Alcohol Most Used And Abused Drug Term paper

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Alcohol: Most Used and Abused Drug

Alcohol is the most used and abused drug in the world, for this reason

there is no wonder why we have alcohol problems. The most common problem is

alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic usually progressive disease that includes

both a psychological and a physical addiction to alcohol. Alcoholics know what

will happen to them when they drink but they are so addicted they can't stop

drinking. Alcohol becomes the most important part of the person's life. It

totally consumes them, all their thoughts and actions have to do are somehow

associated with alcohol. Alcoholism like other illnesses will become worse

without treatment and remain life-threatening as long as it is left untreated.

The psychological dependence an alcoholic has is when they think alcohol is

necessary and life will not be good without it. The physical dependence an

alcoholic has is when their body becomes so used to the drug that it now needs

alcohol to function without pain. Alcoholism is not a disease experienced only

by adults. Alcoholism, like any illness, can strike at any age. Ten percent of

the adult drinkers in the U.S are considered alcoholics or at least experience

drinking problems to some degree. Surveys have shown that more than one out of

three Americans have a personal friend or relative who has had a drinking

problem for ten years or longer. Almost two out of three Americans report that

they know someone who drinks too much. It is estimated that there are 18

million alcoholic or problem drinkers in the U.S. For every alcoholic there are

at least four other people who are affected by the alcoholic. This means that

in the U.S. there are at least seventy-two million other people dealing with the

disease somehow. Many people believe that alcoholics are people that are the

skid row winos and bums. This is a common misconception, actually ninety-four

percent of alcoholics live at home, while only six percent are the skid row type.

Ninety percent of all alcoholics are employed, and many work for years before

their alcoholism becomes so bad that they cannot perform their job. Federal

officials estimate that the abuse of alcohol costs the economy well over one-

hundred billion dollars every year. Alcohol does this by making people be less

productive at work, taking more sick days, sustaining on the job injuries,

collecting more workmen's compensation, and increasing health insurance premiums.

Physical Effects

Prolonged alcohol use like that of an alcoholic can lead to permanent damage of

your body. The liver is the organ of the body most vulnerable to damage by

alcohol because the liver is where the alcohol is broken down. The liver may

become worn out from the daily task of removing alcohol from the blood, this

may cause the liver to be unable to perform as well in removing other harmful

substances. One of the most dangerous diseases of the liver caused by long-term

alcohol use is cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis causes the liver to become

inflamed and scarred, which eventually kills the liver and the person. Over

fourteen thousand deaths a year from cirrhosis are directly related to alcohol.

Alcohol causes an increase in blood pressure, this makes the heart pump harder

to move blood around the body. Alcohol can cause an increase in heart rate

while at the same time reducing the ability of the heart muscle to pump, it can

also cause abnormal heart rhythms. Long-term and heavy use of alcohol can cause

a condition of the heart called alcoholic cardiomyopathy, this impairs the heart

muscles ability to contract and eventually fail. Alcohol's action on the brain

is what causes people to feel intoxicated. A sudden intake of large amounts of

alcohol may result in death, this is because nerve impulses to the brain are

dangerously blocked. There are over two hundred deaths a year from this kind of

accidental alcohol poisoning. Alcohol also has an increasing effect on our

brain chemistry this is what causes are change behavior. This can make people

do things that they would not do when they are sober, this a is common sign of

an alcoholic. Test have shown that long-term drinking like that of an alcoholic

can lead to a measurable loss of thinking ability. Over time heavy drinking can

also cause permanent damage to the central nervous system. Research has shown

that there seems to be an association between alcohol and cancer, with heavy

drinkers having the highest risk. Drinkers seem to get cancer more frequently

than non-drinkers. Scientists believe that alcohol weakens body tissue and

makes them more susceptible to cancer causing substances. Alcohol is considered

a factor in over seven thousand cases of cancer a year. Alcohol hurts heavy

drinkers health in general, consuming large amounts of alcohol over a long

period of time harms their bodies and shortens their life. On average, heavy

drinkers are taking twelve to fifteen years off their lives.

How People Become Alcoholics

It is believed that there are many different ways a person can become a

alcoholic. Alcohol alone does not cause alcoholism, if it did everyone who

drank would be any alcoholic. There are a number of factors that lead to

alcoholism. The way most scientists think you become an alcoholic is through

genetics. Because of genetics people tend to inherit an inability to handle

alcohol, just like other people inherit other diseases from their parents. This

is the reason that alcoholism seems to run in families from generation to

generation. This is why some people become alcoholics from the first time they

drink, because of the genetics they become hooked from the start. Experiments

testing the genetic factor have been conducted by taking children of alcoholics

at birth and placing them in non-alcoholic families, despite having no exposure

to the alcoholic parents the children had a four times higher risk of becoming

an alcoholic than children of non-alcoholic parents. Another reason people

become alcoholics is the environment they grow up in. If children are exposed

to drinking as a activity in which drinkers are careful and moderate they are

more likely to become a responsible drinker. If the children grow up seeing

heavy alcohol use and abuse they are more likely to use alcohol in that way.

Also, if the children are exposed to large amounts of...

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