10 Most Damaging Myths About Alcoholism Alcohol Recovery Blog
Drinking too much of any alcohol too quickly can make you sick, whether it’s wine, beer, or liquor. Instead, caffeine masks the sedative effects of alcohol that often cue people to stop drinking. As a result, people are tricked into thinking they have more energy than they actually do. This can lead them to continue drinking when they otherwise might call it a night. And while each may stem from a kernel of truth (or at least logic), they’re not exactly rules to live by.
Health Categories to Explore
There is no recommended number of times that someone should jump out of a plane. It’s fun for some people, but there is no medical reason to do it or health benefit from it. This is because while it may feel like you’re taking the edge off your hangover and nausea by downing more drinks, doing this will only prolong your recovery process. All you’re doing is adding more toxins to your body that’s already working overtime to clean out the alcohol you’ve already consumed.
When You’re Ready, Treatment for Alcoholism is Available
- Scientists and addiction professionals agree that alcoholism needs to be treated just like other health conditions such as asthma or high blood pressure.
- Heavy drinking and alcoholism are characterized by how much a person drinks not when they drink.
- But dealing with those feelings and tackling the “why” of your alcoholism is the only way to get on a healthy recovery path.
- People with long-term (chronic) pain sometimes use alcohol to help manage pain.
- The U.S. National Park Service recorded nearly 200 fatal incidents in 2023 at national parks, drawing on information from its mortality dataset released this April.
In addition to affecting the liver, alcohol affects the brain, the heart, and both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Drinking tends to produce higher blood alcohol concentrations in women than men because of a difference in body weight and composition. In other words, when you’re dealing with harsh conditions, don’t depend on a drink to keep you toasty. Repeated alcohol use seriously disturbs sleep and makes it difficult to re-establish a normal sleep pattern.
“Willpower Alone Can Stop An Addiction”
Alcoholism and addiction are more complex and complicated than simply what a person drinks. Regardless of the drink, excessive drinking will have consequences and effects on a person’s life. Not to mention the domino effect of drinking more and more while potentially mixing alcohol with other drugs.
- This goes for beer, wine, rum, whiskey, gold tequila, and pretty much any drink with a darkish hue.
- There are purported benefits, as well as pitfalls, to consuming alcohol.
- If a recent doctor’s appointment told you that your liver is in good shape, don’t think that’s a free excuse to drink heavily.
- If you’re aware of the risks, you’re generally fine to drink alcohol in moderation.
Those who maintain that they can hold their liquor, meaning that they can drink larger amounts with fewer apparent effects, may drink in excess to feel intoxicated. A higher tolerance for alcohol does not mean the body is impervious to the effect of alcohol; it means that drinkers should be more cautious. If you can hold your liquor, that might indicate that you’ve developed a tolerance to alcohol, which might indicate that you’re drinking too much.
You do not need to drink every day to have a problem with alcohol. Heavy drinking is defined by how much alcohol you have in a day or in a week. Being able to have a few drinks without feeling any effects may seem like a good thing. In fact, if you need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol to feel an effect, it could be a sign you have a problem with alcohol. You don’t necessarily need to be drunk for alcohol to affect your decision making abilities. And when your ability to make decisions is impaired, you’re no longer in control.
Over a long period of time, alcoholism can progress until a person is physically dependent on alcohol. Unfortunately, because of the social stigma surrounding alcoholism, many individuals go undiagnosed and continue to struggle. This stigma also feeds into the myths that we will discuss below.
Top 10 Common Myths About Alcoholism Debunked
A common myth around teens and young adults is that it’s more responsible to give minors alcoholic drinks with adult supervision. This myth is based on the idea that kids will drink anyway, so they might as well be in the presence of a responsible adult. Alcohol use disorder is a complex medical condition affecting the brain. It involves an inability to control your alcohol myths about alcoholism consumption, regardless of its negative effect on your life or health. Researchers cited studies that suggested that people lost the same amount of lean muscle mass regardless of whether they were fasting or following another diet. For instance, a 2022 meta-analysis of randomized trials compared people who restricted calories each day and those using intermittent fasting.
Myth #1: I Do Not Have a Problem Because I Can Hold My Liquor
Taking acetaminophen with alcohol, for instance, increases your risk of liver failure. Research from 2017 also suggests that kids who were allowed to drink alcohol with adults were more likely to engage in risky drinking in their teens. You may have heard myths about alcohol and alcohol use disorder presented as facts.