It’s Not About “Willpower”: The Science of Alcohol Addiction

By now, you have resolved to stop drinking countless times. You know how much it hurts your loved ones when you drink. You know that it impacts your job performance. You know that your life is at risk due to your drinking. Yet every time you say, “this is my last drink,” you inevitably seem to drink again.

It’s not about willpower. It’s not a moral failing. Despite how much you may beat yourself up, your alcohol addiction has a legitimate, biological basis. The good news is, because we have a scientific and medical understanding of alcoholism, we have medical tools which can help you go sober forever.

Why Alcohol is Addictive

Alcohol acts as a depressant on the nervous system, which means that when you consume alcohol, you reduce brain activity. The most significant activity inhibition when it comes to alcohol use is with an increase in signaling from a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

GABA is the main neurotransmitter involved in facilitating communication between brain cells. It plays a central role in either activating or inhibiting certain signals between brain cells. This is why drugs, such as sedatives and muscle relaxants, target GABA to increase its inhibitory signaling. This is also why, when you drink, you may slur your words, have trouble walking in a straight line, and have difficulty remembering what you did while drunk.

The main inhibitory neuroreceptor that responds to GABA is called gamma-aminobutyric acid-a (GABAA). GABAA is responsible for controlling the amount of dopamine in the brain.

You are likely already familiar with dopamine. Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters, and it regulates many functions in the brain, including movement, learning, attention, and emotional response. Dopamine also plays an essential role in the reward system of the brain. Because it creates feelings of pleasure, when you do something you enjoy, dopamine is released in the brain.

For casual drinkers, alcohol promotes the release of dopamine, they feel good temporarily, and then the impact of alcohol on the GABAA neuroreceptors goes away. However, for heavy drinkers, the GABAA neuroreceptors become impacted. Your brain has to work twice as hard to produce dopamine, and only drinking more alcohol helps. This means in order to even feel “normal,” people with alcohol use disorder need increasing amounts of alcohol, which is why you see an increased tolerance over time.

The Phases of Alcohol Addiction

While the progression of alcohol use disorder may look different, you may be able to recognize the following phases:

  • Pre-alcohol symptomatic phase. This begins as occasional drinking in social situations, but may transition into feeling a “need” to drink to relax. Over time, this may cause you to drink more frequently and at a higher rate. The signs of tolerance begin to develop, even in this early stage.
  • Prodromal phase. This is when you begin to feel preoccupied by alcohol. You may forget what happened when you were drinking or “blackout” often. This is also when you may begin to feel ashamed or guilty about your alcohol consumption.
  • Crucial phase. This is when drinking starts to feel “out of control.” You start to have problems at work and in your relationships due to drinking. You may attempt to cut back but be unable to. You start to feel intense cravings for alcohol, and may have symptoms of withdrawal when you do attempt to stop.
  • Chronic phase. This is when binge drinking extends over prolonged periods of time — you’re drinking more than you’re sober. This is when your body and mind begin to decline. It’s also at this point when it becomes difficult to maintain a job, relationships suffer, and maintaining a daily routine is nearly impossible.

How Our Alcohol Treatment Center in Denver Can Help

At Go Sober, we understand what it’s like. You have all the motivation to quit, but your brain chemistry prevents you from doing so. This is why we use medically proven treatments, including FDA-approved medication and physician support, to help you overcome alcohol use disorder and go sober forever.

If you’re ready to shed the influence of alcohol from your life, we’re here to help. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with an alcohol addiction specialist.

Sources

Harvard Health Publishing

National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Mayo Clinic

More From This Category

Fun Things To Do This Weekend That Don’t Involve Alcohol

Weekends are the perfect time to unwind and have fun after a long week of work or school. However, many people associate fun activities with drinking alcohol. While there's nothing wrong with having a drink or two, it's important to remember that there are plenty of...

The Life-Threatening Dangers of Alcohol

From the years of 1999 to 2017, there have been almost one million people who have died from alcohol-related incidents or causes. This statement is shocking and may even cause you to take a step back and evaluate your own choices when it comes to alcohol. There have...

Life Gets Better When You’re Sober

It can seem impossible to imagine a life without alcohol when you’ve been living in a life where alcohol is at the center of your world. You’ve said it so many times before, “This is my last drink”, but sadly that is not usually the case. If you’ve been looking for an...

What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Drinking?

Alcohol has negatively impacted your life in so many ways that you’re finally ready to go sober. You may be prepared to live a healthier lifestyle, you may be wondering what to expect when you finally do put down the bottle. Here are some things you can expect to...

The Brain and Addiction

The term “addiction”is derived from the Latin term meaning “enslaved by” or “bound to”. It is not a character or personality flaw that occurs in people, which is how it was traditionally seen as and still can be seen as that. However, we need to look at addiction as a...

How Can I Stop Drinking?

When you’re addicted to alcohol, you feel hopeless. You want to quit drinking but it seems impossible. You have tried to stop before, but inevitably, you end up picking up the bottle again. This can make you feel like a complete failure. The truth is, it isn’t your...

New Year, Better You

While we’re already a few weeks into the new year of 2020 and you may have skipped out on your resolution to hit the gym more, keep your resolution of living a sober life with Go Sober. Many times, people don’t end up following through with their new year's...

Spending The Holiday Season Sober

‘Tis the season of holiday cheer, but for those of you living a sober lifestyle, the holidays can be a time where you’re constantly surrounded by alcohol. Holiday culture tends to have a strong emphasis on alcohol and drinking. From the spiked eggnog to the hot...

What Makes Go Sober Different: Words We Don’t Like To Use

Go Sober is unlike any other alcohol treatment program you’ve ever seen before. Due to our unique setup, we’ve become highly successful at helping people say goodbye to alcohol forever. Here at Go Sober, we’re changing the game when it comes to alcohol treatment,...

What Do They Mean When They Call Alcohol a Depressant?

Alcohol is the most widely used and consumed drug in the entire world. Alcohol is all around us, and many times our society conditions us to view alcohol as a fun party boosting activity. Unfortunately, alcohol consumption can become excessive and eventually lead...

0 Comments

0 Comments

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Gene therapy successfully curbs alcoholism in study - Thred Website - […] particularly ethanol which is found in most alcoholic beverages is known to inhibit brain function. When these beverages are…