Drinking is ingrained in the mentality of our society. It is something that people have done for hundreds of years, but to a much greater extent these days due to marketing and availability. Countless studies have shown the harmful consequences of excessive drinking, either on family, on your health, or when paired with other activities like driving. Chances are, if your drinking is starting to become a problematic area of your life, it is because your body has developed an addiction, and you find it very difficult to stop when you know that you should. Following are some useful tips on what causes alcohol addiction, and how you can start to address the problem.

To start with, it's important to understand that alcohol by itself isn't necessarily bad. People drink to celebrate events, at parties, or at special occasions. But warning signs should start going off when a person is drinking for other, more emotional reasons. If you drink to feel good, or to forget something bad, then this is a sign of dependency, leading in to addiction. If your drinking habits are having a noticeable impact upon your finances, or if you drink throughout the day to avoid feeling physical withdrawal, these are sure signs that your body is physically suffering from addiction to alcohol. Usually, family and friends are amongst the first ones to detect alcoholism, and having an overly negative reaction to their questions, lying to them or feeling ashamed, is a sure way to know you are indeed addicted and need to confront the problem head-on.

The first thing to realize if you want to get over your addiction problem is that this situation arises from many different factors. You didn't one day become addicted out of the blue. Social and behavioural factors play a large role. You possess the ability to consciously improve or negate these lifestyle factors. Denial is often the hardest personal element to come to terms with - the thought that you can stop drinking whenever you want, you just don't happen to want to right now. The reality is that once a person, often through years of habit, has become hooked on a substance such as alcohol, they have developed a dependency for which their mind will attempt to rationalise and justify - because simply giving it up can be exceedingly difficult. That's the simple fact, and is true in all cases of alcohol addiction. That is why looking for help is so important, and is not in any way a sign of weakness - rather it is just what's needed to beat the addiction. Whether in the form of a group session, a self-help program, or talking with friends, even the strongest of individuals need something or someone to provide the necessary support to fight and overcome this condition.

Getting sober is only the beginning. Getting past alcohol addiction is a fully involved process, and like drugs or any other type of addiction, often involves a long road ahead. It's a battle that's fought one day at a time, and there are many tactics you can employ to make the process easier. One such method is to take the opportunity to overhaul your entire health regimen, and replace your regular daily or nightly routine with sporting activities. Another tip is to physically prevent yourself from drinking, such as giving your car keys and money to a loved one, keeping only the things you need throughout the day, without any means to purchase alcohol. Remember that during the process of detoxification, you'll likely feel like hell for many days, but that is a perfectly normal part of the process. Through conscious effort and with professional advice and guidance, you can - like thousands of others have before you - rid your life from the problems of alcohol addiction once and for all.

'Fighting Father' Dave Smith, a community worker and Parish Priest, has spent many years working with people from different backgrounds who have suffered from addiction. He is best known there for his work with at-risk teenagers - work for which he has twice been named 'Citizen of the Year' (and twice nominated for Australian of the Year).