Alchohalism Essay, Research Paper

Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only affects the alcoholic, but it also affects the family, friends and co-workers, and eventually total strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects.

Alcoholism is defined as a pattern of drinking in which harmful consequences result for the drinker, yet, they continue to drink. There are two types of drinkers. The first type, the casual or social drinker, drinks because they want to. They drink with a friend or with a group for pleasure and only on occasion. The other type, the compulsive drinker, drinks because they have to, despite their adverse effects that drinking has on their lives.

The symptoms of Alcoholism vary from person to person, but the most common symptoms seen are changes in emotional state or stability, behavior, and personality. Alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, or quiet and withdrawn or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more (Gitlow175)

Because time and amount of drinking are uncontrollable, the alcoholics are likely to engage in such behaviors as [1] Breaking family commitments, both major and minor; [2] spending more money than planned; [3] driving while intoxicated and getting arrested; [4] making inappropriate remarks to friends, family, and co-workers; [5] arguing, fighting and other anti-social actions. The alcoholic would probably neither do such things, nor approve of them in others unless he was drinking (Johnson203)

The cause of alcoholism is a combination of biological, psychological, and cultural factors that may contribute to the development of alcoholism in an individual. Alcoholism seems to run in families. Although there is no conclusive indication of how the alcoholism of families members is associated, studies show that 50 to 80 percent of all alcoholics have had a close alcoholic relative (Caplan266). Some researchers have suggested that in several cases, alcoholics have an inherited, predisposition to alcohol addiction. Studies of animals and human twins have lent support to this theory.

Alcoholism can also be related to emotional instabilities. For example, alcoholism is often associated with a family history of manic-depressive illness. Additionally, like many other drug abusers, alcoholics, hope to drink to drown anxious or depressed feelings. Some alcoholics drink to reduce strong inhibitions or guilt about expressing negative feelings.

Social and cultural factors play roles in establishing drinking patterns and the development of alcoholism. In some cultures, there is a conflict between abstaining and accepting the use of alcohol is a way to change moods or be social, thus making it difficult for some people to develop stable attitudes about moderate patterns of drinking. Society tends to aid in the development of alcoholism by making alcohol seem glamorous and more worthy of the respects of others.

The physical effects of alcohol are somewhat gruesome. Excessive in take and prolonged use of alcohol can cause serious disturbances to a human s body chemistry. Many alcoholics exhibit diet may cause liver damage, such as cirrhosis (McCarthy505).