Personality Change and Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a disease characterized by alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency. Over 100,000 people die from alcohol-related illnesses each year. Alcoholics go through many different physical and mental changes due to alcohol abuse.

Immediate Changes

• Immediate personality changes due to a large amount of alcohol consumption vary from person to person. Most people tend to feel euphoric after drinking large amounts of alcohol; for others, anger and depression can set in. Intoxication causes decreased motor skills and an inability to think clearly. This can lead to personally changes involving judgment and concentration.

Symptoms

• Personality changes can be used as an indicator of alcoholism. If the person has been drinking, symptoms can include confusion, no longer caring about the way he or she looks, and hostility if confronted about the drinking problem. Episodes of violence while inebriated can also be an indicator of alcoholism.

Central Nervous System

• Increased damage to the central nervous system from alcohol abuse can cause increased anxiety and tension. The central nervous system is needed to consolidate, retrieve, and process information. Alcohol immediately acts as a depressant to the central nervous system, and with long term abuse, it eventually starts to break down.

Withdrawal

• Several personality changes can occur if an alcoholic is going through withdrawal. These changes can include anxiety, confusion, and, in some cases, psychosis. Psychosis is characterized by mental changes such as by mania, depression, confusion, and paranoia.

Depression

• One of the main causes thought to lead to alcohol dependency is depression. Interestingly, new studies have shown that alcohol abuse can enable depression in some people.