Psychological Effects of Alcoholism

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As people progress through the degenerative progress of alcohol dependency, they experience a number of psychological effects of alcoholism. Also known as the psychological effects of alcohol addiction, some of these effects start early in the disease and get progressively worse as the person approaches longer term, chronic alcoholism. It is important to point out that the spiritual, the social, and the psychological effects of alcohol dependency can be just as, if not more, painful and problematic as the physical effects of alcoholism

When the topic of the "effects of alcoholism" is discussed, many people focus on the physical consequences of alcoholism and exclude or downplay many of the other effects of alcoholism such as the psychological effects of alcohol dependency. As pointed out above, however, some of the other consequences of alcoholism such as the social, the spiritual, and the psychological effects of alcoholism are just as "real" and can be as difficult or more difficult to cope with as compared with the physical effects of alcoholism.

Some Basic Psychological Effects of Alcoholism

image: young businessman distraught over alcoholism There are four progressive stages of alcoholism. At each stage of the disease, the alcoholic manifests increasingly worse consequences than the previous stage.

Without delving into the different psychological effects of alcohol addiction that are typical for each stage of the disease, however, the following list will be presented as a combination or a collective of the different psychological effects of alcoholism that are common to the disease, regardless of the stage at which they usually occur:

Self-centeredness
Cloudy thinking
Self-pity
Boasting and a "big shot" complex
Stress
Discontentment
An increase in failed promises and resolutions to one's self and to others
Anxiety
Moral deterioration
Dysthymia (mild chronic depression)
Lack of recognition by the person that he or she has a progressive illness
Obsession with drinking
Restlessness
Fearful
Loss of interests
Unreasonable resentments
Loss of willpower
Irritability
Aggression
Sleep problems
Poor concentration
Feeling useless
The development and the later collapse of an alibi system.
Depression
Loss of control
Resentment
Denial of the effects of alcohol

Studies have shown that the drinking patterns of employed women are different from those of women not employed outside the home, with less abstinence, increased consumption and greater frequency of drinking occasions observed among employed women.

Social Effects of Alcoholism

There are also social effects of alcoholism that are very much related to the psychological effects of alcoholism. The following represents some of the social effects of alcoholism:

Blaming problems on others and on things external to themselves
Withdrawal from social activities
Devaluation of personal relationships
Legal problems
Withdrawal from family and friends
Difficulties performing at work or home
Difficulties and arguments with family or friends
Financial insecurity
Serious relationship and work-related problems
Unemployment

According to one study, almost 11% of 8th-graders, 22% of 10th-graders, and 27% of 12th-graders report binge drinking (five drinks in a row in the last two weeks).

Psychological Effects of Alcoholism: Conclusion

As the alcoholic progresses through the four stages of alcoholism, he or she manifests physical, social, spiritual, and psychological effects of alcoholism that are increasingly worse than those he or she experienced in the earlier stage or stages of the disease. Even though many individuals seem to focus primarily on the physical consequences of alcohol addiction, the spiritual, social, and the psychological effects of alcoholism can be as debilitating, devastating, and as painful, if not more so, as the physical consequences of the disease.

So what is the solution? Like many things in life, the solution is relatively easy to articulate but difficult to implement. Not unlike other addictions, the "solution" to alcoholism and the negative, unhealthy, and damaging consequences of the disease is this: stop drinking and seek professional help so that you can recover from this terrible disease. This "solution" may seem unsympathetic, inconsiderate, or blunt, but given the spiritual, social, physical, and psychological effects of alcohol dependency, such a "strong" solution is usually necessary.

Research has shown that long-term drug and alcohol abuse costs U.S. business and industry an estimated $100 billion annually. Alcoholism alone causing 500 million lost work days a year.

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People with fetal alcohol effects may have normal intelligence, but they have defects in their brain and behavior. They can do some things some days but are unable to do the same thing the next day. They have difficulty generalizing. A rule they learn in one situation may not transfer to other situations. They have difficulty learning from past experiences and they have difficulty learning how the past affects the future. They tend to be very nice, people-oriented patients, but they keep relapsing.

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