Alcohol and You: Why Do People Drink?
Addiction comes in many forms: you might be addicted to something as simple as having a cup of coffee every morning or eating up whatever drama creeps on to your Facebook page. We are all addicted to something, though the intensity of our addictions vary. The previous examples seemed relatively harmless, but imagine this scenario: what if your morning coffee was replaced with a few bottles of beer at the local bar every night? It may start off as just a harmless way of relaxing after a long day at work, but soon your nightly trips to the bar begin to interfere with your personal life: you miss your son’s game-winning goal in a soccer game that he had been talking about for weeks, you spend your anniversary black-out drunk, and you become more hostile and bitter towards your family. Soon, you are left alone, with the only solace you still have is end of the bottle, and soon your life is spiraling out of control, and your only purpose in life is finding a way to inebriate yourself again.
This is a particularly grim scenario, but it is not far off from reality for many struggling with alcohol addiction. It’s easy to say that people can just quit drinking, but the situation of alcohol addiction is more complex than that; many see alcohol as an escape from the hardships of reality, and there’s a reason for that. Alcohol is a powerful depressant, which means that it bypasses our social inhibitors that prevent us from acting on thoughts that are “unusual,” thus resulting a more relaxed feeling in situations that are otherwise uncomfortable (hence why many parties have alcohol). For example, an individual who is usually shy and reserved may become uncharacteristically friendly and outgoing while ine...
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...rinking alters the chemistry of the brain, and it has been proven that heavy drinkers respond to stress with higher levels of anxiety than non-drinkers (Alcohol Alert).
However, the doom and gloom of addiction isn’t always permanent; in many cases, alcoholics are able to sober up and enjoy a life free from alcohol dependence. The first and best measure anyone can take to treat alcohol addiction is to seek counseling. Alcoholics should also begin finding the source of their drinking problem so that they can determine a solution, such as finding alternate coping methods if their alcoholism is due to stress. You can drink in moderation, as long as you don’t drink more than the daily allotment. Nonetheless, the best way to avoid alcoholism is to just say no, as the grief and turmoil that are coupled with alcohol abuse and misuse won’t make anyone’s problems any easier.
There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
Alcohol abuse can potentially lead to major health risks, “It can cause damage to the liver, brain, and other organs” (Medline Plus). Alcoholism is an issue that affects a great number of people. According to Medline Plus, “…about 18 million adult Americans have an alcohol use disorder (AUD)” (Medline Plus). When considering these figures only represent the adult population as well as only including the adults in the US, it is apparent that the issue is widespread. Not only does it affect the person but also those around them. Unfortunately many times it affects other members of their family the most. According to American Addiction Centers, “As a general rule, these people have a greater likelihood of having emotional troubles compared to children who grew up in sober homes”. This suggests that the children of the people who suffer from alcoholism are affected to a great extent on an emotional level. As stated by American Addiction Centers, “In general, children of individuals who abuse alcohol are four times more likely to abuse alcohol themselves”, which would then only further the cycle of alcohol
When society thinks about people drinking alcohol, the first assumption is that there is a drinking disorder occurring. There are thousands of ways to get help and for one to learn the correct way to drink alcohol. Society, however, doesn’t realize that there are steps and reasons alcoholism occurs within society.
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...
When people hear the word "drug," they usually think of an illegal substance such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other drug that can be found on the street. Most people never consider the fact that consuming alcohol can be just as harmful as illegal drugs, not only on the body, but on the mind and spirit as well (#1). If constantly abused, alcohol can be even worse for one than taking illegal drugs (#5) Irresponsible drinking can destroy a person's life as well as the lives of those around them. When people become both physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol, they become an alcoholic and suffer from a disease called alcoholism. One denotation of this term is "a diseased condition of the system, brought about by the continued use of alcoholic liquors" (Webster's Dictionary, 37). Another definition of this term, given to me by my English professor, Janet Gould who is in fact, a recovering alcoholic, is that alcoholism is a mental dependence and a physical allergy (#3). Alcoholism somehow affects us all through a parent, sibling, friend, or even personal encounters with a stranger. In fact "alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, quiet and withdrawn, or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more" (Gitlow 175).
Heredity, conditioning, and environment can contribute to the use of alcohol. One beverage can affect parts of the brain and nervous system. Sensory input then comes into play when alcohol is consumed. Symptoms depend on many factors such as one’s body itself and the amount of alcohol intake. Not only does alcohol affect the person consuming it but others around them, impact relationships, and group behavior. Therefore, after the individual has taken beverage after beverage of alcohol the body will start showing signs of damage to the body both internally and externally.
Main Point: What defines an addiction? According to Psychology Today, “Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance…. or engages in an activity….that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” This can range anywhere from drug use to eating disorders, to gambling, to even texting in today’s generation. Shocking to say the least, especially when most people do not even know they are addicted or are an addict until they realize this definition.
Addiction is a very strong word that brings along many negative connotations. When we think of an addiction we imagine someone who depends on a certain substance, most likely alcohol to have their needs met. Addiction is defined by the Webster dictionary as, "a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Even though our society sees addiction and only applies the word to drug addicts and alcoholics, there is a much wider range of subjects that fall under the umbrella of what an addiction truly is. An addiction is a dependency on any kind of materialistic object that you use on a day to day basis that brings
Addiction is defined simply as a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as drugs) or do something like gambling (Addiction, 2016). Addiction can be crippling and can control all aspects of your life to the point of not being able to function as a productive member of society. Addicts can have a life long struggle, even once sober, or clean, from the addiction.
So, it is clear that addiction is all around us and can attack anyone of us at any given time. Even studies conducted show that people neglect to speak around their dependency for two primary reasons. Foremost, because people do not comprehend, or they bear a total misconception to their addiction, that they do not realize that addictions can be critical to their overall wellness. Moreover, second, many people believe being an addict will never happen to them, but, in reality, most addictions start off as simple little habits. Such as starting with one drink after dinner and before you know it you are drinking several drinks a day. However, one does not opt to be addicted to a substance, because addictions are physical defects in the brain, a disease, and not one’s choice.
Addiction is something that may seem inevitable but at the end it’s entirely the fault of a person who is addicted. In the article by Charles Duhigg ‘the power of habit’ Angie Bachmann got addicted to gambling, it was because of her fault as she kept accepting the offers from cassino and many other reasons.. Both knew what they were doing but still Angie let herself get into the situation, and the casino encouraged it. She was a well settled housewife, when everybody used to leave the house she was all alone. One fine day, while passing through the street she took a visit to casino just for a change.
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.
The best way to avoid alcohol abuse, dependence, and addiction is to drink only moderate amounts, or not drink at all. Moderate drinking is no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. To avoid alcohol dependence:
Damage to the nervous system in alcoholics has been recognized for many years. Some of the possible neurological effects of alcoholism include: Development of diseases caused by vitamin B deficiencies. Impairment of overall mental functioning. Some of the ancient physicians recognized an impairment of overall mental functioning in those who drank excessively and recent brain cell studies suggest that an alcoholic literally kills off brain cells at a more rapid pace than normal. If one destroys brain cells rapidly enough and for a long enough period of time, eventually the "cell bank" of reserves will be depleted, and the subject will begin to show impaired mental functioning. This appears to be the sequence of events observed in the EEG tracings and clinical observations of alcoholics.
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.