Many people seem to think alcoholism is the same thing as alcohol dependence, or an addiction to alcohol. There are many people, though, that are not dependent on alcohol that are problem drinkers. If you have a problem with alcohol dependency, the best way to stop drinking is through detoxification.
When it comes to drinking alcohol, there are four basic levels. The levels are social, heavy, problem, and dependence. The higher the level you are own, the greater the risk to both your health and your safety.
Most American adults drink some form of alcohol. It is important to recognize that even a small amount of alcohol can be harmful when driving, operating machinery, or taking it alongside some kinds of medication.
Heavy drinking is when you consume more than what the Department of Health recommends as a safe limit. Below are the guidelines:
The above recommendations are based on how your liver processes alcohol. Your liver cells can be damaged by drinking more alcohol than your liver can deal with. It is hazardous to your health to drink more than recommended as a safe limit. Doing so will greatly increase your risk of heart problems, certain cancers, sexual problems, damage to the pancreas, liver damage, and other diseases. The more alcohol you drink, the greater you are putting your health at risk.
Problem drinking is also considered harmful drinking. This is when you drink continually even after causing problems or harm to yourself, your family, or to society in general. Some examples of this include:
Many people with a drinking problem are not alcohol dependent. They can stop whenever they want without any withdrawal symptoms. They will typically continue to drink heavily, though, for whatever reason.
When you give alcohol a high priority within your life, it can become a serious situation. This is when you are addicted and need to drink daily to keep from going into withdrawal. We will look more into alcohol dependence in a later article.
As you can see, drinking alcohol can become a major problem over time if you allow it to progress. If you find yourself having a problem with drinking alcohol, talk with a counselor today to start overcoming your problem.