Psychlogical Effects of Alcohol Abuse

When alcohol is abused it often causes serious mental and physical side effects, even death. Because alcohol is a psychoactive drug, it affects the brain, causing psychological problems under the right circumstances. The psychological effects of alcohol abuse may appear when using the substance, from prolonged abuse or from withdrawals.

Memory Loss

• Alcohol has the ability to affect users' memories in at least two ways. Excessive alcohol use can result in blackouts. Blackouts occur when people temporarily lose the ability to form long-term memories. The brain stops converting short term memory to long-term memory. This results in periods of conscious time that cannot be accounted for by the user.

  People do not have to blackout from alcohol use for it to affect their short term to long-term memory conversion. Pieces of memories formed while under the influence of alcohol may not become long-term memories, in contrast to whole periods of memories disappearing, as in blackouts.

Depression

• No other psychiatric condition is more prominent among alcoholics than depression. Short term and prolonged alcohol abuse can exacerbate or cause depression. Chronic alcohol use can also make people seem depressed. Some of the side effects of alcohol, such as lack of interest and poor appetite, are also symptoms of depression. People who are depressed may even "self medicate," or treat themselves with alcohol to relieve symptoms, making matters worse.

Hallucinations

• People who are chronic alcohol abusers go through withdrawals when they suddenly stop using alcohol. Hallucinations are one of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawals. People going through alcohol withdrawals may see or hear things that are not there. These hallucinations may be disturbing and may be accompanied by physical symptoms, such as seizures.

Delirium Tremens

• Delirium tremens is extreme alcohol withdrawal with marked changes in mental function. People who suffer from delirium tremens during alcohol withdrawal may experience depression, sudden mood swings, hallucinations, anxiety and intense mental confusion. Medical professionals consider this form of alcohol withdrawal an emergency and it typically results in hospitalization.

Mood Swings

• People who abuse alcohol are prone to irrational mood swings. They may have sudden and intense bursts of anger. They may even be violent. The other side to this psychological effect of alcohol abuse is sudden sadness or happiness. Some liken the mood swings of alcoholics to the mood swings of people with bipolar disorder. They can be extremely happy one moment and angry or sad the next.