Thanks to mainstream media’s underplaying of alcohol; it’s now common for many individuals to unwind by drinking every night. Although it’s bad for you, drinking every night doesn’t necessarily make you an alcoholic, not yet at least.

Research from the CDC indicates that there’s a safe quantity of alcohol you can take daily without it having adverse effects on you. However, taking alcohol can quickly become a problem if you don’t stick to the safe quantity rule.

Unfortunately, the euphoric effects that alcohol provides can be pretty addictive. The addictiveness makes individuals come back for more, leading to severe alcohol addiction problems or alcoholism.

Alcoholism is terrible because it can lead to dependency. Most times, people become alcoholics without even knowing it. If you find yourself becoming restless or have problems concentrating unless you consume an alcoholic drink, you may want to start retracing your steps.

There are many adverse effects you can associate with drinking every night. It can worsen underlying health issues and affect your personal life in many unpleasant ways. In some cases, it may even lead to death.

This article explores the other dangers of excessive alcohol intake and how you can start your alcohol addiction recovery journey.

Is Drinking Every Night Alcoholism?

Drinking every night may not necessarily be a sign of alcohol addiction. However, it’s something you’re not to neglect. It’s not wrong to take alcohol, but you may want to start seeking a solution if you find out that you can’t do without it.

After a busy day, it can be relaxing to chill out at a pub with a cold beer or a glass of alcoholic wine. But if you find yourself relaxing seven days a week with up to four or more drinks, that’s heavy drinking, and it’s what makes a person become an alcoholic.

Dismissing the topic with the wave of a hand doesn’t disprove its sensitivity and how it affects you. Experts recommend that women can take one drink per day and for men, two drinks per day. Anything other than that is unhealthy.

There is no standard measurement for “too much” drinks due to individual differences. But it’s better to be on the safe side. Even the Canadian government has set Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) to show how serious alcohol addiction is becoming in Canada.

Roughly 5.9 million people in Canada are heavy drinkers, with males occupying a more significant percentage of the number. The issue of alcohol addiction is still on the rise, with several reports of hospitalization and mortality due to alcohol use disorder.

What Are The Dangers Of Drinking Every Day?

Excessive alcohol intake can affect your body system in many harmful ways. Sensitive parts of your body like your brain and heart are at risk if you don’t take precautions. Below, you’ll learn more about the dangers of alcohol addiction.

Health Damage

In everything you do, your health is the number one priority. Without good health, your life will come to a halt till you’re back on your feet again. Life as you know it will change for a while, and it can remain like that for long.

It’s one of the reasons combating alcohol addiction is advisable. See how alcohol addiction affects you and the different parts of your body below.

The Brain

Alcohol addiction exposes you to many life-threatening health conditions. For instance, the frontal lobes of your brain shrink due to long-term alcohol exposure. In addition, alcoholism interferes with the way your brain creates memories. As a result, you may wake up with no idea or reflection of your actions while drinking or prior.

The Heart

Alcohol addiction is also one of the most common causes of cardiovascular diseases. So it means you’re putting your heart at risk when you drink too much.

Your Liver and Kidneys

The brain isn’t the only part of your body at risk due to chronic drinking. Alcohol affects your liver by making it difficult to eject harmful substances from your body. When your liver fails to perform its primary function, it begins to develop problems that mostly lead to severe damages.

The Lungs

You expose your lungs to infections when you drink frequently. As a result, your body will find it difficult to ward off viruses and bacterias, which will leave you prone to illnesses like pneumonia and tuberculosis.

The Muscles and Bones

Excessive alcohol intake can cause muscle death. When you drink too often in unsafe quantities, you’ll constantly experience muscle cramping and weakness.

These are signs of dying muscles. Alcoholism also exposes your bones to the risk of Osteoporosis, otherwise known as thinning bones.

The Central Nervous System

Alcohol addiction causes numbness. When you experience numbness, pains, or tingling sensations in your hand or feet, it may be a sign of damage to your central nervous system.

Cancer

One of the reasons drinking every night isn’t advisable is the possibility of developing one of the most life-threatening diseases in the world — cancer.

Heavy drinkers or alcohol addicts are at the risk of esophagus, mouth or throat cancer. Women who also drink excessively are prone to developing breast cancer.

Other Significant Health Challenges

Long term alcohol abuse can lead to:

• Depression
• Seizure
• Dementia
• Gout
• High blood pressure
• Pancreatitis
• Anemia

Reputational Damage

Drinking every night can lead to alcoholism which can, in turn, damage your reputation in society. In addition, drunkenness can make you act in ways your sane self won’t be proud of eventually. It can make you stagger, fall, shout and act embarrassingly publicly.

It can be shameful to your immediate family and everyone in your life, especially at gatherings. In bad cases, friends and associates will distance themselves from you.

Alcohol addiction can limit your chances of holding public offices as a society will view you as unfit to handle their affairs. In addition, excessive drinking can cause you to misbehave and say things that’ll affect your reputation. It’s one of the worst things that can happen to anybody.

Financial Problems

Alcohol addicts can spend their last dime in pubs just to derive that “satisfaction.” Most times, they neglect pressing financial obligations to buy alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol addicts can go as far as borrowing and stealing to meet up with their drinking needs. Acts like these will constantly have them in and out of financial entanglements, which sometimes lead to arrests.

Professional Problems

It’s difficult for alcohol addicts to maintain jobs. Addiction problems affect your work because it messes with your thought process. When you’re high, you can’t concentrate on your job or tasks, which affects your productivity.

Complaints will start arising from different corners, which can cause your employer to let you go. It’ll be difficult to land another job with negative job records and recommendations, especially if your career is in a sensitive profession, e.g. law.

Behavioural Issues

You may develop behavioural problems when you start drinking every night. Alcoholism can change your usual behaviour by leaving you without the mental coherence or clarity to make intelligent decisions.

It’s difficult for people to plan with alcohol addicts due to their instability and unreliability. Unfortunately, this is one of the ways drinking every night may affect you as a person.

Sexual Dysfunction and Infertility

Alcohol use disorder exposes men to the likelihood of erectile dysfunction and infertility. In addition, the male reproductive system tends to develop severe complications over time due to uncontrolled alcohol intake.

Dependence

Dependence goes hand in hand with addiction. If you drink alcohol every night, it’ll cause your body to be dependent on it.

It means that you can’t carry out certain normal functions unless you take alcohol. It becomes a problem when it starts affecting your performance at work, school, and even your relationship.

Related Article: How Do I Know When I Need Alcohol Addiction Treatment?

Can Alcohol Addiction Be Treated?

The good news is there is a solution to alcohol addiction. Although it requires willpower, time, support and personal effort, alcohol addiction treatment is effective.

There are six stages of alcohol addiction treatment. See their explanations below.

Precontemplation

It’s safe to term this stage the “denial stage.” You’re experiencing the adverse effects of alcohol addiction at this stage, but you’ll have no intention to quit or drop the bad habit. You may go as far as avoiding topics centring around the adverse impact of alcohol.

You may try to make excuses, lie, and even blame others for your addiction problem. At this stage, it’s either you don’t believe you have a problem or you’re overwhelmed by the topic.

Even if you manage to show up for treatment, it’s likely due to external pressure. Addiction treatment is usually ineffective at the pre-contemplation stage because you don’t believe you have a problem. Therefore, you’ll not have an interest in the treatment program.

Contemplation

At this stage, you start accepting that you have an alcohol addiction problem. You may want to start getting help, but you’re unsure about it. Delaying and dilly-dallying are common in this stage.

You may try to curb or handle the problem yourself by making plans to cut down on your alcohol consumption. But you may end up getting stuck at this stage for a long time because you’re not set to act on it entirely.

It’s noteworthy that this stage is not always comfortable due to feelings of hopelessness, guilt, desperation, and shame. However, it’s helpful to run a cost analysis for alcohol addiction treatment. It can help you find clarity and get you ready for the next stage.

Preparation

Now, you’re ready for a change, and you’re taking some intentional steps. You may even start telling your loved ones about your plan. Excitement can kick in at this stage but don’t rush the process.

It’s better to draft out a plan that’ll aid your alcohol addiction treatment process. Research lifestyle adjustments, alcohol addiction services, treatment programs, facilities and related costs in Vancouver. Set goals and engage in activities that align with alcohol addiction treatment.

Action

This stage is where you choose a treatment plan and start it. The average alcohol addiction program will begin with detoxification under the guidance of experts in a medical facility.

There are several types of alcohol addiction treatment programs you can access. It may be an inpatient or outpatient treatment program, depending on the severity of the situation.

Treatment programs sometimes last three to six months or even longer, depending on individual effort and other factors.

The Action stage is where the majority of people falter on their way to sobriety. Relapse is considered a normal part of a healthy addiction journey.

Maintenance

After the action stage, alcoholics move to the maintenance stage. Here, you start enjoying the advantages of quitting alcohol. Then it’s time to be attentive to sustaining the positive results from the action stage.

You begin to imbibe the new skills and lifestyle you must have learned to avoid relapse. You start engaging in healthier and better coping strategies, discovering ways to have fun without alcohol, and avoiding triggers.

Termination

Termination is the final stage of recovery from alcohol addiction. Although sobriety can be a life-long endeavour, termination remains the end stage of the alcohol addiction treatment cycle. The former alcoholic no longer craves alcohol, and there’s no possibility of relapse.

While it’s best to follow the stages of treatment accordingly, that’s not always the case. Several people may move back and forth through different addiction treatment stages as they tackle alcohol addiction.

Related Article: Alcohol Addiction Treatment: Is There a Way to Change?

Final Thoughts

If you can’t control your alcohol cravings, it may be wise to stay off it completely. Alcohol provides a feeling that leaves you relaxed and calmer. But it can become a problem if it’s the only way you can relax.

Alcoholic euphoria can be addictive and cause you to become an alcohol addict. People find it very difficult to quit alcohol because of its addictiveness, and it’s the major reason you should avoid drinking every night.

However, if you find yourself struggling to quit alcohol addiction, all hope isn’t lost. Inspire Change Wellness Centre is readily available to help you.

Play your part by getting in touch with us today and stop the problem from getting worse. Contact us today for comprehensive alcohol abuse programs.