Alcoholism
What is alcoholism? Alcoholism is a chronic disease where a person becomes dependent on liquor. One in every twelve adults suffer from Alcoholism. Alcohol is one of the most abused substance in the United States. There are over 80,000 death in the United States due to excessive drinking. Alcoholism has many names two of the most common are Alcohol Use Disorder, and Alcohol Dependence Syndrome. A person who is dependent on alcohol is usually called an alcoholic.
Signs and Symptoms
Signs of Alcoholism are spending a lot of money and time in consuming alcohol. People with Alcoholism choose to drink instead of dealing with responsibilities such as going to work, and dealing with family responsibilities. Alcoholics engage in risky behavior like driving a car while intoxicated, having unprotected sex and abusing drugs. A person who abuses alcohol often builds a tolerance which means they need a significant amount of alcohol to reach a level of intoxication. A person who consumes a lot of liquor often has severe withdrawals when they don’t have liquor in their
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There are some long-term effects on the body due to the abuse of alcohol. You can end up with brain damage, and dementia. Common disease resulting from excessive alcohol consumption are pancreatitis, gastritis, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and heart disease. Alcoholics are also at risk for developing cancer in the mouth, throat, esophagus and even the liver. You can also develop psychiatric problems such as depression and anxiety which may lead to suicide. Woman who are pregnant shouldn’t drink alcohol because it will cause damage to the fetus.
Treatments
Treatments include support systems, rehab, jail. Maintenance of sobriety is important in keeping yourself sober by attending AA meetings. You must keep in mind though you can’t truly help someone with addiction who doesn’t want to help
Some treatments that could be given to people who have alcoholism would be a cleansing of the body by having a withdrawal or getting rid of alcohol in order to clean the
There are many symptoms associated with alcohol-related substance use disorders, while several of the symptoms associated with alcohol abuse are physical, there is also a wide array of mental and emotional symptoms that go hand and hand with alcohol abuse. Some of the first signs or symptoms that you may notice in someone with an alcohol disorder are the changes in that person’s life. You may notice that the individual has an increased alcohol tolerance, or you may notice them drinking throughout the day or week regardless of how it is effecting both their personal and professional lives.
Commonly referred to as alcohol use disorder, alcoholism is the most severe form of alcohol abuse. It involves the inability to manage drinking habits (Galbicsek, 2016). Individuals who suffer from alcoholism feel as if they cannot live without consuming alcohol. Signs of alcoholism may include craving alcohol whenever you are not consuming, feeling the need to keep drinking more, and putting alcohol above responsibilities. Alcoholism comes with short term and long term effects. Short-term effects may include reduced brain activity and slow reaction time. Long term effects may include liver disease and bone loss (Galbicsek, 2016).
Alcoholism refers to the problems of people that drink too much alcohol and harm the drinker directly. There are different types of Alcohol problems. Some people drink to socialize, celebrate or relax, but some think alcohols help them control their stress or help them forget. In a medical term defined Alcoholism by when a person drinks large amount of alcohol for a long time period and has difficulty to stop drinking. Then it is important to indicate levels of alcohol problems.
There has been numerous studies conducted on the productiveness of treatments for alcoholics. The first effective anti-alcoholism medication was found in 1994 and has become more known today. Currently the diseases of alcoholism are more treatable and in some cases curable thanks to the creation and efficacy of specific medications geared for recovering alcoholics.
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a broad term for any drinking of alcohol that results in problems.[1] It was previously divided into two types: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.[2][3] In a medical context, alcoholism is said to exist when two or more of the following conditions is present: a person drinks large amounts over a long time period, has difficulty cutting down, acquiring and drinking alcohol takes up a great deal of time, alcohol is strongly desired, usage results in not fulfilling responsibilities, usage results in social problems, usage results in health problems, usage results in risky situations, withdrawal occurs when stopping, and alcohol tolerance has occurred with use.[3] Risky situations include
In your fight against alcohol dependence, the treatment process could very well start at a detox center in the local area that we recommend as partners. Once you have had an opportunity to safely get through the withdrawal issues, your body and mind should be better suited for the rigors of treatment.
Most alcoholics won’t admit to having a dependence on alcohol. Due to their reluctance to acknowledge they may have a problem, it could be tricky to diagnose and treat them. So it’s usually up to the people around them to be able to see the signs of alcoholism. Even the most heavily addicted drinker is unlikely to show every sign and symptom, and not every alcoholic will display the same ones.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary says that, “alcoholism is an addiction to the consumption of alcohol or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency”. Individuals that deal with alcoholism often report that they feel they cannot function properly without alcohol. People turn to alcohol for various reasons, the most common reasons are relief of stress, coping of loss, relief of anxiety, and simply to feel good. Long term consumption of alcohol can lead to many health complications. Research has shown that genetics can influence half the risk for alcoholism.
The defining characteristics of alcoholism are; loss of control of drinking, denial of problems, alcohol abuse, impaired communication, rationalization, manipulation, dependency, refusal to get help and enabling behaviors. Roughly
Some of the immediate effects it has on a person’s body can result in serious harm to that person and others. Injuries involved with alcohol include drowning, burns, and vehicular accidents. When a person is under the influence it can lead to them committing homicide, suicide, and sexual assault. With excessive drinking in a short period of time high blood alcohol content levels will cause alcohol poisoning which is potentially fatal. Pregnant women are most vulnerable to drinking which can result in miscarriage and stillbirth. Although drinking can be a fun leisurely activity, it can cause serious problems over time if it is used in excess. When used in excess alcohol can cause many problems with the body including high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver disease. It can also cause several types of cancers such as breast, mouth, throat, liver, and colon cancer. Another one of the more common effects is depression and anxiety which lead to deeper alcoholism and dependence
Trying to unbiased when it comes to figuring out whether you or your loved one has a drinking problem can become difficult. Feelings are usually running high, rationalizations and denial then leads to anger and it can be hard to draw a line between what’s acceptable and what’s going too far drinking wise. Although these boundaries can be fuzzy, issues with drinking are classed as either problem drinking or alcohol dependence.
“I know my limit,” “Just one more drink,” and “I’m not drunk” are common phrases people often associate with being an alcoholic. While it is true that some alcoholics can use such phrases, that is not what makes them an alcoholic. Alcoholics or rather anyone who happens to drink a little too much, are marked with this title. But what does it really mean to be an alcoholic? Or better yet, what does it mean to suffer from Alcoholism? When a person is considered an alcoholic or when a person suffers from alcoholism, it is because he or she misuses alcohol to the point of physical dependence. For example, the symptoms for this dependence are cravings which usually occur during periods of not drinking, preoccupation
While drinking might make you feel good now, if you abuse that alcohol it may lead to serious complications later. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks in a day for women and five or more drinks in a day for men (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Alcohol is considered a depressant, so it is only seen fit that one of the chief effects of alcohol on the brain is to depress central nervous system functioning. In turn it may be why major depressive disorders occur in those who abuse alcohol. If the alcohol abuse continues over a period it intensifies into an alcohol dependency. Alcohol has effects on the body both mentally and physically. After a certain limit alcohol will slur your speech, increase your reaction time, and make you lose co-ordination. Alcohol consumption, particularly long-term alcohol dependence has many physiological ricks to consider, such as permanent damage to the brain, alcoholic liver disease, pancreatitis, alcohol poisoning
Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive and potentially fatal disorder which leads to physical and psychological harm, and impaired social and vocational functioning. It is characterized by tolerance, physical dependence and/or pathological organ changes, all of which are the direct/indirect consequence of the alcohol ingested (Light 5). Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol dependence," can be recognized by four obvious symptoms.