Alcoholism : A Common Co Occurring Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual and heightened swings in a person’s mood, energy level, and ability to function. The symptoms of bipolar disorder can be severe and therefore, they are quite different from the normal shifts in mood that everyone goes through on a daily basis. The effects of bipolar disorder can result in broken relationships, poor performance at work or school, self-mutilation, and even suicide. However, in most instances, bipolar disorder can be treated and people with this illness can lead normal and productive lives with the help of medication and therapy.

A brief but descriptive overview of Alcohol use disorder can be obtained from this website. First, information is presented about what alcohol use disorder is, and what the disorder includes. Alcohol use disorder is a condition in which a person has a problem controlling their intake of alcohol. A person will continue to use alcohol even when it causes problems. This disorder includes a level of severity called alcoholism. Next, symptoms are briefly explained, including not being able to control the alcohol intake, strong cravings, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This site considers both genetic, social, and environmental causes for this disorder. Risk factors are also introduced, including age, social and cultural factors, family history,

Bipolar disorder is defined as a mood disorder that causes drastic emotional changes and mood swings. These mood swings can range from manic highs, to depressive lows. It is also characterized by severe changes in mood. Bipolar

According to the description on MedicineNet.com Bipolar disorder is “Alternating moods of abnormal highs (mania) and lows because of the swings between these opposing poles in mood and a type of depressive disease. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment”.

Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness characterized by periods of depression and periods of elevated mood. According to research, Bipolar Disorder dates back to Egyptian writers as long ago as 2,000 B.C. According to ABC News, “Bipolar disorder can start really at any time in your life. It can start in children, in adolescence, in adults and in older adults.”

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness caused by a chemical imbalance in a person’s brain. Bipolar disorder can causes mood swings that can be both manic and or hypomanic, changes in sleep patterns, energy and overall behavior of a person. An individual’s environment can either hinder or aid in coping with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is known to be a serious mental condition. Bipolar disorder is also classified as manic-depressive disorder. It is characterized as malfunction with the brain by mood changes that includes a persistent increasing activity or energy levels. This serious condition is first diagnosed in young adults or adolescence.

Alcohol Use Disorder is an international and national problem. It is critical to address Alcohol Use Disorder because of its comorbidity status with other such addictions as well as the social harm it causes on an individual and societal level.

Alcoholism is also called as alcohol use disorder. It refers to the consumption of alcohol resulting in problems. It is divided into two types: abuse of alcohol and dependence on alcohol. In medical perspective, alcoholism is said to exist in a person, when two or more of the following conditions is present.

Is alcohol abuse real? This is the question many Americans ask themselves when alcohol intake is in effect. “Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream” (“Alcohol”, 2014, para.1). While alcohol abuse is a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder characterized by a maladaptive pattern of drinking alcohol (Edwards, 2014, p. 1). Alcohol abuse can bring about many different topics and can sometimes be a touchy subject. This is why most people never fully grasp the full affect it has and the dangers it possess. Whenever

Each year 100,000 people die due to alcohol related incidents. Of the 3.9 million Americans who receive treatment for substance abuse, a staggering 2.5 million of them are treated for alcohol usage. Roughly 17 percent of men and 8 percent of women will be dependent on alcohol during their lifetime. Abuse of alcohol is the third highest cause of death in the United States. Indicators of alcoholism include the following four symptoms: craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance (Fitzgerald). Many people, especially in the United States, will say that alcoholism is a disease. Alcoholism is not a disease, and saying that is is a disease is an unproven theory.

Alcoholism is an addiction that affects a person’s mental and physical stage while consuming excess amounts of alcohol on a daily basis. Those who are alcoholics are mostly lost of control, depressed, mental and/or physical abuse, and crave for desire to drink. Alcohol can cause damage to a person’s brain functions and later on, lead to severe diseases that can lead to death.

Over eighty percent of the world’s population over the age of eighteen has consumed an alcoholic beverage sometime in their lives. Of which, fifty-six percent of them have consumed an alcohol this month (http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/). “Alcoholism is an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor. Alcoholism is considered to be a mental illness that results in alcohol dependency” (Webster Dictionary). Statistics state that there were 2.5 million deaths worldwide; and 88,000 deaths in the United States that were alcohol-related.

"Alcohol is a socially acceptable, legal drug that is consumed by the majority of Americans without problems to themselves or others (Milgram xiii)." Misuse of alcohol can lead to alcoholism, one of the most widespread and complex problems in America. The reasons some people become dependent on alcohol and others do not are unknown. Many health problems are associated with chronic alcohol abuse, including damage to the liver, brain, or central nervous system.

Doctors define alcohol abuse, commonly known as alcoholism, as the “excessive and repetitive” drinking of alcohol to the point where the abusers harm themselves or the people around them (Alcoholism, 2017). This excessive amount of drinking can not only physically hurt their body but can also affect them mentally. Many medical personnel consider alcoholism as both an “addiction and a disease”, and refer to the abusers as alcoholics (Alcoholism, 2017). An alternative definition refers to alcoholism as a drug addiction, meaning that alcoholics have to keep increasing the dose of alcohol they consume to achieve the desired effects. Landers states that “according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it’s also “the leading drug of abuse in the nation”” (Landers, 1990 pp 510-522). Yet another definition calls alcoholism a behavioral disorder. In this manner, alcoholics feel the need to drink