Glasses of bourbon make you wonder what type of drug is alcoholIn the United States, anyone above 21 can legally consume alcoholic beverages. Despite the fact that it’s legal, alcohol can have highly destructive effects when using it excessively. Therefore, you might be wondering what type of drug is alcohol in addition to what steps you should take to help someone with a drinking problem.

What Type of Drug Is Alcohol?

To understand what type of drug is alcohol, let’s first identify it as a depressant. As such, it slows down your vital functions, resulting in slower reactions, slurred speech, perceptual difficulties, and motor problems.

In small amounts, alcohol feels relaxing. However, in larger quantities, it leads to the depressive, and the dangerous effects we described above. In extremely high amounts, alcohol overdose causes severe vomiting, unconsciousness, coma, and even death.

Therefore, because alcohol has such a significant effect on a person’s ability to react quickly, driving while under the influence is very dangerous. Ironically, alcohol intoxication leads to lapses in judgment, which explains why so many people mistakenly believe they can drive after drinking excessively. This is just one example of the poor, often life-shattering decisions people dangerously make under alcohol’s influence.

When Social Drinking Becomes Alcoholism

Now that we know what type of drug is alcohol, you may be wondering how to identify a drinking problem. After all, some people can drink socially now and then without ever developing an addiction. Thus, ask yourself the following questions to see if you might have an alcohol problem:

• Do you drink regularly and crave alcohol when you’re unable to obtain your usual amount?
• Do you hide alcohol or lie about how much you drink?
• Is alcohol affecting your finances?
• Have your relationships suffered because of your drinking?
• Do you ever blackout while drinking?
• Are you spending an increasing amount of time craving alcohol and obsessing over your next drink?

If you recognize yourself or a loved one when answering these, it’s very likely there’s a serious drinking problem.

Getting the Compassionate Help You Need

Alcohol addiction is more than physical dependency. Like all addictive behaviors, it has its roots in genetics, family life, psychological makeup, and behavioral responses. To accurately identify a drinking problem, you must piece together the addiction puzzle. Only after doing so can a truly effective treatment plan help.

Fortunately, at Steps To Recovery in Levittown, PA, we walk with you on the difficult and painful journey to self-discovery. Our staff understands addiction because many of us have already been through recovery as well. Thus, our mission is to provide you with the necessary tools for conquering addiction and preventing relapse.

Our Addiction Treatment Methods

When you become one of our clients, expect dignity and respect in a clean, modern environment. The services you receive adhere to your unique needs and diagnoses and include the following elements:

The fact that alcohol is a legal substance makes it much more difficult to resist if you have a drinking problem. Attempting to reach sobriety without help is a recipe for relapse. Therefore, give Steps To Recovery a call today at 267.209.7312 to begin your new, rewarding, sober lifestyle.