In this series of articles for The Euro Weekly News, I look at addictions and people's relationship with their drug from a psychological, social and familial level. This is a personal perspective, informed by clinical work and some current published articles. I would be very pleased to hear your thoughts and experiences on the subject. If it impacts you or your family, there are lots of sources of help available, and addiction is one of those illnesses difficult to resolve alone - you just have to be ready to start looking for them.
I want to talk about our relationship with alcohol and the problem it can come to represent for many of us at individual, familial and societal levels. I will look at how the impact of its use can vary from merely a pleasant experience, to one which is disastrous and destructive; how it works at a physiological and psychological level; why this can happen; and some ideas on how addictive use can be approached.
This article continues to look at our relationship with alcohol and the problem it can come to represent for many of us at individual, familial and societal levels. It builds on part 1, published in The Euro Weekly News issue 1147. Today I want to look at how alcohol (and other addictive substances) works at a physiological and psychological level and how use can move from a gentle, positive experience into one which can be hugely destructive.
This third article in the series for The Euro Weekly News continues our look at our relationship with alcohol and the problem it can become when healthy and appropriate use moves towards problematic use and addiction.