What Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse is all about.
Alcoholism is a very serious disease, which can cause illness, death, injuries, schooling problems, family breakups, and crime. It is a proven fact the alcohol kills more people than any other illegal drugs combined. Yet alcohol courses freely through American society, from college bars to corporate lunches. In a recent article from a journal named: The Scientist it is stated "Technology shows alcohol abuse changes brain's molecular programming and circuitry." Alcohol is a quick fix that will hurt us all in the long run.
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).
Researchers have suspected for years that chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism can change the programming within a human brain, particularly in the regions involving judgment, and making decisions. Throughout the years we have become susceptible to alcohol, everybody in the past decades and centuries drank. As to how much they drank we don't know. Within this study of the alcohol that affects our brains scientists have stated, " Cell and animal studies have consistently indicated that changes in gene expression in the brain appear to be responsible for the...
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...tient with coping techniques for managing such high-risk situations and with ways for establishing a support network to help in this process. Then, for reinforcement, the health care provider supplies the patient with informational materials on alcohol use and its associated problems as well as on behavioral modification exercises. Lastly to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the brief intervention, the health care provider establishes a system for conducting supportive telephone consultation and follow up visits with the patient.
In conclusion to alcoholism and alcohol abuse everybody who has an alcohol problem should hear everything contained within this paper. The number one drug killer is alcohol, even if all the deaths of overdoses were combined alcohol still makes up for more deaths. If you cannot drink responsibly you will pay for it in the long run.
Researchers state that binge drinking can cause death and disease at a rate of 3.7% and 4.4% respectively all over the world (Hermens at el.,2012:1). Apart from this, further research indicates that alcohol contributes to negative outcomes that kill or disable people at a relatively young age (WHO,2011:20). This can give a result that many people can loss many
Alcoholism has been a fixture in our society since the first introduction of alcohol. Despite it being an equal opportunity disease, a large majority of not only the treatment, but also the research, has been about men. This lack of consideration of the different needs for men and women has led to many women going through recovery systems that do not address their experiences, and therefore do not allow them to take full advantage of that recovery system. This paper will attempt to look at the different experiences that men and women have in their journey through a substance addiction (particularly alcohol), from addiction through recovery. The main recovery method that will be discussed here is Alcoholics Anonymous. As an observation addition to this assignment, I sat in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Kerrville, TX. The meeting was on Thanksgiving Day at noon. I took detailed notes of the meeting, while keeping a watchful eye for any gendered interactions during the flow of the meeting.
Do we really know how much damage alcohol can do to a person? Alcohol becomes an addiction. Alcohol has its benefits but it also has its downsides. It’s known that alcohol has it’s benefits but if you drink “moderately”. Alcohol can destroy your life and ruin your family. People tend to abuse alcohol, people make bad choices when it comes to alcohol. Alcohol makes you act a certain way when you're intoxicated. Alcohol can cause liver damage and many other health problems. The background of this essay is that I can relate to alcohol usage. Alcohol creates emotional, physical, mental and family problem to a person that abuses alcohol usage.
“The harmful use of alcohol is a global problem which compromises both individual and social development. It results in 2.5 million deaths each year. An intoxicated person can harm others or put them at risk of traffic accidents or violent behavior, or negatively affect co-workers, relatives, friends or strangers. Thus, the impact of the harmful use of alcohol reaches deep into society.” This is a scary statistic which figuratively states that every thirteen seconds someone dies in a death related to alcohol. CBS news reported that more than 30 percent of American adults have abused alcohol or suffered from alcoholism at some point in their lives. This is a staggering number which is widely overlooked because alcohol is legal. Those who suffer feel helpless and trapped by their addiction being unable to stop and quit on their own. Thankfully a man named, Bill Wilson, lead a group of men to write how to become set free from the slavery of addiction.
Research has shown that alcoholism is a choice and not a disease and a choice for an individual to begin consumption. Nation’s leading scientists studying alcohol abuse has determined that a human can travel down a long road before it’s almost impossible for them to refrain from alcohol, therefore meaning a large amount of alcohol would have to be consumed. Studies show that most people never reach the point of being an alcoholic, yet they still have the power to quit drinking. A disease is something that one has to accept, such as Cancer, Sickle Cell Anemia, or Alzheimer. Unlike a disease in most cases that the body cannot control, alcoholism is a mindset. Alcohol does not impair brain functions, but instead produces a complex set of adaptations that tamper down the functions of some brain regions while dialing up functions of others. While the opposing side believes that alcohol can cause brain disease, specifically the prefrontal cortex and dorsal striatum, research has shown that it does not impair brain functions only affecting the brain for a short period, thus allowing time to return them back to a normal state. Researchers led by Andrew Holmes Ph. D. in the Laboratory of Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience at NIAAA, measured changes of the brains of mice after being exposed to alcohol vapors finding permanent changes in the nerve cells that conduct signals as well as changes in the part of the brain’s signaling system that may play a role in sensation, mood, and memory. Although researchers found the previous changes were permanent, exposing mice to alcohol actually improved the ability for them to make decisions and improving their skills on learning tasks.
Alcohol is an extremely dangerous substance, not only does it do a lot of damage to the drinker physically and emotionally, it also harms others around them such as family, friends and the society in general (Gmel, & Rehm,2003). This essay will look at the dynamics of alcohol, addiction, past and present approaches of alcoholism and the neurological networks of alcoholism.
A majority of American citizens can honestly say that they, or a loved one, have been personally victimized by the dangerous side effects of alcohol. Yet alcohol is still considered a recreational beverage, that too many people take for granted. The addiction to alcohol is officially labelled as “Alcoholism.” Alcoholism can affect one’s life in a numerous amount of ways. It is an overlooked danger in the U.S. which can negatively affect the youth of America and the economy, which is why it is an enormous danger to the U.S.
“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.
The problem of alcohol abuse has been recognized for thousands of years, but only more recently have we begun to see alcohol addiction as a treatable disorder. According to the Classical Disease Model of `Alcoholism,' habitual use of alcohol can be identified as a disease. Webster's Dictionary defines the concept of `disease' as follows: "Any departure from health presenting marked symptoms; malady; illness; disorder." Therefore, as many occurrences of alcohol excess provoke such symptoms, it is somewhat understandable that `alcoholism' is classified as a disease. The Classical Disease Model appears to offer a hopeful option. Treatment and sobriety can allow people to lead fulfilling lives. Adjacent to the notion of alcoholism as personal failure or moral deterioration, the Classical Disease Model appears to be a more desirable concept as it provides a motive for the alcoholic to seek treatment and gain sympathy, minimizing personal guilt. As alcoholism is seen as a progressive and, to an extent, hereditary illness for which those afflicted are not accountable, victims avoid being ostracized from society (Jellinek, 1960). Labeling the problem as a `disease' allows the medical profession to take responsibility for the treatment of alcoholism, which puts the problem in a more favourable light than if it were in the hands of psychologists or social workers, thus detaching the stigma connected with the problem while it is put on a par with other diseases such as diabetes or cancer. However, critics of the Classical Disease Model believe stigma helps reduce alcohol problems and aids the alcoholic. Any effort to reduce the stigma which is faced by the alcoholic will reduce pressures to moderate consumption and could have the additional ...
Alcoholism is known to be one of the largest illnesses that affect individuals in the world today with nearly 32 million Americans who have struggled with it in one year alone. It is becoming a much larger problem that is reoccurring and wiping out a large portion of the population. Some individuals might think that excessive drinking isn’t a problem, but others find that it is completely
Alcohol is a big part of our society now because we can get to it more easily. “In 2012, as many as 87.6 percent of American adults over age 18 were reported in a study to have consumed alcohol at some point in their lives.” as stated in “Disease Theory of Alcoholism.” My dad was an alcoholic and it was challenging to be with him because most of the time he was drunk. My dad drank over a span of 20 years and on November 27th 2012 he died of alcoholism. It impacted my life because I knew I would never see or hear him again. That day my life changed forever. As I go through my speech, I hope you will realize how bad it is and never become one. Alcoholism is a choice because your brain doesn’t change abnormally, it is a habit that
Alcoholism is the intentional abuse of any form of alcohol. The practice of alcoholism is not only dangerous but also very unhealthy for the user. The guide lines that state alcohol abuse would be drinking every day or drinking too much at a time. If you are addicted to alcohol it can cause the breaking off in relationships, job loss, and legal issues. When you abuse alcohol, you continue to drink even though you know your drinking is the problem.
... 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.
Alcohol damages the pathways that connect different parts of the brain and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These pathways, when affected, can change a person’s mood and behavior, and not only make them an entirely different person, but also make it harder for them to think clearly an...
People started drinking alcohol socially for fun years ago, but after experiencing the effects of alcohol and with the amounts of stress people are facing nowadays; drinking alcohol became an addiction that in some cases is out of control. Alcohol is also considered a drug and it is addictive, and it has many bad effects. The main effect of drinking alcohol is causing disease; it has a lot of bad effects on an alcoholic’s human body organs and may cause death in some cases. There are other health related effects of alcohol that include: immediate effects and long term effects. As I mentioned addiction is one of the bad effects of alcohol, and it may cause people to lose family members, jobs and money if not treated. Drinking alcohol is also very dangerous for pregnant women, and has a lot of bad effects on women and their babies; some of these effects may be fatal. Withdrawal problems after quitting drinking alcohol are also bad and include symptoms like nausea, anxiety, and many more that will be discussed in the following paragraphs. The last effect of drinking alcohol that will be discussed in this essay is treatment; costs and effectiveness. Drinking alcohol affects the human body, mind and life in a very bad way, and just like drugs; alcoholics have to deal with the negative effects of drinking alcohol.