Why Is It So Hard to Stop Drinking Once You Start?

While many people can occasionally have a drink or two with no problems, others have a hard time controlling their drinking, and alcohol can quickly overtake their lives. If you’re wondering, “Why can’t I stop drinking when drunk?” or the reasons why alcoholics can’t stop drinking, it could be a warning sign of a problematic relationship with alcohol and signal the need to get professional help. While untreated alcohol addiction can destroy lives and become deadly, treatment is available that can help you manage this chronic disease and have a better future.

Table of Contents

What Happens in the Brain When You Start Drinking?
Why Do Some People Struggle More Than Others to Stop Drinking?
How Does Binge Drinking Lead to a Cycle of Dependence?
What our customers are saying
How Can Professional Treatment Help Break the Cycle of Addiction?
Key Takeaways on Why Can’t I Stop Drinking When Drunk?
Resources

What Happens in the Brain When You Start Drinking?

If you’re wondering, “Why can’t I stop drinking when drunk?”, it’s essential to understand what alcohol does to your body, especially your brain. Several stages of intoxication play out in the brain:

• Subliminal intoxication, which happens to most people after one drink, might not look to others like you’re drunk at all. Still, your reaction time and behavior can be altered at this stage.
• During the euphoria stage, early on in drinking, the person’s brain releases extra dopamine, which is tied to feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and confidence, as well as being “tipsy” and slightly impaired in terms of judgment and memory.
• At the point of legal intoxication, known as the “excitement” stage, the brain’s occipital, temporal, and frontal lobes are affected. This can cause symptoms such as blurry vision, slurred speech, impaired hearing, and loss of coordination. Fine motor skills are also affected, and the person’s reaction time will slow significantly.
• During the confusion stage, the person may appear disoriented and exhibit poor coordination. This is the stage when blackouts or short-term memory loss can occur.
• Someone with a blood alcohol content of 0.25 is said to be in the “stupor” stage, and they could be at risk of alcohol poisoning. Every function is impaired, and they’re at risk of passing out, suffocating, or being injured.
• Blood alcohol content of 0.35 puts the person at risk of going into a coma as their respiratory and circulatory systems are severely compromised.
• At a blood alcohol content of over 0.45, the person is in danger of alcohol poisoning or having their brain fail to control vital bodily functions, leading to death.

Why Do Some People Struggle More Than Others to Stop Drinking?

You might ask yourself, “Why can’t I stop drinking when drunk?”, while my friend can easily control their drinking? The answer comes down to individual circumstances, including your overall drinking history, other health problems, and mental health struggles. Consider, for example, that some people will turn to drinking to deal with mental disorders, and they need help to learn how to manage anxiety without alcohol. Several possible factors affect someone’s ability to stop drinking, including:

• Genetic predisposition that makes them more susceptible to dependence on alcohol.
• Altered brain chemistry or function, often due to regular or heavy alcohol use, changes how they handle pleasure, rewards, and make decisions.
• Mental health struggles, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder, can drive some people to try to self-medicate with alcohol.
• Social factors, including easy access to alcohol or widespread cultural acceptance of drinking.
• Physical alcohol dependence that occurs over a period of heavy or regular drinking.
• Being in denial about the extent of a drinking problem can make it easy for someone to continue to drink even though it’s significantly affecting their life.
• High stress or trauma can make it more likely that someone will misuse or abuse alcohol as a way of coping.

How Does Binge Drinking Lead to a Cycle of Dependence?

It’s helpful to think of addiction as a cycle of interlinked stages:

• Binge/Intoxication Stage: A person experiences pleasure, euphoria, and reduced anxiety, in addition to other “rewards” when they drink. With repeated exposure to these feelings, the person’s brain can adapt its response to certain triggers, such as specific individuals, locations, or cues that evoke thoughts of drinking.
• Negative Affect/Withdrawal Stage: During this stage, the person is addicted to alcohol and will experience withdrawal symptoms like pain, poor sleep, anxiety, and other problems if they try to stop. The person is no longer drinking for pleasure or fun, but instead to avoid the way they feel if they don’t drink.
• Preoccupation/Anticipation Stage: This stage occurs when someone seeks out alcohol again after quitting for a while. They can become preoccupied with alcohol and think often about how to drink again and look forward to drinking more. At this point, the person’s brain is severely affected, and they struggle with decision-making and prioritizing the different aspects of their life.

What our customers are saying

How Can Professional Treatment Help Break the Cycle of Addiction?

If you’re wondering, “Why can’t I stop drinking when drunk?”, it’s crucial to understand that help is available. Effective treatment, including detoxing from alcohol in Los Angeles and going through a comprehensive alcohol rehab program, is specifically designed to address each patient’s individual addiction history and needs for the future.

A personalized treatment plan will most often start with a short period of medical detox to help you safely and more comfortably start to get used to not having alcohol in your system and avoid potentially dangerous or even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. After that, inpatient or outpatient alcohol rehab programs featuring individual and group therapy, coping skills, relapse prevention training, and medication-assisted treatment if necessary, will help you start to address the physical and mental aspects of your addiction.

Quitting cold turkey on your own can be incredibly dangerous, especially if you’ve been drinking heavily for an extended period. Even without these possible dangers, the intense cravings and urges to drink again will all too often drive someone to relapse shortly after they try quitting. That’s why a comprehensive addiction treatment program will work with the patient to figure out new coping skills and learn how to live a healthier, happier, better life by breaking the chains of alcohol addiction.

Key Takeaways on Why Can’t I Stop Drinking When Drunk?

• Alcohol has a powerful effect on all parts of the body, especially the brain.
• While some people can have a drink or two and be OK, others struggle to quit drinking once they start.
• Individual factors like genetic predispositions, past drinking history, and other medical or mental health struggles can make someone more likely to be unable to control their drinking.
• Someone who is addicted to alcohol can suffer severe and even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if they try to quit on their own.
• Professional treatment programs can help people learn how to leave alcohol behind and move on toward a better, brighter future.

If you’re wondering, “Why can’t I stop drinking when drunk?”, you’ve probably started to realize that your relationship with alcohol has become unhealthy. You’re in danger of severe health problems and even death if you don’t do something to change the situation. Fortunately, comprehensive addiction treatment can provide the therapy, support, and medical guidance you need to leave alcohol behind once and for all.

Call Muse Treatment in Los Angeles at 800-426-1818 today to learn how we can help you break the chains of alcohol addiction.

Resources

• Northwestern Medicine – How Alcohol Impacts the Brain
• American Psychological Association – Understanding Alcohol Use Disorders and Their Treatment
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – The Cycle of Alcohol Addiction