Why does a person drink? Why do people drink?!? Consequences of drinking alcohol

The question of why people drink alcohol is usually associated with an attempt to understand the causes of addiction to drinking alcoholic beverages. Not every person who drinks alcohol becomes an alcoholic. Any medicine that is beneficial in small doses becomes poisonous in large doses. The development and spread of the culture of drinking alcoholic beverages is important, especially in our country, where drinking alcohol is practically a national tradition.

Alcohol drinking culture

The tradition of drinking alcohol goes back a long way. The ancient Romans, Vikings and Egyptians made wine and spirits from fermented grape juice. Drinking alcohol accompanied festive feasts, and intoxicating potions were also used in rituals of communicating with spirits. IN ancient Rus' The most popular alcoholic drinks were intoxicated mead and beer. Since the invention of bread vodka in the mid-15th century, taverns have appeared - establishments intended for drinking alcohol.

Why do people drink alcohol

The answer to the question why people drink alcohol lies in the positive feelings and emotions that alcohol causes when consumed in small doses. Ethanol molecules suppress the activity of neurons in the prefrontal and temporal parts of the cerebral cortex, while increasing the activity of dopamine receptors. As a result, rational thinking weakens and psychological barriers are removed. A person becomes relaxed, sociable, disconnects from stress factors, and experiences a feeling of joy, pleasure, and mild euphoria.

Why do you want to drink

The positive effect, once experienced after moderate consumption of alcohol, is consolidated in the subconscious. Alcohol is perceived as a means to relieve stress, improve mood, and social emancipation. It also has an influence social factor. People who categorically refuse alcoholic beverages, in most cases cause bewilderment and slight hostility among those around them, and with their behavior provoke persuasion to drink a little “for company.”

Reasons for drinking alcohol

In addition to the positive effect, the effect of alcohol on the body causes negative consequences, the main one of which is the risk of developing alcoholism. Alcohol helps cope with stress and difficulties social adaptation, but with regular use it causes depression in some people, which triggers mechanisms of addiction, leading to binge drinking that threatens health and interferes with leading a full life. Becomes topical issue, why do you want to drink alcohol when a person understands that he is prone to alcohol abuse.

Psychological

A number of personality traits, such as lack of self-confidence, increased sensitivity and vulnerability, egocentrism, place their owners at risk of developing alcoholism. Alcohol intoxication at the initial stage makes such people more sociable and relaxed, they feel more confident, and begin to enjoy communication. Presence of psychological difficulties of different nature is a factor answering the question of why a person drinks alcohol.

Social

The role of the influence of the social environment is no less significant. The presence of drinking parents answers the question of why a teenager wants to drink alcohol, who is beginning to grow up and, since childhood, has been watching the adults around him drink strong alcoholic drinks on holidays. A teenager begins to drink because he perceives drinking as an integral part of growing up, but it is forbidden because everyone tells him that drinking is bad.

Physiological

There are biological factors contributing to the development of alcohol dependence. According to statistics, when genetic predisposition(drinking blood relatives) the risk of developing alcoholism is four times higher. The absence or low amount of a number of enzymes necessary for the metabolism of ethanol products leads to the fact that the body is more susceptible to and has low resistance to alcoholic beverages. In combination with a number of personal characteristics, this factor becomes decisive in the formation of a stable dependence on alcohol.

False reasons for drunkenness

Many myths that surround alcohol use can be considered false reasons why people allow themselves to abuse alcohol. For example, some strong drinks affect blood vessels, expanding or narrowing them (depending on the type of alcohol). This factor is beginning to be used to justify drunkenness, citing the healing effect of alcohol for headaches. Regular beer consumption initial stages indicating everyday promiscuity and ignorance, and not dependence.

Why do people start drinking

The question of why some people drink alcohol without becoming dependent on it, while others should never drink alcohol under any circumstances, worries many specialists who study alcohol addiction and are looking for ways to overcome it. The emergence and development of alcoholism in women and men is influenced by a huge number of factors - their biological and personal characteristics, the lifestyle they lead, the social environment in which they find themselves.

There are several stages of alcohol addiction. From stage to stage, the body's resistance to alcohol decreases (there is withdrawal syndrome and the inability to control the dose of drinking), the need for regular drinking increases, up to the loss of all other desires and complete personal degradation. IN severe stages a person suffering from alcoholism needs professional help to combat his disease.

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Why do people drink alcohol? The question is, of course, interesting. Civilization has been familiar with strong drinks for about 6 thousand years, that is, people have been drinking almost always. And today many people are “friends” with alcohol. Each person drinks alcohol differently, some drink a glass of beer every day, some drink a glass of wine in the evening, and some generally start in the morning and finish at a party or just like that.

Why do people drink? No holiday is complete without alcoholic drinks. The tradition of drinking on holidays has been going on since ancient times. But some people can stop and say “stop” to themselves, while others don’t have enough willpower. The second option includes weak people who wash down their grief and problems with alcohol. This habit is more common among men than women. They may also start taking alcohol to wash down their emptiness, for example, after death. loved one, or when a person cannot find a job, and it seems to him that everything is lost in life.

Why do men start drinking?

Men can start drinking various reasons, but none of them can be called an excuse. There are many men who drink alcohol daily. Some of them may look healthy, but in reality they have no idea what the consequences of touching the bottle will be.

There are internal and external reasons alcoholism of men. Psychology considers the following to be external:

1. Selfishness. Any man, walking home after work, might think: “Shouldn’t I have a beer?” And he immediately buys himself a bottle of beer, not suspecting that by submitting to a moment of weakness, he is harming himself.
2. Large team. Sometimes, thinking that in order to maintain friendly relations with the team it is impossible to refuse to go to a bar together, a man allows himself to drink too much. But such friendly relations will not lead to good, and in the end the man will still be left alone.
3. Fictional circumstances. Sometimes men work themselves up and start drinking because of a lack of appearance or in the intimate sphere. Some because they were unlucky with their wife or career. But this is just a reason to drink an extra bottle and feel sorry for yourself.
4. Weakness. A person's weakness lies in abstaining from alcohol. He drinks a little at first, thinking that it won't hurt and that he can stop whenever he wants. But over time, he begins to abuse and can no longer stop. In such cases, you need to understand in time that you are sick and contact a narcologist.

Internal:

1. Relaxation. Stressed at work or other circumstances, a man begins to look for a way to relieve stress. And alcohol helps him with this.
2. Jealousy. Jealousy towards his wife stresses the man even more. Just like in the first option, he starts drinking in order to relax and forget about worries.
3. Lack of happiness. Any man needs female attention. If a man does not have such attention, then he fills this void with alcohol.
4. Sadness. A man can also drink out of loneliness, boredom, or problems.

Why do women start drinking?

When a woman starts drinking, she is judged more than a man. The cause of alcoholism can be an unhappy life, problems with family, children and much more. Stress or tragedy can push a woman to drink. After all, this is the easiest way to get away from all problems for a while. Of course, not all women can drink; weak-willed women succumb to alcohol in to a greater extent than ladies with strong force will.

Family and children suffer from female alcoholism. Children born to an alcoholic mother may also become alcoholics in the future. Also often drinking women sick children are born. Of course, when a wife starts drinking, not every husband will help her cope with alcohol; someone can simply quit and go live their own lives.

Five main reasons why people start drinking

1. Alcohol dependence is absent in people who drink for the first time or drink socially in small doses and very rarely.
2. A person who drinks several times a month. A person begins to drink for company, and the next time he tries to repeat these sensations. Alcoholism in such people is absent or less pronounced.
3. If a person drinks regularly on weekends, this is already a sign of alcoholism. It's already psychological dependence a person in which a person is used to drinking every week on the weekend.
4. A person who drinks every day has already poisoned his body, and he drinks alcohol to relieve discomfort. Thinking that he is making things easier for himself, he is ruining himself even more.
5. A person who is constantly in a drunken state has impaired functioning of the entire body.

The lack of spirituality, morality, and any hobbies leads a person to alcohol.

Everyone will answer this question differently. Some will say: “To cheer up,” others will note that “alcohol makes it possible to relax,” others will claim that alcoholic drinks help them feel the fullness of life, and still others are trying to escape from their problems in this way. How many people, so many opinions. And each of them is true to some extent.

We won’t tell you that alcohol is harmful. We will analyze only the most popular cases of drinking strong drinks, trying to understand from a psychological point of view why people drink alcohol.

The most interesting thing is that alcoholic drinks not only “homo erectus” is used. In the animal world, it also happens that four-legged animals find special intoxicating grass, fermented fruit, or dig up “happy roots”, gorge themselves on it, put themselves in a state of drunken euphoria, sleep, rage, fight among themselves, that is, behave exactly the same , like the person who “had too much.”

There are several reasons why we start drinking strong alcoholic drinks.

Reason one

We simply lack holidays in our lives. So we are trying to make them for ourselves artificially. After all, in a state of intoxication, life seems brighter, simpler and more fun. Alcohol “hits” those parts of the brain that are responsible for pleasure, gives a ghostly feeling of permissiveness and omnipotence, makes you throw off the mask that a person wears in everyday life and gives you the opportunity, at least for a little while, to be yourself, releasing all the negativity and long-hidden desires.

While we are in this state, we want to live, love, create and do something good. But the morning comes next day, and we understand that not only has nothing changed, but to all the existing problems a new one has been added, popularly called “hangover”. And then people who are weaker in spirit go to have a “hangover” in order to regain the feeling of a holiday, while the stronger ones pull themselves together and begin to solve pressing problems, rightly believing that alcohol will not get rid of them.

A drinking holiday is an illusion. If you think like this, then soon you will no longer be able to sincerely have fun without irritating the nerve receptors of the brain, and life will simply become a surrogate for life.

Reason two

We start drinking alcohol to prove to ourselves that we are already adults/independent/fit into a certain environment. So, in order to “fit in” to the new team, we start visiting pubs or restaurants with our colleagues. To prove that we are worthy of the bohemian life, we visit nightclubs and lazily sip cocktails there. To “get on the same page” with friends, we drink vodka while fishing and port wine on a bench near the house. We cannot say “no” to something that is of no value to us at all, but which we think may increase our status in the eyes of others.

In this case, you need to separate yourself, your personality, from companies. To each his own. If they like to spend time over a bottle of beer, discussing how Kolka got into a fight yesterday, then God be with them. You don't have to listen to it or do the same. You must understand that such a pastime will not only “impair” your health and reduce it, but will also reduce the years of your life by several years. But everyone wants to live. And live a full and joyful life. Don't try to become like others. You are different. Unique, special and inimitable. Decide for yourself what is important to you and do only what is truly interesting to you.

Reason three

With the help of alcohol, we try to escape from life's adversities, forget ourselves and be distracted. With the first glass drunk, the most global problem begins to decrease in size, and this is exactly what we are waiting for. In an intoxicated brain, dozens of solutions and ways out of the current situation immediately flash through, or, as very often happens, we begin to believe that all this is not worth a damn, we convince ourselves of this and are glad that everything ended so well.

But this is in a state of intoxication. As soon as the hops wear off, everything returns to normal, and we understand that the problems have not gone away. They are simply hiding and waiting for the right moment to attack us again.

But the very feeling of liberation from adversity is what a person is looking for when he starts drinking. And he likes this state, so he doesn’t stop, but continues to drink alcohol again and again.

This is how many people turned into alcoholics because they simply did not find the strength to look directly into the difficulties that had arisen and find a solution to overcome them. After all, it is much easier to drink 150 grams of something strong, and life becomes wonderful, than to work hard for several weeks so that life really becomes wonderful.

Reason four

Thanks to the funds mass media, “cool” American action films and modern TV series, in which we see how the main characters drink alcohol out of grief and joy, the idea that alcohol is faithful assistant at any life situation. When your heart hurts, you need to drink 50 grams of cognac, when you are very chilled, you need to drink vodka. If it's a holiday, champagne works well; for a bachelorette party, sweet liqueur is a must. And so the idea is latently driven into our heads that life is easier with alcohol.

And we are used to believing everything that the “black box” says. But once you try it, the brain gets pleasure, sends signals to the body that “drinking is a thrill” and that’s it, the chain is closed. It becomes very difficult to break it, because in order to convince your subconscious that there are much more pleasant things than gatherings with alcoholic drinks, you need to do something. But what about it? But what about the desire to relax, and not? Another option is “I drink today and quit tomorrow.”

We deceive ourselves and continue to drink alcohol, enriching the liquor magnates. Maybe it’s time to take a sober look at your life and make that decision that will become a turning point in your destiny?

Find your reason for drinking alcohol, don't look at others. You shouldn't be wondering why people drink alcohol, you should be wondering why YOU drink hard liquor.

Understand yourself. I am confident that you will find the right solution and the most optimal way out of any situation, because you want to live a long, healthy and happy life surrounded by those who are dear to you and whom you yourself love madly.

There are many situations that can be considered as to why people drink alcohol. This mainly happens at festive events, to raise the mood and spirit of the company. A person drinks different drinks, and they also differ in the quality of the manufacturer. Before the production of alcoholic beverages on an industrial scale began, people prepared moonshine, which they consumed at home. But with the beginning of its widespread production, a large assortment of this type of product appeared on the market. Apart from holidays, there are many reasons why people drink alcohol.

All over the world there are traditions and various holidays that are completely impossible without the use of alcoholic beverages. Both women and men drink alcohol. But statistics show that men are more susceptible to this influence. Why men drink more can be examined using the example of behavioral stereotypes of a wide range of people. Women are still more inclined towards domestic activities. As a result of arranging a “warm hearth”, a woman should be constant time Houses. However, this is not the case in all cases.

Scientists have proven that when a man starts drinking, his body secretesdopamine, which is popularly called the hormone of joy. When drinking alcohol, a man produces more of the hormone than a woman. Subsequently, when drinking strong drinks, its level drops and more alcohol is needed to form. Due to this fact, alcohol addiction sets in. Let's look at the main reasons for drinking alcohol.

• The first time a person tries alcohol is to satisfy interest. Hearing the stories of his comrades or following the example of the people around him. Sometimes this happens to support the company, so as not to stand out and be like everyone else.
• Feeling relaxed, avoiding your problems. This is why people drink alcohol after they try it for the first time. Besides, with alcohol, it’s always fun within a large company. This forms a certain stereotype that leads to a habit.
• Later, psychological dependence is formed. And along with the habit, it is effectively integrated into the lifestyle. Harmful attachment suppresses pleasure in other activities.
• As a result hangover syndrome, a person becomes intoxicated in the body. The condition is very serious, accompanied by unpleasant symptoms. To alleviate the feeling of well-being, the individual begins to drink alcohol again. As a result, this develops into a protracted binge. A person who is on a drinking binge is constantly hung over. Coming to a sober state, due to dehydration and an excess of toxins in the blood, general condition becomes unbearable. Subsequently, the best solution to this situation is to continue the banquet.

As a result, you can notice that increased alcohol consumption leads to addiction. Alcohol addiction is bad habit, which not everyone can get rid of on their own. It is formed gradually, as a result of a certain incident or facts.

Psychology of the problem of drunkenness

In most cases, the cause of alcoholism lies deep within a person. If a person lives in abundance, he has good job and a loving family, many faithful and kind friends who will support him in difficult moment, - such a person is unlikely to become an alcoholic. After all, a person who drinks is someone who is not happy with life; he carries a heavy load. And he dilutes his bitterness in the soul with alcoholic drinks. Internal complexes, childhood problems, and psychological trauma can also lead to this.

Thus, the feeling of intoxication removes him from problems and internal tension. This allows you to be happy and self-sufficient for a short time. When a new day comes, the sunny mood is replaced by the same burden that he was quickly trying to get rid of. The drinker wants to return to where it is good and carefree.

Unresolved problems can become a motivator for alcohol addiction. The more an unresolved problem exists, the greater the tension becomes. Not everyone copes with this load and becomes like drunken habits. This can begin quite unnoticed, from evening beer drinking to the abuse of alcoholic beverages.

At the same time, negative memories can become a lever for a bad alcohol habit. Scientists argue that the genetics of parents and ancestors play a significant role in initiation into drunkenness. You need to pay attention to your passions special attention, and be more careful with entertainment activities. You can try to switch to another interesting hobby that brings pleasure.

Low social status in society, may be the answer to the question why people drink alcohol. There may be restrictions on activities due to financial instability. And in the future, personality degradation, depending on related factors. Actually, you can endlessly dilute your life with alcohol, but this will not lead to anything good.

Consequences of drinking alcohol

Long-term drinking of alcohol in all cases leads to negative consequences. Problems begin in your personal life and when interacting with others. Alcohol has a negative impact on health, sometimes with irreversible consequences. We all know many cases from others about people who drink and drink. People around them speak unflatteringly about them. Subsequently, a downward trend can be observed overall influence on life positions the alcoholic himself.

• Quarrels occur with loved ones.
• Dismissal from work.
• Arrests or more serious administrative or criminal penalties.
• Causing harm to health.
• Loss and damage to your property and those around you.
• Families are breaking up.
• Plans collapse, and along with them hopes for a happy future.
• Financial difficulties arise.
• An alcoholic takes things out of the house to sell them and get another dose.
• Personality degradation.

And this is far from full list negative consequences from the abuse of high-grade drinks. The appearance of an addicted person changes before our eyes: the skin turns pale and sagging, bags and wrinkles appear, the oval of the face swells. Alcohol in the body turns into a derivative substance - acetaldehyde. The result is a more detrimental effect on the body. In other words, alcohol is poisonous in large quantities.

Diseases associated with alcoholism

Alcoholic drinks themselves are not harmful if consumed in moderation, observing proportions relative to body parameters. But an excess leads to a serious deterioration in well-being and health. Besides standard symptoms hangovers like headache, nausea, apathy and others, there are real threat health, which is formed as a result of both long-term and one-time consumption of alcohol.

Anemia. This is the number of red blood cells in the blood. These components serve as transporters of gas in the blood. They supply vital oxygen to cells and remove harmful carbon dioxide. As a result, there is constant fatigue, shortness of breath, drowsiness, and dizziness.

Cirrhosis. The liver is the body's main filter. With this disease, the cells of the organ change and cease to perform their functionality. This disease develops depending on the metabolism of a particular person. It may also appear with small doses of alcohol.

Malignant tumors. Acetaldehyde, a derivative of alcohol, is a severe carcinogen. Possible lesions malignant tumors gastrointestinal tract, mucous membranes of the larynx and mouth, liver and mammary gland.

Dementia. As a result of excessive consumption, brain processes deteriorate. Cells die in the brain and its volume decreases. Memory deteriorates, analytical thinking declines, and there is a decrease in general intellectual abilities.

Infectious and viral diseases. When drinking alcohol, a person's immunity decreases. This affects the body’s ability to resist mild infections and severe pathogens that develop into a chronic form.

Pancreatitis. Occurs in the pancreas inflammatory processes. As a result, there is a deterioration in digestive function.

Depression. As a result long-term use alcohol, develop depressive disorders. The body stops receiving joy hormones synthesized as a result of drinking alcohol. A rapid increase and a sharp, prolonged hormonal decline indicate further depression.

Destruction nervous system. As a result of the toxicity of substances formed as a result of catalysis in the body, damage occurs nerve cells at the micro level.

This is not the entire list of problems. There are problems such as cardiovascular diseases, gout, epilepsy, diseases associated with damage to the brain and nervous system. The list can be continued endlessly, since the abuse of alcohol-containing substances disrupts metabolism. And this leads to other health problems.

To drink or not to drink is everyone's business. Alcohol can have a positive effect, normalizing blood pressure, both increasing metabolism and negatively, causing the above-mentioned complications. It is necessary to take into account not only the volume, but also the quality of the drink, in order to prevent other serious consequences. The key concept here is moderation. A moderate drink will put you in a good mood and allow you to relax.

Many people are interested in the question of why people start drinking. What factors push them to this and is it possible to protect yourself from craving for alcohol?

Most people believe that alcoholism is just a person’s desire to drink, which can be controlled and easily abandoned if something happens. But in reality, everything is not so simple. No alcoholic can stop drinking easily. The reason is that this is a psychological addiction that can be treated either with the help of a specialist, or if the person has good willpower and, most importantly, desire.

Due to the fact that the problem of alcoholism now affects almost everyone, the question arises as to why people drink alcohol.

The question about the reasons for the craving for alcoholic beverages is most often asked by women. This does not mean that they cannot be dependent on alcohol, but this disease is much less common among women. Unfortunately, many men like to spend evenings with friends and a bottle of vodka. Although, in many developed countries of Europe, it is considered acceptable when a man after work goes to a bar with friends and drinks a glass of beer there. In our country, such an amount is considered very small, this is only a “warm-up”.

During the research, doctors identified 5 main reasons that push people to drink alcohol:

Having analyzed these factors, you will notice the fact that they go in step with the increasing stage of alcohol dependence. After all, for a person who drinks every day, the basis for drinking cannot possibly be interest or a desire not to stand out from the company. Likewise, in young people who have never tried alcohol, the cause cannot be the relief of hangover symptoms. Therefore, you need to understand that everyone has their own motives.

In addition to the above five main reasons why a person starts drinking, there are a number of not so obvious, but more serious ones. They lie in psychology. After all, if things are going well, there is a friendly family and friends, then it is unlikely that anyone will drink in order to once again feel the feeling of intoxication. Therefore, you need to understand this and be very attentive to your loved ones.

First psychological reason is a feeling of loneliness. When there is no one to talk to about your problems and joys, the desire to drink arises, because then the world seems not so hostile, and this feeling disappears. But only for as long as the state of intoxication is present.

Also, many people come to alcoholism by hiding their shortcomings or self-doubt. If a person has some kind of physical defect (speech, walking), then he is embarrassed by it and feels like an inferior member of society, feels constrained there. Another common reason is for courage (for example, in front of intimacy). When any fears or anxieties are present, a person can also drink to calm them down.

Often there is such an excuse as the desire to achieve relaxation, to defuse the situation. Alcohol actually lifts your mood at first, causing a kind of euphoria.

And when asked why people drink beer, men usually have the same answer: they like the taste of this drink.

In addition to psychological reasons, there are also social reasons:

• Dissatisfaction with your job or lack of it;
• Low social status;
• The tradition of drinking at all holidays and celebrations without exception;
• Inability to resist a not always friendly society.

The list of these reasons can be continued endlessly. And everyone will have their own individual story, which ends with the person turning into an alcoholic.

Among the above factors of alcoholism, there are a number of those that can be easily refuted.

For example, drinking to lift your mood. The catch here is that the person actually enjoys it, but it ends very quickly. After this, severe depression and irritability arise. It’s enough to drink another glass, and the world will again take on a positive tone.

Also in such a situation, there is a pattern: the greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the stronger the craving for it becomes. IN chronic cases a person is ready to literally cut his throat in order to get his hands on another portion of alcohol. Indeed, if you remember a person who drinks a lot, you can hardly call him happy and in a good mood. Usually it's quite the opposite.

In addition, it should be said that alcoholic euphoria is only available to people who are early stages dependencies. In the latter, no good mood These drinks do not cause, but only create the appearance of, an improvement in health, which has long been “planted” here.

If we talk about the fact that alcohol helps to establish relationships with someone and become more sociable, then we should talk about its property of destroying brain cells and slowing down the movement of nerve cells. In such a situation, a person’s speech is incoherent and illogical. And only an equally drunk man (or woman) will understand him.

The myth that alcohol makes people bolder can be easily dispelled if we remember that most suicides, accidents, and crimes are committed while drunk. It would be more correct to say here about the loss of a sense of self-preservation, an inadequate perception of the environment.

Alcohol is also not very effective at lifting your mood. This is a short-term process that will very quickly give way to anger, irritability and resentment towards everyone.

To remove the symptoms of a hangover, it would be better to drink a special medicine than a glass of vodka. After all, the body is already trying with all its might to remove the poison, but more is poured into it. The only exception is the situation when it happened. Then a person just needs a dose ethyl alcohol, which will neutralize the source of intoxication.

The question of whether it is possible to protect yourself from alcoholism worries many women. After all, they are the ones who most often suffer from this. Usually the man or children drink adolescence. In order to prevent them from developing an addiction, you need to make sure that none of them is present in the life of the family. Frequent feasts (which is generally advisable to avoid) are constantly accompanied by drinking. Instead, you can go to a forest, a park, or another city. Fresh air will benefit your health, and spending time together will bring the family closer together, eliminating psychological factors dependencies.

So, to the question of why men or women drink alcoholic beverages, it is impossible to give a definite answer. The reason is different for each person. In addition, the stage of the disease also affects it. If we talk about initial stages, then the excuses for which a person drinks are only psychological or social. This is usually a feeling of misunderstanding and loneliness on the part of society. Therefore, close people should be very attentive to each other, because the consequences can be irreversible.