Reasons for drinking alcohol. Why do people drink alcohol anyway?

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

Drinking culture

The tradition of drinking alcohol is rooted in the deep past. The ancient Romans, Vikings and Egyptians made wine and spirits from fermented grape juice. Drinking alcohol was accompanied by festive feasts, as well as an intoxicating potion was used in the rituals of communicating with spirits. In ancient Russia, the most popular alcoholic beverages were honey and beer. Since the invention of bread vodka in the middle of the 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 in small doses. Ethanol molecules inhibit the activity of neurons in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, while increasing the activity of dopamine receptors. As a result, rational thinking weakens, psychological barriers are removed. A person becomes relaxed, sociable, disconnects from stress factors, experiences a feeling of joy, pleasure, light euphoria.

Why do you want to drink

The positive effect, once experienced after moderate drinking, is fixed in the subconscious. Alcohol is perceived as a means to relieve stress, cheer up, social emancipation. The social factor also has its influence. People who categorically refuse alcoholic beverages, in most cases, cause bewilderment and slight hostility among others, provoke by their behavior persuasion to drink a little "for company".

Reasons for drinking alcohol

In addition to the positive effect, the impact of alcohol on the body causes negative consequences, the main of which is the risk of developing alcoholism. Alcohol helps to cope with stress, the difficulties of social adaptation, but with regular use it causes depression in some people, which triggers the mechanisms of addiction, leading to binges that threaten health and interfere with leading a full life. The question of why you want to drink alcohol becomes relevant when a person realizes that he is prone to alcohol abuse.

Psychological

A number of personality traits, such as self-doubt, increased sensitivity and vulnerability, egocentrism, refer their owners to the risk group for developing alcoholism. Alcoholic intoxication of the initial stage makes such people more sociable and liberated, they feel more confident, they begin to enjoy communication. The presence of psychological difficulties of a different nature is a factor that answers 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 why a teenager wants to drink alcohol, who begins to grow up and from childhood watches his adult environment drink strong alcoholic drinks on holidays. A teenager begins to drink, because drinking alcohol is perceived by him as an integral attribute of growing up, while it is forbidden, because everyone tells him that drinking is not good.

Physiological

There are biological factors that contribute to the development of alcohol dependence. According to statistics, with a genetic predisposition (drinking blood relatives), the risk of developing alcoholism is four times higher. The absence or small 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 low resistance to alcoholic beverages. In combination with a number of personality traits, this factor becomes decisive in the formation of a stable dependence on alcohol.

False reasons for drinking

Many of the myths that surround alcohol use can be considered false reasons why people allow themselves to abuse alcohol. For example, some strong drinks act on 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 on headaches. Regular consumption of beer, at the initial stages, indicates 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 take a drink under any circumstances, worries many specialists who study alcohol addiction and are looking for ways to overcome it. The occurrence 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 are.

There are several stages of alcohol addiction. From stage to stage, the body's resistance to alcohol decreases (abstinence syndrome and the inability to control the doses of alcohol appear), the need for regular drinking increases, up to the loss of all other desires and complete personal degradation. In severe stages, an alcoholic needs professional help to fight their disease.

Video

I wonder if there are people who have had to drink sweet vodka? We don't know what it actually tastes like, but those who have tried to figure out why people drink have at least gotten an idea of ​​it.

While studying the neurosurgery of alcoholism in the body of rodents, scientists found that animals, like humans, also have an ambiguous reaction to poison. The experiment was carried out on white rats. As a result, they were divided into three groups:

• the first group, 52% of the subjects, reacted with disgust to the mixture of alcohol and vodka;
• the second group, 25%, responded moderately;
• the third group, 23%, showed a clear interest in drinks.

The curiosity of scientists has not dried up on this. Now alcoholics will salivate with envy.

During the quarter, the subjects were injected with alcohol against their will. But it was not possible to “drink” the rodents.

They tried to deceive them and began to sweeten the alcohol solution. The result is the same.

The pundits did not calm down. Increased the dose, what if she knocked down? The animals began to simply turn the dishes over and push them out of the cage: the alcohol evaporated, after which the water could be drunk. Studies have shown that they "agreed" to take a solution of ethyl alcohol with a concentration of not more than 15 percent during the day. Moreover, no more than a few grams per kilogram of weight, i.e. the daily volume that the body is able to process during the day.

The French expanded the scope of the experiment. Observations on several species of animals have convincingly proved that most of the subjects had to force infusion of alcohol, because they completely refused it. The exception was made by close "relatives" of the human chimpanzee.

Is it possible that Darwin's theory of human evolution is so subtly calculated, and that a person inherited from his great ancestor even a predisposition to alcohol craving?

And yet, experiments with the use of sweetness in an alcohol solution did not go unnoticed. In laboratory conditions, it was found that taste is also important for attracting a living organism to alcohol. Alcoholic drinks with the addition of all kinds of juices, for example, orange or various essences, drinks Coca-Cola, Fanta, etc., raised interest in drinks containing alcohol.

But is it not the same "cocktail" of bitter and sweet that attracts a person to alcohol?

Version two: beautiful label

All of the living, at least once, have tasted the taste of an alcoholic drink. Some feasts, accompanied by Bacchus, are on holidays or "on occasion." Others, like the chimpanzee during the scientists' experiments, cannot deny themselves the regular pleasure of getting high under the influence of alcohol. And there are more and more such “images” in society over the years. Those. under the influence of concomitant factors or out of habit, the human body still receives an additional dose of alcohol.

One more thing has been noticed. A person can be an alcoholic himself, live in such a family. Or it can coexist in the environment of third-party people suffering from alcoholism, see sleeping drunks right on the ground, even in bad weather, or be an unwitting witness to offenses motivated by alcoholism.

The life of the first group of people is directly dependent, and the second is indirectly dependent on the carriers of a bad habit or disease.

Both that, and another for the person indifferent and not perceiving a way of life of alcoholics, it is not clear that can seduce in it. Understanding the constant risk to the life of an alcoholic even more repels people with an adequate perception of being from regular feasts. In their subconscious, the question is more and more active, why do people drink without fear of the consequences? After all, the gap between sober and drunk is obvious!

Go to the store and pay attention to the department where they sell vodka. It is not necessary to look at the faces in the queue - they can spoil the overall picture. Pay attention to how rich our land is with talents! What artists and designers were dug up by dope manufacturers! This is a work of art: how colorful and attractive the showcase looks - just an exhibition of paintings, or rather, labels on bottles! The bottles themselves are also original, you can recognize them by touch. What's inside?

Slavic peoples used vodka as a traditional grain drink. And now it is produced even in grain-poor countries, where, for example, black molasses is used. Different nations have come up with their own recipes and therefore the contents of the bottles are different. There is, for example, an opinion that Russian vodka and Ukrainian vodka also differ from each other. In recent years, the range of drinks has increased significantly. But, according to experts, they differ little in their composition. Except for something to taste. Information on beautiful labels does not always reflect the true content of the drink. So the buyer has to take on faith information about the quality of the product. And this does not always go unnoticed for health.

The scheme for the preparation of alcoholic beverages consists in mixing and processing three components: ethyl alcohol, water and flavors: 1/3 dry mixes and 2/3 liquids. There is more water in the drink, as in nature, so the quality of the final product largely depends on it. Since the time of the discoverers of the "green serpent", under the influence of environmental factors, the composition of water has changed significantly, enriched with various impurities. Therefore, to maintain the proper quality of vodka, you need to check and, if necessary, correct the composition of the water, compare it with the periodic table. If there are extra items, remove them. Do you think the owner of a "candle factory" and the owner of a vodka shop located in a remote village will be willing to worry about the composition of the water? Most likely, decalitres of finished products at the end of the conveyor are more important for him. It turns out that you need to trust more brands of large industrial companies.

But they are more expensive! That's why it's more expensive. The rest, cheap ones, are much larger and people prefer them. And they drink! And nothing stops!

Version three: for "warming"

Looking at the alcoholic lying on the cold ground, one involuntarily shudders. And his drinking companions, on the contrary, comment on the situation as a positive quality of alcohol, they say, you see, a good example, a drunk does not get sick, because alcohol warms him up.

Does it warm?

Undoubtedly, alcohol, in fact, when it enters the human body, expands blood vessels and the body becomes warmer. For this reason, personnel working on the street in the cold season take a stopar for “warmth” so as not to sting. The external temperature takes its toll and the worker again has to take warming. If you do not use other methods, then by the spring the body gets used to it so much that in the summer it will demand the established norm.

Another opinion, they say, alcohol provokes appetite, invigorates and excites. An invisible livestock instills in a person, so alcohol experts recommend alcohol as a drug to reduce fatigue, malaise and a stimulant of a good, festive mood.

Alcohol must be taken to replenish the energy needs of the body, which is very useful during physical exertion. This is not a recommendation, but another opinion of active participants in the feasts.

They are supported by another category of adherents of the theory of the usefulness of alcohol, who are confident in the healing properties of alcohol. They, as an illustration of their correctness, cite the fact of drinking alcohol for colds, in some other cases, including, with deviations in the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

Is it worth it to challenge such "optimists"?

In pharmacy, medical alcohol is actually used. But not as a remedy. Even in the last century, scientists came to the conclusion that alcohol, getting into the human body, “settles” in all, without exception, organs and poisons them. In terms of destructive ability, he has no equal and nothing can replace him in this.

The thesis of a positive effect on appetite is also an illusion based on the perception of the first dose. It can cause the secretion of gastric juice. But then it takes antagonistic positions in relation to the efficiency of the digestive process, blocks the activity of the liver and pancreas.

Version four: tribute to tradition

Why talk about the dangers of alcohol? Remember the old days: whatever you sit at the table, where there are plenty of dishes, then 100 grams! And how did the ancestors live!

Supporters of the pile before breakfast, lunch and dinner will certainly remind you of the tradition of ancestors to start the meal with a drink. Like, in ancient times it was an obligatory fad in the life of a Slavic family.

Let us recall Academician V. Bekhterev, who lived just at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, i.e., at the very time that the current “philosophers” of drinking rules hint at. He called drunkenness an age-old evil, which has taken root so deeply in a person’s life, and rooted in his traditions, that he continues to demand a “cup” for any reason. This trait "sits" in a person until now. And it is extremely difficult to extract or overcome it from there, such rules:

• didn’t drink, and even when you didn’t drink for the health of the young at the wedding, it means that you don’t wish them happiness;
• didn’t drink with a friend, which means you don’t respect him;
• didn’t finish it, which means he’s not a man, a “weakling”, etc.

Old stereotypes prevail in the consciousness and drinking culture of modern man. Therefore, one has to convince that it is not the ability to refuse a cup, this is just willpower. And the one who silently succumbs to unreasoned appeals and accusations, who decides that it is better to die tomorrow from a headache than today from shame, just shows a weakness of character. Individuals deliberately get drunk in order to “drown out” the sounds of conscience in themselves.

Returning to the costs of drinking traditions, the main conclusion of the reasons for drinking can be a formula derived by medical experts: alcohol is not a natural need for the human body. Why then inject it into yourself?

But they pour in, they drink. Why?

Version five: Russians drink from childhood

"There is a reason!". This phrase, even without a continuation, can give the go-ahead for filling the first glass. And its prerequisites are laid long before acquaintance with the taste of bitter. When parents seat their child at a common holiday table, pour his favorite juice into a glass and teach him to “clink glasses”, consider that they have begun to introduce him to drinking in an adult way. While the kid or teenager is simply mastering the basics of the ritual of feasts. Consciousness fixes the conditions for holding a holiday, celebration or just gatherings with friends: a circle of familiar or not very familiar people, treats or snacks, songs, “relaxation” and fun. As an element of adult life, the mandatory presence of alcoholic beverages on the table is regarded.

This is the background against which a really adult interest in alcohol begins to slowly appear. And there are other reasons that appear for the purpose of the need to "sit with friends." Over the years, they are both reasons, and friends also “grow up”.

When asked whether they drink or not, almost everyone answers in much the same way - like everyone else: on holidays, on birthdays, on the anniversary of the Paris Commune and New Year!

Craving for alcohol is determined by various manifestations:

For quick and reliable getting rid of alcoholism, our readers advise the drug "Alcobarrier". It is a natural remedy that blocks the craving for alcohol, causing a persistent aversion to alcohol. In addition, Alcobarrier launches regenerative processes in organs that alcohol has begun to destroy. The tool has no contraindications, the effectiveness and safety of the drug has been proven by clinical studies at the Research Institute of Narcology.

1. Reasons to drink:
   • first salary;
   • successful business trip or short-term departure from the habitual settled place of residence;
   • Friday, the end of the week and important matters, etc.
2. Changes in behavior:
   • a noticeable improvement in mood on the eve of drinking;
   • haste, dictated by the desire to “push” work faster and be in time for the first toast.
3. A positive assessment of everything that happens around alcohol:
   • a person does not tolerate ridicule, condemnation, etc. directed at drinking companions;
   • he is ready to prove by all available means that drinking companions are not alcoholics, but simply his friends, with whom it is pleasant;
   • friendship with "like-minded people" has only a positive connotation;
   • the alcoholic always and everywhere defends his right to drink.
4. The comfort of the alcoholic state:
   • the patient feels comfortable both physically and psychologically only in a state of intoxication.
5. Exculpatory "arguments" of drunkenness:
   • the drunkard claims that alcohol in small doses is recommended by doctors and ancestors;
   • he is convinced that alcohol always conquers fatigue;
   • alcohol tones and increases the efficiency of a person;
   • an alcoholic perceives only a positive assessment of the effect of alcohol;
   • a person imposes his point of view on everyone around him.
6. Change of priorities and principles of morality:
   • the alcoholic rejects everything that interferes with drinking;
   • family ties become a burden because they interfere with "communicating with friends."
7. Denial of any mention of the possibility of being addicted to alcohol.

Alcoholism has its own age categories:

• accidental acquaintance with alcohol at the age of 11 out of one's own curiosity or with the permission of elders;
• use "a little bit" on a solemn day or on a special occasion;
• fear of ridicule from peers and the inability to refuse a glass offered by friends at the age of 14-16 years;
• "parental blessing" for adulthood: you can drink, but not much;
• the desire to get new sensations at 16-18 years old;
• an attempt to inspire courage and bravery before trials or crucial moments in life at the age of 18-22;
• the desire to relieve tension on any occasion, which is accompanied by disagreement with someone's point of view, behavior, or the disruption of some plans.

The first thorough acquaintance with alcohol often discourages bad habits. The unfamiliar taste of the drink, to which the body is not adapted and does not want to accept it, actually turns out to be different, not as sweet as the imagination had drawn. And if the norms of alcohol consumed turn out to be clearly overestimated, the rejection reaction of an uninvited guest will remain unforgettable and put up a psychological barrier for a long time that will seem eternal.

But not for everyone.

A small limit of the border of the spiritual world and the desire to stand out in the team and make people talk about themselves push them to an alcoholic feat: “I’ll drink right now and I can do anything!”. Then the bravado turns into aimless wandering through the streets in search of a place and an opportunity to commit dubious deeds. Society and the law often do not evaluate them, as the “hero” expects, but for that, in the eyes of their peers, a young alcoholic is just a hero. At least, he thinks so, and continues to “gain momentum” until older people stop him, a man in uniform or a judicial robe.

The transitional period is always accompanied by experiences: a bad assessment, a peer's refusal to be friends, a sidelong glance of one of the adults that seemed to be, a discrepancy between self-esteem and adults' assessment of their actions, etc. Tension and failures are then drowned in a glass of alcoholic drink.

Illusory self-affirmation turns into addictions. A false stereotype is being established that all problems can be solved only with the participation of alcohol and drinking companions ...

Reasons for drinking, if desired, can always be found. But they are not always justified. And they always carry harm to health if a person does not see the "edges" of the glass.

Over the years, there are more of them, the accumulated experience improves and subtly adjusts to a specific situation. Intelligence fades, and explanations become more and more "believable".

Version six: who said that female friendship does not exist!

A tipsy, and even more so, drunk woman is a sign for the most serious condemnation. There is a serious reason for this: the female body “prescribes” alcohol in itself faster and easier. The disease proceeds unobtrusively and usually manifests itself with undisguised symptoms when it is time to go to a narcologist. Persuading a woman for treatment is more difficult than a man. Few of the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity agree that there is not only male, but also female.

They have their own characteristics:

• failures in the organization of family life;
• stress or tragic cases, after which you want to lower the ends of an unresolved problem into a bottle and drown them in it;
• weakness and ignorance.

The costs of female drinking affect all family members. And a drinking girl runs the risk of “rewarding” her offspring with alcohol symptoms. Children born to such a mother are considered potentially predisposed to alcohol abuse from the maternity ward. The atmosphere of family fusel vapors intoxicates the mind of a teenager and by his coming of age he can keep company with his parents.

What kind of health will these children have, what future?

Filling a glass of vodka or a glass of wine to talk with a friend about “your own, feminine”, do not get carried away, dear women, with a drink. Everyone will always find a more useful and important topic.

Let not even a glass of beer tempt!

Version seven: a can of beer

Not completely refuted, but the version of the safety of beer remains in great doubt. Some, recalling the old days, talk about trade stalls with the laconic name "Beer". And, of course, long queues for them.

Now there are no queues for beer, there is no beer either. It is different today.

The more opportunities to partake of beer became, the more closely they began to look closely and discuss the topic of the usefulness of the drink.

Beer is the same drink containing alcohol, as well as its more "strong counterparts". It cannot be drunk without measure.

Contrary to misleading opinion, beer carries even more harm than alcoholic beverages:

1. There is alcohol in beer, just like in vodka or wine: its lower percentage is successfully “overlapped” by the volume of alcohol consumed.
2. Beer contains cobalt, which is very dangerous for the heart, esophagus and stomach: beer lovers "successfully" transform their healthy heart into the so-called "Bavarian" one, which "looses" and reluctantly drives blood through the vessels.
3. Beer is brewed with hops, which makes the drinker more aggressive and kills brain cells.

Despite convincing and reasoned explanations of the dangers of alcohol, people still continue to drink. Why?

Pundits have their own explanations and their own version.

Version eight, irrefutable

Its authors leave no room for doubt: a person drinks because his own body prevents him from overcoming a bad habit. Experts still tend to classify alcohol as a drug. When it enters the human body, it “populates” the brain and directs the human consciousness from there. It either causes pleasant sensations, or “extinguishes” negative ones. After a short period of relief, certain areas of the nervous system urgently require replenishment of alcohol supplies. And in case of attempts to get rid of his presence, it causes such “protest actions” that a person is unable to resist the discomfort that has appeared.

Only professional intervention in this confrontation between alcohol and the human body can stop a person from danger. Alcohol unmistakably leads its owner to the degradation of personality. Remember the chimpanzee who quickly adapted to liquor and was ready to receive regular reinforcements from outside? If a drinking person, having gone through all the stages of alcoholic intoxication, does not stop drinking, he takes the path opposite to the Darwinian theory of human evolution.

Even if the theory has solid ground, why refute it with your own health, and even life. That is not why a man is born a man.

Don't drink cheap! This is not a version.

This is a reality based on medical practice and the bitter experience of people who have suffered from alcohol addiction.

There are many problems associated with alcohol, and the most important of them is alcoholism. But not all drinkers are alcoholics. If you know the measure and do not drink often, then an ordinary person who occasionally drinks a glass of vodka or a glass of wine for a holiday is not threatened by the formation of a persistent dependence on alcohol. But if we compare an ordinary healthy person, sometimes drinking intoxicating drink, and an alcoholic, then each of them has his own reasons to start drinking. Understanding these reasons helps to understand what makes some people start drinking more and more and become an alcoholic, while others know when to stop and never cross this line. Moreover, understanding the causes of cravings for alcohol allows you to get rid of alcohol addiction. Psychological rehabilitation in the treatment of alcoholism is one of the important components of successfully overcoming addiction. The main task of such rehabilitation is to identify and eliminate the cause.

Stages of drinking

Usually the answer to the question why people drink is more of a concern for women who suffer next to an alcoholic husband. However, some of the fair sex also have a craving for alcohol. And their search for the cause, on the contrary, is not interested.

In surveys and studies conducted to find out why people start drinking, five main stages in the formation of cravings for alcohol have been identified:

1. Often a person drinks his first glass for company or out of interest. Most people drink alcohol for the first time during adolescence. But it is too early to talk about the development of dependence on alcohol. Usually, such an early use of intoxicating drinks is associated with a teenager getting into a drinking company or with an interest that arose against the background of stories from more “experienced” comrades about the state of fun and euphoria after drinking alcohol.
2. Subsequently, a person begins to drink in order to once again feel a feeling of intoxication and relaxation. This usually happens in the same company where the teenager got his first experience. At the same time, a feeling of looseness, fun and euphoria again visits a person, and the positive experience from drinking alcohol is repeated. At this stage, people drink alcohol because they enjoy it. This is the beginning stage of addiction formation.
3. Formation of psychological dependence on alcohol. At this stage, a person likes to drink on holidays, but over time, he tries to find more and more reasons to drink. So, the interval between taking alcohol is reduced. The consumed alcoholic drink improves mood, and without it, a person has a depressed state, bad mood, irritability and aggressiveness.

1. Further causes of drunkenness are no longer associated with a state of joy and pleasure, but with “treatment”, because an alcoholic needs to fight a hangover, and a new dose of alcohol can simply and quickly improve your well-being in the morning. Moreover, this stage of dependence on alcohol is formed in people who like to drink almost every day. In this case, the answer to the question of why people drink lies in the physical dependence on ethanol. This substance is firmly integrated into the metabolic processes of the body, which cannot work without alcohol. Moreover, it is very difficult to start quitting drinking at this stage, because the craving is so strong that a person cannot control his desires. If he starts taking vodka in the morning for a hangover, he quickly enters into a state of binge drinking.
2. At the very last stage of alcoholism, the patient cannot imagine his life without alcohol. And as soon as he tries to get out of the binge, his condition deteriorates sharply and the alcoholic has to drink again and again to feel normal. In this case, alcohol will not be a pleasure for him, but a vital substance that slowly kills a person.

As you can see, at each stage of drinking alcohol there are reasons that push a person to drink. Therefore, in order to answer the question of why people drink, you need to understand at what stage of acquaintance with alcohol a person is. The psychology is such that a teenager who has not tried alcohol cannot drink to get drunk, and the desire not to stand out from the company cannot become the cause of alcoholism at the last stage.

Psychological reasons

To understand why people drink alcohol, it's worth going beyond the five stages of addiction formation we've covered above. There are a number of reasons that are not so obvious and visible, but from this they do not become less significant and serious. So, to understand why people drink, you need to study the psychological aspects.

Important: as a rule, if a person is doing well in life: there is a friendly family, beloved children, an interesting, well-paid job, a variety of leisure activities, non-drinking or moderately drinking friends, everyone is healthy and happy, then there are reasons to drink alcohol regularly, there is no person.

Among the psychological reasons why people start drinking are the following:

1. Loneliness is the cause of the development of alcohol dependence. When there is no one to talk to about life, its problems and sorrows, when there is no supportive and understanding person nearby, then the taken alcohol makes the world less hostile for a while and the feeling of loneliness dulls for a while.
2. A person may not love himself, his shortcomings, or experience self-doubt. All this he tries to smooth out with the help of alcohol. Some people with obvious defects in appearance or speech feel constrained in society and embarrassed by themselves, so they try to drown out this feeling with alcohol.
3. A person may start drinking to numb the intense mental pain that is associated with the loss of a loved one or a serious illness.
4. A fairly common psychological reason sounds like this: for courage. To drown out fears, anxieties and concerns, a person can drink alcohol and become more confident and relaxed, if he does not overdo it with the dosage.
5. Sometimes the answer to the question of why they drink lies in the nervous and psychological tension that many of us experience after a hard day's work. In this state, it is difficult to relax and fall asleep. To get rid of the psychological burden after work, not only some men drink beer, but the fair sex also relieves nervous tension in this way. At first it helps, but then a person experiences psychological, and later physical dependence.
6. Some men, in response to the question why they drink alcohol, namely beer, say that they like the taste of this foamy drink and so they quench their thirst.

Social causes

In addition to psychological aspects, our desire to drink can also be driven by social reasons. Among them are the following:

• dissatisfaction with one's life (work, family), financial and domestic problems;
• psychological pressure of colleagues, family members, superiors;
• lack of self-realization in family life, work, career, children, etc.;
• low social status;
• a drinking company that does not miss a single holiday or celebration;
• traditions to drink on all holidays;
• teenagers try to attract attention with the help of alcohol.

Attention: do not forget about hereditary predisposition to alcohol dependence. If someone in your family suffered from alcoholism, then it is likely that when certain causes or a combination of them appear, the person will start drinking.

False reasons

To find the answer to the question of why alcoholics drink, it is worth looking at the stages of drinking described above. The answer is obvious, they suffer from psychological and physical dependence. These are the two main causes of drunkenness. But many of the addicted people try to justify their addiction with quite reasonable (in their opinion) reasons:

1. Drinking is uplifting. The catch lies in the fact that an improvement in mood occurs only at the beginning, if a person continues to drink, then euphoria and joy are quickly replaced by irritability, aggressiveness, or, on the contrary, a depressed mood. To understand how unreasonable this reason is, it is worth remembering what a chronic alcoholic looks like. He definitely does not resemble a person in a good mood and mood.

Important: the stage of alcoholic euphoria is available only to people at an early stage of addiction.

1. If alcohol is taken to normalize relations between people, to make new connections and acquaintances, then it is worth noting that ethanol destroys brain cells, which leads to dementia, and this, in turn, certainly does not make the people around you like you. Moreover, in a state of extreme intoxication, only the same alcoholic can understand a person with unrelated speech and a slurred tongue, but not his wife, relatives, children or work colleagues and superiors.
2. Another myth is that alcohol makes a person bolder. Here it is more correct to say not bolder, but deprives him of a sense of self-preservation, therefore, in a state of intoxication, serious accidents, crimes and suicides so often happen. Moreover, a person under the influence of alcohol inadequately perceives the world around him and cannot assess the real threat to his life.

1. Alcohol treatment of a morning hangover is also not the right way out of the situation, as it contributes to binge drinking. It is better to improve the condition of the body with the help of medicines and folk remedies than to poison the liver and brain again with ethanol.

As you can see, all the reasons that force a person to drink are related to getting pleasure, imaginary self-confidence, the ability to drown out problems, improve mood, or get a dose of courage. But in any case, alcohol gives only a temporary effect, after which not only a severe hangover occurs, but also addiction gradually develops, which in no way contributes to improving your life, solving problems and raising your mood.

Alcoholism - global problem of modern society. Oddly enough, but most people feel the need for a drink in one way or another. Some try to drink alcohol only on holidays, others do not disdain drinking at any convenient time.

So why do people drink alcohol?

In fact, there are many reasons for this, for example, psychological, physiological, social. But be that as it may, it must be remembered that alcoholic beverages adversely affect human health.

Harm from alcohol

Many people think that alcohol will help them solve some problems. Trying to get away from reality with the help of booze. But in the end it turns out that the problems become more. Hangover is added to unresolved difficulties.

In some cases, it is the hangover syndrome that leads to binge drinking and, ultimately, alcoholism. It is known that dependence on alcohol is practically untreatable. The only exception is stage 1.

If a person becomes addicted to alcoholic beverages, his life changes, and not for the better. As a rule, he is not interested in his work, family problems appear. He only thinks about where to get the next portion of strong drinks.

A person drinks without thinking about anything. As a result, health suffers.

It should be said that alcohol affects all human organs. First of all, the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, stomach suffer. The mental state of an alcoholic cannot be called normal.

He constantly experiences stress, becomes irritable, his memory worsens, his condition becomes depressed. It is very difficult to communicate with such a person. He does not accept criticism and believes that at any moment he can stop drinking alcohol, so he does not agree to be treated.

Why do people drink alcohol when there are other ways to relax and solve problems?

There are reasons for this, which should be considered in detail.

Reasons why people drink

Reasons for drinking alcohol can be roughly divided into three categories:

1. psychological;
2. social;
3. physiological.

Sometimes the reasons can be combined with each other. For example, if a person spends time in the company of dependent people and has a genetic predisposition, he will get drunk much faster anyway. But not always a person becomes an inveterate drunkard due to several factors. Sometimes one reason is enough.

People begin to drink, as this is the most common and affordable means of satisfying their needs.

Psychological reasons why a person consumes alcohol

The psychological reasons for the development of alcohol dependence are largely determined by the nature of the person, his personality type, and mental abilities. Often these are creative people who are not able to solve serious problems.

But at the same time, such a person drinks because he cannot tell anyone soberly about his problems, much less entrust their solution to another. When such people drink, their insecurity disappears, they become talkative, sociable.

In other words, the psychological reasons for which a person drinks include: the desire to relax, get rid of loneliness, “drown out” depression, and raise self-esteem. Many begin to drink for these reasons, not noticing that over time they become alcoholics, dependent on alcohol.

Social reasons why a person consumes alcohol

There are many such reasons. Often, society dictates to a person the traditions of drinking alcohol. Again, advertising on TV, drinking establishments located on every corner, friends, colleagues who drink.

Sometimes it's better to settle for another drink than to figure out why you don't want to drink. Meanwhile, each drunk portion of alcohol produces a craving for alcoholic beverages in a person.

The main reasons why a person drinks: lack of family, personal life, "for the company", problems at work, unstable financial situation, problems with housing, in society.

Physiological reasons why a person consumes alcohol

Physiological as follows: genetic predisposition, the presence of mental disorders, head injuries, features of intrauterine development, metabolism.

An important role is played by the gender of a person, since women are more disposed to alcoholism, and it is very difficult to recover from it. It should also be noted the age of the person, if you drink from adolescence, addiction will occur earlier.

We must also talk about genetics. It has been proven that children born to drinking parents are more prone to alcoholism. Therefore, when they become adults, they should stay away from alcohol.

Other reasons why people drink

In fact, there are so many reasons that it is simply not possible to list them all. But there are still such categories of alcoholism as: male, female, teenage. There are enough reasons for each category.

Male alcoholism basically begins with the fact that it is customary for a person to drink with friends, or problems at work, loneliness and disorder in his personal life. If a man has not completely drunk himself, he can be helped if he expresses a desire.

Female, according to psychologists and narcologists. Therefore, strong motivation and willpower are needed in order to drink alcohol at least very rarely. Few manage to give up alcohol completely. Ladies drink for various reasons: a difficult divorce, the death of a loved one, the inability to have a child, a cheating husband, depression and loneliness.

All these reasons make them drink, despite the criticism of others.

No less scary. If a person drank from a young age, then his chances of becoming a normal person are negligible. Until the body is strong and mature, addiction to alcoholic beverages is simply rapid.

As a rule, teenagers drink because of problems with their parents, misunderstanding of others, poor performance at school, and also “for the company”, because “it’s customary” before a disco, for example.

Some want to appear cool, thinking that if they drink and smoke, they will increase their prestige in the eyes of their peers. Later, when a teenager becomes an adult, he can no longer live without another dose of alcohol. This will interfere with his further studies, work, and the creation of a family.

Summing up

To the question “why do people drink”, there are a lot of answers. Everyone drinks alcohol for their own personal reasons. But it should be remembered that even a small amount of alcoholic beverages drunk regularly will lead to alcoholism. This is an insidious disease, to which you quickly get used to. But it's very hard to get rid of.

In some cases, it's simply not possible. Drinking again, you need to think: “why and why am I drinking, what will happen to me from it, and can I do without it.” If it is possible not to drink, it is better not to do so.

Poison, but must drink. Since you are at a wedding - drink! Since you are visiting - drink! Otherwise you will offend the owners. Yes, there is still an erroneous opinion that one of the signs of male prowess is the ability to drink. But that's what drunkards say. On the contrary, if you refuse, you find the strength to resist a glass - you are a real man!

Drunkenness and alcoholism will not die out on their own, nor will "drinking habits" disappear on their own. A stubborn struggle is needed against the remnants of the past, in which everyone must take part.

Quite often a person who brings himself into a state of intoxication subconsciously, and even consciously, sets the task of behaving unbridledly. Even L. N. Tolstoy wrote that people use wine in order to drown out the voice of conscience.

So, the need for alcohol is not among the natural needs of life, like, for example, the need for oxygen or food, and therefore alcohol in itself initially does not have a motivating force for a person. This need, like some other "needs" of a person (for example, smoking) appears because society, firstly, produces this product and, secondly, "reproduces" the customs, forms, habits and prejudices associated with its consumption. . Of course, these habits are not shared by everyone to the same extent.

The perception and gradual assimilation of alcohol habits begin long before a person has a need for alcohol, long before even the first acquaintance with alcohol itself, its taste and effect. A small child sitting at a festive table is waiting for sweet water, "children's wine" to be poured into his glass, and he, under the approving roar of the guests, will reach out to clink glasses with everyone, while assimilating the external ritual of drinking wine.

Experiments conducted in the older groups of the kindergarten showed that if children are offered to play "wedding", "birthday", then they copy with sufficient accuracy the external attributes of an adult feast in the game with imitation of clinking glasses, toasts, swaying gait of guests. Already at this time, the idea of ​​​​alcohol began to form as a special, obligatory companion of celebrations and meetings, an attractive symbol of adult life.

Schoolchildren who were allowed by their parents to drink alcohol with adults on holidays were several times more likely than their peers who were forbidden to do so, subsequently drinking in the company of friends. Thus, even inadvertently introducing children to alcohol customs can be the initial, trigger mechanism for their further independent acquaintance with alcohol.

Schoolboy! If you do not want to sink to the state of an alcoholic, get into a drunken company, lose your ability to work, your good name - do not touch wine, even if it is offered by adults close to you.

Causes of alcoholism

The fact that among people who drink, some become alcoholics, while others do not, is explained in different ways.

Physiological reasons. Physiologists and biochemists have tried to identify differences in the chemical effects of alcohol on teetotalers and those who abuse alcohol, especially those who suffer from alcohol dependence. A number of biochemical changes have been found in long-term drinkers, although it is not entirely clear whether these are the result or cause of excess alcohol consumption. It has been shown, in particular, that some persons with alcohol dependence develop additional metabolic mechanisms that provide a much higher rate of alcohol excretion from the body than in persons without alcohol dependence, and, accordingly, better tolerance of large doses of alcohol.

The cause of discomfort leading to alcohol consumption may be physiological changes in the body due to emotional stress. However, the currently available data do not support the opinion about the primary role of such changes; nevertheless, it is possible that the development of alcohol dependence is still associated with certain physiological characteristics.

All serious studies of alcoholism show that this disease is hereditary: the children of drinking parents often become alcoholics themselves. Until recently, this phenomenon was considered only a consequence of the bad example of parents and the difficult situation in the family. Modern scientific developments, without at all diminishing the role of upbringing and environmental factors, consider in a new way the role of heredity in the manifestation of alcoholism in children of drinking parents. It has been suggested that the inheritance of alcoholism has a biochemical basis. According to the results of studies conducted at the University of Kansas (USA), the sons of alcoholic parents become alcoholics 4 times more often than children from non-drinking families, and this pattern persists even if a child of alcoholics is adopted and raised by a family that does not drink alcohol. In the opposite situation, when a child of non-drinking parents is brought up in a family of alcoholics, his chances of becoming an alcoholic are not so great. The importance of heredity is also evidenced by the fact that in identical twins who have the same set of genes, both twins usually fall ill with alcoholism, while in fraternal twins such a coincidence is much less common.

Deviations in the neuro-cerebral activity also affect the development of alcoholism. The study of the encephalograms of people with an increased risk of alcoholism showed that there is a stable electrical wave deviation in their brain, which can be inherited.
Another innate factor that increases the risk of alcoholism is an oversensitive nervous system. It has been noted that many children of alcoholics are hypersensitive to pain, sounds, light, and other stimuli. Subsequently, such children may develop a craving for alcohol as a means of dulling sensations that are too strong.
As we can see, a whole complex of biochemical and neurotic changes creates an innate predisposition to alcoholism in the offspring of alcoholics. However, like a number of other genetically determined diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes), alcoholism may or may not manifest itself in an active form depending on external conditions, that is, in this case, on whether a person will drink alcohol. Recall, by the way, that often alcoholism occurs without any hereditary predisposition.

American scientists have identified a number of circumstances that most often lead to alcoholism:
- cases of alcoholism among close relatives (parents, older brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles);
- dysfunctional or incomplete
families where parents are divorced, do not live together or often quarrel;
- cases of depression
family (moreover, depression is more common in women, and alcoholism is more common in men);
- smoking in the family;
- national and local traditions that encourage feasting.

So, proper family education plays a primary role in the prevention of alcoholism in adolescents and young people. What should parents do to protect their growing children from such evil as drunkenness?
First, from early childhood, openly answer all your children's questions, including questions about drunkenness, drunks, and alcoholic beverages. Report only true facts. If you tell half the truth. your child will eventually find out and lose confidence in you.

Make sure that the content and form of your conversations are appropriate for the age of the child: children quickly lose interest in what is not clear. For example, a three-year-old child, seeing a drunk, may ask you for an explanation. Tell him that this person is behaving this way because he drank wine. A seven-year-old child can be explained that wine contains alcohol - a poison that acts on the brain, and therefore a drunk person does not control his actions. Your teen will want to learn more about alcohol. Let him remember that alcohol is a strong drug that is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and goes directly to the brain. As a result of alcohol poisoning of the brain, perception is dulled, the reaction slows down, mental activity fades. People who consume alcohol develop addiction to it - alcoholism. This is a disease that is difficult to treat, and the sooner treatment is started, the greater the hope of success. All these facts should be firmly grasped by every person from childhood.

psychological reasons. Many people think that alcoholics are weak-willed and spineless people, but psychological studies do not confirm this. There is evidence that a significant proportion of alcoholics (probably almost 35%) suffer from other mental disorders at the same time, however, there is no such thing as an "alcoholic personality".

Disease development. The development of addiction to alcohol is due to a complex interweaving of factors: personal experience, the influence of peers in young years, the influence of parents, social and cultural customs, everyday stress and the availability of alcoholic beverages. When a person begins to drink, environmental factors, coupled with the physiological changes brought about by drinking, can reinforce and maintain the habit until it finally leads to serious life difficulties for the drinker.

For heavy drinkers, especially for those suffering from alcohol dependence, repeated binges are characteristic. The reason for them are emotional breakdowns and conflicts with others. One of the cardinal signs of severe alcohol dependence is the loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed, but, as has been repeatedly shown, not only physiological, but also psychological factors play a role here. It has been established that alcoholics drink soft drinks in larger quantities than healthy people, if they are sure that these drinks contain alcohol, and vice versa, not knowing that the drink contains alcohol, they consume it in the same amount as people who do not suffer from alcoholism. addiction.

It is also characteristic of alcoholics to deny the fact that it is drunkenness that is the cause of most of their misfortunes. Many believe that such denial is determined by personality traits that are inherent in all drunkards to one degree or another. However, the data of recent socio-psychological studies suggest that the reluctance to admit this fact may be a psychological reaction to the negative attitude of others who associate drunkenness with character traits. It is shown that with a sympathetic (rather than confrontational) approach, many alcoholics stop denying the role of their addiction as the main cause of life's difficulties.