Alcoholism is a disease characterised by continuous heavy drinking. Until people with alcohol use disorder admit to problems with alcohol and stop drinking, the risk of alcohol use disorder continues which affects both physical and mental health.
Alcohol starts to injure the brain once it reaches the bloodstream.
Excessive consumption can lead to Alcohol-Related Brain Damage, or ARBD, which is a type of brain disorder caused by alcohol consumption. Brain shrinkage caused by alcohol abuse is permanent, as alcohol kills brain cells and grey matter.
For more information and effects click ‘Learn More’.
Family Recovery Compass is a newsletter for friends and family members who feel trapped between supporting a loved one in addiction, and protecting their own wellbeing.
Every week, we tackle one specific situation in addiction family dynamics, and deliver practical decision-making frameworks and exact dialogue scripts – that help you respond with confidence instead of reaction.
Every month, we bring you an unfiltered recovery conversation with someone who’s either experienced addiction firsthand, or works closely with those in recovery.
No sanitised success stories – just practical insights on what actually works in recovery, that you can apply, in your life too.
Recovery capital is the internal and external resource used to begin the recovery process and maintain sobriety. This combines personal, social, and community support to provide a joined-up approach that supports the addict through recovery.
Do you or a loved one need addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs? Thousands blindly walk into addiction treatment in expensive rehab centres and find that the reality doesn’t meet expectations.
If you’re considering rehab treatment, first check our ultimate guide for complete instructions on how to find the right rehab centre for you.
Take-home Naloxone kits help families and loved ones respond quickly in an opioid overdose emergency, until emergency services arrive. Kits contain nasal or injectable forms of Naloxone.
Changes in legislation mean Naloxone kits are now more widely available from pharmacies and drug services, including Abbeycare.
For additional information, click ‘Learn More’ below.
Overcoming alcohol addiction means first ceasing alcohol intake, and taking care of physical and chemical withdrawal symptoms.
Detoxing from alcohol means undergoing withdrawal from alcohol, but with the assistance of prescribed medication and detox phase, to substitute in place of the alcohol itself.
Alcohol rehab focuses on tackling the problems underneath alcoholism, such as grief, trauma, depression, and emotional difficulties, in order to reduce continuing drinking after treatment.
Inpatient services at an alcohol rehab programme provides 24 hour access to specialist care.
Alcohol home detox provides a means of semi-supervised addiction treatment in the comfort of your home. It’s often suitable for those with inescapable practical commitments, or where a reduced budget for treatment is available.
An at-home detox is the most basic detox option available from Abbeycare, and assumes you have support available, post-detox, for the other important elements of long-term addiction recovery.
The term alcoholism refers to the consumption of alcohol to the extent that the person is unable to manage their own drinking habits or patterns, resulting in side-effects that are detrimental to the quality of life and health of the alcoholic, or those around them.
An alcoholic is someone who continues to compulsively abuse alcohol in this way, despite the negative consequences to their lives and health.
Immediately following treatment, the early stages of recovery and abstinence are most vulnerable to lapses.
At Abbeycare, a structured and peer-reviewed aftercare plan is usually prepared whilst still in treatment. This comprises social, peer, and therapeutic resources individuals draw upon, following a residential treatment programme for drug or alcohol misuse.
Clinically managed residential detoxification is:
– A structured detox that uses medication-assisted treatment and regular physical health observations
– Takes place in an inpatient rehabilitation unit or hospital
– Typically lasts from 7-10 days, but in Abbeycare, it is incorporated into a 28-day rehab programme
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a well-known therapy option used by doctors at drug and alcohol treatment facilities for the treatment of substance use disorders.
It is a form of talking therapy that helps one mange their problems by changing how they think and behave. This form of therapy is used to treat depression and anxiety and is useful for physical health problems as well as one’s mental health.
Family Therapy at Abbeycare Scotland or Gloucester is realistic, compassionate, and appropriate for families and loved ones of addicts.
Family therapeutic interventions in residential rehabilitation have been designed to support those living with or caring for participants entering the Abbeycare Programme.
Support for families in a group setting allows for a safe, constructive, and confidential place to listen and share common experiences.
Inpatient rehab is drug and/ or alcohol treatment in a rehab centre, where patients remain on-site for the duration of inpatient rehabilitation.
It includes detoxification from drugs, therapy (group work and 1-2-1 sessions), and aftercare planning. Inpatient rehabs typically last 28 days, but this varies on an individual basis.
Long-term treatment at Abbeycare has been developed for those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction. Completing a long-term drug and alcohol inpatient programme may be the solution to problematic substance use.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy can be used by trained addiction recovery therapists to elicit internal changes within and promote long-term recovery from substance use disorder.
All the answers to addiction can be found within with this comprehensive and successful therapy concept leads to behavioural changes, reflective listening, self-motivational statements, and a comprehensive recovery process.
Outpatient drug or alcohol rehab is daytime treatment as opposed to living in a treatment facility.
Outpatient treatment is similar to inpatient in terms of the methods used to treat substance abuse. Where they differ is in their approach to recovery.
Abbeycare’s prison to rehab is a 12-week structured rehab programme which involves direct transfer from prison. The suitability of the candidate is decided by prison staff.
Short-term residential treatment programmes are the chance to press the reset button and access a therapeutic programme designed to create recovery from the use of alcohol and drugs.
Feeling stuck in a rut. Want to stop but can’t seem to achieve sobriety?
Click below.
The 12-step programme was created by alcoholics anonymous (AA), and is specifically designed to aid addicts in achieving and maintaining abstinence.
The central ethos behind the programme is that participants must admit and surrender to a divine power to live happy lives. Ideas and experiences are shared in meetings, and help is sought in an attempt to achieve abstinence.
Abbeycare’s policy to respect your privacy and comply with any applicable law and regulation regarding any personal information we may collect about you, including across our website and other sites we own and operate.
The compulsive use of cannabis, despite experiencing negative consequences such as psychosis and poor concentration
Physical tolerance - cannabinoid receptors habituating, typically from average use of 1-4 joints/day [1]
Experiencing cannabis withdrawal symptoms, notably nausea and sweating, during periods of abstinence
Physical Indicators Of Cannabis Addiction
Physical indicators of cannabis addiction are:
Red bloodshot eyes are a physical indicator of cannabis addiction caused by the widening of the eye capillaries, lasting from 3-24 hours
Dry and itchy eyes due to a 60% reduction in tear volume from 4m/kg of cannabis, caused by THC activating CB1 receptors [2]
Dry mouth, or "cottonmouth," occurring in 69.6% of users and caused by inhibition of the saliva glands [3]
Oral cancer caused by cannabis smoke, as it contains 50% more carcinogenic substances, such as nitrosamines, compared to traditional tobacco smoke [4]
A hoarse voice, as 66% of cannabis users show discoloured and inflamed vocal cords [5]
Tooth sensitivity and decay, caused by saliva acidity increasing by 8% [6]
Increased appetite, as addiction causes the hunger hormone ghrelin to increase by 37.3% [7]
A phlegmy cough and excess mucus caused by inflammation of the respiratory system
Tachycardia and heart arrhythmias caused by a 20-100% increase in heart rate during active cannabis use [8]
Psychological Indicators Of Cannabis Addiction
Psychological indicators of cannabis addiction are:
Forgetting the placement of objects, caused by a 50% reduction in spatial memory functioning [9]
Experiencing challenges with switching from one task to another due to a ~15% reduction in cognition and problem-solving [10]
Overestimating time, caused by inhibition of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit, a brain network responsible for time perception, resulting in an inability to finish tasks on time [11]
Paranoia and schizophrenia symptoms, as scores on the Paranoid Visual Analogue Scale increase by 0.91 for every unit increase in THC consumed [12]
Delusional beliefs increase by 50% upon knowingly consuming THC, compared to unknowingly consuming the substance when it is laced in vapes [13]
28% of cannabis users with depersonalisation-derealisation disorder report using 100-500 times prior to onset, and results in symptoms such as detachment and difficulty concentrating [14]
Vulnerable Groups
More/Less Vulnerable
Why?
Teenagers
More vulnerable
Peer pressure
High risk-taking behaviour; experimenting with illicit substances
Greater dopaminergic activation compared to females when using cannabis
Chronic Stress
More vulnerable
Self-medication
Chronic Pain
More vulnerable
Self-medication, particularly during flare-ups
Why Is Cannabis Addiction Considered A Precursor To Other Addictions?
Biological Mechanisms
Up to 8mg/kg of cannabinoids over 11 days results in cocaine sensitivity, particularly in adolescents, caused by shared activation of dopaminergic pathways [15].
Cannabis binds to CB1 receptors that inhibit GABA release, resulting in dopamine deficits that make the brain sensitive to the effects of cocaine and MDMA, resulting in polysubstance misuse.
A 2024 study by Peters and colleagues demonstrates that WIN55,212-2, a type of synthetic cannabinoid that mimics THC, increases dopamine output by 150%, reinforcing drug-seeking behaviour as dopamine receptors become habituated [16].
Early Onset Of Usage
Weekly cannabis use in adolescence causes a 7-fold higher rate of daily use in early adulthood and a 2-fold higher rate of alcohol consumption, leading to future dual-substance dependency [17].
Cannabis is a precursor to tobacco addiction because 34% of 24-year-olds dependent on cannabis and tobacco previously used cannabis in adolescence [18].
Animal studies in rats show that adolescent exposure to a 30 mg/kg infusion of cannabis results in a 67% increase in self-administered heroin use in adulthood [19].
Patterns Of Drug Use
44.7% of lifetime users of cannabis develop cross-addictions with other illicit substances, such as cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin [20].
50% of cannabis users with co-occurring alcohol use disorder initially used cannabis alone [21].
Adolescent THC exposure causes increased cocaine-induced activation in the hypothalamus, resulting in motivation to use cocaine and subsequent addiction [22].
Long-Term Effects Of Cannabis Addiction
A 2-5% reduction in orbitofrontal cortical matter in cannabis addicts causes misinterpretations of sensory input, resulting in auditory and visual hallucinations even during periods of non-use [23].
Chronic bronchitis is a direct long-term effect of cannabis dependency due to inhalation of smoke and vapour, resulting in inflammation, coughing and wheezing.
Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome is a gut-brain disorder caused by weekly+ cannabis use in 97.4% of users, resulting in nausea and vomiting, requiring hot baths to relieve symptoms [24].
Cannabis addiction increases the rate of hospitalisation for psychotic episodes by 26% for those with pre-existing psychosis [25].
What Changes Cannabis Addiction?
Legality Of Cannabis
Since the introduction of legalised medical cannabis in the UK, 10.9% of illicit cannabis users report increased recreational use, maintaining cannabis addiction [26].
21% of cannabis users report using illicitly obtained cannabis for medical and therapeutic purposes since the medical legalisation [27].
The legalisation of medical cannabis has increased the recreational use and subsequent addiction of cannabis in young people by 2-3.5%, making addiction more prominent in this population [28].
As cannabis is a Class B drug, users underestimate its harmful effects compared to Class A substances, such as ketamine, resulting in denial about its potential to cause addiction.
Cannabis Strains
Compared to 0.5mg/kg of oral delta-9-thc alone, the combination of delta-9-thc (0.5mg/kg) and CBD (1mg/kg) reduces the self-reported perception of addiction [29].
Recent strains of marijuana contain 17-28% delta-9-thc with 0.09-0.2% CBD, resulting in addiction [30].
Delta-9-thc users not exposed to CBD show an 11% reduction in hippocampal volume and memory function compared to using marijuana containing both in addiction [31].
43-45% more users of sativa cannabis strains report feeling motivated and focused compared to using indica [32].
Indica strains, compared to sativa, cause a 59% increase in tiredness and relaxation [33].
Gender
Female users addicted to cannabis show an 8.6% reduction in cerebellar white matter compared to males, leading to deficits in attention and decision-making throughout addiction [34].
17.5% of women do not know that cannabis is addictive, compared to 11.3% of men, so addiction is more likely to develop unknowingly [35].
Animal studies in rats show that the Tetrahydrocannabinol dose needed to develop tolerance is 30-40% lower in females than males, leading to a faster development of addiction [36].
Female rats require 10x less cannabis to experience analgesic effects compared to males, resulting in faster dependency in females when the same dose of cannabis is used for pain relief [37].
About the author
Philippa Scammell
Philippa Scammell MSci holds an integrated Master's degree in Psychology
from the University of York and has completed undergraduate statistical studies at Harvard University. Philippa has substantial experience in inpatient psychiatric care (Foss Park Hospital York), Research in Psychology at University of York, and group therapy facilitation (Kyra Women's Project). Philippa writes on clinical psychology and addiction recovery. Content reviewed by Laura Morris (Clinical Lead).
