How Long Does It Take To Get Addicted to Alcohol
Information about the dangers of heroin and crack cocaine often include warnings that you can become addicted to these drugs after using them just a few times. What’s the addiction timeline for someone who prefers beer, wine, or spirits? How long does it take to get addicted to alcohol?
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction or have concerns about the risks of mixing medications and alcohol, help is available. Call us today or visit our admissions page now to take the first step towards healing.
What Causes Alcohol Addiction?
In addition to knowing how long does it take to get addicted to alcohol, it can also be valuable to understand why alcohol is addictive and why some people are more likely than others to develop alcoholism.
Alcohol addiction results from a combination of causes, including the way the drug interacts with your body, your physical and mental health, family influences, and behavior patterns.
Alcohol’s Effects
Alcohol affects the production and distribution of several neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, throughout your central nervous system. Over time, frequent heavy drinking lead to both functional and structural changes in your brain.
Two neurotransmitters that are impacted by alcohol are dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA):
- Alcohol causes elevated levels of dopamine, which is involved with learning, motivation, memory, and mood. This boost in dopamine causes you to associate alcohol with happiness, which in turn can make you want to drink more.
- Alcohol also artificially increases the available amount of GABA, which is the body’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. GABA slows the dissemination of messages through the central nervous system, which has a calming effect on the body and mind.
The continued presence of alcohol in your system can disrupt your body’s ability to produce dopamine and GABA. If you abruptly quit drinking, you may experience a precipitous drop in these vital chemicals, which can lead to effects such as low mood, anxiety, agitation, and restlessness.
Risk Factors
Personal factors that can increase your risk of getting addicted to alcohol include:
- Staring to drink at a young age
- Family history of alcohol abuse and addiction
- Prior use of other addictive drugs
- Having anxiety, depression, or certain other mental health disorders
- Personal history of untreated trauma
- Growing up in a culture that encourages alcohol use
- Genetic variations and differences in metabolism
How Long Does it Take to Get Addicted to Alcohol?
There’s no single correct answer to the question, how long does it take to get addicted to alcohol?
For some people, addiction can begin to take hold in a few months, while for others it can take years. Also, as noted in the previous section, some people are able to consume alcohol on a regular basis without ever becoming addicted.
The timeline for how long it takes to get addicted to alcohol can be influenced by factors such as:
- Having some or several of the risk factors listed in the previous section
- The amount and frequency of your alcohol use
- Regularly engaging in binge drinking, which is defined as five or more drinks by an adult male or four or more drinks by an adult female within about two hours
- Polysubstance abuse, which refers to abusing multiple drugs at the same time
- History of addiction to other substances
What Are the Signs of Alcohol Addiction?
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes 11 criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder, which is the clinical term for addiction.
A person only needs to meet two of these criteria within a 12-month period to be accurately diagnosed with alcoholism:
- Craving alcohol
- Wanting to quit drinking and trying to stop, but being unable to do so
- Devoting significant amounts of time to using alcohol and recovering from its effects
- Frequently drinking more (or for a longer period of time) than intended
- Continuing to drink after having social or interpersonal problems due to prior alcohol use
- Continuing to drink after incurring physical or psychological damage as a result of prior drinking
- Drinking in circumstances where it is clearly hazardous to do so, such as when driving or when also using other substances
- Ending or limiting your participation in important activities because of alcohol use
- Failing to meet personal, academic, or work-related responsibilities due to alcohol use
- Developing tolerance, which means needing to use more alcohol to achieve the desired effects
- Experiencing physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit drinking
The DSM-5 uses the specifier mild alcohol use disorder to describe people who have two or three of the symptoms listed above.
The presence of four or five symptoms qualifies as moderate alcohol use disorder, while someone with six or more symptoms would be diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder.
How Is Alcohol Addiction Treated?
Effective treatment for alcohol addiction can involve a variety of therapies and support services, including both medical and therapeutic interventions. It may also occur in several environments, such as detox programs, residential treatment centers, and outpatient facilities.
Detox
Alcohol withdrawal is a decidedly unpleasant experience that, in some cases, can actually be life-threatening. To get through this process safely and as comfortably as possible, you may want to begin treatment in a detox program.
While you’re in detox, you will be cared for by professionals who can provide both medical and therapeutic support to protect your health and help you manage your symptoms.
Once you’ve successfully completed withdrawal, you can transfer into a residential or outpatient rehab program to build a foundation for successful, long-term recovery.
Rehab
Rehab is a general term that can encompass several programs, including:
- Residential treatment
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
- Outpatient program (OP)
Some people start at the residential level, then spend time in one or more outpatient programs for continued support. Others enter and exit treatment at the same level. There’s no “right” or “wrong” progression – all that matters is finding the programs and therapies that are best for you.
Depending on your needs and the parameters of the program you’re in, your treatment for alcohol addiction may include elements such as:
- Individual, group, and family therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Holistic therapies
- Trauma-informed services
- Relapse prevention education
- Skills development sessions
Aftercare
Detox can address some of the physical challenges ending your alcohol use. Residential and outpatient programming can help you make the behavioral changes that will support your continued recovery. But the effort doesn’t end when you transition out of treatment.
As you work to make continued progress in your recovery, various aftercare services may be valuable to you. These can include 12-Step groups, other forms of peer support, alumni groups, and outpatient therapy.
Learn More About Treatment for Alcohol Addiction in the San Francisco Bay Area
Live Oaks Wellness is a trusted provider of personalized detox and residential treatment for adults who have become addicted to alcohol and other drugs. We also provide dual diagnosis services for patients whose struggles with chemical dependency are accompanied by anxiety, depression, or other co-occurring mental health concerns.
Our alcohol rehab in the San Francisco Bay area is a safe and welcoming place where you can take significant strides toward a much healthier and more hopeful future in recovery. For details about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
