Graphic via NIAA.gov

[For those seeking help with a substance use problem, Dial Help, located in Houghton, can be reached at (906) 482-9077, for free, confidential assistance, or visit https://dialhelp.org/resources for resources for support.]

For those wanting help with a drinking problem, stigma surrounding substance use disorder, regardless of the severity of the condition, can reduce the willingness of individuals to seek help, states the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH).

An NIH fact sheet, Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder states that alcohol use disorder (AUD) is now considered a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences.

Considered a brain disorder, AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe and encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism, states the fact sheet. Yet, stigma surrounding the condition still persists, despite increasing efforts to clarify what AUD is and is not.

As stated by drugrehab.com, in the past, addiction was misunderstood because it is a disease that many people exposed to alcohol do not develop. People assumed that those with alcohol use disorders chose to keep drinking. In order to assess and evaluate whether a person has AUD, it is important to understand that getting help and recovery is more important than other people’s perceptions and biases. AUD is not a choice; it is a disorder.

“Today, we know that alcohol causes serious changes in the brain that prevent a person from making rational decisions regarding alcohol use,” states the rehab site. “We know that it’s a chronic disease that’s associated with alcohol relapse.”

The NIH fact sheet states that healthcare professionals use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), to assess whether a person has AUD and to determine the severity if the disorder is present. Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms–mild (2-3 criteria), moderate (4-5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria).

A healthcare provider might ask the following questions to assess a person’s symptoms.

In the past year, have you:

• Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer, than you intended?

• More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but could not?

• Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over other after-effects?

• Wanted a drink so badly you could not think of anything else?

• Found that drinking–or being sick from drinking–often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?

• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?

• Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink?

• More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unprotected sex)?

• Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout?

• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?

• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart, or a seizure? Or sensed things that were not there?

Any of these symptoms may be cause for concern, the fact sheet cautions. The more symptoms, the more urgent the need for change.

The website states that anyone wanting to explore whether he or she might have AUD, please visit the Rethinking Drinking website. To learn more about the possibility of having AUD, visit the Rethinking Drinking website at https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/?_gl=1*rwddr0*_ga*MTkzNDYzODIuMTY3NTE5NjE4OQ..*_ga_E2D8B2PVE9*MTY4MTE1Mjk0Ni41LjEuMTY4MTE1MzIxMS4wLjAuMA.

– To increase understanding of AUD as a brain disease, visit the drug rehab site at https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/alcohol/rehab/