The Nature vs. Nurture Debate in Learning More about Alcoholism

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The Nature vs. Nurture Debate in Learning More about Alcoholism INTRODUCTION: Alcoholism can affect anyone. It has enormous costs as it pertains to societies, families, and individuals. It is not prejudicial towards any race, color, sex, religion, or economic level. Although we do have ideas as to what alcoholism is, what we do not know is the exact cause(s) of this problem. Researchers are continually seeking answers to the long-standing nature versus nurture debate. Different views are split between a biological paradigm and a physchological paradigm. No one explanation seems to be better than another is. I will present views of the effects alcoholism has on society and an insight to the factors that serve to fuel the nature or nurture debate concerning alcohol abuse and alcoholism. STATISTICS: The abuse of alcohol alone is estimated at $144.1 billion dollars annually. Every man, woman and child in America pays nearly $1,000 a year to cover the costs of unnecessary health care, auto accidents, crime and lost of productivity resulting from alcohol abuse. Alcohol deaths account for approximately five percent of all deaths occurring in the United States. Alcohol is considered to be one of the most widely used drugs as it attacks the central nervous system. Two-thirds of all adults drink alcohol; one-third of those are under the age of eighteen. The term alcoholic is commonly used to refer to a person who is severely dependent on alcohol as a result of their drinking pattern. Not everyone with an alcohol problem becomes an alcoholic. If this is true then what differentiates the social drinker from the alcoholic? A novice explanation would be that social drinkers do not experience problems when they drink, h... ... middle of paper ... ...t has ever been in the past. Alcoholism effects each individual differently. Therefore, everyone who abuses alcohol doesn't become an alcoholic, but it is still important to understand the factors that are involved. Factors derive from biological, psychological, physiological, social and cultural fields of exploration. Alcoholism is a leach that sucks the life from an individual, families, and society. It turns people's lives into a world of depression and loneliness. Bibliography: 1. http://www1.jointogether.org/sa/issues/overview/problem 2. http://health.upenn.edu/~recovery/pros/dependence.html 3. http://www.csj.org/infoserv_links/topic_categories/topic_substanceabuse.htm 4. http://www.laserbuddy.com/recover/drugs.htm 5. http://www.sirinet.net/~jgjohnso/drugs.html 6. http://peele.sas.nl/lib/approach.html 7. Encyclopedia Britannica

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