All about Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse is a chronic disease that can affect adults and teens alike. It is estimated that children as young as 12 can become addicted to Substance Abuse. The disease is considered as a ‘biopsychosocial’ disease which affects biological, psychological, and social aspects of your life. Like many other diseases, it can last for a lifetime unless treated properly. It is also a progressive disease characterized by mental obsession and physical compulsion. All Substance Abuse addicts exhibits a certain feature known as denial which prevents treatment. Although the disease cannot be cured, it can be treated and managed. If you or your loved one is suffering from this disease, it is important that you have a general idea about alcoholism and its negative effects on your life.

Substance Abuse Symptoms

Substance Abuse is characterized by four major symptoms – craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance. Craving is defined as a strong urge to drink, and it prompts you to drink more than you mean to. Apart from craving, stress and anxiety can also lead to the development of drinking problems. Once you become dependent on substances, you will lose your control. You might not be able to stop drinking even if you want to. You might even find it really hard to cut back on drinking. Most addicts complain that they are not being able to get rid of it even though they know everything about Substance Abuse and its harmful effects. Physical dependence is the sole reason for the withdrawal symptoms that may arise when you stop drinking all on a sudden. It can turn into tolerance overtime when you need more drinks to feel high.

Substance Abuse Facts

In the US, a standard drink means consuming five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of liquor, or eight ounces of malt liquor on a single occasion. Alcoholics will not be able to stick to one standard drink. Moreover, the effect of alcohol on your body depends on your age, gender, ethnicity, amount of food consumed before drinking, genetic traits, physical fitness, and how quickly the alcohol was consumed. Researchers around the world are conducting studies to find out more about alcoholism and how it can be treated effectively. They have also found out that alcohol affects older people and women differently. While older people are at higher risk for accidents, falls, and other injuries, women will become more impaired than men if excess alcohol is consumed.

Substance Abuse  and its Different Levels

Substance Abuse is generally classified into two types – binge addiction and heavy addiction . Binge addiction refers to a pattern of drinking that causes your blood alcohol concentration to rise more than 0.08 percent. You are a binge drinker if you consume more than five drinks within two hours. However, woman only need four standard drinks to cross the legal alcohol limit. Heavy drinkers consume more than two drinks per day.

Whether you are a binge drinker or a heavy drinker, excessive consumption of alcohol can result in serious health consequences. Alcoholics are at high risk for many chronic diseases such as pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, psychological disorders, cancer, and high blood pressure. Violence including child abuse, suicides, and homicides are very common with addicts. It has also been found that alcoholism is one of the major causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Moreover, hundreds of people die every year due to unintentional injuries such as road traffic accidents, drowning, and burns, and falls. The primary reason for all such deaths is excessive alcohol consumption.

Now that you know all about Substance Abuse , it’s high time to enter into a rehab program and escape from the grip of addiction.