“Nearly 88,000 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States” ("Alcohol Facts and Statistics” 1). There need to be stricter federal requirements in detox facilities because someone who has an alcohol issue will deny it, an alcoholic will do anything to be released and get another drink, and repeated intoxication offenders and alcoholics are not capable of making their own decisions.
First of all, any person with an alcohol issue, no matter how large their issue is, will deny it. Denial protects the alcoholic from dealing with the problem that they have. According to "Addiction and Denial”, "Those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs can have little insight into their own condition as a result of denial" (1). This means they are avoiding the problem for a reason, and they will not and can not make the step to admitting their problem to themselves and others. Admitting to an issue is very important though, because admitting to the issue is the only way and the first step to regaining a normal life and defeating the disease of alcoholism. Detox facilities cannot force any person to go into treatment, so the person needs to have admitted their problem and signed into a treatment center while sober if they want to get better. This is very controversial because many alcoholics use many different excuses about their problem and will not admit it. Some
Recovery starts with a visit to a detoxification facility where people safely withdraw from alcohol. Many people do not seek the help they should from detoxification facilities, only 10% of
Alcohol abuse has become one of the principal causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States causing more than 200,000 deaths every year (Hendey, Dery, Barnes, Snowden, &
Alcohol abuse is growing rapidly throughout U.S. society. One in every twelve adults is being diagnosed with alcohol abuse (Barlow and Durand, 2006). All that are diagnosed with alcohol abuse must meet one or more of the following criteria within a twelve month period: he/ she must fail to accomplish major work, school or home
Alcohol use has spanned history. In fact, there is speculation that alcohol use actually preceded the formation of societies (Doweiko, 2015, p. 30). Thus, alcohol has long been a part of mankind’s life. The function of alcohol has unarguably changed throughout the course of history, as it was first used for nutritional purposes and then later on for religious purposes (Doweiko, 2015, p. 32). Today, alcohol serves a social purpose. In the United States, the prevalence of use is quite high, with just over 50% of the population partaking monthly (Doweiko, 2015, p. 34). This statistic is somewhat alarming considering alcohol use comes with a number of potential adverse consequences. Case in point, even
Alcohol in the United States has become a substance that most of the population abuses. Problems with alcoholism mainly occurs in young adults and has caused numerous deaths throughout the U.S. Alcohol has been a substance known for making the decision of flight or fight. Psychologists have taken their time and came to a conclusion that there consists of a five stage process in which one can abuse alcohol. Psychologists also figured out ways to help alcoholics looking for help to stop. Alcohol can be a danger to oneself and others, and it should be treated very seriously.
It is important that individuals that suffer from substance abuse become aware of their problem. Self-awareness is the first step to recovery. Once aware of the problem, communicating the issues to family or professionals should then be initiated to seek help. Acute alcohol detox can alter a patient’s mental and medical status and is recommended to have a medically supervised detoxification. Major life threatening sign and
For several years, alcohol has been the number one drug problem in America. Based on Drug Rehab.org, a nonprofit social betterment organization, Americans spend over $90 billion dollars total on alcohol every year. Also, according to George Koob, the Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism stated, “An estimated 880,009 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States” (Koob). These statistics make very clear that changes should be considered to prevent numerous tragic incidents. An easy change that could be considered is if the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) was lowered for adolescents.
Addiction is an epidemic in the United States of America. Yet out of all the addictive substances that are available to Americans, Alcohol has become the leading stimulant to flourish this outbreak. According to the 2014 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration statistics, 60.9 million Americans considered themselves binge drinkers while 1 in 10 underage alcohol users, age 12 to 20, already themselves considered heavy alcohol users (SAMHSA, http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FRR1-2014/NSDUH-FRR1-2014.pdf ). Since alcohol addiction can affect any socioeconomic status and any street corner in America, many Americans know a friend or a family member that has been struck by this epidemic. I myself am one of those Americans. Although my grandmother lost her battle to addiction more
“Every year in the U.S., roughly 5,000 people under the age of 21 die from an alcohol-related incident including car crashes, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning and other related injuries” ( “11 Facts About Alcohol Abuse”). That is 5,000 more teens or young adults that could be saved from this plague in this society (11 Facts About Alcohol Abuse). Underage drinking and alcoholism is a huge problem in the United States, and as a society need to make a change with how everyone sees this problem. Adults and young teens take this topic too lightly, and it should not be taken lightly because of how many deaths there have been from poor decision making. There are many programs or events that could help this problem by fundraising, however people think this is not a very important problem. Underage Drinking and Alcoholism is a huge problem in the United States because it causes major health issues that can be very costly, personal life problems that can lead to more problems later in life, and major risks that have no benefit, but can put someone else’s life in danger.
Alcohol is the most abused licit psychoactive drugs that affect one 's ability to think rationally and distorts their judgement if consumed excessively. Alcohol addiction is an illness arising from prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks. An alcoholic is a person suffering from alcohol addiction. Prolonged excessive use of large quantities can eventually lead to chronic health diseases like cirrhosis of the liver, anaemia, cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression seizures, gout and alcohol related accidents and crime. Statistics show that 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily intake while an estimated 8.697 died of alcohol-related deaths in 2014. According to the WHO worldwide alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Alcohol beverages with varied percentage content are consumed globally during religious, social, cultural events, festivals and other occasions. The use of alcoholic beverages has been an integral part of many cultures for thousands of years (McGovern, 2009). Over the centuries, there have been ongoing measures, research, interventions and policies which are aimed at promoting the moderate use of alcohol with a particular emphasis on preventing or reducing undesired outcomes. This essay will outline the key components of brief interventions in alcohol, the difference in approach with traditional methods of treatment and in conclusion, the
Alcohol is a very addictive substance and therefore can start to play a larger role in people’s lives. Alcohol is used in many different environments, from intense ranging parties, concerts, festivals, small family get-togethers and even drinking on your own to have a relaxing night after work. Many see no issues in having a casual beer here and there, although when we look at some of the stats we can clearly see that alcohol is causing some major issues in our society. Research estimates a whopping 86 percent of Americans will drink at some point in their lives and 70 percent drink at least once per year. This shows that alcohol is present in many Americans lives, and thus from that starting point an addiction can spawn. It only takes one time for someone to gain an addiction to a substance. Therefore, as it is a legal drug it’s very hard to recognize if someone has an addiction problem. So, why is it important that we stay on the look out for a loved one or friend who may be suffering from alcoholism?
Alcohol dependence is known to be the most severe form of alcohol abuse. A person becomes so dependent on alcohol consumption that he/she loses sight of all the other important things going on around him/her. Family matters and social responsibilities become secondary worries to his/her primary concern for existence, which is drinking (Stephens, 2007). Nearly fourteen million Americans are somewhat dependent on alcohol. Alcohol dependence is more prominent in men, and young adults ages 18-29 (Stephens, 2007). According to a study done by Saitz “85,000 deaths, along with substantial disability from medical and psychiatric consequences, injuries and “secondhand” effects (ex: motor vehicle crashes) are attributed to the use of alcohol” (Saitz, 2005).
The alcoholic beverage has remained an established element to society’s social world and has grown into a way of living. As alcohol continues to flourish in its prevalence among citizens of the United States, so does the concept of alcohol addiction. A person becomes addicted to alcohol when they “drink excessively and develops a dependence that results in noticeable mental disturbance, or an interference with bodily and mental health, their interpersonal relations, and their smooth social and economic functioning” (Calahan, 1970, pp. 3). In 2009, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that about 52% of Americans used alcohol at least once within 30 days of their survey. As the percentage of Americans who consume alcohol
In the United States, 17.6 million people – about one in every 12 adults, abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. (NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2012) The Mayo Clinic defines alcoholism as a chronic disease in which your body becomes dependent on alcohol (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010), and indicates that more than 100,000 Americans die annually from alcohol related causes (Johnson) . Aside from the physical problems that alcohol addiction can create, there are frequently emotional and social complications. Alcoholism is a disease that harms not only the alcoholic, but also the co-workers and family of the alcoholic.
In this day and age, when it comes to alcohol consumption and laws of alcohol use in countries around the world, many people debate about whether the legal drinking age should be raised, lowered, or stay the same. What about a society where alcohol would be illegal?? Well, when it comes to the sheer number of deaths that occur from drunk driving alone, you’d end up agreeing with it. To add to this, addiction is always a risk to be taken into consideration, because it leads to alcohol poisoning, eventually causing death. All in all, alcohol is something that is just as addictive as any other drug, and should it be treated as an illegal drug as well. The following are just some of the many reasons why this should be so.