Alcohol and Alcoholism 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 In fact "alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, quiet and withdrawn, or depressed.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 and Alcoholism is a big part in our society, which should be recognized and dealt with. In addition "about 7%" of all adults who consume alcohol in the United States today are considered alcoholics, or have suffered from some sort of drinking problem in their lives (Secretary of health viii). "Although there is no indication of how the alcoholism of families members is linked ... [through genetics], studies show that about 50 to 80 percent of all alcoholics have had a close relative that was an alcoholic" (Caplan 266). Many times alcoholism starts during a person's high school and college years; however some teenagers and young adults frequently abuse alcohol and never think about the physical, mental, and emotional toll that alcohol can have on a person's life (#3). Alcoholism usually begins with social drinking then a person will find excuses to drink more often (Burgess 13). When alcohol is made more readily available to an individual, such as in a college environment, it increases the risk that person will drink excessively (Ewing 173) (#5).
That being said, drugs and alcohol, can cause ones to lose their lifestyle and even their loved ones. Using and abusing drugs and alcohol can also lead to addiction. This creates a whole different empire in one’s life. Some may even steal, lie and cheat, just to obtain their ability to get there next fix. Sometimes getting their next fix can even create a door way to putting them in jail or prison. Even to the point of no return, this could create the loss of one’s own
Alcohol plays a major role in society today. It is constantly being in our minds through advertisements, whether its commercials or
There are an estimated 3.3 million teen-age alcoholics in the United States. Adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin drinking at age 21. Youth who drink alcohol are five times more likely to smoke cigarettes, four times more likely to smoke marijuana and three times more likely to use an illicit drug. Teens that use alcohol tend to become sexually active at earlier ages. Teens who use alcohol are more likely to be victims of violent crimes such as aggravated assault, robbery or rape.
Drinking at a young age leads to alcoholism if one is not careful. Alcoholism is a disease that is hard for someone to overcome. Studies have been done that have shown people who have alcohol related relatives are four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Alcoholism can be broken down into two categories, acute and long term. Acute alcohol use is when someone drinks occasionally. Long term use of alcohol is when someone has to have a drink every day, or when you can’t go a day without drinking, which is considered alcohol dependence another word for alcoholism. Alcoholism causes a variety of social problems that include loss of work productivity and violence. Studies have shown that fewer adolescents are drinking but when they do drink they tend to binge drink. Binge drinking leads to alcoholism. Another study has shown that when people are told not to do something they are more than likely going to do the opposite. There should not be more laws against drinking, but instead more programs to teach to teach teens how to drink responsibly. Dr. Dale Archer says, “This would focus, not only on drunk driving, but also binge drinking, brain damage, the deleterious health effects of alcohol abuse and how to drink in a responsible manner.”(2/3) There are two ways to treat alcoholism, detox or rehab. Most treatment for young adults who have a drinking problem is mainly an intervention, instead of the more
In many other cases it is found that some children of parents who drink heavily may reject their parents and their drinking behaviors because of the problems that arise because of it, such as embarrassment, social displacement or an abusive upbringing associated with it, and therefore as adults they will drink little or nothing. (Jennison.2001) What is an alcoholic? An Alcoholic describes a person who habitually uses intoxicating liquor to such an extent that he has lost the power of self-control with respect to the use of intoxicating liquor or to such an extent as to endanger the health safety or welfare of himself or other persons.” (Hyperdictionary.2003) Drinking can play a major role in a social respect, and is very rarely considered the powerful drug that it actually is, because of the good and relaxing effect it has on the bodies response system, but alcoholics don’t know of limits when it comes to the consumption of alcohol and they ... ...
One of the most common diseases is alcoholism. According to the article “What is Alcoholism,” the definition of alcoholism is, “a chronic, progressive, and potentially fatal disease. It is characterized by tolerance and physical dependency or pathologic organ changes, or both--all the direct or indirect consequences of the alcohol ingested” (Flavin, 1991, p. 4). It is a severe form of alcohol abuse and is very dangerous because it can lead to many other problems. There are three levels of alcoholism: early, chronic and end-stage. Early alcohol abuse is usually prevalent in individuals who are high school students or young adults. They usually do not drink very often, but binge drinking can put them at risk of developing alcohol use disorder. They usually are getting an introduction to the different kinds of alcohol and they are experimenting with them. The next level of alcoholism is chronic, which is characterized by frequent consumption of alcohol. These people usually have an emotional or psychological attachment to drinking. Lastly, the end-stage level of alcoholism is the most severe. Usually when individuals get to this point, they cannot stop themselves from drinking. If they try to withdrawal from drinking, it can be very painful for the person (Flavin, 1991, p 4). There are five different subtypes of alcoholics, that are- young adult alcoholics, young antisocial
Alcohol related mortality rates are caused by alcoholism. Alcoholism is defined as an addiction to alcohol consumption. Alcohol has existed since the creation of agriculture thousands of years ago. Agriculture provided individuals with access to alcohol and it was not until developed research realized it was an addictive substance. The production and availability of alcohol has led to the rise of addiction. Addiction is a growing problem in current society. One of the major triggers of addiction is known to be stress. Stress is a major risk factor for many health related issues in society today. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has created a medical diagnosis known as alcohol use disorder or AUD. They use a Diagnostic
“For every family that is impacted by drugs, there are another 10 to 15 families impacted by alcohol abuse. It's a pretty big deal. We have a tendency to only look at part of the puzzle.” (Kevin Lewis). As a society we tend to categorize the severity of addiction in a way that drugs are the most dangerous and alcohol being just a problem. Because alcohol addiction can be a slow progressive disease many people don’t see it in the same light as drug addiction. An addiction to drugs is seen as being a more deadly and dangerous issue then that of alcohol because a drug addiction can happen more quickly and can kill more quickly. Alcohol is something that is easy to obtain, something that is found at almost every restaurant. People with an alcohol addiction can not hide from alcohol as easy as a drug addict. Approximately 7 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and another 7 million suffer from alcoholism. (Haisong 6) The dangers of alcohol affect everyone from children with alcoholic parents, to teenagers who abuse alcohol, then to citizens who are terrorized by drunk drivers.
There are many causes why someone can suffer from alcohol abuse. Growing up in a family that had a parent or both parents suffering from the disease or growing up and now with a partner who suffers from alcohol abuse. Someone can become dependent on alcohol to help them go to sleep, to calm down and socialize with friends and family. There are a lot of consequences to someone abusing alcohol and consuming an over abundance so they don’t go into
... Alcoholism is a serious problem in today's society. It is extremely important that the public, including the large groups of users and abusers of alcohol, gain as much knowledge as possible about the symptoms and effects of alcoholism if we ever want to see the reduction of statics involving fatalities, injuries, diseases caused from the use and abuse of alcohol. Education and realization of the effects alcoholism can have on the different aspects of a person's life are the best ways that we can help control the number of alcoholics in the United States.
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, the story revolves around the various individuals who would vie for control of the Roman Empire. All of these individuals exhibit various attributes, values, and techniques in order to facilitate this goal, from Cassius’ intelligence, Brutus’ charm and honor, to Antony’s gift to drive a crowd. And although all three desire to become the new strongman leader of Rome, it is Antony who succeeds gaining the most control through his own specific talents, most specifically noted at Caesar’s funeral. At the funeral scene, Antony exhibits several qualities beneficial to a Roman leader, such as oratory and appeasement skills. The dialogue depicted in Act III, scene ii provides a valuable and insightful perspective on how these values were desirable for leadership in the late Roman Republic.
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...
Alcoholism is a disease that describes an array of problems with alcohol. This disease is highly addictive and has many negative effects on the body. Alcohol affects almost every aspect of the body, including many vital organs, and deteriorates the health of long- term alcohol users.
? (Dolmetsch, p.4) The definition of alcoholism stresses the basic elements of (1) chronicity; (2) compulsive, uncontrollable drinking; (3) intoxication; and (4) interruption of normal life functions. (Claypool, p. 91) When the drinker?s work, social life, study habits, mental health, or family and personal relationships are affected, the possibility exists that the drinker may be an alcoholic. If the drinker is able to stop drinking permanently, then he is not considered to be an alcoholic. ?For teenagers and adults, alcohol is the most commonly abused drug. It is easy to get, easy to use, and as common in our society as aspirin.? (Claypool, p.
Alcoholics, may not realize all the bad effects of drinking alcohol as it doesn’t taste bad as they drink it. Alcohol is addictive and once a person is addicted, it becomes very hard to withdraw. Withdrawal and treatment are hard and very expensive as well. People should be more aware of this issue. Governments should also pass more strict laws regarding taxes on alcohol and punishment for driving under the influence and even the minimum amount of alcohol allowed to be consumed. Media and schools should also raise awareness so alcoholics would know more about the bad effects that result from drinking alcohol affecting their bodies, minds and life negatively.