Alcoholism Is a Chronic and Progressive Disorder Essay

One night Rex made fun of how his wife looked while pregnant, so she got out of the car and ran. “Dad jerked the steering wheel to one side and drove off the road into the desert after her...hollering at Mom, calling her a ‘stupid whore’ and a ‘stinking cunt’...We shot forward toward Mom, who screamed and jumped out of the way. Dad turned around and went for her again” (43). No one in the right state of mind would comment negatively about their wife who is carrying their child, let alone try to run her over! He completely loses his calm, and puts his children and his wife at risk, by driving recklessly with an intent. Alcohol makes Rex forget about the life lessons he tries to teach his kids, it makes him forget that he cares for them, and he takes out his rage on them.

An Outsider’s View of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings Today, one out of every thirteen adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. That means nearly thirteen million Americans have a drinking problem. (www.niaaa.nih.gov) This topic offers a broad range of ideas to be researched within the psychological field. For this particular project, the topic of alcoholism and the psychological effects on people best fit the criteria. Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. (www.dictionary.com) Through this project, the most important information regarding personal experiences

ESSAY - BY KAYLA FOSTER AND LANE MCCARTHY What is alcoholism and how does it severely affect people? It is a chronic condition characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette’s father Rex, is an alcoholic. We assume he enjoys drinking when on page nine, Jeannette recalls her father smelling of whiskey. “As he held me close, I breathed in his familiar smell of Vitalis, whiskey, and cigarette smoke. It reminded me of home.” While it is concerning that young Jeannette knows what whiskey smells like, it is not concerning enough until page fourteen, paragraph six. “In my mind, Dad was perfect, although he did have what Mom called a little bit of a drinking situation. There was what Mom

Alcohol leads to a financial burden in a family’s household. For starters, alcohol is expensive, and most people don’t buy it off at first, and the bills will end up piling up one after the other. Alcoholics run up exorbitant tabs in bars, restaurants, and at the ball game. Then they might lose a job due to erratic behavior, absenteeism, or inability to

Alcoholism is a major issue that still plagues our nation to this day. Jeannette Walls experienced this issue first hand through her father, Rex, as depicted in her memoir The Glass Castle. Jeannette’s father was an alcoholic, evident of him always disappearing for days at a time to go on drinking binges and always spending most of the money that the family earned (Jeannette included) on alcohol. Jeannette was not the only one subjected to one’s alcoholism; my wife was also a victim of alcoholism. She was not the alcoholic though, I was. My alcoholism almost destroyed my marriage on numerous occasions. I was verbally abusive toward my wife and I made our day-to-day lives extremely unbearable. Are Rex and I the only ones who affect our worlds and our loved ones through alcoholism? Unfortunately no, we are not. Our nation and our world is filled with people suffering from this pandemic of alcoholism and it has thrived since the early days of alcohol’s discovery. What can we do as a society to better understand and prevent alcoholism? What is it going to take to get control of our lives back from alcohol that has had

The Disease of Alcoholism Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. Alcoholism is a complex disease with physical, social and psychological consequences, but it can be treated through detoxification and anti-anxiety drugs. What

Suffering, treatment, rehabilitation, and mental and physical illness are just some of the issues common alcoholics deal with. Aside from those complications, alcoholism has been a devastating problem, especially in Ireland, for hundreds of years. But who is really feeling the detrimental effects that most people assume the alcoholics themselves have to deal with? Ireland is culturally known to be “a race of drunks” and the long lasting effects due to alcoholic dependence truly defeats not just the alcoholics, but their families lives as well.

and spanned a course of some twenty years. Two decades of conflict and disharmony that seemed to connect with many of the attendees displayed by their numerous head nods and looks of shared shame. He said he never intended to become an alcoholic. He was just trying to “fit in” with friends. Another reason given for using alcohol was to squash the stress and anxieties all too familiar with the formative years of pre-adulthood. “Little did I know”, he said that he was setting the stage for how to handle all his subsequent problems later in life.

In the state of Wisconsin where I currently reside, alcohol addiction is a never-ending problem. Alcohol is often associated with football games, baseball and even social gatherings. Unfortunately, alcohol can also be a coping mechanism for those who are dealing with a loss of a family member, financial crisis or even homelessness. The cost of alcohol addiction and treatment in the State of Wisconsin is approximately $6.8 billion and rising due to the continued abuse of alcohol (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2014, p. 14). With the high usage of alcohol abuse, one must turn to programs within their local community for support and treatment.

     Alcoholism has devastating effects not only to society, but also to the family structure. Alcohol dependence develops differently in each individual. But certain symptoms characterize the illness, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). An alcoholic separates them self from almost all social situations and consumes his/her self in having another drink or thinking about their next drink. Seventy six million Americans, about 43% of the U.S. adult population, have been exposed to alcoholism in the family (NIAAA) . I have first-hand experience dealing with an alcoholic because my father was one until his death on July 2,nd 2004.

Imagine you are at a family wedding reception where there is alcohol being served. As the night progresses you notice your Uncle Bob frequenting the bar in the corner of the room for nearly one drink after another. He is reaching his limit for liquor he can handle, and you notice him acting increasingly disoriented, obnoxious, and tipsy. The rest of your family watches him as he virtually makes a fool out of himself and comments about him fill the room. "He has always been drinking way too much since his days in the frat house at the university," states one relative. "He is just like his father," comments another. Such a story sparks a debate as to the foundation of alcoholism. Merriam-Webster 's Dictionary defines alcoholism as continued

Alcoholism: Symptoms, Causes, and Effects Composition I April 1, 1997 Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only affects the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co- workers, and eventually total strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects. Alcoholism is defined

1. Identification of the issue. Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive and potentially fatal disorder which leads to physical and psychological harm, and impaired social and vocational functioning. It is characterized by tolerance, physical dependence and/or pathological organ changes, all of which are the direct/indirect consequence of the alcohol ingested (Light 5). Alcoholism,

From the earliest recorded use of alcohol, drinking has been a social activity, and both consumption and behavior have been subject to self-imposed social controls. The future of children who grow up in alcoholic families. (1)

The Nature vs. Nurture Debate in Learning More about Alcoholism INTRODUCTION: Alcoholism can affect anyone. It has enormous costs as it pertains to societies, families, and individuals. It is not prejudicial towards any race, color, sex, religion, or economic level. Although we do have ideas as to what alcoholism is, what we do not know is the exact cause(s) of this problem. Researchers are continually seeking answers to the long-standing nature versus nurture debate. Different views are split between a biological paradigm and a physchological paradigm. No one explanation seems to be better than another is. I will present views of the effects alcoholism has on society and an insight to the factors that serve to fuel the