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Abstract the impact of alcoholism
Abstract the impact of alcoholism
Abstract the impact of alcoholism
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Alcohol and the Body Alcohol abuse is a rising concern in today’s world. More than 80,000 Americans die each year due to alcohol related incidents, making alcohol the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Alcohol in moderation could be beneficial to some, but unfortunately can and is lethal to others. Drinking in moderation is considered no more than 4 drinks on a single day and no more than 14 drinks a week, for men. For women, moderation is even less, at 3 drinks a day and no more than 7 drinks a week. This is primarily due to women having smaller build and weighing less than men. To consider this moderate, both daily and weekly limitations must be met. (NIAAA). To define what a standard drink is, one drink contains .6 fluid ounces of alcohol, thus, a 12 ounce glass, can or bottle of beer, which contains about 5% alcohol is one standard drink. An 8-9 ounce drink of malt liquor, 5 ounce glass of wine and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor are all defined as one standard drink. When the standard and moderate amounts recommended are exceeded we begin to run into abuse, dependency and addiction to alcohol. All three areas are unique to the individual. How much and how often plays a role in the level of abuse, as well as the duration of the amounts consumed. When alcohol is misused, the effects can be limitless and extremely damaging to a person’s life. It can stem out into areas not only that become harmful to one’s health, but family dynamics, as well as social, professional and legal aspects. The health effects of alcohol are many, including but not limited to, change in brain structure and functions, damage to the heart, liver, pancreas, possible cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver an... ... middle of paper ... ...s also, another effect of alcohol, even when one is seeking to become abstinent. Within hours of the discontinuation of consuming alcohol, withdrawal symptoms can occur. For some who have a mild alcohol disorder, this can range from headache, dizziness, and nausea within 12 hours, to those who are heavy drinkers for long periods of time or who drink heavily on a daily basis, that can have much more harmful effects such as seizures, delirium tremens (DTs), anxiety, shakiness, rapid heartbeat, fever, confusion, and hallucinations. For these heavy drinkers, it can be a life threatening situation, where medical attention is necessary. The effects of alcohol are numerous when considering the range in which it can impact a life. From health, to family, to legal problems, and even when deciding to become sober, alcohol has a tight grip on those who abuse the drug.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant it has a huge impact on the lives of a drinker . In small quantities, alcohol results in a mild euphoria and usually removes inhibitions, and is relatively harmless. However, when used in excess, it has the power to change many lives in many ways. Alcohol causes a lot of trouble in a lot of peoples lives not just in the drinkers life. . Some ways it effects peoples lives include alcohol poisoning and alcohol-related traffic fatalities by individuals who are problem drinkers but who are not alcohol dependent. Because alcohol has so many negative effects on a person's mental and physical health, people should avoid the consumption of it altogether.
Alcohol abuse can be very dangerous because it can come at a time when a person is going through the bad times in their life. The only thing drugs do is worsens people’s lives because the behavior of the victim can change dramatically. Many drink at social events, to celebrate or relax. The problem is that many of the drinkers end up drinking more than what the body can withstand. According to the National institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism (2014), alcohol enters the blood as soon as the first sip and affect the body in as early as ten minutes. The amount then increase depending on the amount of drinks and the effects range from impairment, breathing problems, slurred speech, and coma. Some can even experience death as a result of becoming intoxicated because of having too much alcohol in the bloodstream. National institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism (2014). A young adult is more likely to experience a change in their mood and behavior because they are goi...
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.
Alcoholism is a major problem in today’s society it is considered a disease. The effects of this so called disease are a lot more serious than one might think, and can effect your life in a big way. Many of alcohols consumers drink frequently that they will eventually get used to it, and it becomes an everyday thing. That right there is where the problem starts. Some of the effects I found are economical, physiological, and physical, which are some of the negative effects alcohol, can have on someone’s life.
The impact of alcohol misuse on the individual includes the risk of contracting many physical diseases including several types of cancers, hypertension, stroke, epilepsy and cirrhosis of the liver. Psychiatric risks include depression, suicidal feelings, personality deterioration, dementia and mental impairments. (WHO Report, 2002). Other effects on the individual include accidents and crime, social relationship, job losses, marriage problems, domestic violence or abuse and devastating impact on families and children. (DOH 2011).
“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.
Alcohol affects the body in many different ways. On the website drugfreeworld.org the author tells us about the bad long term and short term effects of alcohol on the body. One long term effect is that it makes the liver work to hard causing it to fail. When the liver fails to function properly the body takes in toxins that harm it. These toxins harm the body in many different ways. One short term effect is that it causes decreased perception and coordination. The decreased perception of things causes things to appear closer or farther away than they really are. The decreased coordination make the people very clumsy resulting in injury. Some other short effects of alcohol on the body are vomiting, slurred speech, and headaches. Some other long term effects of alcohol are alcohol poisoning, Ulcers, and sometimes cancer of the mouth and throat (“Short Term and Long Term Effects”, 2014).
Alcohol can be an addictive substance if abused on a daily basis or consumed in large quantities. Alcohol is technically defined as, “a colorless flammable liquid that has the active principle of intoxicating drinks” (HarperCollins Publishers 2009). One of the leading causes of death in the United States is deaths induced by alcohol. There are many types of alcohol that are produced and distributed throughout the country. Common alcoholic beverages that are sold regularly are vodka, beer, rum, wine, whiskey, and much more. Each type does as much damage to the body as the other one, though they differ in amounts, or percentage, of alcohol. It depends on a person’s body type how alcohol will affect them personally. Weight, height, family background, and gender are common factors associated with a person’s blood alcohol content (HealthCheck Systems 2012).
The liver can only handle a small amount of drinking, when you drink more than the liver can handle, the liver is struggling to process it. In source B it explains, “When alcohol reaches the liver it produces toxic enzymes called acetaldehyde, which damages liver cells and can cause permanent tissue scarring in your liver”(Loveyourliver). People who drink alcohol are aware of being dehydrated, “When alcohol reaches the body enters the body it acts as a diuretic and as such dehydrates you and forces the liver to find water from other sources”(Loveyourliver). This explains how most people who are out on a big night wake up to a big headache because the liver was forced to find water from somewhere else. Whether you are a regular drinker or a heavy
The drug choice of alcohol can be described and characterized as a drug that, despite its legality and prerequisite for a required age minimum, causes and elicits the most violence and aggressive behavior than all of the illicit drugs combined. Not only does alcohol weaken an individual’s ability to go about life efficiently, such as being able to operate a motor vehicle, but the drug also triggers an intense physiological alteration to body conditions as well, resulting in numerous health complications, and severe withdrawal symptoms, if dependent (Hammond, Niciu, Drew & Arias, 2015). The chronic disease of alcohol use disorder remains to be a prominent concern, affecting many individuals globally, resulting in the
Alcohol is one of many dangerous substances that effects our bodies. The effects of this drug can be very harmful. Alcohol is a potent non-prescription drug sold to anyone over the national legal drinking age, 21. Unlike other deadly drugs it is easy to access. This makes it easy to over-consume and create a tragic accident, even death. It can damage a person not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Many people each year become more and more addicted to alcohol and soon experience all of it?s dangerous effects. Even if alcohol use is discontinued, some of these damages can not be cured, because the scars have been left on those that drink and those that surround them. The only hope of truly avoiding the effects of alcohol is complete abstinence from the drug.
The most severe repercussions of taking in ample amounts of alcohol are blackouts, and memory lapses. “Blackouts occur when alcohol prevents neurotransmitters from imprinting memories from short-term memory to long-term memory”. A report in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, shows that there are two different types of blackouts caused by alcohol. The first is a partial blackout, and it occurs after you consume a small amount of alcohol. With a partial blackout, basic information, like your address or phone number, or the names of people whom you know well are often forgotten in this state, “the mind is able to recall what happened during a partial blackout, but not without a little help from other observers.” The second type is called a complete alcohol
Alcohol affects the body negatively with over usage. Alcohol is a depressant, so the use of alcohol affects the central nervous system by temporarily slowing it down. Alcohol ends up blocking the messages from being received by the brain. This ends up altering a person's morals, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing. This causes the mind to change its decision-making and problem solving process. This is why many accidents occur while using alcohol.
Many people could tell you what alcohol will do to you. Blurred vision, memory loss, slurred speech, difficulty walking, and slow reaction times are all very common side effects depending on how much one consumes (National Institute on Alcohol abuse, 2004). To most, there is nothing wrong with this. Party all night, have a good time, find somewhere to sleep, pass out, and wake up in the morning. A couple of Advil and a glass of water and you are good to go, no harm done. This is where many are wrong. These effects are not just short term, they all add up in the long- run. Some of these impairments are detectable after only one or two drinks and quickly resolve when drinking stops. On the other hand, a person who drinks heavily over a long period may have brain deficits that persist well after he or she achieves sobriety (National Institute on Alcohol abuse, 2004).
Alcohol abuse is the most common problem, nowadays. In fact, majority of people drink alcohol repeatedly to the point where they have difficulty to stop. Statistics show that, as much as, “40% of college students report drinking five or more drinks in one episode” (Walters & Baer, 2006). Alcohol has become more popular over the years as advertisements, simultaneously with commercials of it, filled the media. It also is easily accessible and cheap in comparison to other psychoactive substances. On the other hand, alcohol safety awareness programs are barely noticeable. My research will present how alcohol and its abuse gets into people’s lives and how it influences their physical and mental health, as well as, social existence.