How Alcohol Affects A Person's Life

Alcohol has been around for a long time. Alcohol dates all the way back to the Before Christ times and has been around ever since. When people think of alcohol they think of something that lets them let loose and have fun. Alcohol can be a way to have a little fun, but when the use becomes excessive it can become dangerous. Even drinking too much for one night can be risky. There are many ways in which alcohol affects someone's life. Abusing alcohol cannot only affect the drinkers life, but also the lives of the people around them.

Alcoholism or alcohol dependence has four key characteristics; craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance. Craving is when the drinker has a strong urge to drink and want it all the time. Loss

of control happens when the person can no longer restrain themselves from drinking at any given time. Physical dependence comes when someone, other than the drinker, can see withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms could include shakiness, anxiety, loss of attention, nausea, and/or sweating. Lastly, is tolerance which is when the drinker needs to drink more to get the same effects as they were before (Drug Free World). In the DSM-5 alcoholism or alcohol abuse is diagnosed as alcohol abuse disorder. The DSM-5 defines alcoholism, as something a drinker takes awhile to get to, it progresses until the drinker decides they have had enough (Horgan). Even then it can be quite difficult to quit.
There are several causes to why people drink. Some people just drink recreationally, meaning that they only drink in social settings. This might be at a party, a person never drinks until they get to a party. Even at the party though they do not drink a ton, just enough to socialize and break the ice with the people around them. Alcoholism is also genetic, if someone else in your family was an alcoholic it is more than likely that other people are too (Silverstein). On the other side some people have the genetics to become an alcoholic does not mean that they will become an alcoholic. Some studies revealed abnormalities in the brain waves of alcoholics. State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn, New York found that ex-alcoholics who abstained for several years showed the abnormal brain waves (Silverstein). When the children of alcoholics were tested, thirty to thirty five percent of the sons of alcoholics also had the abnormal brain waves (Silverstein). Indicating that the son of the alcoholic has a very good chance of also becoming an alcoholic. Children were also tested that were the sons of nonalcoholics and only one percent showed the abnormal brain waves (Silverstein). More and more tests and studies are being done to see the reasoning behind why people drink. These tests and studies are getting bigger and more people are getting involved.
There are many short term effects of drinking too much alcohol. Those include slurring of speech, drowsiness, emotional changes, sleep disruption, and lowering of body temperature (Patterson). Any of the effects can cause severe harm to the drinker or to someone around them. Also, a little into drinking more in one setting, some more effects could include; nausea and vomiting, loss of bladder and bowel control, blackouts, in which a drinker does not remember what happened while he or she was drinking, temporary loss of consciousness, and coma (Patterson). This is why when someone drinks too much they need to fall asleep on their side so they do not choke and/or suffocate on their vomit. Coma is the worst case scenario. A person has to drink so much so fast before they pass out, in order to fall into a coma. On the other side of that if a person starts staggering and falls, could potentially hit their head on something sharp or hard which could cause severe damage. That is why people pass out, because the brain is saying “no more drinking we have had enough.” The first body part that starts to shut down when someone has been drinking is their brain. Their sense of reasoning, filter, cognitive motions slow down. This would be the reason why drinkers lean because they cannot stand up straight and if they tried they would fall. Also explains why they stagger or stumble around the area and easily bump into others. They have no control over that, the persons body is shutting down. Short term effects of alcohol can easily turn into long term effects if the user keeps using.
The amount of intoxication is assessed according to the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). There are many ways to tell someone's Blood Alcohol Content, the drinker can keep track themselves, have someone else keep track, blood tests can tell, and breathalyzers A 0.01 to 0.05 the person has lowered alertness, feeling good, and slightly impaired. 0.08 is legally drunk in the state of Illinois. At a 0.10 a person has slowed reactions and impaired motor functions. 0.15 the person is slurring their words, reaction time is down considerably, they are giddy and feeling good, and cognition is impaired. At a 0.20 the person is extremely intoxicated and impaired, they are almost unconscious. 0.25 person is staggering if they are still conscious, but more than likely they are unconscious. 0.30 person is completely unconscious, they are not alert at all. At a 0.35 BAC the person is in a coma. Finally, at a 0.40 that person is dead. They drank so much they killed themselves. Variations can occur based on size, experience, and tolerance.
Long term use of alcohol and abuse can lead to many different health problems. These include increase in family and friend problems, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, liver damage, nerve disease, damage to the brain, malnutrition, and different types of cancer (Drug Free World). Family and friend problems is one of the highest long term alcohol usage effects. Family will sometimes shunn the drinker away because they are embarrassed by how they act in public while under the influence. The drinker might become abusive towards those around them. Family and friends might stop telling them about events just so they do not come. On the other side the drinker may be too hungover to go to the gathering with them in the first place.
Effects on the brain due to drinking can differ from person to person. Some of the most common are mood swings, changes in attitude, and changes in priorities (Silverstein). Mood swings may occur in anyone who is drinking. They may be a very happy person with no alcohol, then after they have had a few become angry or sad. Their mood could also change with the more they drink. Start out happy, become angry, then finally get sad and start crying. Changes in attitude can occur. Teenagers who drink may become hostile to parents or close family members. A husband who drinks may become hostile towards his wife, for little reason, other than his drinking. Athletes in high school or college may decide drinking is more important than the sport they are playing and their teammates. They then either quit or force a coaches hand to kick them off of the team. Priorities may change, going to the local bar and getting drunk is more important than going to work and making money. Paying for alcohol instead of food for children a drinker may have. All of these are effects drinking has on the brain, drinking affects how one thinks.
While pregnant, not only does the pregnant woman drink, but so does her baby (CDC). This can be very scary and dangerous. The baby could potentially have birth defects, whether it be physical or mental. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities (CDC). This would be why doctors strongly urge women who are pregnant to not drink and warn them against it if they do. Some women do not realize they are pregnant in the beginning of their pregnancy in which they may drink, but once they learn that they are they stop. In this case there should be no harm to the baby, other than if the women drinks too much then it may result in a loss of pregnancy. This outcome is scary and something no soon to be mother wants to go through. If someone is pregnant they should not be drinking, for it could cause harm to the mother and the baby.
The effects of alcohol on a teenager are different than the effects on an adult. Alcohol is more harmful to an adolescent than to an adult due to the brain still developing. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol during this time of growing up can seriously impair that person's brain. Teenagers and young adults are also more likely to drive under the influence. “In the United States in 2007 the death toll from teenage drunk driving accidents was 1,393” (Drug Free World). “That totals to almost four deaths everyday” (Drug Free World). Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death for teenagers in America. In 2006 of all the teen drivers killed on the road 31 percent had been drinking (Drug Free World). Some might read these numbers and not think anything about them, but to others they may read them and see a family member or a friend.
Treatment for every person is different, no one person recovery from alcoholism is the same.

It is all up to the alcoholic to decide when they want treatment. Forcing someone into treatment will not do well because they do not want to recover yet. The alcoholic has to go in and decide that they actually want to get help with their addiction. One way to get treatment is to see a family doctor who may then prescribe treatment or refer the person to a hospital treatment center, private rehabilitation center, or a self-help group (Silverstein). The first step no matter where the patient goes is assessing how far they have progressed as an alcoholic. So they can get the correct treatment in the right amount of time. Since alcohol can cause malnutrition, some recovering alcoholics are put on strict diets so they can get the right amount of food each day. The patient will then go through detoxification to get all of the alcohol out of their system, in which they will experience withdrawal (Horgan). These withdrawal symptoms may include sweating, vomiting, shaking, fevers, and headaches (Horgan). Once they have done their treatment in a hospital or center they then are referred to an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group. They are recommended to go to help them stay sober. Being with other used to be addicts can help a person from relapsing. Although a person is never fully recovered from being an alcoholic, it is a never ending journey of

recovery.
Alcoholism is something a lot of people struggle with, whether they are in recovery or not. Although alcohol is considered legal for those over the age of twenty one, it still a very powerful drug for them. It can cause harm to mothers, unborn children and could even cause them their lives, and anyone else who chooses to participate. Genetics can play a roll in a person's addiction. There are many places that will provide treatment, but only if that person wants to recover.