Alcohol is a liquid that can make you drunk. It is also a colorless, volatile, flammable liquid created by natural sugar fermentation that is the intoxicating component of wine, beer, spirits, and other beverages, as well as an industrial solvent and fuel.
Alcoholism is a complex, many-sided phenomenon, and its many formal definitions vary according to the point of view of the definer. Alcoholism is the excessive and recurrent consumption of alcoholic beverages to the point where the drinker is hurt or causes harm to others. It is a chronic, progressive, and potentially lethal condition characterized by excessive and often compulsive alcohol consumption that leads to psychological and physical dependency or addiction.
Alcoholism is characterized by an inability to control alcoholic drinking, impairment of work and social abilities, a proclivity to drink alone and engage in violent behavior, a disregard for physical appearance and proper nutrition, alcohol-related illness (such as hepatitis or cirrhosis of the liver), and moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms (such as irritability, anxiety, tremors, insomnia, and confusion) after detoxification.
A purely pharmacological-physiological definition of alcoholism characterizes it as a substance addiction that necessitates increasing doses of consumption to achieve desired benefits and results in withdrawal symptoms when drinking is discontinued. However, unlike other substance abusers, alcoholics do not necessarily require ever-increasing dosages of alcohol, therefore this classification is inadequate.
Opium addicts, on the other hand, adapt to the drug to the point that they may survive more than a hundred times the typical lethal dose, whereas alcoholics’ increased doses rarely exceed the standard single lethal dose. Furthermore, withdrawal syndromes in alcoholism are unpredictable, sometimes failing to manifest in those who have previously experienced them and never manifesting in other drinkers whose harmful behavior is otherwise not distinguishable from that of someone who is pharmacologically dependent on alcohol.
A third, behavioral definition describes alcoholism as a disorder in which alcohol takes on a prominent role in an individual’s life and the individual loses control over its intended usage. Alcoholism may or may not involve physiological dependency in this definition, but it is always defined by excessive alcohol consumption that leads to regret and repeated physical, mental, social, economic, or legal troubles. Because it lasts for years, is highly inherited, and is a leading cause of mortality and disability, clinicians refer to such a behavioral condition as a disease. Furthermore, alcohol permanently changes the brain’s plasticity in terms of the ability to initiate or quit drinking episodes.
According to sociologists, medicalizing drunkenness is a mistake. The lack of control over drinking, unlike most disease symptoms, does not occur at all times or in all situations. The alcoholic does not always feel compelled to drink and can sometimes fight the urge or drink in a controlled manner. Early signs of alcoholism differ from culture to culture, and prejudiced observers may mistake recreational public intoxication for alcoholism. Variation in daily alcohol consumption is distributed over a smooth continuum in the general population. This trait contradicts the medical model, which assumes that alcoholism is either present or absent, as it is with pregnancy or a brain tumor, for example .
As a result, the sociological definition sees alcoholism as just one symptom of social deviance, and argues that its diagnosis is often determined by the beholder’s eyes and value system. Periodic intoxication, for example, can result in sickness, requiring days off work. This makes drunkenness equivalent to a disease in a modern industrial society. However, in a rural Andean society, the occasional drinking that occurs during designated communal fiestas and leads in sickness and a suspension of labor for many days is considered normal. It should be highlighted that festival drunkenness is a choice that does not result in regret. Alcoholism, like many other symptoms, should be expected to fade away with maturity if the sociological model is completely right and this does not occur however.
Finally, epidemiologists require an alcoholism definition that allows them to detect alcoholics in populations when individual screening is not possible. They may use quantity and frequency assessments of reported community drinking and alcohol-related hospitalizations, a formula based on the frequency of cirrhosis deaths in the population, or arrests for alcohol-related misbehavior to identify alcoholism.
Reasons for alcoholism
The development of alcoholism is influenced by both internal and environmental influences. Genetics, psychological conditions, personality, personal decision, and drinking history are all internal influences. Family, environment, religion, social and cultural standards, age, education, and work status are all external factors.
1. Psychological Factors
Certain psychological factors have a significant impact on the chance of developing alcoholism. Individuals with depression, bipolar disorder, or social anxiety, for example, are significantly more likely to acquire alcoholism. More over 40% of bipolar patients abuse or are addicted to alcohol, while around 20% of depression patients abuse or are addicted to alcohol. Many psychiatric illnesses impair a person’s capacity to see risks and warning indicators or to understand the reality of their drinking.
2. Personality characteristics
Some people are more prone to becoming alcoholics than others. Individuals who are more likely to pursue or disregard risk, for example, are more likely to engage in heavy drinking; someone who always wants to be “the life of the party” may become a heavy social drinker because they believe they are more “likable” when they are inebriated, and someone who is extremely shy may become a heavy drinker to alleviate their discomfort in social situations. Individual expectations regarding drinking also play a significant effect. Individuals who have optimistic expectations regarding the effects of alcohol are more likely to develop alcoholism than those who have negative expectations.
3. Family factors
A person’s family life, aside from genetics, plays a substantial effect in their chances of developing alcoholism. Alcoholism is more prone to develop in people who grow up in a family where heavy drinking is practiced, if not encouraged. Heavy drinking is normalized and glamorized in these households; it becomes socially acceptable, expected, and sometimes desirable.
4. Environmental Considerations
Alcoholism is influenced by the environment in which one lives. Alcohol is substantially more difficult and expensive to get in some countries and states than in others. Alcoholism is less likely to develop when someone has limited access to alcohol. The more alcohol is present in a person’s environment, the more probable they are to develop alcoholism.
5. Religious Issues
While anyone of any religion can become an alcoholic, those who are devout followers of religions that vehemently reject alcohol are less likely to do so.
Career Considerations
Alcoholism is more common in certain professions than in others. This is especially true in high-stress and/or high-risk occupations, and it may also be true in professions with a younger workforce. Military personnel, in particular, are more susceptible to acquire alcohol use disorders. Alcohol consumption is typically influenced by employment.
Benefits of alcohol
- Moderate alcohol intake may have certain health benefits, such as lowering your risk of heart disease and death.
- Possibly lowering your chances of having an ischemic stroke (when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow)
- Possibly lowering your diabetes risk.
Health effects of alcoholism
Alcohol’s negative effects on health include High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive issues are all linked to high blood pressure. Breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum cancers are all common. Immune system deterioration, increasing the likelihood of being ill. Learning and memory issues, such as dementia, as well as poor academic achievement
Alcoholism’s Societal Consequences
Increased self-injury, hostility toward others, violent crimes, child abuse, spouse abuse, and road deaths are only a few of the most hazardous societal repercussions of alcoholism. The most significant cost is lost workplace productivity. Aside from the money spent on alcohol, heavy drinkers may face other financial difficulties, such as lower salaries and missed job chances, increased medical and legal costs, and reduced loan eligibility.
Alcohol’s Effects on Pregnant
Women Drinking alcohol while pregnant raises your chances of miscarriage, early birth, and a low birthweight baby. It can also have an effect on your newborn. If you drink while pregnant, your baby may develop a dangerous illness known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
How to Stop Alcoholism
Most persons who have alcohol problems do not suddenly decide to make a drastic shift or change their drinking habits. Recovery is typically a slower process. Denial is a major roadblock in the early phases of change. You may make excuses and drag your feet even after acknowledging you have a drinking problem. It’s critical to admit your reservations about quitting drinking. If you’re not sure if you’re ready to change or if you’re having trouble deciding, consider the costs and benefits of each option.
How to achieve your objectives
- Write down some thoughts on how you can help yourself achieve your goals after you’ve set your goals to either stop or cut back on your drinking. For instance:
- Remove all temptations. Remove any alcoholic beverages, barware, and other similar items from your home and business.
- Declare your objective. Tell your friends, family, and coworkers that you’re attempting to quit or reduce your drinking. If they drink, urge them to refrain from doing so in front of you to help you recuperate.
- Be honest about your new restrictions. Make it clear that drinking is not permitted in your house, and that you may be unable to attend activities that provide alcohol.
- Ignore negative influences. Keep your distance from folks who don’t support your efforts to quit drinking or who don’t respect the boundaries you’ve established. Giving up certain acquaintances and social connections may be necessary.
- Take notes from the past. Consider previous attempts to quit or cut down on your drinking. What was successful? What went wrong? What can you do differently this time to prevent falling into the same traps?
Moderate alcohol use is safe and beneficial, nevertheless, the rate at which people consume alcohol should be monitored to prevent alcohol abuse. Adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink or drink responsibly by restricting their alcohol intake to two drinks or fewer per day for men and one drink or less per day for women, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.