What Causes Alcohol Addiction: How Alcohol Use Disorder Forms
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic condition that can impact any person at any age and from any lifestyle, demographics, or past. Not everyone who drinks alcoholic beverages builds an addiction and dependency. And, for many, alcohol is just a social activity. That is, until it is not.
For those who drink alcohol consistently or binge drink, the risk of developing a dependency on the substance is much higher than for those who have an occasional beverage or two. But why does it form? Why are you one of the 28.9 million people over the age of 12 in the US that has an AUD?
What Is Alcohol Use Disorder?
Alcohol use disorder, formerly known as alcoholism, is a chronic medical condition that causes impaired ability to stop or control the consumption of alcohol despite adverse consequences of continued use, including on relationships, work, and health. AUD is a brain disorder that can range from mild to severe.
Over time, the continued use of alcohol leads to physical changes in the brain, changes that make it challenging for someone to stop using alcohol even if they desire to do so.
Who Is More Likely to Suffer Alcohol Use Disorder?
Some people may be more prone to developing AUD than others, including those who:
- Drink at a young age are more prone to suffer from an AUD than those who wait until they are over 21 due to the brain’s continued development during this time
- Have a genetic makeup that makes them prone to dependency, with heritability accounting for as much as 60% of all causes, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Suffer a mental health condition, including a history of trauma, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or depression
Other factors, including consistent alcohol consumption, heavy alcohol use, and binge drinking, contribute to the development of AUD.
What Happens in the Brain to Cause Alcohol Use Disorder?
Alcohol impacts the function of the brain like many other drugs by creating a pleasurable feeling and stopping negative thoughts and emotions. This leads to a continued desire to seek out those feelings, increasing the frequency of need for alcohol until it becomes the focus of daily life. Consider the following process of AUD development in most people:
Binge drinking and Intoxication Stage
During this initial stage, the brain learns that alcohol can create a sense of euphoria, reduce anxiety, and ease interactions. This activates the basal ganglia’s reward system in the brain, which makes it more likely that you’ll continue to want to use substances.
Repeated triggering of this part of the brain changes the way a person responds to various situations, such as being around various people or going to various places, increasing the urge to want a drink when around those situations. This leads to habit formation, and ultimately, a person compulsively seeks out alcohol.
Negative Impact and Withdrawal
A person who tries to stop drinking alcohol at this point experiences withdrawal symptoms, including intense irritability, trouble sleeping, and pain. They feel bad and have intensely negative feelings, which the brain attributes to withdrawal. As a result, the brain seeks out alcohol even more aggressively to quell those intense negative feelings. This occurs as the brain’s stress system, located in the extended amygdala, activates.
A person in this stage is not drinking for pleasure. They are drinking to get away from the pain and intensely negative feelings they have when they do not drink.
Preoccupation and Anticipation
In this stage, a person seeks alcohol after they have tried to stop using it for a period of time. They become preoccupied and even more intensely obsessed with it due to the brain’s desire to avoid withdrawal. A person may consistently think about another drink and become focused on when and how they will get more alcohol.
In this stage, the prefrontal cortex suffers damage. This area of the brain, which is responsible for executive function, like decision making, suffers damage that can be impactful to relationships, work, and behavior.
Is It Really Possible to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder?
No matter how terrifying it may seem that AUD causes physical changes to the function of the brain, it is possible to heal. The brain is constantly learning and changing – and that’s a good thing. With the right tools and resources, your brain will learn to disassociate alcohol with euphoria and learn how to handle the intense withdrawal symptoms you have.
Let’s Start on the Path to Healing AUD
At Victory Addiction Recovery Center, we treat alcohol use disorder using science-based strategies, holistic treatment, and real-world solutions. We know that your future is on the line, and we aim to give you every resource possible to help you heal. Contact us now to learn more.