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by neonihil
1339 days ago
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Alcohol is a slow killer. Physical addiction takes about 10 years to form. First, it's barely noticeable. People think it's age, and "after 30 hangover lasts for 2 days". But that is not actually being hang over. It is the symptom of alcohol withdrawal. Mild one at first, but more severe as physical addiction settles in. Drinking 3-4 days a week seems like "okay". However, it basically means drinking whenever withdrawal symptoms kick in. This is creating a feedback loop, that is very hard to notice, because it is mild, and also socially accepted. If you really want to know how addicted you are, stop drinking completely for a week. If you find yourself unable to sleep, or sweating all over the place, or having weird stomach or muscle pain, or have unexpected mood swings: you already have a physical addiction to alcohol. |
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> "Alcohol exerts numerous pharmacological effects through its interaction with various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Among the latter, the endogenous opioids play a key role in the rewarding (addictive) properties of ethanol."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9040115/
Hence, being addicted to alcohol is comparable to being addicted to opiates (to some degree) and that seems to explain why withdrawal symptoms are fairly similar.
Psychologically, I think it helps one quit if you think of alcohol as comparable to laudanum use and old-school opium addiction. Junkie or alcoholic, it's not that great of a life.