Alcoholism Essay, Research Paper

Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by a pathological patternof alcohol use that causes a serious impairment in social or occupationalfunctioning. The important thing to note is that alcoholism is not a lifestylechoice. It is a disease, an actual impairment of the body s health thatprevents the person from functioning normally and causes not only pain tothe alcoholic but also to family and friends. A disease is medically definedas an alteration of the state of the body or some of its organs, interruptingor disturbing the performance of vital functions and causing or threateningpain or weakness. In the early stages, there are usually few outward signs of a problem. The victim functions normally most of the time but a few personalitychanges may be present: the inability to handle stress and increased conflictwith family members. While this is not necessarily indicative of an alcoholproblem, additional signs will be present to others before they are acceptedby the victim: an increase in the amount of alcohol required to achieve thesame effect or buzz , lapses in memory or blackouts , a feeling that adrinking pattern is getting out of control, and in the final stages, the victimis unable to stop drinking for an lengthy period of time but derives little orno pleasure from the alcohol consumption. The most prevalent and pervasivesymptom exhibited by the victim is that of denial: no problem exists. Chronic drinking and other related problem will be attributed to othercauses. Family members may also be in denial and protect the victim ( callingthem in sick to work to cover for a hangover) or refuse to acknowledgedestructive behavior. Some more in depth signs and symptoms include:placing excessive importance on the availability of alcohol, ensuring thisavailability strongly influences the person s choice of associates or activities. Alcohol comes to be used more as a mood changing drug than as a foodstuffor beverage served as a part of social custom or religious ritual. Initiallythe alcoholic may demonstrate a high tolerance to alcohol, consuming moreand showing less adverse effects than others. The victim begins to drinkagainst his or her own best interest, as alcohol comes to assume moreimportance than personal relationships, work, reputation, or even physicalhealth. The person commonly loses control over drinking and is increasinglyunable to predict how much alcohol will be consumed on a given occasion, orif the person is currently abstaining, when the drinking will resume again. Physical addiction to the drug may occur, sometimes eventually leading todrinking around the clock to avoid withdrawal or hangover symptoms. Tolerance to alcohol builds to both physical and psychologicaldependence after continued abuse. It causes dependence in much the sameway as any other central nervous system depressant, such as a barbiturate. This dependence is the first sign that the heavy drinker has developed aprogressive problem that is now out of control. Tolerance is a physical signand symptom that is inherited, not a personality factor such as lowself-esteem or inferiority complex or other deep rooted psychologicalproblem. Those with a low risk for alcoholism do not adapt well to thepresence of alcohol in their brains. The reaction to the lack of tolerance isdysphoria, or a distributed mood, nausea, headache, maybe vomiting and

general ill feeling that only gets worse with alcohol. The nonalcoholicactuality feels better as the alcohol leaves the body to there appears to belittle reinforcement to drink more alcohol. The alcoholic, on the other hand,feels better as the blood-alcohol level rises in the body and brain so thatthe motivation is to drink more. Tolerance to alcohol or the lack of itappears to be inherited. Whether someone is likely or not to developalcoholism appears to depend on whether he or she has the genes fordeveloping alcoholism. The opposite may also be true; is someone lackstolerance to alcohol, he or she probably will not develop alcoholism. Brainareas responsible for responding to alcohol with a positive feeling, reward,and attention may be determined by genetic makeup. Alcohol has direct toxic as well as sedative effects on the body, andfailure to take care of nutritional and other physical needs during prolongedperiods of time excessive drinking may further complicate matters. Advances cases often require hospitalization. The effects of major organsystems are cumulative and include a wide range of digestive-systemdisorders such as ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, and cirrhosis of theliver. The central and peripheral nervous systems can be permanentlydamaged. Blackouts, hallucinations, and extreme tremors may occur. Thelatter symptoms are involved in the most serious alcohol withdrawalsyndrome, delirium tremens, which can probe fatal despite prompttreatment. Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths annually, making it the thirdleading cause of preventable mortality in the United States. More thanseven percent of the population ages 18 years and older- nearly 13.8 millionAmericans have problems with drinking, including 8.1 million who arealcoholic. Almost three times as many men as women are problem drinkers,and prevalence is highest for both sexes in the 18 to 29 age group. About43 percent of US adults have been exposed to alcoholism in the family. People who begin drinking before the age 15 are four times more likely todevelop alcoholism than those who begin at 21. Treatment of the illness increasingly recognizes alcoholism itself asthe primary problem needing attention, rather than regarding it as alwayssecondary to another, underlying problem. Specialized residential treatmentfacilities and separate units with in general or psychiatric hospitals arerapidly increasing in number. As the public becomes more aware of thenature of alcoholism, the social stigma attached to it decreases, alcoholicsand their families tend to conceal it less, and diagnosis is not delayed as long. Earlier and better treatment has led to encouragingly high recovery rates. In addition to managing physical complications and withdrawal states,treatment involves individual counseling and group therapy techniques aimedat complete and comfortable abstinence from alcohol and other moodchanging drugs of addiction. Such abstinence according to the best currentevidence, is the desired goal, despite some highly controversial suggestionsthat a safe return to social drinking is possible. Addiction to other drugs,particularly to other tranquilizers and sedatives, poses a major hazard toalcoholics. Antabuse, a drug that produces a violent intolerance for alcoholas long as the substance remains in the body, is sometimes used afterwithdrawal. Alcoholics Anonymous, a support group commonly used for thoseundergoing other treatment, in many cases helps alcoholics to recoverwithout recourse to formal treatment.