Many people make the mistake of assuming that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are interchangeable, or that they mean the same thing, which simply isn’t the case. What is the difference between alcohol abuse and addiction, and if you have a problem with alcohol, how do you find out where you fall?
The best step is to talk with someone who specializes in offering help for alcohol addiction. An experienced therapist will be able to offer you the information you’re looking for. Still, let’s dive a little deeper into this subject and explore the difference between the two.
Alcohol Abuse and Addiction Explained
To put it simply, alcohol abuse can be defined as drinking too much, too often. However, alcohol addiction is defined as drinking too much, too often and being unable to stop. Most instances of alcohol addiction begin with alcohol abuse, although this is not the case in every situation.
For many people, before an addiction to alcohol takes hold, they will use alcohol as a way to escape from something. It might be pain from abuse that occurred in their past, or it might be something as trivial as having a bad day at work that day. For a short time, the feelings that person experiences seem to make everything better. However, it isn’t long before the pain comes back. When it does, it’s common for people to drink alcohol again.
For some people, this type of behavior doesn’t turn into a full-blown addiction. Maybe the situation resolves itself, or the drinking is stopped before it gets out of hand. Other people learn to lean on the effects of drinking alcohol, and it isn’t long before they don’t feel as though they can face life without drinking.
How to Cure Alcohol Addiction
Perhaps when you read the above scenario, you saw yourself when I mentioned the patterns of behavior that go along with alcohol addiction. If that’s the case, you’re probably feeling like you’re a slave to the addicted behavior. It feels like you need alcohol just to feel normal during the course of your day, and you’ve lost the ability to know what it’s like to live without it. This is very common for those in your situation, but please be assured that help for alcohol addiction is available to you.
In order to break free from your addiction, it’s important for you to realize you have a problem, and you need to recognize the differences between abuse and addiction. With the right kind of help for alcohol addiction, you can experience the freedom you so desperately want, but only you can take the first step.
As an addictions therapist in Toronto, I’ve helped many people who, at first, thought they were just dealing with alcohol abuse. They didn’t realize they were addicted, and they needed the right kind of professional tools and support to begin their recovery. If you’re realizing you’re addicted to alcohol, help is available for you
I offer a free telephone consultation to all of my potential clients. That gives you the opportunity to discuss your situation with me. For many people, making that phone call has been the best decision they could have ever made. I’m confident that you’ll feel the same way. If you’d like to make an appointment for your consultation, please contact me today.
Alcohol addiction has a way of tricking your mind into thinking you don’t need to stop drinking. Together, we can break those thought patterns so you can be free.
