Alcohol Use Disorder: Types, Symptoms, Causes, Risks & Treatment

Alcohol use disorder, or AUD, is a common condition. In recent times studies show a growth in this disorder because, for many people, alcohol is a medium to socialise. This starts as casual drinking and then turns into a habit.

AUD has a risk of developing chronic brain disease that can go into remission but not get completely cured. This article will discuss AUD and its causes, symptoms, risks, and management.

Another term for AUD is alcoholism. This chronic medical condition involves a problem with drinking extensive alcohol. Many people think it is caused due to a lack of self-control or discipline, but it is a severe brain disease. In addition, this can be hereditary as well.

Nevertheless, the condition of a patient suffering from this disorder varies as it can be mild, moderate, or severe. Therefore, treatment for alcohol use disorder is possible only if identified at an earlier stage using the correct medication and therapies.

The National Institutes of Health came up with data stating 16 million individuals in the United States have AUD. In addition, recent studies highlighting problematic drinking conclude that there are five types of excessive drinking in alcohol use disorder.

Each of these profiles has unique symptoms, and these are specific to age groups. Before we get into the types, we need a  quick idea about the experiment.

5,402 participants, aged between 18 and 64, participated in this study. Researchers used latent class analysis to understand the profiles of AUD. They collected information on who shared those same symptoms, thus, the five types.

• Alcohol-Induced Injury: 25% of the total participants fall under this category. These people got engaged in certain situations that led to such injury.
• Highly Problematic, Low Perceived Life Interference: 21% of the participants who fall under this type said alcohol consumption did not disrupt their lifestyle. Despite having no side effects, these people had symptoms of alcohol use disorder.
• Adverse Effects Only: 34% of the total stated they experience hangovers and alcohol withdrawal signs.
• Difficulty Cutting Back: 13% of all the people had to struggle to refrain from drinking alcohol.
• Highly Problematic: 7% of the participants reported all the symptoms of AUD.

These are the following signs and symptoms of AUD.

• Feeling irritable and cranky when not drinking
• Blackening out
• Hangovers
• Drinking for a longer time than planned
• Craving for alcohol
• Facing problems at work, relationships, etc.
• Feeling a need for drinking to experience the same effect
• Giving up other activities to drink
• Not able to stop drinking
• Obsessing about alcohol

Withdrawal Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder

When someone with AUD tries to reduce alcohol consumption, they may face certain withdrawal symptoms of alcohol use disorder. For example:

• Nausea
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Racing heart
• Sweating
• Restlessness
• Difficulty in sleeping
• Seizures
• Hallucinations
• Delirium tremens
• Coma
• Death

There is no single cause that leads to this disorder. Instead, as experts suggest, it can be a combination of genetics, any childhood incident, and an attempt to treat emotional pain.

Nonetheless, here are some common causes of alcohol use disorder:

• Started to drink alcohol at an early age and consumption gradually increases with time.
• Inheriting this disorder from genetics.
• Suffering from mental health illnesses and trying to overcome grief, anxiety, depression, eating disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or trauma.

As mentioned in the above section, the root cause of alcohol use disorder is not known. However, some risk factors can aggravate the situation. Check the list of common risk factors below:

• Regular and Binge Drinking: Having more than 12 to 15 drinks per week, binge drinking with more than five drinks daily.
• Previous Mental Health Disorders: Cases of previous mental health illnesses can increase the risk of AUD
• Bariatric Surgery: Researches show that bariatric surgery increases risk of alcohol use disorder and of relapse into the disorder

One could be at greater risk if:

• Addicted at Younger Age: They are a young adult and consuming alcohol as a peer pressure
• Trauma and Stress: Individuals experience an intolerable amount of stress
• Social factors: People living in a family where drinking alcohol is encouraged
• Family History and Genetics: Having a close relative with this condition

A doctor only performs a diagnosis for alcohol use disorder if alcohol consumption interferes with your health. Then, they would ask several questions to understand your condition and prescribe some tests.

Questions you may have to answer are the following:

• Whether you drive when drunk?
• If you have lost a job for your drinking problem?
• Do you experience blackouts often?
• Have you tried avoiding alcohol but could not?

There are multiple ways of treatment for alcohol use disorder. These are broken-down into three major sections.

Medications

• Naltrexone (ReVia): This medicine works on those who have detoxed from alcohol. Drugs like this block certain receptors connected to alcoholic “high”.
• Acamprosate: It helps restore the chemical state of the brain like it was before alcohol dependence.
• Disulfiram (Antabuse): By taking this medicine, one will feel physical discomfort every time they consume alcohol.

Although these are very effective medicines, doctors prescribe counselling along with this medication for better results.

Behavioural Therapies

Talking to a professional psychologist and sharing your thoughts has shown significant results in curing alcohol use disorder. In addition, a mental health counsellor can teach ways to change your behaviour. Cognitive-behavioural, motivational, contingency, and 12-step facilitation are some standard therapies.

Support Groups

You can share your experiences with people undergoing similar conditions in many such groups. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings are mostly free, and anyone going through this phase can join them. Sometimes a psychologist dealing with more than one AUD patient brings them together and forms a support group.

You can consult a doctor if you feel that your alcohol consumption is causing problems in your daily life. Furthermore, if your families show concern about your condition, get help from a professional.

In alcohol use disorder, denial is very common. Therefore, you may not identify when this has become a serious health threat. So, when anyone asks you to check your problem with a professional, listen to them.

If you want to manage and prevent AUD from becoming worse, you can refrain from high-risk drinking.

• Women must not drink more than four drinks in a day and eight drinks in a week.
• Men may consume five drinks but not more than that on a daily basis and not exceed a limit of 15 drinks per week.
• One can always assess one’s drinking level and control the urges.
• One can join programs on preventing alcohol addiction and harm.
• Behavioural Therapy sessions can help a person to identify the triggers, avoid them and fight back to control the urges. This will also help to prevent relapse.

Those who want to cut back on alcohol but do not know how to do it must seek professional help.

Sometimes drinking within an acceptable limit is okay, but there is a minute gap between occasional drinking and making it a habit. Hence, being aware of the risk factors of alcohol use disorder is necessary. If you ever come across someone who seems to be struggling to refrain from alcohol consumption, ask them to visit a counsellor and join a rehabilitation centre at the earliest.