There are many definitions of alcoholism. The most common definition of alcoholism is that “alcoholism is a horrible disease that affects the whole person “. However this definition may also apply to cancer or other dreadful diseases. Alcoholism cannot be defined simply as a disease caused by prolonged consumption of alcohol. The amount and frequency of drinking will determine alcoholism.
A more accurate definition of alcoholism suggests a chronic disorder characterized by some loss of control over drinking. Drinking more frequently and at inappropriate times will point towards alcoholism. Alcoholism is a common term for two distinct disorders. They are alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.
The medical definition of alcoholism describes alcoholism as a disease caused by continuous consumption of alcohol. The quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption required to develop alcoholism will vary from person to person.
Alcoholism is also qualified by some other expressions. They include use, misuse, heavy use, abuse and dependence. Use is a term which simply refers to a person who drinks any alcoholic products. Misuse and heavy use do not have any standard definitions. Heavy use of alcohol will vary from person to person depending upon the age, alcohol brand and so on.
Alcohol abuse is one of the serious problems which lead to poor nutrition, memory loss, difficulty in walking and liver diseases. It will also generate mental stress, depression, fatigue, employment problems, family problems etc. Alcohol abuse may also involve the drinker in legal problems at some point in his life. The drinker will continue to drink at this stage irrespective of his health and family problems. Read the rest of this entry »
Craving certain substances is not a matter of corrupt morals or weak wills. It is often a series of learned behaviors and body chemistry.[i] Something as simple as a genetic background can predict potential alcohol problems. For instance, people from Middle East background have been using alcohol for over 2,000 years. As a sharp contrast, some groups of people, such as the Inuit or Eskimo have been exposed to alcohol and refined starches for less than 100 years. Their bodies have not had the thousands of years to adapt to a substance that is largely foreign to them. (Before you dismiss me as a racist, read on.) Read the rest of this entry »
Alcoholism is a disease that affects the part of the brain that controls your feelings, the way you make decisions, and the way you act. People with alcoholism cannot control how much they drink. What causes alcoholism?
Nobody knows what causes alcoholism. People with parents who have alcoholism have a greater chance of getting the disease. Alcoholism may be related to the things we learn when we are growing up. Alcoholism is not caused by a lack of will power or moral values.
How can I tell if I have alcoholism?
It is not easy to tell if you have alcoholism. You might drink socially at first, but over time the drinking can get out of control. Your family, friends, or doctor might notice it before you do. You might drink to help yourself go to sleep or deal with stress and anxiety. Over time, you need to drink more to feel the same way. As the drinking gets worse, you may have some of the following: Read the rest of this entry »
“Scientists announced that they have located the gene for alcoholism. Scientists say they found it at a party, talking too loudly.” Conan O’Brien [American late night Talk Show Host. b. 1963].
Although much can be said about alcoholism and its impact on society, one thing is clear- We are breeding a nation of alcoholics. Drinking has become part of our national past time. I myself have been guilty of the excessive use of alcohol- a condition not learnt until university days when, some may say, I took a “crash” course in drinking. Read the rest of this entry »
There is no doubt in accepting that alcohol not only affects your personal life but also interferes a lot by affecting all your personal relations. Alcohol affects a person’s health by spoiling liver and kidney functions and we are aware with this fact. The surprising thing is that along with health, alcoholism ruins a person’s personal and social life. Alcohol brings loneliness into a person’s life as after having it any person wants to live alone. It makes a person feel weird about his own condition. Alcohol ruins a person’s personal life by making him isolated from his surroundings and nature.There is nothing wrong in saying that a person gets away, far away from his family after tuning alcoholic. Alcohol brings a touch of being rude and naughty. After having an alcoholic drink, a person doesn’t even remember about his acts for a longer time. His family members get afraid from coming near to him and hence, he loses faith and love of his family members. A very old saying says that, ‘Your friend becomes your criticizer after getting alcoholic.’ This statement is true in regards to the fact that any person gets nostalgic after having an alcoholic drink and thus, he loves to speak out smallest of his irritation and guilt.Alcohol spoils a person’s social life too. People, who are an addict of alcohol, are hated by the society at large. In fact, people even advise their daughters and son not to play with the children of an alcoholic father or mother. Don’t you think this is a sign of a critical social image?Alcohol ruins life and relations:Any person can turn alcoholic at any age irrespective of his sex. Thus, it is better to have a good friends and circle for living a good social life. All that matters is your reputation for earning life and if, it gets spoiled – none can make you rich in the run of life! Prevent yourself from turning alcoholic as it ruins relations and life.
Alcoholism is the inability to control or ignore a strong craving for alcohol. People suffering from alcoholism often find that they need the aid of alcohol to feel good or normal. They often crave alcohol, but this craving is much stronger than the occasional craving people have for certain foods. The craving for alcohol experienced by those suffering from alcoholism is often so severe that the individual feels they need alcohol as if it were food or water. They do not feel they can go a day, or in some extreme cases, an hour, without consuming alcohol.
Alcoholism is not characterized by the type of alcohol consumed or how much alcohol is needed to satisfy the craving. Alcoholism is characterized mostly by the loss of control. Alcoholics often build up a tolerance to alcohol over time. This means they need more and more alcohol to satisfy their need for it. As they consume more and more alcohol, serious health problems manifest themselves. Alcoholism also affects the sufferer psychologically, as well as physically.
Alcoholism differs from alcohol abuse in that a person who abuses alcohol does not display a loss of control over their drinking. An individual who abuses alcohol may act irresponsibly while under the influence. They may also put themselves and others in danger by driving or operating machinery while drinking. Relationships may suffer, as with alcoholism and work performance may become careless. While alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism, it can be a serious problem and should not be ignored.
There are many symptoms of alcoholism. Many of the symptoms of alcohol abuse are also displayed by those suffering from alcoholism. Some symptoms include drinking alone or secretly (hiding the fact that they are drinking), memory loss (also known as “blacking out”), ritually drinking at certain times during the day and becoming irritable when this ritual is disturbed, feeling the need to drink to feel normal, loss of interest in relationships or activities that were once enjoyed, experiencing financial, marital, or legal problems caused by drinking, building a tolerance to alcohol or experiencing withdrawal symptoms if alcohol is not available. These symptoms are just a few of the possible symptoms that could be displayed by alcoholics. Read the rest of this entry »
Alcohol and health effects of alcohol on the body can be short term or long term effects. The consumption of alcohol and health related problems can occur over a short time frame, while other conditions and long term effects of alcohol on the body may only happen following years of alcohol abuse.
Alcohol comes into direct contact with the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and intestines as well as being absorbed into the bloodstream. Health problems can begin as headaches, feeling nauseated, sore throat or indigestion. However, if alcohol abuse continues, these and other alcohol and health symptoms can develop into more serious illnesses and diseases.
Here are examples of short term health effects of alcohol on the body:
o Nausea, Vomiting, Dizziness, Hangovers – excessive alcohol consumption can result in the body trying to protect itself by getting rid of the alcohol and vomiting. Alcohol and health and the central nervous system are related since alcohol affects a person’s sense of balance and orientation, leading to a feeling of nausea and/or dizziness. Hangovers are partly due to the body’s dehydration caused by alcohol consumption, and hangover effects of alcohol on the body may be felt a few hours after consuming alcohol.
o Loss of Muscle Control – slurred speech is one of the effects of alcohol on the body. Impaired judgement and poor coordination are alcohol and health effects that can lead to falls and accidents.
o Adverse Interactions with Medications – alcohol is known to interact negatively with at least 100 medications. For example, antihistamines taken with alcohol can increase the drowsiness that this medication by itself can cause. Large doses of the painkiller acetaminophen taken together when consuming alcohol increases the risk of liver damage.
o Pregnancy Risks – alcohol can cause numerous birth defects, the most serious being fetal alcohol syndrome. Babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome will have physical abnormalities, mental impairment and problems with behavior. To avoid negative alcohol and health effects during pregnancy, do not drink alcohol while pregnant as no one knows exactly how much alcohol causes birth defects.
Because alcohol and health effects can involve many organs in the body, long-term heavy drinking puts you at risk for developing serious health conditions and illnesses. Here are examples of long term effects of alcohol on the body:
o Liver Inflammation and Cirrhosis of the Liver – liver inflammation symptoms include abnormal yellowing of the skin, eyeballs and urine, fever and abdominal pain. And in the case of cirrhosis, as many as one in five heavy drinkers will develop cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol is especially harmful to the liver since the liver is needed to metabolize alcohol. Alcohol destroys liver cells, and it destroys the ability of the liver to regenerate new cells. Read the rest of this entry »
There is no issue in fighting for the evils that are caused by alcoholism because the addicts are blind and deaf to see and hear it. Don’t you think that the world is getting destroyed after the entire channel of alcoholism? Look at the newspapers stating the evils and bad consequences of alcoholism. If we switch on the news channel then we hear different incidents of people talking about the evils that happened because of alcoholism or its addict. I must say that the world needs a change for removing these evils or else one day the entire planet would be under the trap of alcoholism.
Consequences of alcoholism are of course negative and ruining. There is no point in saying that alcoholism has some good consequences. Alcohol brings negative impact on various factors like social, economical, health and personal.
Physical effects of alcohol can range from annoying to life-threatening. The short term effects of alcohol consumption not only have consequences for the drinker, but can impact those around him or her as well. For example, the physical effects of alcohol can be experienced with only one or two drinks, and impaired judgment and coordination needed to safely operate a car can result in the drinker having an accident.
Alcoholism is a disease where consuming alcoholic beverages is at a level that interferes with the drinker’s physical or mental health, and negatively impacts social, family or occupational responsibilities. Immediate physical effects of alcohol can happen ten minutes after drinking begins. With continued alcohol consumption on that occasion, the short term effects of alcohol consumption become more serious.
Here are seven of the short term effects of alcohol consumption:
1. Reduced Inhibitions – consuming alcohol changes behavior. At a blood alcohol level of 0.05, the drinker’s behavior begins to change and be noticable. Physical effects of alcohol and reduced inhibitions can mean the drinker becomes more likely to engage in activities they would otherwise not participate in like sexual activity, continued drinking, drinking and driving or illegal drug use.
2. Loss of Muscle Control – at the level of 0.10, slurred speech will likely be one of the physical effects of alcohol. Impaired judgement and poor coordination are short term effects of alcohol abuse that can lead to falls and accidents.
3. Memory Loss and/or Blackouts – since alcohol depresses the brain’s control mechanisms, as blood alcohol levels increase, periods of time and certain situations and events may not be remembered afterward.
4. Nausea, Vomiting – excessive alcohol consumption can result in the body attempting to protect itself by getting rid of the alcohol. Also, alcohol adversely affecting a person’s sense of balance and orientation can lead to a feeling of nausea.
5. Headaches, Hangovers – these short term effects of alcohol can be felt a few hours after consuming alcohol. Hangovers are partially due to the body becoming dehydrated due to alcohol consumption. Read the rest of this entry »
Alcohol abuse effects can be far-reaching and devastating. The effects of alcohol abuse not only have consequences for the drinker but those around her or him as well. Alcohol abuse effects can be both psychological and physical. Alcohol consumption causes changes in behavior. The physical effects of alcohol abuse can be experienced with as little as one or two drinks — impaired judgment and coordination needed to operate a car safely may result in the drinker having an accident.
Alcoholism is an illness where alcoholic beverage consumption is at a level that interferes with the person’s health and negatively impacts social, family or occupational responsibilities. Alcohol abusers are drinkers that may drink excessively at various times with resulting immediate alcohol abuse effects at the time of excess alcohol consumption.
The immediate physical effects of alcohol abuse can be experienced as soon as ten minutes after drinking begins. With continued alcohol consumption on that occasion, the immediate effects of alcohol abuse worsen and become more serious.
Here are five of the immediate physical alcohol abuse effects:
1. Inhibitions Become Reduced – at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05, changes in a person’s behavior begins to be noticable. Alcohol abuse effects and reduced inhibitions can put a person at higher risk for actions they would otherwise not participate in, such as sexual activity, continued drinking or illegal drug use.
2. Loss of Muscle Control – at the level of 0.10, slurred speech will likely be evident. Impaired judgement and poor coordination are physical effects of alcohol abuse that can lead to falls and accidents.
3. Memory Loss and/or Blackouts – since alcohol depresses the brain’s control mechanisms, as blood alcohol levels increase, periods of time and certain situations and events may not be remembered afterward.
4. Stupor – at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.40, a person can hardly function, acting seriously dazed, disoriented and confused.
5. Coma – at a blood alcohol level of 0.50, a person is at risk for coma, which can be life-threatening. And at this level or higher, respiratory paralysis and death become very much a possibility. Read the rest of this entry »
Alcoholism is a health affliction of the mind, body and soul. Virtually anyone can become an alcoholic if they are around the conditions that breed addictive behavior such as alcoholism – that would be environmentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Alcoholism is an addiction that attaches itself to the body, mind, and spirit of its victims. Let’s take a look.
Physical Addiction To Alcohol
The physical addiction to alcohol is an operation that deals with how the pancreas processes sugar in the bloodstream. In the alcoholic/hypoglycemic individual the pancreas does not do a very efficient job in processing the sugars from the alcohol.
Here is how it works: The alcoholic literally craves his first few drinks of alcohol just for the sugar aspect of it. (If there is no alcohol around, he will most likely gorge out on sugar foods to curb his addiction). Once the alcoholic has had his first few drinks it depresses blood sugar levels even more (the pancreas is too overloaded to do its job efficiently)! So the alcoholic craves even more sugar to correct this low blood sugar state and the vicious cycle continues. Brain cells demand more alcohol to replace the lack of sugar. Hence, the alcoholic craves alcohol.
I am a recovered alcoholic of fifteen years and I have done extensive research into the effects of alcoholism on the body and can safely tell you that once diet is improved and hypoglycemia treated through proper diet, the physical addiction for alcohol will subside. When I was an Read the rest of this entry »
the alcohol addiction counselling that is available today is much further advanced than the primitive approach used previously for treating alcohol addiction.
Alcohol addiction has existed for many years and is widely known as “alcoholism”. Drinking, occasional overindulgence and getting a little ‘merry’ is nothing new, but most individuals do not take their drinking to the level of alcoholism. Those that do however, frequently see their lives falling apart and, all too often, find themselves in an early grave.
Until the establishment of Alcoholics Anonymous, a non-profit fellowship of recovering alcoholics trying to stay sober one day at a time, there was not much hope for those in the grips of severe alcoholism.
Most alcoholics were bundled off to mental institutions to go through delusion tremors (DTs) – a dangerous state which the body goes into during alcohol withdrawal – or forced into religion as a cure for their problem. Yet none of these ‘cures’ helped. As soon as the alcoholic would leave the institution or be alone, even for the shortest while, their return to drinking would be quick and imminent.
Alcoholism as a Disease
Thankfully, a lot more is understood about alcoholism in the present day. Although some specialists differ in schools of thought, it is widely believed to be an incurable disease that can be helped by alcohol addiction counselling.
The disease is said to be progressive and fatal, yet can be arrested if the alcoholic ceases to drink and remains abstinent. Because of the disease of alcoholism, an alcoholic cannot stop through their own will, even when their only wish is be abstinent. However, it is possible for someone without the disease to act in a way where their alcohol consumption is too much over a long period, but they are able to stop when they feel that enough is enough. The alcoholic cannot. Many people resort to alcohol to ‘drown’ their sorrows, but it is only the alcoholic who will carry on for years possibly and will only be able to stop through getting necessary help.
Some believe that people are born alcoholics and that once the first drink is consumed, they begin the slide down the slippery slope descending into alcoholism. Many ask “how does one catch the disease of alcoholism?” No one can be sure, some say that it is hereditary and genetic, some say that it is appropriated through childhood problems, some say that it is a combination of the two.
Alcohol is one of the harmful drinks and there is no doubt in stating that. We all know that people, who are addicted towards alcoholic drinks hardly gets happiness and secure life because alcoholism ruins life. Alcohol gives harmful effects resulting into health and personal problems. Alcoholic drinks are made to ruin the person, that’s what I think!! People drinking alcoholic drinks are either considered in the D group of people or in the group of spoiled geeks.Let’s look at some of the harmful effects of alcohol on health and personal life.Health Effects:Alcohol affects the liver and kidney in a deadly manner. A person is sure to see his death in near future once he gets into alcoholic addiction. Alcohol as a daily consumption spoils the liver and kidney. The kidney results into failure after a person becomes 100% alcoholic. The strong ingredients used in alcoholic drinks are responsible for liver and kidney failure. Not only that, a person having too much of alcoholic drink is considered as crazy because he has no control over his present and future. Alcohol results into constant coughing, abdominal pain and reddish look of the person including his eyes. In short, a person gets drawn into negative effects after getting alcoholic.Personal Effects:Personally too, alcohol affects in a very harmful way. Any person consuming alcohol obviously forgets his present and future getting nostalgic and rude. He forgets everything about his career and personal life. Report even says that, “a married person beats his wife and children after turning alcoholic.” This kind of condition will ruin the entire planet one day. Not only you and I, but our children are going to suffer the same- if alcohol will win the hearts of people.‘Leave the world of addiction and come to the world of reality and responsibility’ – that’s my message to all the alcoholic addicts. Alcohol effects in a dangerous manner and hence, it is important to save your for the sake of your children’s future!!
Of all the people I have encountered who once struggled as an alcoholic, but don’t anymore, none of them said it was their spouse’s or families’ fault. “If only he/she did not enable me so much” or “if only he/she was not a codependent, I could have stopped drinking sooner”, are two statements I have never heard from a recovered alcoholic. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Those who have “recovered” value the strength and understanding they received from others.
Does this mean you become a doormat? Absolutely not. Below you may find some helpful information on how to give the alcoholic help. But in no way think that the answer can be found anywhere but truly in your heart. What works for one, may not work for another. What one person wants and can put up with, another may not be able to. Determine how much you are willing to take, then set the boundaries. Talk to your alcoholic husband or spouse and make these boundaries clear. Read the rest of this entry »
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