Causes of Alcoholism

The causes of alcoholism are due to several factors. Most people use alcohol to change how they feel because they want to feel better or different. They use alcohol for the perceived benefits, or the benefits experienced, not for the potential harm. People use alcohol to relax, have fun, to be part of a group, out of curiosity, and to escape from physical and/or psychological pain. Many of the reasons young people use alcohol are the same reasons adults use alcohol.

The general theory is that alcoholism can be broken down into two basic phases, problem drinking and alcohol addiction. Problem drinking occurs when alcohol is used repetitively, to relieve stress, anxiety, other emotional problems, or combinations of these problems. Problem drinking can be characterized as the early stages of drug addiction or alcoholism. People often become dependent on alcohol after discovering that it helps relieve stress, and because alcohol is used more and more frequently, as stressful situations arise, a pattern of abuse develops. This is unfortunate because the more dependent a person is on alcohol, the less stress they can actually handle. This relationship is inversely proportional, meaning that as the dependence on alcohol increases, the ability to effectively deal with stress decreases. (Stress is only an example, you could literally, substitute almost any emotional problem into this equation.) This dependence slowly builds until the individual is drinking nearly constantly. In extreme cases, this does not just mean every evening, but constantly, during all hours of the day, from the time they get up until the time they go to bed, or pass out. As tragic as it sounds, this happens every day, in the smallest towns and the largest cities, all over the world. It is also important to remember that many alcoholics may continue for extended periods of time to lead functional, relatively balanced, and productive lives. This causes the alcoholic to live in denial and makes it more difficult to admit they have a problem and enter a drug rehab

The causes of alcoholism also includes the drinkers use alcohol to "self-medicate" themselves. This means that alcohol is used to try to relieve anxiety, depression, tension, loneliness, self-doubt or unhappiness. No one wants to be an alcoholic, but this doesn't stop people from getting addicted. The most commonly asked question is simply - how? How could my son, daughter, father, sister, or brother become a liar, a thief, someone who cannot be trusted? How could this happen? And why won't they stop? The truth is, they cannot, they oftentimes need the help of a drug treatment center