Here Are the Complications of Alcoholism

Complications of alcoholism is defined as excessive drinking over a long period of time creating medical, psychological, and social problems for the alcoholic. As months or years of drinking has passed, the nervous system gets used to the alcohol therefore it develops a tolerance. The drinker requires increased amounts of alcohol to achieve the desired effect. Instead of thinking of the effects, the person usually continues to drink and will increase the amount they drink and the number of times. Over time, withdrawal symptoms (high blood pressure, tremors), a sign of physical dependence, may develop when not using. 


This becomes to be a cycle of abuse, being at risk of dependence starts. A few complications of alcoholism would be depression, low self-esteem, puberty being onset, depending on alcohol to be in society, substitution of alcohol for emotional support, being lonely, and self-medicating. 


Medical complications of alcoholism are: alcohol damages the organ systems even blood-forming (anemia, easy bruising), cardiovascular (abnormal heartbeat, heart failure, high blood pressure, increased heart rate), gastrointestinal (diarrhea, gastritis, inflammation and/or cancer of the esophagus), expanded risk of contaminating diseases (TB), liver damage, low blood sugar, hepatitis, liver cancer, and ulcers. 


Neurological complications of alcoholism: confusion, loss of coordination and concentration, nerve damage, psychosis, short-term memory problems, stroke, and visual difficulties.  


Some social complications of alcoholism are suffering in relationships, higher rates of divorce and separation, higher rates of domestic violence, higher rates of violence and aggressive behaviors, higher rates of legal problems, and higher rates of death. Eighty percent of all suicides are related to alcohol abuse.  


The psychological complications that are connected to alcoholism they include: 44 proc of alcoholics have mental health disorders that were present before dependence; mood disorders, along with a major depression usually occurs after their dependence. 


Assessment of alcoholism relies on interviews and self-report questionnaires to assess quantity and frequency of drinking. All the questions focus on two different aspects: the consequence of the drinking and the perceptions of the drinking behavior. Clinics determine risk for abuse and dependence based on how much and how often a person drinks.