Alcoholism
Alcoholism refers to the drinking of alcoholic beverages to such a degree that major aspects of an individual's life--such as work, school, family relationships, or personal safety and health--are seriously and repeatedly interfered with. Alcoholism is considered a disease, meaning that it follows a characteristic course with known physical, psychological, and social symptoms. The alcoholic continues to consume alcohol despite the destructive consequences. Alcoholism is serious, progressive, and irreversible. If not treated, it can be fatal. It is generally thought that once the disease has developed, the alcoholic will not drink normally again.
An alcoholic who abstains from drinking, however, can regain control over the aspects of life with which alcohol interfered. The alcoholic is then said to be "recovering," not "cured" of the disease. It is important to note that the particular symptoms and pattern of drinking problems may vary with the individual. Alcoholism is, therefore, a very complex disorder, and this complexity has led some recent researchers to question the accuracy of the disease concept of alcoholism.
A person does not have to drink every day to be an alcoholic. Moreover, someone who drinks frequently or sometimes gets drunk is not necessarily an alcoholic. It is possible to abuse alcohol for a short or contained period of time without developing alcoholism. For example, some people may drink abusively during a personal crisis and then resume normal drinking.
College students tend to drink more heavily than other age groups. It is often difficult to distinguish such heavy and abusive drinking from the early stages of alcoholism. How well the person can tolerate giving up alcohol for an extended time, and the effect of the drinking on family, friends, work, and health, may indicate the extent of the alcohol problem. More than 10 million Americans are estimated to be alcoholic. Alcoholism is found among all age, sociocultural, and economic groups.
An estimated 75 percent of alcoholics are male, 25 percent female. Alcoholism is a worldwide phenomenon, but it is most widespread in France, Ireland, Poland, Scandinavia, the United States, and the USSR. Symptoms and Causes Some common signs of alcoholism in the early stages are constant drinking for relief of personal problems, an increase in a person's tolerance fo...
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...jority, abstinence from alcohol is the one real hope of returning to a normal life. Once drinking has ceased, the alcoholic is free to cope with the psychological, family, social, legal, and medical problems that may be associated with alcoholism. Roberta Caplan
Bibliography:
American Medical Association, AMA Handbook on Alcoholism (1987);
Apthorp, Stephen P., Alcohol and Substance Abuse (1990);
Campbell, Drusilla, and Graham, M.S., Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace (1988);
Collins, R. Lorraine, et al., eds., Alcohol and the Family (1990);
Daley, D.C., and Miller, Judy, A Parent's Guide to Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (1989);
Denzin, N. K., The Recovering Alcoholic (1987);
Goedde, H.W. and Agarwal, Dharam P., Alcoholism: Biomedical and Genetic Aspects (1989);
Kiianmaa K., et al., eds. Genetic Aspects of Alcoholism (1989);
Kurtz, Ernest, AA: The Story (1987);
Light, William, Psychodynamics of Alcoholism (1986);
Ludwig, A. M., Understanding the Alcoholic's Mind (1988);
Metzger, Lawrence, From Denial to Recovery (1987);
Pickens, Roy, Children of Alcoholics (1983);
Vaillant, George E., The Natural History of Alcoholism (1983).
In this position paper I have chosen Bloodsworth v. State ~ 76 Md.App. 23, 543 A.2d 382 case to discuss on whether or not the forensic evidence that was submitted for this case should have been admissible or not. To understand whether or not the evidence should be admissible or not we first have to know what the case is about.
Robinson, David. From Drinking to Alcoholism: A Social Commentary. London: John Wiley and Sons, 1976.
To understand alcoholism, it must first be understood what this affliction is dependent on. Alcohol is a substance that is made by the fermentation of fruits, grains, or miscellaneous other organic materials. The chemical, alcohol, is a depressant and acts on every cell in the human body. Due to this, the central nervous system, along with the pleasure centers of the brain, are affected resulting in a feeling of euphoria and a sense of well being. After repeated exposure, the brain becomes dependent on this drug to unburden itself whenever it feels the compulsion. Several factors that contribute to alcoholism are the individual’s psychology, genetics, culture, and the individual’s response to physical pain.
According to Sharf, (2008) the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was designed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder. EMDR requires that the clients visualize an upsetting memory and accompanying physical sensations. The clients repeat negative self-statements that they associate with the scene. The procedure is repeated again and again until the client’s anxiety is reduced. EMDR focuses on desensitizing strong emotional reasons in clients and help them to reframe their belief systems to accommodate new emotional states (Sharf, 2008).
Therefore, the criminal justice system relies on other nonscientific means that are not accepted or clear. Many of forensic methods have implemented in research when looking for evidence, but the methods that are not scientific and have little or anything to do with science. The result of false evidence by other means leads to false testimony by a forensic analyst. Another issue with forensic errors is that it is a challenge to find a defense expert (Giannelli, 2011). Defense experts are required to help the defense attorneys defend and breakdown all of the doubts in the prosecutors scientific findings in criminal cases. Scientific information is integral in a criminal prosecution, and a defense attorney needs to have an expert to assist he/she in discrediting the prosecution (Giannelli,
Studies show that TF-CBT has been effective when working with children and reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression, and behavior problems following trauma (Cary & McMillen, 2011). Bisson and Andrew (2009) state through systematic review of adults, TF-CBT performed eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) and outperformed other treatments. The Kauffman Best Practices Project (2004) believes that TF-CBT is the “best practice” in the field of child abuse treatment.
In the criminal justice system, the best chance of a fair trial and justice lies within cases that include physical evidence. Physical evidence, whether fibers, fingerprints, or DNA, can give a jury proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Physical evidence can convict a criminal, or it can free an innocent man. It can bring closure to families and to the law enforcement that work the cases. The following cases will show what physical evidence does in a criminal trial and the vast impact it can make. For each case I will examine how the physical evidence was important to the case and whether or not it could have made more of a difference if the presentation of the evidence were different. The five cases are: the Mosley case, the Warren case, the Chandler case, the Frediani case, and the Swift Case.
According to the Federal Rule of Evidence 703, an expert may base an opinion on facts or data in the case that the expert has been made aware of or personally observed. If experts in the particular field would reasonably rely on those kinds of facts or data in forming an opini...
Gorski (1996, p.98) stands by his belief in the disease theory of alcoholism. Although some drinkers do not have the disease of alcoholism, more severe drinkers do and are seen as suffering from a biological disease and need to be treated as such. In the late 1950’s and 60’s research projects at Yale and Rutgers concluded that alcoholism is a disease. As a result of the...
The new Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1789 by James Madison, created an entirely new system within America, which had never been attempted before. The first consideration to make is the new institutions created by the Constitution. Before its adoption, America was operating under the Articles of Confederation This document offered us a set of universal values out of which laws and codes have emerged and have been carried out . As such, it symbolizes the essence of constitutionality—that government must be restrained by the rule of law. The constitution has succeed in its ability to encourage government by wise forward statesman, In addition the creation of the three branches has discourages the negative effect of factions and has restrain government from taking more power than entrusted to it, Additionally it has restrains itself particular from using that power to reduce individual liberty.
An American psychologist called Francine Shapiro developed The Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in the 1980s. Dr. Shapiro was born on February 18th, 1948, she is currently 67 years old. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the Professional School of Psychological Studies in San Diego, California (Shapiro, 2015). Dr. Shapiro is a senior research fellow at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California (Shapiro, 2015). This therapy was created for the treatment of psychological traumas which led to controlled research studies about EMDR therapy (Trauma Recovery, 2015). She works in Northern California as a licensed clinical psychologist and author (Shapiro,
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, alcoholism is defined as "the compulsive consumption of and psychophysiological dependence on alcoholic beverages." It is a problem that can tear apart marriages and families, cause someone to lose his job, and many more negative results. In order to recover from this dependency a person must lose his desire for and dependence upon alcohol, continue to remain sober, and resolve all conflicts caused by the alcohol abuse. There are several alternatives an alcoholic has to rehabilitate himself. The best solution is a combination of individual therapy and a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous.
The ingestion of alcoholic beverages for their enjoyable effects is a custom which has been around for thousands of years, and alcohol continues to be a popular drug because of its short-term effects (Coleman, Butcher & Carson, 1984). An enormous amount of damage can be attributed directly to alcohol abuse as a result of lost jobs, accidents caused by drunk drivers, and so forth (Maltzman, 2000). Alcohol also compounds other problems--an estimated 25% to 40% of hospital patients have problems caused by, or recovery delayed by alcohol abuse (Maltzman, 2000). Clinical psychologists spend about one-fourth of their time dealing with people who are suffering in part from alcohol or other substance problems (Vaillant, 1995). Although alcohol problems have been around for so long, it is only recently that these problems have begun to be associated with medical or psychological difficulties.
Forensic evidence can provide just outcomes in criminal matters. However, it is not yet an exact science as it can be flawed. It can be misrepresented through the reliability of the evidence, through nonstandard guidelines, and through public perception. Forensic science can be dangerously faulty without focus on the ‘science’ aspect. It can at times be just matching patterns based on an individual’s interpretations. This can lead to a miscarriage of justice and forever alter a person’s life due to a perceived “grey area” (Merritt C, 2010) resulting in a loss of confidence in the reliability of forensic evidence.
The cause of alcoholism is a combination of biological, psychological, and cultural factors that may contribute to the development of...