Effects Of Alcohol Abuse On The Nervous System

The mouth is the first affected, alcohol can cause significant damage to the salivary glands, gums, and tongue. Heavy drinkers may begin to notice tooth decay. Next the esophagus is affected which can cause ulcers to form and arise in the stomach as well. The American Addiction Center states, “Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition that results in scarring of the liver tissue… scarred tissue cannot perform the proper functions that healthy liver tissue can such as cleaning the blood and helping to fight infection.” An individual’s immune system is greatly affected by the use of alcohol. Pancreatitis can form by the abuse of alcohol. Alcohol can cause changes in the function of the kidneys and make them less able to filter the blood that runs through them. The heart is the most important organ in the body and is also greatly affected by alcohol. The American Addiction Center says, “Some of the effects alcohol can have on this organ include: heartbeat irregularity, increased blood pressure, stroke, stretching of the heart muscle.” Stretching of the heart muscle can make it too weak to pump blood efficiently throughout the body. Alcohol can also cause certain cancers to arise in people who abuse the use of it. The American Cancer Society states that, “Alcohol use has been linked with cancers of the: Mouth, Throat (pharynx), Voice box (larynx), Esophagus, Liver, Colon and rectum, Breast. Alcohol may also increase the risk of cancers of the pancreas and stomach.” The more frequently one drinks the more likely they are to getting any of these cancers. Alcohol can have specific affects towards a woman’s body and bodiely functions. The American Addiction Center states, “A woman can see the disruption of her menstrual cycle due to alcohol abuse, and menstruation can even stop completely.” This can cause a woman to not be able to have children. Abuse of alcohol can destroy ones body and life in only a

Substance abuse among our veterans is much greater than our civilian populations. This is largely caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, associated from combat, and who have endured multiple deployments. In most cases, veterans who have turned to alcohol or drugs have a dual diagnosis. They not only have a problem with alcohol or drugs, but they also suffer from a mental or mood disorder that has a major impact on these issues. In most cases the mood disorder is post-traumatic disorder(PTSD), which results from being in combat. According to

Veterans and active duty military personnel face unique problems and special considerations when it comes to the abuse of alcohol. There is a drinking

Alcohol abuse has become one of the principal causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States causing more than 200,000 deaths every year (Hendey, Dery, Barnes, Snowden, &

The heroes that make up our armed forces often suffer from terrible experiences in battle, some of which severely impact their mental and physical health, including suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or PSTD. Unfortunately, this has caused many of them to turn to drugs, whether prescription or illicit, to treat these problems. In fact, recent statistics estimate that one in 10 soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from a substance abuse problem.

The wars’ violence has rippled through the nation, affecting families and the communities where they live. A 2010 report found that child abuse in Army families was been three times higher in homes from which a parent was deployed. From 2001 through 2011, alcohol use associated with physical domestic violence in Army families increased significantly. This phenomenon could be attributed to increased alcohol consumption among military veterans suffering from combat-related wounds, injuries and illnesses.

These fighters develop aggressive behavior and several depression issues, even suicidal thoughts run through their mind. These type of problems can lead soldiers to use alcohol and drugs, as well as abusiveness towards others. According to the Headquarters, Department of the Army, “From 2001 to 2011, alcohol use associated with physical domestic violence in army families increased by 54% and with child abuse by 40% This trend may be associated with research linking increased alcohol consumption with partner aggression among veterans suffering from combat related wounds, injuries and illnesses” (1). Alcohol and drug use rates have increased rapidly, and this can result from the soldiers anger towards the pain and suffering they went through during battle. They react to everything in a different way when returning from war because they in their mind they think they are in danger, when they are not. In paragraph 4, the author says, “High risk behaviors that have resulted in elevated numbers of car crashes and drug overdoses, elevated levels of homelessness and divorce.” This example demonstrates that war leads soldiers to use more alcohol and develop the habit of using drugs. This can result in a real bad situation where these fighters partners might want a divorcement, as well as they can end up homeless on the streets because of the drug use. Sarah A.M. Ford states,

This is a summary of the article “Alcohol and Drug Abuse among U.S. Veterans: Comparing Associations with Intimate Partner Substance Abuse and Veteran Psychopathology” by Mark W. Miller, Annemarie F. Reardon, Lauren B. Prince, and Christina L. Hine written in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.

Sleep disturbances have affected a larger percentage of military personnel and retired veterans. Oddly enough, sleep problems bring up another topic; alcohol abuse. Most veterans who have PTSD and/or depression turn to alcohol for comfort. Alcoholism is a leading factor for insomnia. Along with insomnia, night terrors and recurrent memories are known to wake them up out of a dead sleep. This lack of sleep then plays a part

This disorder leads the veterans to substance abuse to calm their nerves and help them feel more at ease. The substance abuse, in turn, leads the veterans to be more hostile, aggressive, and violent to those people around them, especially their families. A study found in The American Journal of Psychiatry revealed, "Increases in alcohol and substance abuse closely paralleled the increase in PTSD symptoms seen in the period during and immediately after the war. Patients reported that alcohol, heroin, marijuana, opiates, and benzodiazepines (but not cocaine) were beneficial for their symptoms of

The data from this report is telling us that alcohol will increase in quantity and use after exposure to combat or extreme stress and the abuse of alcohol will more then likely continue in veterans as they try to re integrate into civilian world.

Traumatic brain injuries (T.B.I.) can happen when people are injured during and after military service. They must find ways to cope with the symptoms and cope with separation from the military. People will use illicit drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and misuse prescription drugs as a mechanism and the objective of this study is to understand the impact of TBI and military service on substance use norms of soldiers and their partners. These norms are important in neuroscience because they create problems in a person’s brain and life. Environmental factors such as being in the military puts people at risk for physical and mental damage. A person can receive damage if they are struck in the head or are affected by a nearby explosion. TBI symptoms will appear after a few days, weeks, or months depending on how severe the injury is. If couples have high approval of these norms, there can be possible long-term effects on the individual.

Typical risk factors that are thought to produce a higher likelihood of developing PTSD leading to also having a dependence on alcohol over a lifetime may include some form of abuse or trauma during childhood. Additionally, recent research has suggested that gender has an influence on the development of PTSD and alcohol use disorders (AUD). In an article written by the Journal of Women’s Health, it attributes a higher PTSD rate in female veterans to a higher likelihood of sexual abuse/assault during their service (Maguen et al., 2012). This factor, along with the potential for being a part of a traumatic combat event, has caused the number of female veterans diagnosed with PTSD to surge past that of their male counterparts. Additionally, in this study, it was found that females were less likely to seek out treatment for their PTSD symptoms than males. Females in this study also reported two times the number of barriers of access to care than men did (Maguen et al., 2012). An article published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine had similar findings. They stated that 27% of female veterans met criteria for PTSD, whereas only 20% of male veterans met the same criteria (Reddy et al., 2014).

Military drinking In the military alcohol can be a way of dealing with problems. When people drink in the military it is known to be a tolerable way to deal with their problems (Clinton-Sherrod, Barrick, & Gibbs, 2011, p. 23). A lot of the groups who have been in warfare are 25 years old or younger. At that age it is more common to abuse alcohol (Clinton-Sherrod, Barrick, & Gibbs, 2011, p. 23).

Someone is sitting at a restaurant bar. A waitress walks over handing out free shots, so he takes one. One leads to two, two leads to three, and so on. Before he realizes it, he is talking louder than ever, tripping over his own feet, and causing a scene. Toward the end of the night, he walks into someone’s table, as he is heading out of the restaurant, knocking over their meals. He tries to say something, but all that comes out is mumbling. The next morning, he is feeling dizzy, has a pounding headache, and does not remember anything from the night before.