Understanding Alcohol-Induced Psychosis

It is well known that alcohol interferes with the brain’s function. This interference is what causes people to feel drunk. However, it is not well known that, when it comes to your brain, alcohol’s impact can go well beyond just making you feel drunk. In fact, it can lead to a number of symptoms which are referred to as alcohol-induced psychosis.

Psychosis is an extremely serious mental health condition characterized by a disconnection from reality, often involving hallucinations and delusions. Psychosis itself is not a disease, but rather an umbrella term for a number of symptoms that can occur in various mental or physical health conditions. People suffering from psychosis will often have a difficult time distinguishing between what is real from what is not, leading to disturbed thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. This can lead to a person becoming a danger to themselves or others. 

Alcohol has been proven to have the potential to cause psychosis. When psychosis comes about in this way, it is referred to as alcohol-induced psychosis.

Alcohol-induced psychosis is a mental health condition characterized by hallucinations and delusions, just like regular psychosis. However, the onset of the psychotic symptoms are a direct result of excessive alcohol consumption or withdrawal. Individuals suffering from alcohol-induced psychosis often experience:

• Hallucinations: Sensory perceptions that are not real. These can manifest as both visual and auditory hallucinations.

• Delusions: False beliefs that have no basis in reality. A common delusion is that someone intends harm when they do not. 

• Impaired Judgement: Individuals may have difficulty when it comes to making reasonable decisions or understanding situations. 

• Confusion: Individuals will often have difficulty thinking clearly. This is often referred to as brain fog.

• Distorted Perception: Brain chemistry is disrupted, leading to distorted perceptions and thoughts. 

These symptoms are often present in other mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia. However, in cases of alcohol-induced psychosis, alcohol use is the root cause of their onset.

There are a few risk factors which can increase the chances of someone developing alcohol-induced psychosis. These risk factors include:

• Amount: The more alcohol a person ingests, the higher their chances are for developing alcohol-induced psychosis. For example, someone who has one glass of wine a day is very unlikely to develop the condition, while someone who drinks an entire bottle a day is at a very high risk of developing it.

• Duration: How long someone has been drinking also affects their chances of developing alcohol-induced psychosis. The longer someone has been regularly ingesting alcohol, the higher their chances of developing the condition become.

• Chronic Misuse: Individuals who have an alcohol addiction, meaning that they cannot stop drinking alcohol and need it to function normally, are much more likely to develop alcohol-induced psychosis. For this reason, alcoholics are the most likely sufferers of the condition.

• Withdrawal: Withdrawal refers to the symptoms an alcoholic experiences when they abruptly cease using alcohol. The chances of experiencing alcohol-induced psychosis increase greatly when going through withdrawal. In fact, many alcoholics will experience the condition during withdrawal, even if they showed no symptoms of psychosis before.

Individuals whose lifestyles include one of the above risk factors need to seriously be aware of the symptoms and dangers of alcohol-induced psychosis.

There are many warning signs that a person is experiencing alcohol-induced psychosis. These warning signs include:

• Seeing or hearing things that are not there. This is often a sign that a person is experiencing the hallucinations commonly seen in those suffering from alcohol-induced psychosis.
• Acting paranoid or falsely believing that someone intends them harm. These are delusions with no basis in reality.
• Being unable to retain information or make decisions. This is often indicative of the confusion and brain fog often associated with alcohol-induced psychosis.
• Becoming overly sensitive to sensory inputs, such as bright lights, loud noises, or sudden touches.

If a heavy drinker is experiencing any of the above, it is very likely that they have developed alcohol-induced psychosis.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for how long alcohol-induced psychosis lasts. For some, it may only last for a matter of hours. However, for most people, the symptoms of alcohol-induced psychosis will persist for a number of weeks. Additionally, for an unlucky few, the psychosis can develop into a long-term condition, becoming a part of their daily life for years. The duration of alcohol-induced psychosis will largely depend on the severity of a person’s drinking addiction. The more severe, the longer the condition is likely to last.

The sooner alcohol-induced psychosis is treated, the better and faster the result will be. It is often treated with a combination of medication, therapy, and of course, the ceasing of alcohol use. The best option for finding  all of these treatments is at a center specializing in alcohol addiction. Inpatient treatment is usually the best choice for those who are suffering from severe psychosis, while outpatient treatment may be suitable for those experiencing lesser symptoms. 

It should be noted that one should not wait for the onset of psychosis to seek treatment for their alcohol addiction. The best way to prevent alcohol-induced psychosis is to get help for a drinking problem as soon as you are aware of it.