Watching my mother go through rehab has really made me realize how little I understand about it!
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People get addicted to alcohol for the same reason people get addicted to similar drugs like benzos and sleeping pills. These drugs all activate GABA receptors in the brain which brings a strong sense of calm and comfort. Like other drugs, the effect that these GABA drugs have diminishes over time as the body starts to depend on them to deliver that specific chemical. This makes the intoxication less intense, meaning people need to take more for the same effect, and it even makes sobriety *worse* (anxious, jittery, angry, irritable) because you have less GABA action going on in the brain. It’s primarily the worse sobriety that leads people back to the substance again and again.
Alcohol, benzo, and sleeping pill withdrawal can also be quite dangerous, much moreso than even opiate withdrawal which is said to be hell. Medications that prevent seizures all act on GABA to keep it up in the brain. Since alcohol and related substances reduce GABA overall, withdrawal from them can lead to seizures which can kill via. car crashes, head injuries, or suffocation (withdrawal seizures tend to be longer than regular seizures). This is why it’s important to go through detox in a medical setting.
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