Alcohol Addiction

Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a sedative-hypnotic drug that acts on the human brain like other sedative-hypnotic drugs such as the barbiturates and benzodiazepine tranquilizers (Valium, Xanax, Ativan &etc.). All of these drugs can substitute for one another and prevent withdrawal symptoms from each other. Thus benzodiazepine tranquilizers are commonly used briefly to treat severe alcohol withdrawal.

Ethyl alcohol, like other sedative-hypnotic drugs in its class, can cause physical dependence in anyone who consumes enough of it for a sufficient period of time. The withdrawal syndrome from ethyl alcohol is identical to that for other drugs in the same class such as Valium, Librium, Xanax, Ativan, phenobarbital and other barbiturates (Nembutal, Seconal, Amytal &etc.). Individuals who have been regularly exposed to any of these drugs may develop the following physical symptoms upon abrupt discontinuation or drastic reduction of dosage:

• Anxiety, restlessness, irritability and insomnia
• Elevated blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respiration
• Confusion, hypervigilance and disorientation
• Visual and auditory hallucinations, acute psychotic behavior
• Grand mal seizures
• Infrequently, sudden death

Physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms from sedative-hypnotic drugs such as alcohol will develop in anyone exposed to the drug long enough, regularly enough and in a sufficient dosage if intake is suddenly curtailed

Physical dependence is not addiction.

Addiction refers to a complex behavioral syndrome including abnormal importance of the drug or activity;  use of the drug or activity to an extreme and often harmful degree;  continued use or activity despite negative consequences; psychological defenses of denial, rationalization, minimization and projection of blame; and personality changes and life disruption as a consequence of use or activity.

Anyone can and will become physically dependent upon sedative-hypnotic drugs under the right circumstances of dose, duration and discontinuation. Only a small minority of psychologically and physiologically predisposed individuals will become addicted in the sense just described. Physical dependence is easily dealt with by a gradual reduction of dosage which avoids withdrawal symptoms; individuals manifesting the behavioral syndrome of addiction instead or decreasing escalate their drug or alcohol use, disregard medical advice, and consume quantities of their preferred substance far in excess of normal, conventional or even safe amounts, often indulging at times or in places that non-addicts would never think of doing. An addict is someone for whom a particular substance or activity has become harmfully important and who manifests rigid, repetitive and stereotypic behavior in pursuit of a substance or activity or both despite clear indications that he is harming himself and often others by doing so.

By: Heather Colman