Having a strong handle on one’s personal hygiene is something that we should all strive to ensure is an active and consistent priority of ours. There are different circumstances and instances in all our lives that have a different effect on our hygiene. It might sound strange, but it is true. One such circumstance is alcoholism. This is a lifestyle habit that not only wreaks havoc on one’s body internally, but also externally, including their hygiene.
Of course, there are so many other contributing factors to the state of one’s personal hygiene, including showering or bathing habits, using deodorant, healthy diet, and even geographical climate (to name a few key examples). When it comes to alcoholism, there is a steady fall from hygienic grace, and it tends to happen throughout the course of the addiction worsening. So, we must understand alcoholism and its effect on personal hygiene to get a crystal clear visual of the big picture.
Does alcohol genuinely impact one’s personal hygiene?
First of all, is alcohol detox necessary? And is there really any concrete links between alcoholism and bad hygiene? Well, the answer can be found in one foul swoop. That answer is that yes, an alcohol detox is necessary for addicted individuals, not only for their returned health and wellness, but for the replenishment of their personal hygiene. Many individuals who are impacted by alcohol addiction themselves face its perils with little to no understanding of just how deeply it impacts their entire lives. This is how the problem looms.
How and why does this happen?
The fact is that when an individual becomes addicted to alcohol, they gradually begin to prioritise their addiction over all other aspects of their life. This includes, of course, their personal hygiene. Showering and maintaining all other external hygiene standards becomes less important, because the addiction starts to take on a life of its own – a life that is fundamentally hinged on knowing where the next drink is going to come from, and caring about little (or nothing) else.
What can be done to encourage a healthier lifestyle?
Individuals who are addicted to alcohol generally let their addiction overpower every other instance in their life, to the point where all else becomes irrelevant and unimportant – even the things that once mattered more than anything to them. The personal hygiene issue is one of the most prominent in all the world when it comes to individuals directly impacted by alcoholism, and it becomes all-encompassing in all the worst ways. So, encouraging a healthier lifestyle in those battling through these issues is at first daunting, but ultimately necessary if there is to be any hope going forward.
Ways of doing this are inviting the individual out and getting ready together (often seeing other people take care of themselves flips the switch in they themselves) or encouraging them to seek out a treatment centre (where personal hygiene will be dealt with accordingly and sensitively), or any other manner of approaches to dealing with the issue head on. Support and understanding can be the ultimate bridge to recovery from these types of issues. It truly can – and often does – make a world of difference, and on an ongoing basis, at that.