Emotional Effects of Alcohol Abuse

Fear, guilt and depression are three emotional effects an alcoholic can experience. but alcoholics don't have to live with these destructive emotions on a daily basis, as alcoholism is a treatable disease. Acknowledging the addiction to a trusted friend or family member is the first step in taking charge of the problem and managing these emotional effects.

Fear

• Alcohol abusers --- alcoholics --- crave a drink so bad that they often can't stop themselves from taking a drink, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcoholics can't curb their alcoholic tendencies, even at great risk to their health and others, as well as putting their career and family situations in jeopardy. This produces fear that their addiction will be found out by family, friends, employers and others. The fear that employers will terminate them for their addiction drives many to hide their problem instead of seeking help for it. Likewise, fear motivates many alcoholics to attempt to keep consequences of their addiction from becoming known by family or friends who might seek to intervene and confront them about their addiction.

Guilt

• Another emotional effect of alcohol abuse is guilt. Alcoholics battle the desire to drink on a regular basis, and when they acquiesce to that desire they often feel guilt. Many alcoholics can't stop drinking once they start, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the consequences of their drinking binges might cost them monetarily, professionally and relationally. Those consequences can produce emotional guilt about the alcoholic's inability to control his own drinking --- and the price others pay for his addiction.

Depression

• Another emotional effect of alcohol abuse is depression. Guilt about the alcoholic's inability to stop drinking in spite of the cost to themselves and their loved ones can drive the alcoholic's depression, but the drug itself is a nervous system depressant, too, according to the University of Mary Washington. This means that if you are an alcoholic, you are going to deal with depression emotionally and physically. That depression, emotionally, can be the result of the following: legal difficulties incurred from drinking and driving, poor choices made while under the influence such as unprotected sexual encounters and loss of job or academic standing from an inability to perform as expected.