April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This is a disease that is not pinpointed by factors like sex, race, genetics, or socioeconomics as a single case but behavioral, psychological and genetic factors can contribute to having this disease. Alcoholism changes the neurochemistry and brain, which is why a person with this addiction may not be able in control of their actions. The severity of alcohol addiction varies from person to person. There are some people that drink heavily all day and there are others that will stay sober for a while the binge drink.

There are many different factors that can increase the risk of a person turning to alcohol and eventually developing a dependency on alcohol. They can range from:

Relieving Stress: As a sedative and depressant, alcohol produces feelings of pleasure but this can also build a tolerance requiring the need to consume more alcohol for the same amount of pleasure.

Trauma: Some people treat unresolved trauma through excessive drinking.

Lack of Connection: Some people feel alcohol will make it easier to forge new bonds or feel the void of feeling inadequately connected to others.

Coping with Loss: Depending on alcohol some people feel that it can help ease their grief in difficult times but even if it’s temporary it can spiral into a drinking problem.

Some of the more common warning signs of alcoholism include: not being able to control their alcohol consumption; spending a lot of money on alcohol; craving to drink alcohol even when the person is not drinking; having the need to keep drinking more; personal responsibilities being ignored to drink alcohol more; and acting differently after drinking.One of the biggest decisions someone with an alcohol addiction will face is deciding to seek help. The 3 phrases Alcohol treatment is broken into detoxification (this should be completed by professionals), rehabilitation (this can be either inpatient rehab or outpatient rehab), and maintenance (this could include counseling, support groups, or recovery resources).