There are many down sides to alcohol abuse and dependence like ruining relationships or obtaining health conditions. Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are slightly different, but they are both dangerous and upsetting. Personally, my parents got divorced because of my dad’s alcoholism. My mom had asked him many times to get help but he never did; he didn’t believe it was a problem. Sometimes he has mood swings and gets angry or sad all of a sudden. He also forgets something has happened or something I told him just hours or days ago, asking me the same question two or three times in a day. My dad isn’t the only person in my family who has had alcohol problems though. A couple of my uncles have, too. My dad is just the closest and one that …show more content…
Alcohol can change the part of the brain that concentrates, can impair speech and perception,and can slow reaction time (Harris). Consuming too much alcohol in their life can even cause a person’s brain to shrink from the brain cells wasting away (Harris). This leads to troubles with hand-eye coordination and spacial cognition, but speech usually remains intact (Harris). Many alcoholics decide to drive under the influence which can cause them and others around them harm. This is most likely because their judgement is impaired. The more alcohol someone has in their blood, the more that their judgement will be changed (Harris). Alcoholics have a higher chance for depression and anxiety (Adamec “Health”). Alcohol abusers over the age of 40 often have short term memory loss and women usually have it worse than men (Harris). Wernicke’s encephalopathy is a disease that is common in alcoholics because it is caused from lack of vitamin B1 and alcohol prevents the body from absorbing that vitamin (Gass). Gass, the writer of “Alcohol and Addiction” says it, “...consists of a near constant state of confusion, deficits in short-term memory, loss of coordination in muscle movements, and difficulty moving the eyes.” If treated properly or early enough the patient could start functioning by themselves, but the disease, if not treated, could end up in a coma or death (Harris)(Gass). If the patient does not pass, but Wernicke’s encephalopathy gets even worse it could lead to Korsakoff’s psychosis. This disorder can cause amnesia, false memories, tremors, or coordination issues (Gass)(Harris). The sufferers of this condition forget past memories, not just ones that they made recently, and have a hard time creating new ones (Gass). Most Korsakoff’s psychosis patients are institutionalized for life because of the long term damage (Harris). Once an alcoholic stops drinking, their brain starts growing and other skills start to come back,
This pattern often encourages people to drink more to keep the buzz going." ( Net Biz Mentor ). When people get like that they usually get a little bolder and want to do normal tasks and routines like driving a motorized vehicle. The effects of alcohol result in poor coordination, slurred speech, double vision, decrease of self-control, lost of consciousness and maybe even death.
Alcoholism is a demon, a disease, something reached for out of desperation. It helps with a person 's problem by deadening their senses, and increasing his problems at the same time by destroying his character. When you drink, you don 't have to think about all your problems, you can just let the alcohol wash them away from your mind. But it can never take away all your problemsthey still remain, just your sense to care for them is gone. Alcoholism has a great chance to pass on to later generations, but sometimes growing up in an alcoholic family will make the children swear off the drink because they have seen what it can turn people into. It turns them into the basic raw human emotion of grief. They are miserable for alcohol is the only thing that can make them feel normal after awhile, their entire bodies ache for it. Even when they have given up drinking, their bodies can revert back after having just one drop again. Yes, alcoholism is truly a terrifying disease of the mind and bodynot just to the addict, but also to the loved ones
Alcohol impairs judgment, memory, concentration and coordination, as well as inducing extreme mood swings and emotional
To begin, the physical damage alcoholism can have is astonishing. The central nervous system is the first to be damaged and the first sign is slurred speech. Alcohol inhibits the brain to communicate with the body and makes balancing, coordination, and speaking more difficult. After slurred speech, comes numbness in certain extremities as well as the ability for rational thought. Ultimately, short-term memory loss or brain damage can result if continued overdrinking occurs. After the effects on the nervous system, alcohol starts to damage the body’s digestive system.
As we age the body metabolize alcohol faster and alcohol can interact with prescription and over-the-counter medications. Alcohol is especially dangerous for those who take sleeping pills, pain pills, or anti-anxiety medications. The effects of alcohol cause brain damage. The symptoms are similar to Alzheimer’s disease: confusion, short-term memory loss, diminished verbal ease, and loss of problem solving skills. The symptoms decrease after three to four weeks of abstinence. However, unless abstinence is maintained, the person may become permanently demented. One report found that 10% of patients over 60 who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease had brain damage caused by alcohol.
Your topic opioid addicts, is an outstanding population to look at! So often opioid abuse is thrown under the table and not evaluated thoroughly. Both comparison interventions “patient rehabilitation programs” and “self-lead rehab” are strongly connected directly as reputable paths to overcome opioid addictions. In evaluating sobriety as an outcome, I would agree. The outcome of sobriety is going to be a very big piece in your research as there are many different definitions of how to define sobriety in terms of when a person is defined as “sobriety” among different sources. Which then connects to time defined within PICO(T), hard to evaluate with using one source at this time. Just something to think about as you dig deeper in your
Alcohol can cause alterations in the structure, and the consequences may be evident beyond adolescence. Even though alcohol appears to be a stimulant, really it is a central nervous system depressant, depressing the brains inhibition control center (“too smart to start”). Neuron connectivity is vital to every human. Connectivity can be slowed down by alcohol consumption, which leads the person to think, speak, and move slower (“too smart to start”). Long term effects include memory loss and continuity of poor judgement. The cerebral cortex works with the senses; when the senses are debilitated, information is forgotten and senses do not function properly. The hippocampus regulates a person’s memories. When consuming too much alcohol, or even just one or two drinks, the hippocampus will damage, and a person will struggle remembering minor and large details. Teenagers often gloat over not being able to remember the night before. Even though their night may have been an “awesome blackout” their hippocampus has already been permanently damaged. The person now, can not hold on to knowledge and learn the same as before. The cerebellum controls coordination, thoughts and awareness (“too smart to start”). On most occasions, people have problems with these skills when consuming alcohol. In grade school, D.A.R.E. representatives brought “drunk goggles” to school. Studies show that alcoholism in the cerebellum
Drinking can cause a person to have a complete personality change and become violent or hostile after drinking. They may also become irritable or panicky during times when a drink is expected. An alcoholic may drink to the point of black out; this is where they don’t remember what they’ve done or said that happened during a bout of drinking. A definite red flag for alcoholism is when a person has to have to drink in the morning when they first wake up.
Terra, M. B., Tannhauser Barros, H. M., Stein, A. T., Figueira, I., Palermo, L. H., Athayde,
After alcohol reaches the brain, it numbs the frontal lobe, which has direct control over the judgment, visual perception and decision making skills. Scientists believe this is what makes alcoholics believe they can conquer any task put before them. After drinking a good number of drinks everyday over a long period of time, many things can happen. Cirrhosis of the liver can occur, which means the liver tissues become hardened. Scientists also report that irreversible brain damage can occur before cirrhosis of the liver is even detected. Also, cancer of the liver, mouth, esophagus as well as lungs and pancreatic cancer often occur as a result of alcoholism. Alcohol also has an affect on the mind as well as the body. Alcoholics often report that they feel inferior to people and believe they can do anything. Many people believe that alcohol acts as a "social lubricant." Increased social pleasures, assertiveness talkativeness and even happiness are all expected by many, when they drink in these situations. Alcohol is said to reduce tension and anxiety. This in turn allows drinkers to feel more relaxed and comfortable in social situations. However, this also encourages the drinker to drink more when under more stress.
There are different kinds of problem drinking behaviours that can impact everyday life, this is known as alcohol abuse – a dangerous or unhealthy drinking pattern. While under the influence of alcohol, individuals may make themselves vulnerable to various risk taking behaviours. These include short term and long term risks involving physical and mental health; accidents and injuries; and employment and finances. More specific examples of short terms risks are blackouts, vomiting, slurred speech, blurred vision, accidents while driving, injuries such as falls, as wells as violent and inappropriate behaviour. Detailed examples of long term risk taking behaviour are brain damage, memory loss, obesity, diseases, cancer, depression, financial problems and reduced work productivity.
A brief history of alcohol and its use, alcohol has been around since the birth of man. Alcohol has been used for medical reasons, as well as recreational use. As far as historians can tell, the abuse of Alcohol had been around just as long. But people haven’t considered it some type of disorder until the 19th century. In 1819, German Doctor C. W. Hufeland coined the term Dipsomania. Dipsomania was the uncontrollable craving for alcohol. In 1849, Dipsomania became known as Alcoholism. In the 1920’s, Alcoholism was so bad and out of controll, that America had a Prohibition Period in which alcohol was illegal. In the DSM-IV, there were two different and distinct disorders (or subtypes) involving alcohol. Both of these disorders (or subtypes) had their own criteria. They were Alcohol Abuse Disorder, and Alcohol Dependence Disorder. The DSM-V merge the two together and as a result, it is now called Alcohol Use Disorder. An interesting fact, under the new DSM-V criteria, as much as 31% of college students may meet the criteria of Alcohol Use Disorder.
Alcohol is a depressant, in a meaning that shows down vital function. Equals in problems in slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions and an inability to react quickly. This best understood as a drug that reduce a person's ability to think about decisions and can’t be surrounded around themselves. Although, the amount of alcohol consumed the types of effect. Most people turns their life around due to getting a habit of during alcohol. After a while, people feels bored, tries to stop doing alcohol but never work. Studley, their lose coordination and control from the alcohol depressant effect.
The overuse of alcohol in teens and young adults has become an increasing, nationwide epidemic all across the United States. Alcohol can lead to mental illness, resulting in potential jail time and court-ordered rehabilitation. It has led to physical conditions and even handicaps including, but not limited to, blurred vision, decreased reaction times, and, in extreme cases, cirrhosis of the liver. Besides bodily injury, alcohol is a leading cause in divorce cases due to extreme effects of abuse to family members directly caused by the overuse of alcohol. While many believe alcoholic to be a beverage to help relax and make the body feel better, it is actually a main factor in creating mental, physical, and family issues.
There are some long-term effects on the body due to the abuse of alcohol. You can end up with brain damage, and dementia. Common disease resulting from excessive alcohol consumption are pancreatitis, gastritis, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and heart disease. Alcoholics are also at risk for developing cancer in the mouth, throat, esophagus and even the liver. You can also develop psychiatric problems such as depression and anxiety which may lead to suicide. Woman who are pregnant shouldn’t drink alcohol because it will cause damage to the fetus.