Understanding What Alcoholism Is

Many individuals are misinformed when it comes to alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic disease in which the individual is dependent on alcohol. The person becomes obsessed with the need for alcohol and is unable to control the amount of alcohol they drink, not even being able to stop when they realize that alcohol is causing them to experience serious health problems. Alcohol can also cause relationship, financial and work-related problems.

What can be confusing is that individuals can have a problem with alcohol but not outwardly show the characteristics of the disease, alcoholism. When someone has a problem with alcohol but does not crave it or have it become something they need to have it is said that they are suffering not from alcoholism but from alcohol abuse because they merely drink too much, which can cause problems but they do not crave alcohol. The excessive drinking that a person does that is abusing alcohol can also cause problems with health or relationships but the difference is that when a person has the disease, "alcoholism" they have an uncontrolled need to consume alcohol and when alcohol is denied them or not available they experience physical withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, being anxious, or experience trembling or they can feel waves of nausea.

Because alcoholism is a chronic disease, it is handled just like other diseases in that it has symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications, treatments and preventions.

Symptoms:

There are recognizable symptoms that can be experienced and observed and which are utilized by doctors to help make the diagnosis of alcoholism. The symptoms of alcoholism include drinking in secret or often drinking alone, not being able to limit the amount of alcohol consumed or to stop drinking, experiencing "blackouts", making ritual times to drink such as before or after dinner and becoming irritable or greatly disturbed if these ritualistic drinking times are disrupted, having a strong compulsion to drink that can not be ignored, drinking large quantities of alcohol in order to become intoxicated intentionally so that a feeling of "normalcy" or "feeling good" can be achieved, encountering legal problems or relationship or financial problems as a result of alcohol, building up a tolerance for alcohol that is ever increasing in order to feel the same level of intoxication, experiencing withdrawal symptoms if alcohol is withheld or unavailable.

Individuals who abuse alcohol and are not alcoholics can also experience some of the same symptoms as listed above. The difference is that a person who suffers from alcoholism as symptoms along with the ability to not be able to ignore the craving for alcohol and is unable to control the amount of alcohol they are consuming or to stop drinking alcohol even when they are experiencing serious health issues because of the alcohol.

There are four causes of alcoholism:

• Cultural or social factors such as strong media pressure to drink
• Emotional state including anxiety, emotional pain or stress
• Genetics
• Psychological factors such as low self-esteem or depression

Risk Factors:

There are several risk factors for alcoholism including:

• Age (those who started drinking before age 16)
• Emotional disorders may increase the chance for the need for alcohol such as being severely depressed, or having attention-deficit disorder or hyperactivity
• Family history such as being raised in an environment where alcohol is accepted as a norm of life
• Genetic makeup may predispose a person to being susceptible to alcoholism
• Men are more likely to become dependent on alcohol than women

Complications:

There are quite a few medical complications that can arise when a person suffers from alcoholism including birth defects (when mom is an alcoholic), bone loss, cardiovascular problems, divorce and domestic violence, gastrointestinal problems, diabetes complications, poor work performance or poor performance at school, sexual function, problems with menstruation and also a higher rate of suicide and homicide.

Treatments:

Counseling and drugs are the two most commonly used treatments for alcoholism and treatment can be dispensed in a detoxification program where psychological support and psychiatric treatment is available and emphasis is placed on abstinence and acceptance of the disease. Drug treatments include the use of a alcohol-sensitizing drug "disulfiram" (Antabuse). and other medications such as naltrexone, and acamprosate.

Preventions:

Education is the best prevention for alcoholism and it must start with the youth so that they are taught and encouraged to avoid situations that will put them at risk for alcoholism.

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