What is Alcoholism?
Alcoholism is a disease in which a person has an overwhelming desire to drink alcoholic beverages. A person who has this desire is called an alcoholic because he/she feels forced to drink. Alcoholism also known as alcohol dependence a disabling addictive disorder. It is characterized by compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol. Alcoholism is considered one of the most serious problems in the world. Alcohol creates many problems in our society and people 's personal lives. A large number of people in the world die from different diseases caused by alcohol. Alcoholism is an increasing problem, which has many objectionable consequences. Excessive drinking involves deaths from falls, drownings, fatal fire accidents, accidental deaths on the job, highway fatalities, spouse beatings, and child abuse. So alcoholism causes many troubles. It can destroy a person 's life: relationship with family and relatives, and even one 's attitude toward life.
Signs and Symptoms
Alcoholism is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work. Repeatedly neglecting responsibilities at home, work, or at school because they’re too hungover to do anything. Using alcohol in dangerous situations such as drinking and driving, drinking in a bad neighborhood, mixing alcohol with prescription medications, or operating a machine under the influence. Getting into fights, being disruptive in public, and domestic dispute are some legal problems that drinking can lead to. Alcoholics continue to drink despite relationship problems. It makes things worse in the relationship with your spouse, family members, or friends. Alcohol can cause people to fight with family members because ...
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... their outdated behavioral patterns and make the conscious decision to change. By becoming less influenced by their surroundings, addicts can learn to eliminate cravings and embrace their inner strength without the need for external validation through substances.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that involves inserting small needles into the skin. The evidence that acupuncture helps people overcome alcoholism is more anecdotal than research-based. Acupuncture works in these ways:
It modulates neurotransmitters
Stimulates the endocrine system, resulting in relaxation
Stimulates circulation and tends to reduce inflammation
There is no factual published research that can back acupuncture’s benefits in treating alcoholism. Most people use acupuncture to relieve pain and depression, they also use it to quit smoking.
Patient Teaching
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.
“Alcohol ruined me financially and morally, broke my heart and the hearts of too many others,” wrote comedian Craig Ferguson, in his book American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of An Unlikely Patriot. Alcohol consumption is a learned behavior - no one enjoys the taste of alcohol at first. People drink out of curiosity, out of custom (toasting the newlyweds), or to elude unpleasant feelings. However, out of constant drinking comes alcoholism: a term to describe the disease formed by the continuous misuse of alcohol. Although it is considered a disease, it is specifically an addictive illness (Benton). Those affected by alcoholism range wider than just the person who has developed it. Thus, persons with alcoholism are a detriment in today’s society by not only damaging their own bodies, but also martyring their families mentally and physically.
Throughout history alcohol has been a common drink in social and celebration environments. However in today’s society it is easily accessible, very cheap, and advertised on every channel available. Alcohol has taken over our society, from teenagers to seniors, everyone is exposed to the culture of drinking. That is not the issue though, the issue is in today’s society gluttony is a common virtue and many people take drinking beyond social and celebration environments. Many Americans suffer from a disease known as alcoholism, it is not only the addiction to, but the inability to function without alcohol. Just like many other substances, in excess alcohol can create many issues within the body both mentally and physically, this is the issue behind alcoholism.
We discovered that many do not believe that alcoholism is a disease, but instead a choice and lack of willpower. It is said that drinkers can limit themselves and make better choices on their own or with a little help. Many others including myself believe that alcoholism is in fact a disease and not a choice. There has been research that proves that there is a gene in many alcoholics. The gene shows that the disease can be hereditary like others and may not be something that just anyone can help. Everyone has their own opinion and point of view on this subject. There are supporting facts on both sides so it may never be determined fully as a disease or not, but I guess we will see. “The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope.” – Russel
What is alcoholism? Alcoholism is a complex chronic psychological and nutritional disorder associated with excessive and usually compulsive drinking. Alcoholic abuse is a destructive pattern of alcohol use, leading to significant social, occupational, or medical impairment. A persons alcohol tolerance can be measured by how many alcoholic beverages they can drink before becoming intoxicated. Being an alcoholic has several downfalls, such as the withdrawal symptoms. Some of the withdrawal symptoms consist of sweating or rapid pulse, increased hand tremor, insomnia, nausea or vomiting, anxiety or grand mal seizers. There are two types of drinkers. The first type, the casual or social drinker, drinks because they want to. They drink with a friend or with a group for pleasure and only on occasion. The other type, the compulsive drinker, drinks because they have to; despite the adverse effects that drinking has on their lives. The cause of alcoholism is a combination of biological, psychological, and cultural factors that may contribute to the development of alcoholism in an individual. Alcoholism seems to run in families. "Although there is no conclusive indication of how the alcoholism of families members is associated, studies show that 50 to 80 percent of all alcoholics have had a close alcoholic relative" (Some researchers have suggested that in several cases, alcoholics have an inherited, predisposition to alcohol addiction. Studies of animals and human twins h...
“Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) is a more severe pattern of drinking that includes the problems of alcohol abuse plus persistent drinking in spite of obvious physical, mental, and social problems caused by alcohol” (Ringold, M. S.). Alcoholism is a major social problem in today’s world. People can agree that alcoholism threatens the lives of the person and the people they care about. Alcohol is one of the drugs that have caused serious problems for the younger generation. Alcoholism is greatly influenced by peer pressure. To get stress out, sometimes an alcoholic will drink heavily. Alcohol consumption is associated with your health. Drinking heavily can be the cause for liver cancer. Also, you can be intoxicated and could be driving drunk
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.
Alcoholism is a disease in which the drinking of alcohol becomes uncontrollable. Compulsion and craving of alcohol rules the life of the alcoholic. Many of us drink alcohol to socialize which is not alcoholism. An alcoholic is a frequent habitual user. Alcohol, a central nervous system depressant, dulls the senses especially vision and hearing. Signs of alcoholism are tremors, delirium, inability to concentrate and many others. “According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, more than 13 million Americans abuse alcohol”(Mayo Clinic Health Information 1). There are many causes leading an individual to alcoholism. Alcohol damaging effects are physically, psychologically, and socially devastating.
The most severe way of treating alcoholism is detoxification. The severity of withdrawal effects on your body increases each withdraw severe withdraws happened to 2% to 5% of heavy drinkers that have stopped and call consumption me last 3 to 7 days with treatment data is about 1% alcoholic should be taken to the hospital for detoxification if they are apt to have severe suicidal or homicidal thought disruptive job Or family situations or are incapable to accompany out patient facilities. (www.aafp.org 1)
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.
Alcoholism is defined as a destructive addiction to alcohol while alcohol abuse is defined as a destructive abuse of alcohol. Alcoholism is the most severe form of alcohol abuse but there are many different factors that contribute to a person becoming an alcoholic. Alcoholism is genetic but usually influenced by someone’s environment growing up and their present environment. Having a abusive childhood or a hard life in general can trigger feelings that turn into a need to drink. An alcoholic can not control his/her intake of alcohol because he/she does not have control over it. There are many signs and symptoms to determine if someone is in fact an al...
Drinking alcohol is associated with many adverse health problems in the short and long-term. These include cancer, stroke, heart disease, miscarriage, premature birth and unintentional injuries. Despite the fact that alcohol brings many negative impacts, many people still choose to drink and do not overcome their drinking habit. They have been successfully seduced by alcohol until drinking has become their addiction. However, some of them try to quit drinking, but they still cannot break the addiction. Basically, quitting alcohol is difficult and almost impossible for them because of brain-craving, lack of belief and support, and weak willpower.
Alcoholism is of interest to many people in the world today. This paper examines what has recently been learned about alcoholism, especially how serious of a disorder it actually is. Some of the aspects that are explained are what exactly alcohol abuse involves, the negative effects alcohol has on the human body, and options for treatment.
Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only affects the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co-workers, and eventually total strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects.
Alcohol has been known to tear apart families, because in some cases, a dad has had too many drinks and abuses someone in the family. Whether it be a kid, or a spouse, if they were not intoxicated with alcohol this event could likely be avoided. Alcohol makes the user make rash decisions and decide to do things they would not normally do. For example, a less violent father. A father typically would not beat his children unless they disobeyed him and he would discipline them. But when alcohol is thrown into the mix then the father might take out all of his anger and stress out on his family members who did nothing against him to provoke him. Alcohol takes away someone’s control and ability to make smart decisions, for this exact reason alcohol can affect families in more than one negative way. One way that alcohol affects the family is neglect of responsibilities (American Addiction Center ). If an adult is drunk all of the time this will restrict their thinking and actions. Being drunk most of the time, often results in a lot more problems for the family itself. Drinking too much alcohol will more than likely result in a hangover. Hangover’s will cause an adult to not do their job fully, or they would call out and not go to work because the hangover was so bad. Which in turn calling out of work and not showing up to work leads to them either getting fired or quitting a job. Then the parent cannot provide for his or her family, basically, neglecting their family for alcohol and prioritizing alcohol over their own flesh and blood. Alcohol can tear apart a family very easily, just by bringing out the abusive side of a parent and eventually leading to the kid or kids getting taken away or beaten to death. The sad truth is in some cases the abusive parent does not mean to hurt the child, and when they sober up they finally realize the big mistake that they have made. Alcohol affects teenagers when they start