While the short-term side effects of alcohol abuse – such as slurred speech, foul breath, difficulty in walking, etc., can be easily identified as they are quite obvious, long terms effects of the same though are a bit difficult to identify. Same is the case with symptoms, wherein long term symptoms of abusing alcohol don’t necessarily surface when the person is in intoxicated state. In fact, most of these signs and symptoms start surfacing in form of behavioral changes in a long run. Given below is a list of long term alcohol abuse symptoms and signs which can help you diagnose this problem.

The person is likely to face problem when it comes to concentration and coordination as alcohol is known to affect the brain cells which are assigned the responsibility of carrying out tasks requiring cognitive skills.
The person’s behavior will be characterized by sudden emotional outbursts; wherein you will see him getting angry at one moment and starting to cry at the very next moment.
The person doesn’t think twice before indulging in any activity which can be potentially dangerous – such as drinking and driving, or saying something which he wouldn’t say in normal circumstances.
The person is more likely to neglect social roles and responsibilities, i.e. ignoring his family, not giving enough time for them or for himself, not concentrating on his work etc., to a great extent.
The person will continue to abuse alcohol even if he knows that it is causing problems in his life, and may even turn a blind eye to these problems instead of trying to solve them.
The person will give up on various activities of interest as well as his commitments to make time for drinking, and will even resort to lying to do this.
After a point of time, drinking alcohol will become a stress-busting activity for that person, wherein he will repeatedly resort to drinking as a means of relaxation.
The person has no control over drinking, and therefore, he will often end up drinking more than he intends to and eventually collapses as a result of intoxication.
At times, the person will resort to drinking only because he has nothing else to do – and this is something that the person is likely to do when alcohol becomes a priority.
The person will also show lack of interest in becoming a part of social gatherings wherein he won’t be able to consume alcohol.

Other Signs to Look Out For

Other than these chronic alcohol abuse symptoms, one also has to be on a look out for the symptoms of various disorders which are attributed to excessive alcohol consumption. The problem can eventually snowball into major neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders. Other than the brain, various organs which absorb and digest alcohol – including the stomach, liver and pancreas, are damaged as a result of alcohol abuse. Insomnia is yet another alcohol abuse symptom which can help you diagnose alcohol abuse. Long term alcohol abuse is also known to be one of the most important causes of cancer – a claim which is backed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer which happens to be an intergovernmental agency that forms a part of the World Health Organization, which considers it to be a carcinogen. The person will also experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms – such as profuse sweating and anxiety, when he doesn’t drink for a day.

As all individuals are not same, these long term alcohol abuse symptoms will differ from one person to another. While some individuals may show most of these symptoms simultaneously, just a few of them will be seen in others. At the same time, the chances of a particular symptom surfacing in two different individuals in varying degrees cannot be ruled out. If the problem is diagnosed in the very beginning, escaping the mess can be a relatively easy task for the person. However, the biggest hindrance that the person is likely to face will be that of denial, wherein the person may just refuse to admit that he needs some help. In such circumstances, the only way out will be to subject the person to alcohol abuse intervention – for the sake of his health.