Everyday around the world alcoholics attempt to defeat their alcohol vice, only to succumb to addiction once more. Alcohol addiction can plague one’s life, leading to a wide array of negative consequences. When alcoholics do attempt to quit drinking alcohol, they go through various withdrawal symptoms that dramatically complicates the road to sobriety. Quitting alcohol is far from a simple process and will require much initiative and perseverance on behalf of the individual. Although many alcoholics attempt to quit alcohol by simply by going “cold turkey,” there are more steps that people should follow in order to successfully quit drinking alcohol. For those struggling with alcohol abuse, sobriety from alcohol is a difficult process that will prohibitively improve the life of the addict.
Coming to terms with the reality of alcohol addiction, enables the individual to begin taking action. Although peers may have already highlighted the problem to the user, he or she is more likely to commit to quitting if they themselves recognize that there is a problem stemming from their alcohol use. Initially, the alcohol user needs to assess his or her situation regarding alcohol abuse. Next, the individual will need to take steps to ensure that he or she can commit to making a change. Furthermore, this step can be hard to accomplish without making your decision clear to family and friends that the individual drinks with. Now that the alcohol user has acknowledged the reality that a substance abuse problem exists, it’s time for the alcohol user to speak with his or her physician for assistance on maintaining a sober
Many of the problems associated with early sobriety do not stem directly from psychoactive substances. Instead they are associated with physical and psychological changes that occur after the substances have left the body. When a person regularly uses psychoactive drugs, the brain undergoes physical changes to cope with the presence of drugs in the body. When the drugs are removed from the body, the brain craves the drugs that it has become accustomed to and as the brain attempts to rebalance itself without the presence of psychoactive drugs the person often experiences feelings of confusion, pain, and discomfort. The symptoms that are experienced immediately after stopping drug use are called acute withdrawal. But often the symptoms do not stop at acute withdrawal. After the body makes initial adjustments to the absence of drugs, the changes that have occurred in the brain still need time to revert back to their original state. During this period, a variety of symptoms known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) begin to occur. In the book Uppers, Downers, All Arounders, published by CNS Productions, authors Darryl Inaba and William Cohen define PAWS as “a group of emotional and physical symptoms that appear after major withdrawal symptoms have abated” (Inaba & Cohen, 2011).
As illustrated the model of drug abuse and the theories behind addiction are varied. There is no concrete reason for one person who drinks to become alcohol dependent versus the person who does not. Several factors contribute to why a person begins drinking and why they continue to do so despite reasons to stop. The case history exhibits a client with many risk factors associated with alcohol use and dependence.
Most alcoholics proceed to a stage where their brains or their bodies have been so harmed by alcohol that the effects persist even when they are not drinking. This stage may be reached...
Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the US. One in every 12 adults suffers from alcohol abuse. Alcohol addiction is very common in modern ...
As one of the major social problem, underage drinking can cause negative affect on both teenagers themselves and the whole society. Based on the research, approximately 190,000 youth under 21 visited emergency room for alcohol related hurts, even I accompanied one of my friends to ICU for alcohol poisoning nearly month ago. Annually about 5000 individuals under 21 die from it, not including other mature people directly or indirectly killed by them. Meanwhile, child’s brain and emotional developments are still in process until 20s so that taking alcohol will produce great damage on their body health. For example, alcohol can interfere with children’s capacity to build new, short, and lasting memories of information because it shrinks hippocampus about 10
Overcoming an addiction to alcohol can be a long and bumpy road. Many people feel that it is impossible to overcome an alcohol addiction. Many people feel that is it easier to be an addict than to be a recovering addict. However, recovering from alcoholism is possible if one is ready to seek the help and support they need on their road to recovery. Recovery is taking the time to regain one’s normal mind, health and strength. Recovery is process. It takes time to stop the alcohol cravings and pressure to drink. For most, rehab and professional help is needed, while others can stop drinking on their own. Recovery never ends. After rehab, professional help or quitting on your own, many people still need help staying sober. A lot of time, recovering
Alcohol Abuse is part of disorder that affects many people throughout the world. Many are aware of the issues the disorder can bring not just on the victim, but also to the people that surround the person with the psychological problem. There are different areas that can be discussed in regards to alcoholism. According to Coon & Mitterer (2013), a substance abuse disorder is when there is an abuse or dependence on a psychoactive drug. Alcohol is a substance that can become abusive and bring negative effects on a person’s body. Alcohol is a substance that can bring behavioral effects such as behavioral effects, physical changes, and social changes. A good solution to Alcohol abuse can be Alcohol anonymous, an organization that helps individuals with alcohol addiction.
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.
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.
Kishline (1994, p.105) challenges the disease theory of alcoholism. She states that other treatment professionals hold the view that some who use alcohol are only problem drinkers and that moderate drinking may be a treatment for the problem drinker. However, in all actuality, accumulated evidence indicates that physiology, not psychology, determines whether a drinker will become addicted to alcohol or not (Ketcham & Asbury, 2000). Those who consume alcohol on a regular basis, will, over time, develop a tolerance to alcohol, requiring the drinker to us more alcohol to achieve the same effects. This is how the disease of alcoholism is acquired and the only cure is complete abstinence.
Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations in which anyone can be or be placed. Drinking and driving is a serious offence that can cause someone to be physically harm or even killed. Not only are you putting yourself at risk but you are also risking the lives of passengers in the car as well as any other car and occupants sharing the road with you. Many people believe that increasing fines for drunk driving offenders will play a compelling role in cutting down the occurrences of driving under the influence. However, while harsher DUI laws will look effective on paper, they will not make a significant step in the fight against drunk driving. Although there is a law enforced for drinking and driving in the
The chances are that we all know or have loved ones with an addictions to either drugs or alcohol. Still today, one of the biggest challenges is being able to talk to that person about their addiction. Even though I personally have not had the opportunity to speak to a loved one or acquaintance about an addiction. Research shows when confronting a person with a problem; it takes preparation, patience, and being totally honest with that individual. Talking to someone with a dependency is something that most people avoid because people like myself would not want others mending in our lives; we, even, tend to believe that it is not our problem how much our f...
Research shows that 17.6 million people are suffering from alcohol abuse. According to the article “Facts about Alcohol”, it states that 88,000 people has died from excessive alcohol use and that alcoholism is the 3rd leading lifestyle related cause of death in the nation. Many people can debate on what excessive drinking truly is. Some may say having two to three drinks on a daily bases is excessive and then you have people that argue and say having a drink every day is excessive. Doctors and phycologist often say that excessive drinking goes to the purpose of why the person is drinking and often ask is the drink a want or a need. If the person answers as if they need the drink or drinks then they would classify those individual’s as excessive drinkers and that they are experiencing substance
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.