What is so Addictive About Alcohol?

Alcohol dependence or addiction can be clinically defined as “a cluster of psychological, behavioral, and cognitive phenomena in which the use of alcohol takes on a much greater priority for a given individual than other behaviors that once had greater value.”  A central theme to alcohol addiction is the strong, overpowering desire to consume alcohol.

The effects of alcohol can be very alluring to many.  Although the effect of alcohol depends on the individual, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the timeframe in which the alcohol is consumed, generally alcohol provides a sense of euphoria, similar to other addictive “highs.”  People who consume alcohol may become more self-confident or daring  & they may become more exciting, exhibiting behavior that they normally would not.  Alcohol acts primarily on the nerve cells within the brain by interfering with the communication between nerve cells and other cells.  This interference suppresses the activities of excitatory nerve pathways and increases the activity of inhibitory nerve pathways.

As with many other addictions, the alcoholic eventually becomes dependent on alcohol in order to live. A person may consume alcohol initially because of the feeling that they get when they do so.  A person who was once a social wallflower, may suddenly find that they are the light of the party.  A person may also drink in order to “heal” something within or may have a drink to forget about their “bad day.”  However, as one drink leads to another, they find that their body has become dependent on the substance in order to live. Any attempt to deprive their body of the alcohol it craves leads to horrible side effects such as depression, anxiety and even possibly, physical symptoms of withdrawal such as a person getting “the shakes.” These withdrawal symptoms make it that much more difficult to quit drinking.

A person becomes an alcoholic as the body’s tolerance to alcohol increases.  As the body becomes more efficient at eliminating high levels of alcohol in the blood, the person finds that they must consume more and more alcohol to achieve the same effect.  This leads to more drinking and contributes to the addiction. What may have started out as an enjoyable, relaxing activity becomes a crutch that an individual needs just to get by. In other words, to an alcoholic, alcohol becomes something that the body needs in order to live, just as we need the air we breathe and food for our stomachs to provide sustenance.

Alcohol addiction is not something to be taken lightly.  Although we know a great deal about the effects alcohol has on the body, we have much more to learn on the topic of why alcohol is so addictive.  For example, why do some people seem to be more prone to alcoholism than others?  Is it their genetic make-up or do some people have a predisposition to alcohol?  As we learn more about this dangerous disease, one thing is for certain, overcoming an addiction to alcohol is no easy task.