How addictive is alcohol? Alcohol addiction affects millions of men and women in the U.S. each year and creates powerful cravings that make it nearly impossible to stop without professional support. While there is no cure for alcohol use disorder, treatment can give people the skills and confidence to break their addiction.
Gulf Breeze Recovery is a fully accredited addiction treatment facility that supports the recovery of anyone who wants to stop drinking. Our therapists develop a trusting relationship with each patient. Together, they uncover addiction’s root causes and develop supportive coping skills that promote a healthy and sober lifestyle.
Learn more about our alcohol addiction treatment in Florida by calling 833.551.2304 today to speak with our compassionate team.
What Is Alcohol Addiction?
Alcohol addiction is a mental health issue that creates a physical dependence on alcohol and psychological cravings. These cravings are so strong that even if a person is at risk of serious harm, they cannot stop drinking.
When you consume alcohol, the chemicals bind with cell receptors in your body and signal a massive dopamine release. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that creates feelings of pleasure, memory retention, muscle control, and other vital functions. Your body can never produce the same feelings without more alcohol; the more you drink, the more your body will crave the euphoric state of intoxication.
Alcohol addiction can cause several painful and potentially deadly withdrawal symptoms that include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Muscle aches and pains
- Insomnia/hypersomnia
- Profuse sweating
- Rapid heart rate
- High blood pressure
- Agitation
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is a potentially fatal symptom of severe alcohol use disorder and requires medication to reduce the risk of death.
How Addictive is Alcohol?
Alcohol is an addictive substance consumed by 63% of men and women over 18 in the U.S.1 That’s roughly 210 million people, and around 10% struggle to control their drinking.
How addictive is alcohol? According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics,2 here is a breakdown of the addictive nature of alcohol:
- 140,557 Americans die from alcohol use disorders every year.
- Worldwide statistics show up to three million people die yearly from alcohol addiction.
- One in ten Americans over 12 have an alcohol use disorder.
- Men are more likely to abuse alcohol than women and three times as likely to die from alcohol abuse.
- 24% of people 18 and older report participating in binge drinking.
- 385 people die from alcohol use disorder every day in the U.S.
- Alcohol is responsible for 13.5% of deaths for men and women between 20 to 39 years of age.
- Due to excessive drinking, U.S. adults lose over 3.59 million years of potential life.
- 6.7% of all adults will develop an alcohol use disorder.
Alcohol addiction is treatable through a combined effort of behavioral therapies and medical support. Those who complete their treatment program and continue developing their coping skills will easily resist future temptations when they arise.
Join Gulf Breeze Recovery for Our Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Florida
At Gulf Breeze Recovery, we support people from all walks of life struggling with alcohol use disorder and ready to make a lifestyle change. When you arrive at our facility, we will run a full health assessment to determine the best course of action to treat all aspects of addiction. Treatment programs include group and private therapy sessions where you will talk about the reasons behind substance use and learn new ways of coping with symptoms and triggers.
For more information on how addictive alcohol is and how to recover, call 833.551.2304 or complete our online form today to schedule a tour and meet our team.
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