Alcoholism Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Alcoholism is one of the most intractable and pervasive psychological disorders known. Though the negative health consequences of alcohol are widely understood, and, if anything, the social consequences of alcoholism are even more widely acknowledged, it seems that no matter what steps are taken by public health officials or private organizations, no strategy can ever be fully developed for eradicating alcoholism. There are a number of reasons why this is true. This paper will explore some of the social and medical problems created by alcohol, but in it I will also consider the role of alcohol in my personal life and the way I have seen the disease play out in the lives of people around me. The paper will also examine the social and political responses to the problem of alcoholism and attempt to determine where productive approaches have been taken and areas where mistakes have been made. Before discussing such wide-ranging questions, it is important to understand what alcoholism is and how it is manifested.

Since Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, has bootleggers and takes place during Prohibition, it makes perfect sense for alcohol to appear frequently. Yet, in The Great Gatsby, alcohol consumption not only contributes to the rebellious glamour of the time period, it also plays an important aspect in uncloaking the truth. The latin phrase in vinos veritas comes to mind. Literally translated, it means “in wine there is truth”. In the novel, alcohol makes characters like Nick, Tom and Daisy lose their inhibitions and reveal key aspects of themselves.

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

According to the Dual Diagnosis website, “In 2012, as many as 87.6 percent of American adults over age 18 were reported in a SAHMSA…study to have consumed alcohol at some point in their lives…The National Institutes of Health…estimated that 17 million adults in the United States in 2012 had an alcohol use disorder” (“Disease…”). Approximately one in every 12 people either are abusing alcohol, or they are becoming, if not are, victims of alcoholism (National…). Alcohol consumption is especially known in our society’s culture. There are numerous people who like to drink every now and again in moderation; however, there are far too many people who abuse the alcohol and may even be completely dependent on it. Several

The term “alcoholism” describes a drinker who is mentally and physically dependent on alcohol, and who would most likely have withdrawal symptoms upon trying to quit. This dependence prevents most alcoholics from being able to control when they drink and how much they drink. For that reason, alcoholics usually drink to excess despite the consequences. Alcoholism, like any addiction, is a chronic disorder which involves continued use despite negative consequences and requires ongoing treatment and management. This research paper will cover many aspects of alcoholism including the causes and effects of drinking and different treatment approaches.

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 will be explained in this essay is basically the history of alcohol, signs of one possibly being an alcoholic, possibilities to why one becomes an alcoholic, and treatments for it.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, famous for his work, The Great Gatzby, seems to always include one recurring theme within his works; the consequences of alcohol. But in his short story, Babylon Revisited, he offers another addition to one of the consequences. The idea that even though you have successfully changed your ways, your past determines how people view you, and what follows can have major effects on your future.

While rising a glass every now and then may be okay, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to extreme alcohol abuse and even alcoholism. The society we live in is strongly prejudiced by alcohol, and affects people of all ages, gender, and background. It has been uncovered to millionaires to the homeless. Alcohol abuse has been a problem throughout the history of humanity; it is a disease which has caused many people to be overcome with trouble, problems, and debts also pattern of drinking that interferes with day-to-day activities. Alcoholism is a term that is widely recognized throughout the United States and the World. Alcoholism is a chronic disease, progressive and often turn fatal; it is a disorder and not due to other diseases or emotional problems. Many scientists have tried to pinpoint what Alcoholism is, and what this disease may be stemming from. Some people would dispute that alcoholism is only the over-consumption of alcohol; this statement is only somewhat true. An alcoholic is a person who relies on alcohol as a medium to help him or her deal with physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. It’s not always easy to see when drinking has crossed the line from moderate or social use to problem drinking. When dealing with Alcoholism a person over comes a lot of problems. Alcohol Abuse is high in the United States, “In the USA, 15% of Americans are problem drinkers, while between 5% to 10% of male and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol

It is difficult to find what the cause of alcoholism is. Many experts lean towards “genes, the environment, and having low self-image”(Alcohol use, n.d., Para 2). Many experts also believe that alcoholism occurs when a person “drinks so much over time that your body becomes dependent on or addicted to alcohol. When this happens, alcohol use becomes the most important thing in a person’s life”(What Is, n.d., Para 1).

Most consumers of alcohol do not suffer adverse consequences. Individuals with excessive drinking patterns, nevertheless, have an elevated risk for alcohol-linked problems ranging from social to health issues. Alcohol abusers are a sub-population of alcoholic or alcohol-dependent individuals. However, the terms “abuse of alcohol” and “alcohol dependence” are dissimilar (Harford & Muthen, 2001). Consequently, alcohol abusers may drink excessively without being dependent. In addition, alcohol abuse includes numerous outcomes and patterns while alcohol dependence or alcoholism involves specific diagnostic criteria (Harford & Muthen, 2001).The peculiarity between alcohol abuse and alcoholism is significant from the perspective of biopsychology and treatment. Thus, interventions applied to alcohol abusers may be inadequate for alcoholic individuals. Conversely, measures that address alcoholism are mostly unsuitable for the majority of alcohol abusers.

Problems have been plaguing people who drink for centuries. Despite a tremendous amount of researcher with alcoholism into the cause of alcoholism and effective treatments, no one has been able to stop it yet. Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as "a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations” (Medical-Dictionary). Like any disease, alcoholism effects people’s heath and their behavior. People who continue to drink usually become physically sick, suffer in their relationships with family and friends, and may eventually die from the disease. Currently, the National Organization of Children of Alcoholics estimates that there are “twenty-six million, eight hundred thousand alcoholics living in the United States. Of these, eleven million are under the age of eighteen”. “Almost 1 out of 5 children live with an alcoholic while growing up” (NACOA). These statistics are frightening for several reasons; the impact of alcoholism on the lives of children is significant, the cost of dealing with the problem of alcoholism is astronomical, and the effects of alcoholism on our whole society are too pervasive to document. Alcoholism needs to be treated though treatment is not always effective. In order to recover from the disease, the alcoholic must want to stop drinking. Unfortunately, many

Alcohol dependence is known to be the most severe form of alcohol abuse. A person becomes so dependent on alcohol consumption that he/she loses sight of all the other important things going on around him/her. Family matters and social responsibilities become secondary worries to his/her primary concern for existence, which is drinking (Stephens, 2007). Nearly fourteen million Americans are somewhat dependent on alcohol. Alcohol dependence is more prominent in men, and young adults ages 18-29 (Stephens, 2007). According to a study done by Saitz “85,000 deaths, along with substantial disability from medical and psychiatric consequences, injuries and “secondhand” effects (ex: motor vehicle crashes) are attributed to the use of alcohol” (Saitz, 2005).

Alcohol use can be a main supplier of many intricate psychological experiences within the human practice, it is somewhat of an enhancer and for that reason it can sometimes be abused or over used. For this critical essay the argument put forth will be enhanced by the ideals of Type I and Type II alcoholic misuse quantified by Higley & Bennet (1999). Type I entails the alcohol misuse being the main instigator of anxiety and situational stress, whereas Type II complies with users experiencing impulse control issues promoted by biological tendencies. These two types of alcohol exploitation are the main reasons the continual misuse of alcoholic substances occurs. This critical essay intends to describe these types of alcohol mismanagement and argue how consumers of alcohol use it as a deterrent to circumvent these psychological variables and discuss how combined psychological and biological variables are the impetus for alcoholism. Furthermore discovering the dependent and independent variables of alcohol use and how they affect one another.

The alcoholic beverage has remained an established element to society’s social world and has grown into a way of living. As alcohol continues to flourish in its prevalence among citizens of the United States, so does the concept of alcohol addiction. A person becomes addicted to alcohol when they “drink excessively and develops a dependence that results in noticeable mental disturbance, or an interference with bodily and mental health, their interpersonal relations, and their smooth social and economic functioning” (Calahan, 1970, pp. 3). In 2009, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that about 52% of Americans used alcohol at least once within 30 days of their survey. As the percentage of Americans who consume alcohol

Alcoholism has been a major problem in society for a number of years. In fact, alcoholism should be compared to a virus. This is because a person can never be completely cured from alcoholism; they can only fight the battle, day to day, hoping not to relapse. When it comes to the etiologies, or causes, of alcoholism, there seems to be three distinct origins of alcoholism. These causes are genetic factors, dependency caused by brain chemical imbalances after long-term use, and social and emotional factors.