Recognizing Addiction in Young Adults

Clinically Reviewed by Dr. Kate Smith

last updated November 14, 2022

Addiction is, like many other harmful habits, easy to start and hard to stop. In the case of young adults especially, the earliest stages of forming an addiction are the most vital when it comes to response and prevention. As a parent, friend, or partner of someone who you suspect may be engaging in alcohol abuse, there are physical and behavioral signs to look for. Learning them can be invaluable to detecting an unhealthy relationship with alcohol early, but treating them can often feel out of one’s scope.

The solution is to reach out to an alcohol addiction treatment center. At Greater Boston Addiction Centers, we put our focus on recognizing and treating addiction in young adults. The substance abuse treatment programs offered at GBAC aren’t just meant to help in the short term; we designed our programs to equip clients with the skills to overcome addiction and the knowledge and strategies to implement them. Don’t let addiction inhibit any aspect of your life. Call 877.920.6583 today to learn why our community-focused outpatient substance abuse treatment in Boston works and how they can help you.

From Binge Drinking to Alcohol Use Disorder

Consuming excessively high amounts of alcohol in a short period of time is what’s considered binge drinking. For young adults, binge drinking will most commonly occur at parties or other social events, where even pensive attendees might find themselves pressured by their peers to share just one drink. Amid conversation, either passively or by just trying to match expectations, young adults are prone to drink considerably more alcohol than they might at home.

Once a large amount of alcohol is present inside the body, it can dramatically impact the metabolic and digestive processes. Many of its effects will be unpleasant but will pass within a few days. However, binge drinking is such a prominent cause of addiction in young adults because of how it affects the brain. Consuming high volumes of alcohol in a short period of time stresses the body’s tolerance for substances like alcohol. Forcing your body to develop a tolerance for alcohol can reduce adverse effects in the short term. Still, those same side effects work as a helpful deterrent—they serve to prevent alcohol poisoning from reaching criticality.

The Effects of Alcohol Abuse

Understanding the importance of recognizing alcohol addiction requires understanding where it leads. Binge drinking affects the person drinking just as it does those around them. While the health risks fall on the one drinking, the collateral damage can extend to a partner, family member, or a total stranger.

Alcohol is a toxic substance, even though it is sold legally for consumption. Drinking less alcohol still incurs some health problems, but sustained, heavy consumption of alcohol can exponentially accelerate these adverse effects. Some of the physical effects of excess alcohol consumption are:

Decreased alertness
Poor motor skills
Nausea
Vomiting
Liver cirrhosis
Stomach ulcers
Heart irregularities
Brain damage

Binge drinking also causes social situations to become more dangerous and volatile. Due to the physically and mentally impairing nature of high intoxication, people who binge drink weekly find themselves at a significantly higher risk of verbally and physically abusing others. In cases where you aren’t sure whether or not alcohol is at play, look for instances where the aforementioned health conditions occur without warning or outbursts of poor behavior that can point to a case of alcohol use disorder.