Bella Hadid opens up about having an unhealthy obsession with alcohol; here's what it takes to cut out alcohol

Bella Hadid in a recent interview opened up on her experience with drinking and announced her decision to quit alcohol. "I have done my fair share of drinking," the Victoria's Secret model told an international media portal.

On her alcohol consumption, Hadid revealed that at one point her addiction had reached such an unhealthy peak that she had to cancel nights out feeling she won't be able to control herself. This reminds us of the innumerable incidents we might have come across till date learning about how serious a problem addiction is and what disastrous impact it puts on an individual's life.

WHO defines alcohol as a psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties. The harmful use of alcohol causes a large number of diseases, social and economic burden in societies, it says.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total per capita consumption of alcohol by individuals above 15 years of age is 6.2 litres of pure alcohol per year, which is equal to 13.5 grams of pure alcohol per day. The report further says that nearly 5.1% of the global burden of disease is attributable to alcohol consumption, and it causes nearly 3.3 million deaths every year.

The figures are alarming and call for an immediate response towards alcohol consumption.

A number of factors ranging from individual to social level can be responsible for starting alcohol consumption leading it to addiction in an individual.

While there is no threshold limit that can define the onset of alcohol consumption in an individual, early signs of overdrinking should be checked as these lead to addiction.

As per a 2020 study, alcohol consumption affects the dopamine and serotonin levels which induces a positive feeling in the individual for drinking thus influencing him or her to drink more.

As the alcohol consumption increases, the addiction level starts to take pace.

As drinking becomes a routine it starts affecting the appetite, sleeping order and mood. This is when one should know that the alcohol consumption has become an addiction and should be cut out, experts say.

Recovery from this addiction is a gradual process. Behavioral therapy is considered to be one of the most effective treatments for alcohol addiction. One should go to a psychologist or refer a friend who is alcoholic and help them get rid of the addiction.

Medicines are also recommended to reduce the crave for alcohol consumption. Sudden withdrawal from alcohol leads to big fluctuations in the body and if this is not treated it may lead to severe complications.

“Medications are very important during alcohol withdrawal, the period called cold turkey. Long-term abuse of alcohol has a sedative effect on the body. When you withdraw alcohol suddenly, there is a phase of excitability that can be deadly without the use of a medication to take the place of alcohol,” says Michael Weaver, MD, professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and medical director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as per a report carried by Everyday Health portal.

On her de-addiction, Bella Hadid says, "I don't feel the need because I know how it will affect me at 3 in the morning when I wake up with horrible anxiety thinking about that one thing I said five years ago when I graduated high school," she says. "There's just this never-ending effect of, essentially, you know, pain and stress over those few drinks that didn't really do much, you know?"

When alcoholism takes a toll on your normal life, it becomes a problem. Be it your day to day activity or your professional life or even your relationships, alcohol influence will disrupt every harmony in your life. Alcohol addiction not only hampers the individual it also disturbs the near and dear ones.

"A significant proportion of the disease burden attributable to alcohol consumption arises from unintentional and intentional injuries, including those due to road traffic crashes, violence, and suicides, and fatal alcohol-related injuries tend to occur in relatively younger age groups," says WHO. "The latest causal relationships are those between harmful drinking and incidence of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis as well as the incidence and course of HIV/AIDS," it adds.

Researchers have linked alcoholism with changes in brain function and alteration of various brain chemical and hormonal systems known to be involved in the development of many common mental disorders.

Apart from this, social problems associated with alcohol addiction also affect the mental health of an individual. Social issues related to legal, financial and relationships also occur due to heavy alcohol consumption which leads to sadness and anxiety in the individual.

Nobody is unaware of the damage alcohol consumption has on the liver. Heavy drinking leads to liver cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. As per 2017 WHO data, liver disease deaths in India was 259,749 or 2.95% of total deaths, accounting for one-fifth (18.3%) of all cirrhosis deaths globally. Highlighting the alarming impact of the disease's prevalence in the country, the WHO data further says that around 10 lakh patients of liver cirrhosis are newly diagnosed every year in India and this is the 10th most common cause of death in India.