentially life-threatening neurological condition.
This condition is a neurological disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). The syndrome includes Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff amnesic syndrome. These two conditions are not different illnesses but different stages of the same disease where Wernicke’s encephalopathy represents the “acute” phase of the disorder and Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome represents the disorder progressing to a “chronic” or long-lasting stage. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome’s main features are problems in acquiring new information or developing new memories, and in retrieving existing memories.
The role alcohol plays in this disease is that chronic alcohol intake is directly linked to thiamine deficiency. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is primarily caused by a severe lack of thiamine, which causes the brain to not have enough energy to work with. Alcohol makes it more difficult for the body to absorb thiamine and store it in the liver. Without prompt treatment and an addiction treatment program, this syndrome can become irreversible and fatal.
Anyone with a heavy dependence on anything will never accept any kind of criticism relevant to it. These people tend to take even well-meaning gestures to be a form of criticism. This is why our addiction treatment center in Ohio at Legends Recovery exercises the utmost care and concern when it comes to confronting an alcoholic.
We can also help those who simply don’t see or understand the value of helping them through their condition, as we have helped countless others before them suffering from the same condition. Talk to us now and let us see how we could help you or your loved ones.
