There are various possible reasons why some people turn from casual or social drinkers to alcohol abusers and ultimately to alcoholics, when others do not. Evidence shows that the amount you drink or the frequency that you drink in the early years of drinking have a remarkable effect on whether or not you'll eventually suffer from alcoholism.

Alcoholism, or alcohol addiction, is a progressive disease. You get more hooked on alcohol bydrinking it. It gradually shifts a chemical equilibrium in the mind. Gamma-amino butyric acid is a naturally-occurring brain chemical substance whih checks inhibitions. Anyone who's ever been drunk has experienced the outcome of the lessening in levels of GABA because of alcohol, which goes away as you get sober once more. Continued consumption of alcohol could permanently decrease the levels of this substance, leading to more alcohol use, leading to potential alcoholism.

Another bodily chemical alteration occurring with regular drinking is the growth in glutamate, which stimulates the nervous system, and dopamine, which is a pleasure trigger. Again, long-term usage of alcohol extends to more lasting increases of thesechemicals, stimulating the body to crave alcohol. This, in turn, can lead to alcohol addiction.

Alcohol Addiction has a hereditary facet. Distinct facets of your genetic composition can make you more or less liable to any sort of dependencies, including alcoholism. In other words, if your mother or father suffered from alcohol addiction, it's more likely you have the tendency to become a sufferer, as well.

Emotional state will also play a part. Not only does emotional hurt and tension lead people to block it all out with alcohol, but there is a cause and effect nexus between some stress hormons and alcoholism.

Mental components can be contributors. If, for example, your best friend and buddy is a serious drinker, but doesn't abuse alcohol, you may discover yourself imbibing more than you wish, just because you're with him. Then the chemical imbalances take over and the progression begins. If you are depressed or suffer from low self-esteem, these could also start up the imbibing cycle.

And finally, we can't entirely dismiss the social aspects of drinking. Cocktail parties are the norm in some lines of work. Advertising for products containing alcohol glamorize its use and create imitators. Some even appear to imply that imbibing to excess is standard.

So it appears that regular imbibing over time is likely to lead to alcohol addiction. Statistics tell us that a man drinking more than 15 drinks per week or a woman drinking more than 12 will increase that person's likeliness of suffering from alcoholism. This isn't the single risk factor, however:

- Individuals who begin drinking early, say at age 15 or sooner, are higher-risk prospects for alcoholism.

- Men are more probable to suffer from alcoholism than women.

- The rate of alcoholism is greateror individuals who had an alcoholic parent than for those who did not.

- Those suffering from serious clinical depression, anxiety, or adult ADD are more likely to become alcoholic.

Apply these clues to ascertain if you or a loved one needs to be particularly alert against alcoholism.