“Addictions like alcoholism are fundamentally a behavior,” declares AMHC-a non-profit behavioral health care organization. Alcoholism is best explained as a situation, where you are no more in control of alcohol and it is completely in control of you and your life! “An alcoholic is a man or a woman who suffers from alcoholism – they have a distinct physical desire to consume alcohol beyond their capacity to control it, regardless of all rules of common sense,” states Medical News Today. Alcoholism, not only has devastating physical consequences but frightening psychological repercussions as well! In fact, in many situations, not only are the causes of alcoholism-psychological, but fortunately, so is the ways to cure it!

Psychological Causes of Alcoholism

We often hear about people losing their jobs; or their money in business; or losing a loved one and then –giving in to alcoholism! It is a well recognized fact that, more often than not, people use alcohol as a way to escape stress and cope with emotional problems. “Whether it’s depression, anger, anxiety, boredom, frustration or whatever, very soon heavy drinkers may find that they do not have any ways of coping with emotional problems other than alcohol. Coupled with this is the fact that often, coping with difficult emotions via alcohol does not actually deal with the situation,” states ‘Bright Eye’-an online portal providing help to alcoholics.

Behavioral Patterns of Alcoholism

According to Psychology Today, there are a number of recognizable behavioral conditions by which alcoholism can be identified. “You know a person is abusing alcohol when life at work and at home are seriously disrupted. It’s a chronic disease that hits younger adults more prevalently than older ones,” the website observes. It defines alcoholism, as “a pattern of drinking that results in one or more of the following situations within a 12-month period.” These may range from-“Failure to fulfill major work, school, or home responsibilities; Drinking in situations that are physically dangerous, such as while driving a car or operating machinery; Having recurring alcohol-related legal problems, such as being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or for physically hurting someone while drunk;” and “Continued drinking despite having ongoing relationship problems that are caused or worsened by the drinking,” it states.

The Psychological Impact of Alcoholism

It is worth noting, how intricately intertwined psychology and alcoholism is! It’s like a vicious cycle where- psychological factors not just drive alcoholism; but also, always arise from it! Alcoholism not just destabilizes the body but also wrecks the mind! “Depression is the most common effect of long-term alcohol abuse. Alcohol is a powerful nervous system depressant, that’s why it is so relaxing. However, the depression of the nervous system, and hence the emotions, lasts much longer than the pleasurable effects,” informs ‘Bright Eye.’ A host of other unfavorable behaviors like – irritability; anger; disruptiveness; not being able to comprehend dangerous situations; feeling guilty; aggressive; violent; being argumentative; accident prone; or causing accidents-are also notoriously attributed to alcoholism.

Psychological Factors that Help Overcome Alcoholism

In a situation, where -a raging fire surrounds us-our only hope of coming out alive, sometimes-may be, making a dash through it towards safety! Everyone can make this dash and free themselves from alcoholism! There always exists the risk of success or failure but if you seriously want to free yourself from alcoholism -it is definitely worth trying! So take this try with a positive mental attitude, because only an optimistic and determined attitude can help you overcome alcoholism.

“If someone believes that recovery is not possible, it is highly unlikely they will put forth any effort to quit,” notes the AMHC website. However, even in this situation help is available! “Psychologists have developed techniques to help people change their thoughts and beliefs,” it states. ‘Developmental maturity’- it notes, is the “capacity to align our actions with our beliefs and values,” and this is “what separates mature human beings, from immature ones.”

According to the website, it is the lack of ‘developmental maturity’ that makes individuals prone to alcoholism. “They may be very self-focused and intent on pursuing impulsive desires without regard to the consequences,” it cautions. Here, “Psychotherapy can be considered a form of accelerated development” and “can be very helpful for people who are attempting to recover from alcoholism or other addictions,” it concludes.

About the author : This article was written by Hugh Swift a former alcoholic and a self-development expert, who runs workshops on how to overcome alcoholism.