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Alcohol dependence

While there does not appear to be a single cause of alcohol dependence, personality, environment and the addictive nature of alcohol contribute to the development of the illness. It is also thought that genetic factors probably play a part in causing dependence, and any person can become alcoholic if he drinks heavily for a prolonged period. Some symptoms can appear over a period of weeks and months, but alcohol dependency usually occurs over a period of years, sometimes decades. Symptoms fall into two categories which can include any combination of the following:

Physical symptoms

• Bad breath
• Confusion
• Hangovers and headaches
• Flushed appearance or redness in the face
• Forgetfulness and memory lapses
• Incontinence (pissing or shitting yourself)
• Nausea
• Shaking in the morning
• Stomach or tummy cramps
• Unsteadiness
• Vomiting
• Weakness, numbness or tingling in the legs and hands
• Severe shakes, hallucinations, and convulsions may occur after the sudden withdrawal of alcohol which can be life threatening.

Behavioural symptoms

• Secretive drinking, eg: at work
• Aggressive, dramatic, or grandiose behaviour
• Personality changes such as irritability, jealousy, uncontrolled anger, and/ or selfishness
• Lying to yourself and others about giving up
• Changes in drinking pattern, eg: changing from evening to early morning drinking, or changing from beers to spirits
• Neglecting food and nutrition
• Neglecting personal appearance
• Long periods of drunkenness
• Frequent changes of job

Unfortunately, most men who drink too much are either unaware that they have a problem or refuse to admit it. If you or someone close to you is drinking in excess, contact the family doctor or a helpline for advice. It is worth trying to reason with the person when he’s sober.

In severe cases it may be necessary to admit an alcoholic to hospital for a period of detoxification with medication prescribed to control the withdrawal symptoms. Even then, long-term treatment to prevent a return to previous drinking habits is invariably required and can include behavioural therapy and psychotherapy. Occasionally the drug known as Disulfiram is prescribed, which induces unpleasant side-effects when alcohol is taken.