Alcoholism Essay Research Paper Alcoholism1 What is

Alcoholism Essay, Research Paper

Alcoholism

1. What is alcoholism. 2. How do people become alcoholics. 3. What are the

effects of alcoholism. 4. How do you diagnose alcoholism. 5. Is there a cure for

alcoholics. 6. What is the treatment. What is alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic

illness or disorder. Alcohol effects many parts of the body. Alcoholism is also a brain

disease.(NIDA 1) There are many stages to alcoholism. The two main stages are abuse

and dependence. Alcohol abuse is maladaptive pattern of alcohol use manifested by

recurrent and significant adverse consequences related to the repeated use of

alcohol.(NIAAA 7) Alcohol dependence involves a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and

physiological symptoms that result from repeated self-administration that usually results

in tolerance, withdrawal, and compulsive drug-taking behavior.(NIAAA 7) There are

three types of drinkers. The daily drinker, the weekend drinker, and the binge drinker.

Binge drinkers are the most dangerous, they are the most likely to die of alcohol

poisoning.

How do people become alcoholics. Nobody knows how people become

alcoholics. Many people believe that it is a genetic trait passed down. Studies have

shown that alcoholism may be genetic. If it is genetic it is in an indirect way. Others say

it is a learned maladaptive coping behavior. This means that drinking is a bad coping

behavior learned through parents or friends. More than forty percent of people who

began drinking at the age of fifteen or before were classified as dependent at some time

in their lives.(NIAAA 7) Compared to people who didn’t drink until the age of twenty-

one people who started at age fifteen were twice as likely to develop an abuse problem

and four time more likely to develop dependence problems.(NIAAA 7) The risk of

alcohol dependence and abuse decreases steadily with each increasing year of age of

drinking onset.(Collegian 7)

What are the effects of alcoholism. Alcohol has terrible effects on health, family,

and work. Other possible effects are intoxication, sensory alteration, and anxiety

reduction. Alcohol account for many preventable health conditions.(NIAAA 2) The

effects of alcohol on the body are cirrhosis of the liver, loss of brain cells, stomach

cancer, depression, tremors, and blackouts. An alcoholic in the family causes many

disruptions to the members of the family. They start arguments and fights by not

functioning or being drunk. They either do not attend family gatherings or disrupt them.

Some alcoholics can be abusive to other family members. A lot of families find

themselves in financial trouble, caused by the alcoholic using most of the money to buy

alcohol. Kids of an alcoholic suffer the most, listening to arguments and being the blame

of their parents drinking. The kids often feel at fault causing depression. Alcoholism

causes excessive absences at work. This is a sign of interference. Interference occurs

when the alcohol means more than the problems it causes.(”Alcoholism Defined”1)

Absences at work causes loss of money for both the employee and the employer. Up to

forty percent of industrial fatalities and forty seven percent of industrial injuries can be

linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Alcoholism also impairs productivity at

work. Alcohol seriously effects one out of every ten Americans. It is the cause of more

deaths, violence, family disruption, and job absenteeism than any other substance.

How do you diagnose alcoholism. Alcoholism is a tough disease for doctors to

diagnose. It is hard to diagnose because any of the physical effects can be viewed as

another medical problem. The alcoholic is in denial and is not going to tell the doctor

how much they drink unless asked. Most doctors don’t even ask how much they drink.

The best way to diagnose the problem is to do it your self. Dr. John Ewing developed a

questionnaire that has become an international instrument for identifying alcoholics. The

CAGE questionnaire is particularly popular with primary care givers. CAGE has also be

translated into several languages. The CAGE questionnaire goes as follows:

Have your ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking.

Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking.

Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking.

Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of

a hangover (Eye opener).(UNC 1)

Item responses on the CAGE are scored 0 or 1, with a higher score an indication of

alcohol problems. A total score of 2 or greater is considered clinically significant.

Is there a cure for alcoholism and what is the treatment. There is no cure for

alcoholism, once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. However there a treatments that will

stop drinking completely. You are then considered a recovering alcoholic. There are

many ways to stop drinking. There are detoxif

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