Essay on Alcoholism

Alcoholism Term Papers

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Alcoholism, Alcohol is liquid distilled product of fermented fruits, grains and

vegetables used as solvent, antiseptic and sedative for potential abuse.

Possible effects are intoxication, sensory alteration, and anxiety reduction.

Symptoms of overdose staggering, odor of alcohol on breath, loss of

coordination, slurred speech, dilated pupils, fetal alcohol syndrome in babies,

and nerve and liver damage. Withdrawal Syndrome is first sweating, tremors then

altered perception, followed by psychosis, fear, and finally auditory

hallucinations. Indications of possible miss-use are confusion, disorientation,

and loss of motor nerve control, convulsions, shock, shallow respiration,

involuntary defecation, drowsiness, respiratory depression and possible death.

Alcohol is also known as Booze, Juice, Brew, Vino, and Sauce. Most people know

why alcohol is abused some reasons are relaxation, sociability, and cheap high.

Alcohol is a depressant that decreases the responses of the central nervous

system. Alcoholism is a disease that has been destroying people’s lives

mentally, physically and emotionally throughout the entire world since the early

18th century. Sometimes people get the idea that alcohol abuse and alcoholism

are the same thing. The National Council on Alcoholism says "Alcohol

Abuse” a problem to solve. Alcoholism a disease to conquer. Alcohol Abuse is

the misuse of the substance, alcohol. You know you are abusing an alcoholic

substance when you continue to use it, even though you're having social or

personal problems because of your use. You still use it even though it's causing

you physical problems. Using it the way you do is causing you legal problems.

You don't live up to major responsibilities on the job or in your family.

Alcoholism is being addicted, or dependent on alcohol. You may be dependent on

alcohol if any three of the following are true. You have to use larger and

larger amounts of it to get drunk. You have withdrawal when you try to stop or

cut down. You use it much more and for longer times than you really want to. You

can't seem to cut back and feel a strong need or craving for it. You spend a lot

of your time just getting the substance. You'd rather use than work or be with

friends and family. You keep using, no matter what. The National Council on

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates based on research, that a Blood Alcohol

Concentration between .02 and .04 makes your chances of being in a

single-vehicle fatal crash 1.4 times higher than for someone who has not had a

drink. If your BAC is between .05 and .09, you are 11.1 times more likely to be

in a fatal single vehicle crash, and 48 times more likely at a BAC between .10

and .14. If you've got a BAC of .15, your risk of being in a single-vehicle

fatal crash is estimated to be 380 times higher than a non-drinker's. Recent

research is showing that true substance dependence may be caused, in part, by

brain chemistry deficiencies. That is one reason that substance dependence is

considered a disease. Excessive drinking can cause liver damage and psychotic

behavior. As little as two beers or drinks can impair coordination and thinking.

Alcohol is often used by substance abusers to enhance the effects of other

drugs. Alcohol continues to be the most frequently abused substance among young

adults. Alcohol abuse is a pattern of problem drinking that results in health

consequences, social, problems, or both. However, alcoholism refers to a disease

that is characterized by alcohol-seeking behavior that leads to the loss of

control while drinking. Short-term effects of alcohol use include distorted

vision, hearing, and coordination. Long-term effects of heavy alcohol use

include: loss of appetite, vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, skin

problems, sexual impotence, liver damage, heart and central nervous system

damage. Using alcohol to escape problems, a change in personality, turning from

Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde, a high tolerance level blackouts, sometimes not

remembering what happened while drinking, problems at work or in school as a

result of drinking, concern shown by family and friends about drinking. As with

other diseases, there is the possibility of taking medicine to get better. There

is now promising evidence that taking medicine can correct some of the

deficiencies that may cause drug dependence. It is beginning to look like a

combination of the right medicine along with talking therapy and behavior

therapy, will help us treat this disease, as we have never before been able to.

One drug is Naltrexone, sometimes known as ReVia. Fluoxetine (Prozac) and

Desipramine (Norpramin) have also shown promise. Alcohol abuse is also a serious

medical and social problem, but is not the same as alcoholism. Alcohol abuse is

the intentional overuse of alcohol. This includes occasional and celebratory

over-drinking. Not all people who abuse alcohol become alcoholics, but alcohol

abuse by itself can have serious medical effects. Overuse of alcohol is

considered to be more than 3-4 drinks per occasion for women -more than 4-5

drinks per occasion for men. One drink equals one 12 ounce bottle of beer or

winecooler, one 5 ounce glass of wine, or one and a half ounces of liquor.

Alcohol is probably the oldest drug known and has been used since the early

1700’s societies. There are numerous types of alcohol; ethyl alcohol is the

type consumed in drinking. In its pure form it is a clear substance with little

odor. People drink alcohol in three main kinds of beverages, beers, which are

made from grain through brewing and fermentation and contain from 3% to 8%

alcohol; wines, which are fermented from fruits such as grapes and contain from

8% to 12% alcohol naturally, and up to 21% when fortified by adding alcohol; and

distilled beverages, spirits such as whiskey, gin, and vodka, which on the

average contain from 40% to 50% alcohol. Drinkers may become addicted to any of

these beverages. The effects of alcohol on the body depend on the amount of

alcohol in the blood, blood-alcohol concentration. This changes with the rate of

consumption and with the rate at which the drinker's physical system absorbs

alcohol. The higher the alcohol content of the beverage consumed, the more

alcohol will enter the bloodstream. The amount and type of food in the stomach

can also affect the absorption rate. Drinking when the stomach is filled is less

intoxicating than when it is empty. Foods in the stomach, which contain fat and

protein, delay alcohol absorption. Body weight is also a factor, the heavier the

person the slower the absorption of alcohol. After alcohol passes through the

stomach, it is quickly absorbed through the walls of the intestines into the

bloodstream and carried to various organ systems of the body. Although small

amounts of alcohol are processed by the kidneys and secreted in the urine, and

other small amounts are processed through the lungs and exhaled in the breath,

most of the alcohol is metabolized by the liver. As the alcohol is metabolized,

it gives off heat. It is possible to drink at the same rate as the alcohol is

being oxidized out of the body. Most people, however, drink faster than this,

and so the concentration of alcohol in the bloodstream keeps rising. Alcohol

begins to impair the brain's ability to function when the blood-alcohol

concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05%, that is, 0.05 grams of alcohol per 100 cubic

centimeters of blood. Most state traffic laws in the United States presume that

a driver with a BAC of 0.10% is intoxicated. The person will experience a great

deal of difficulty in attempting to walk and will want to lie down. When the

blood-alcohol content reaches about 0.30%, which can be attained when a person

rapidly drinks about a pint of whiskey, the drinker will have trouble

comprehending and could become unconscious. At 0.35% to 0.50%, the brain centers

that control breathing and heart action are affected, concentrations above 0.50%

may cause death, although a person generally becomes unconscious before

absorbing a lethal dosage. Moderate use of alcohol is not harmful, but heavy

drinking is associated with alcoholism and many other health problems. The

effects of excessive drinking on major organ systems of the human body become

clear after heavy, continuous drinking or after intermittent drinking over a

period of time that may range from 5 to 30 years. The parts of the body most

affected by heavy drinking are the digestive and nervous systems.

Digestive-system disorders that may be related to heavy drinking include cancer

of the mouth, throat, and esophagus, gastritis, ulcers, cirrhosis of the liver,

and inflammation of the pancreas. Disorders to the nervous system are neuritis,

lapse of memory blackouts, hallucinations, and extreme tremor as found in

delirium tremens. Delirium tremens may occur when a person stops drinking after

a period of heavy, continuous imbibing. Permanent damage to the brain and

central nervous system may also result Recent evidence shows that pregnant women

who drink heavily may give birth to infants with the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,

which could be face and body abnormalities and, in some cases, brain damage.

Plus, the combination of alcohol and drugs, sleeping pills, tranquilizers,

antibiotics, and aspirin, can be fatal,...

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