There is a definite link between alcohol abuse and the symptoms of depression. When someone is depressed, they may use alcohol to find temporary relief from the pain. There are many situations where someone may overuse alcoholic substances. The most common reason for consuming alcoholic beverages is to cover for feelings of social inadequacy. When this becomes a regular occurrence the resulting condition can lead to a depressive disorder. The individual experiences feelings of temporary euphoria but when the intoxicant wears off the feelings of sadness or anxiety remains. If the individual does not seek treatment for his or her underlying mental health issues, this type of behavior will repeat itself over and over. The end result is the individual
To understand alcoholism, it must first be understood what this affliction is dependent on. Alcohol is a substance that is made by the fermentation of fruits, grains, or miscellaneous other organic materials. The chemical, alcohol, is a depressant and acts on every cell in the human body. Due to this, the central nervous system, along with the pleasure centers of the brain, are affected resulting in a feeling of euphoria and a sense of well being. After repeated exposure, the brain becomes dependent on this drug to unburden itself whenever it feels the compulsion. Several factors that contribute to alcoholism are the individual’s psychology, genetics, culture, and the individual’s response to physical pain.
Generally speaking, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) references substance dependence (in this case, alcohol) as a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms that shows that the person is continuing use of the substance even with adverse effects on the individual’s life. Specifically, for a person to be diagnosed with substance dependence they must show at least three of the following symptoms; tolerance, withdrawal, substance being taken in larger amounts of over a longer period of time than intended, an unsuccessful desire or effort to control the use of the substance, there is a great deal of time devoted to the drug, important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced due to the substance, and the individual continues use of the substance even with the knowledge that the substance is causing physical or psychological problems (APA, 2000).
Depression affects millions of people. When the diagnosis of alcoholism and depression is one in the same it is called dual diagnosis. One in three adults who struggles with alcoholism also suffer from depression (Depression and Addiction.)
The risks of alcohol abuse are becoming more familiar to alcoholics throughout the nation. Alcohol breaks down the liver, which then becomes tremendously susceptible to cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded that over 15,000 deaths were related to liver diseases that resulted from alcohol abuse and over 24,000 died from other generic alcohol related deaths. Alcohol has also been known to increase blood pressure that can lead to a stroke or heart disease. Psychological dangers are serious cases of anxiety, depression, or insomnia, being unable to sleep. The abuse of alcohol may make the abuser become malnourished from lack of eating healthy or lack of eating at all. Overall, alcohol can diminish your social life, physical health, career, and mental health. (HealthCheck Systems 2012)
Alcohol is a large part of American culture. All over the United States drinking is not only acceptable but a social norm from teenagers to adults. This is not only the case in the U.S., but all over the world, where some drinking ages are 18 and 19 years of age. In America specifically, alcohol has been around for centuries and is a large part of many social gatherings. Although this is the case now, in the early 1900’s during the prohibition period, all alcohol was banned and deemed illegal to possess. Even though illegal, the task was just too heavy and alcohol was too much a common practice for most Americans. As time went on the prohibition period ended and the laws were revoked, making it legal again to possess alcohol. The drinking related problems that were around during prohibition pale in comparison to the problems alcohol has caused since then.
Alcohol is a depressant derived from the fermentation of natural sugars in fruits, vegetables and grains. These are brewed and distilled into a wide range of beverages with various alcohol contents ( www.abovetheinfluence.com ) Alcohol is considered the most common and widely used drug in in the world today. For many Americans alchol is a fairly common part of their regular lives and/or routines. A large scale survey of adults taken in the US has shown that 9% of the people surveyed admitted to alchol dependence or abuse in the past 12 months and more that 30% reported to so...
There are many different types of drugs, anti-depressants, depressants, hallucinogenic… Alcohol can be used to help people make decisions. "Alcohol is a depressant"(Exploring Psychology). "Small amounts of alcohol will enliven a drinker, by slowing brain activity that controls judgment and inhibitions"(Exploring Psychology). "Here is a harmful tendency that alcohol increases, sexually coercive college men try to disinhibit their dates by getting them to drink. Also it is proven that people who go to a resuraunt for and extended period of time have the tendency to tip better when buzzed"(Exploring Psychology).
The ingestion of alcoholic beverages for their enjoyable effects is a custom which has been around for thousands of years, and alcohol continues to be a popular drug because of its short-term effects (Coleman, Butcher & Carson, 1984). An enormous amount of damage can be attributed directly to alcohol abuse as a result of lost jobs, accidents caused by drunk drivers, and so forth (Maltzman, 2000). Alcohol also compounds other problems--an estimated 25% to 40% of hospital patients have problems caused by, or recovery delayed by alcohol abuse (Maltzman, 2000). Clinical psychologists spend about one-fourth of their time dealing with people who are suffering in part from alcohol or other substance problems (Vaillant, 1995). Although alcohol problems have been around for so long, it is only recently that these problems have begun to be associated with medical or psychological difficulties.
Drinking alcohol at hazardous level may cause depression among youth people. Alcohol significantly worsen the symptoms of depression
. There are many reasons why people start consuming alcohol, such as to increase self-confidence, escape from personal problems, relieve stress, overcome a poor self-image or to overcome shyness. Alcohol is defined as the use of alcohol interfering with social, academic, physical, or economic functioning. There are many stages on how alcohol affects a person. The first stage of alcoholism involves the use of alcoholism as a way to deal with other problems. The abuser will drink more than the average amount and is usually preoccupied with for example, partying or going out socially to drink. The abuser will also drink to cope with personal problems, have trouble stopping after one drink, and they’ll feel guilty about drinking so much. The drinker
There are many causes that may lead to alcoholism. Psychological, social, and genetic factors have been linked to alcoholism. The psychological argument is that many alcoholics feel a feeling of inferiority and inadequacy. Alcohol is thought to give them false courage needed to face life. They are not capable of feeling self-assured to function in real life. Another cause may be a social factor. Many alcoholics start and begin moderately due to social or peer encouragement. They build up craving and demand leading to increasing consumption. Eventually, the drinking progresses beyond control. There is another factor: genetics. According to studies, children of alcoholics tend to abuse alcohol themselves. Physiologically alcoholics are though to be weak, and predisposed and more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Children of alcoholic parents tend to be more likely to be alcoholics.
When people hear the word "drug," they usually think of an illegal substance such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other drug that can be found on the street. Most people never consider the fact that consuming alcohol can be just as harmful as illegal drugs, not only on the body, but on the mind and spirit as well (#1). If constantly abused, alcohol can be even worse for one than taking illegal drugs (#5) Irresponsible drinking can destroy a person's life as well as the lives of those around them. When people become both physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol, they become an alcoholic and suffer from a disease called alcoholism. One denotation of this term is "a diseased condition of the system, brought about by the continued use of alcoholic liquors" (Webster's Dictionary, 37). Another definition of this term, given to me by my English professor, Janet Gould who is in fact, a recovering alcoholic, is that alcoholism is a mental dependence and a physical allergy (#3). Alcoholism somehow affects us all through a parent, sibling, friend, or even personal encounters with a stranger. In fact "alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, quiet and withdrawn, or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more" (Gitlow 175).
Alcohol has affected human lives in their own society every day since its dawning in the stone age, perhaps even earlier. Though alcohol is not illegal, it was when the eighteenth amendment was first ratified because of alcoholism. Alcoholism is entitled to those who abuse alcohol by over consumption to the brink of mental illness and compulsive behavior which then ultimately results in alcohol dependency. It affects many different groups of people, but it is affecting students in high school and college. They should not be affected considering the legal age to consume alcohol is twenty-one, but they are in fact being deterred from their innocence. Society depends on those of us that do not consume alcohol to bring the social, economical, and health related problems throughout society to decrease. When government officials governing alcohol realize that alcohol needs to be more monitored and cautioned, then and only then can this steep slope finally begin to depreciate.
Alcohol and drug abuse is one of biggest problems in United States today. It is not only a personal problem that dramatically affects individuals' lives, but is a major social problem that affects society as whole. "Drug and alcohol abuse", these phrases we hear daily on the radio, television or in discussions of social problem. But what do they mean or what do we think and understand by it? Most of us don't really view drug or alcohol use as a problem, if that includes your grandmother taking two aspirins when she has a headache or your friends having few beers or drinks on Saturday night. What we really mean is that some drugs or alcohol are being used by some people or in some situations constitute problem with which our society must deal. It becomes a real problem when using or I should say abusing drugs cause accidents, antisocial behavior, broken relationships, family instability, crime and violence, poverty, unsafe streets and highways, worker absenteeism and nonproductivity, and the most tragic one death. The situation in which the drug or alcohol uses accurse often makes all the difference. The clearest example is the drinking of alcohol, when individual begins to drink during the job, at school, or in the morning, we have evidence that indicates a potential drinking problem. If a person takes narcotic drug because he just wrecked his knee while his physician prescribed playing football and the drug, most of us would be not concerned. If, on the other hand, he took the same drug on his own just because he likes the way it makes him feel, then we should begin to worry about him developing dependence. Even use of illegal drugs are sometimes acceptable, but it also depends on situation, for example in some countries smoking marijuana is legal just like drinking alcohol in United States. Some subcultures even in United States that accept the use of illegal drugs may distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable situation, some college age groups might accept marijuana smoking at a party on weekends, but not just before going to a calculus class. Most of people would accept a fact that a bartender or a waiter who is working at a night club is having a beer or a drink on his break or that a landscape worker is having a cold beer with his lunch on a hot summer day. I'm not saying that it is "OK" but we wouldn't complain a...
According to Institute of Alcohol Studies there is more than one kind of relationship involved between alcohol problems and mental health, such as: mental health problems may be a cause of problem drinking and vice versa; there may be a factor in common, in the genes or in the early family environment, which later contributes to both a mental health problems and alcohol probl...