What happens when an alcoholic starts drinking again?

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. It’s characterized by compulsive alcohol-seeking behavior despite the negative consequences it causes.

Regardless of whether an alcoholic has been sober for months or years, relapse can happen at any time. Relapse is when someone who has stopped drinking returns to drinking again, often exhibiting dangerous behaviors and risking their health.

In this article, we’ll explore what happens when an alcoholic starts drinking again with a touch of humor while providing insightful information about its effects on both the individual and their loved ones.

How Does Alcoholism Affect the Body?

Before diving into what happens when an alcoholic starts drinking again let’s first examine how alcoholism affects the body.

Alcoholism impacts both your physical and mental health in various ways. Here are some things to note:

  • Alcohol abuse leads to liver damage: Prolonged use of alcohol can cause significant harm to the liver leading to liver cirrhosis.
  • Cardiovascular system problems: Regular excessive consumption of alcohol increases blood pressure which could lead to heart diseases.
  • Cancer risks elevated : Studies have found that long-term heavy intake raises one’s risk for certain types of cancer like breast cancer
  • Nutritional Deficiencies: Those regularly consuming large quantities tend not get enough protein from food.
    If you were thinking ‘wow’ after reading all these probabilities associated with AUD then wait till you hear what happens if you start drinking instantly!

The Immediate Effects When An Alcoholic Starts Drinking

Even though every individual responds differently after having a drink there are general outcomes that everyone faces instantly — immediately/some short time after they’ve started their abusive habits once more!

Impaired judgement

As much fun as drunkenness appears so does impaired cognitive function which puts anyone in jeopardy. After having your first drink, your impulsive behavior may rise and begin to affect the judgment process.

Poor motor skills

Activities that typically require coordination such as driving or operating machinery are a no-go-zone for most alcoholics. Coordination issue will only escalate once consumption ensues.

Memory loss

Alcohol is infamous for affecting cognition adversely, messes with speech and clouds an individual’s memory making it difficult to recount events from their drunken nights out.

Mood Swings

Regardless of how fancy you were dinnering at the high-end restaurants surrounded by chums when one indulges in excessive drinking mood swings could transpire without warning leading to aggression, belligerence and often inappropriate behavior.

So now you know what dilemma awaits those going back into alcoholic practices after sobriety let’s dig deep to see if it gets better — Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t!

Short- Term Effects Of Relapse

When Alcoholics return to heavy drinking habits there are certainly consequences that come with it be it emotional or physical distress;

Acute Withdrawal Symptoms

Relapse causes severe side effects because, passable alcoholic trace presence disrupts natural physiological operations which have adapted living alcohol-free lives. For example: sweating heavily, tremors merely 8 hours post-first intake might arise accompanied by fluctuations in body temperature.

The symptoms can last up 72 hours depending on severity although according to several medical personnel death due cardiac arrest isn’t rare manifests within ten days following constant consumption.

Acute withdrawal symptom Intensity
Sweating profusely High
Tremors Medium
Fluctuating Body Temperature Low – High

Physical Manifestations

Short-term relapse symptoms like poor balance seem insignificant but continued abuse deteriorates someone’s health over time causing accidents like slips/falls. Those who are experiencing tremors or seizures might experience permanent neurological damage after some time.

Physical Manifestations Description
Poor balance & coordination Weakness while walking / standing is common in most people who abuse alcohol especially when intoxicated.
Seizures Physical fit that could cause reduced contact with consciousness if continued to get frequent tonic-clonic one can have long-term disorders like epilepsy.

Negative impact on relationships

AUD not only affects the person drinking but also everybody close to them be it family, loved ones/colleagues. In most cases, friends and family members are able to recognize patterns of behaviors such as mood swings which often result in social disparities.

Long-Term Effects of Alcoholism

Habitual drinking over a prolonged period results detrimental outcomes which includes mental illnesses, liver cirrhosis and various types of cancer increasing one’s mortality rate.

Increased Risk Of Mental Illness

Alcohol has been known regarding aggravating symptoms for people either with existing mental health issues depression, anxiety suicidal thoughts among few doctors advise removing all alcoholic beverages from the house especially if someone you know particular struggles depressive states.

Liver Cirrhosis

The doctor advises patients receiving a liver diagnosis or showing early signs of injury; minimize dangerous drinking habits definitely avoid starting again after giving up!

Untreated level acetaldehyde accumulation causes severe inflammation raising risk factor chronic liver disease cirrhotic individuals show remarkable progress since switching focus towards sobriety/

Scared yet? If not here's even more bad news...

Increased risks for certain cancers

Studies have shown that consistent excessive intake raises an individual’s risk factors contracting multiple forms cancer — particularly mouth/liver/breast/esophageal tumors. Unfortunately regardless of how impressive SAT scores/intelligence may indicate which doesn’t protect against increased chances contracting one life-threatening diseases.

 Maybe now you can only rely on chances of winning the lottery to brighten your day

Conclusion

Alcoholism is a challenging addiction that significantly affects both mental and physical health, regardless if someone has been trying anything they must maintain sobriety because relapse can happen anytime.

Starting drinking again after deliberate efforts towards minimizing consumption could snowball effect causing an array negative impacts including chronic diseases / odd behaviors lastly increasing mortality rates.

So it’s essential to keep in mind even though abstaining from alcohol maybe difficult at first striving continuously assist/patience needed through support groups/shared experiences/ rehab clinics every step counts aiming for long-term results!

Random Posts