Preventing Alcoholism

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.

Many people, including alcoholics, are not fully aware of the devastation caused by alcohol abuse. Not only does alcohol have an impact on physical health, it causes a host of problems from a mental and emotional standpoint. This addiction is not only harmful to the body, it tears families apart, leads to job loss, and often causes isolation for the person who drinks.

Alcohol is the most abused licit psychoactive drugs that affect one 's ability to think rationally and distorts their judgement if consumed excessively. Alcohol addiction is an illness arising from prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks. An alcoholic is a person suffering from alcohol addiction. Prolonged excessive use of large quantities can eventually lead to chronic health diseases like cirrhosis of the liver, anaemia, cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression seizures, gout and alcohol related accidents and crime. Statistics show that 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily intake while an estimated 8.697 died of alcohol-related deaths in 2014. According to the WHO worldwide alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Alcohol beverages with varied percentage content are consumed globally during religious, social, cultural events, festivals and other occasions. The use of alcoholic beverages has been an integral part of many cultures for thousands of years (McGovern, 2009). Over the centuries, there have been ongoing measures, research, interventions and policies which are aimed at promoting the moderate use of alcohol with a particular emphasis on preventing or reducing undesired outcomes. This essay will outline the key components of brief interventions in alcohol, the difference in approach with traditional methods of treatment and in conclusion, the

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, &

Alcohol use has spanned history. In fact, there is speculation that alcohol use actually preceded the formation of societies (Doweiko, 2015, p. 30). Thus, alcohol has long been a part of mankind’s life. The function of alcohol has unarguably changed throughout the course of history, as it was first used for nutritional purposes and then later on for religious purposes (Doweiko, 2015, p. 32). Today, alcohol serves a social purpose. In the United States, the prevalence of use is quite high, with just over 50% of the population partaking monthly (Doweiko, 2015, p. 34). This statistic is somewhat alarming considering alcohol use comes with a number of potential adverse consequences. Case in point, even

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.

Alcohol consumption affects every aspect of the human body, specifically the brain, liver, central nervous system, pancreas, stomach, and increased cancer risks.

Alcoholism is a major social issue around the world today. The ProQuest Staff of SIRS Researcher defines alcoholism as excessive use of alcohol that eventually results in dependence, or addiction where the body craves a drug. There are roughly 140 million alcoholics currently in the world, which results in higher rates of crime, abuse, illness, car crashes, and lower productivity in work (ProQuest Staff). According to Dr. Mark Willenbring, most

Alcoholism is an issue that a huge percentage of people in the world suffer from. Many people argue that alcoholism is an addiction but some may argue that it is a mental illness resulting from alcohol dependency. There is speculation about the cause of alcoholism but in truth it is still unknown to us. However, there are risk factors that can lead up to alcoholism. Many of these factors include: having a parent that struggles with alcoholism, stress, or if people live in a certain environment where alcohol is generally accepted. Regardless of what it might be, we can all agree that alcoholism can ruin a person's life and the people around them.

Alcoholism can take a toll on a person’s body, it can affect the mind, heart and most well known the liver. Alcohol can interfere with the brain’s ability to function, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a long term effect on the brain that can cause lack of coordination as well as learning and memory problems. Alcohol also effects the heart, it can cause cardiomyopathy which is the stretching and drooping of the heart muscles, stroke, irregular heart beat and even high blood pressure. The liver is the most known organ to be affected, cirrhosis of the liver is when the alcohol consumed over time leads to the healthy liver

Approximately £8bn and £13bn per year is estimated cost for alcohol related crimes in UK (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2010). Around 16% and 22% women and men are drinking more than 14 and 21 units per week respectively, including 29% people are drinking at increasing risk level and around 9% both men and women are drinking beyond high risk levels. Women who are drinking more than 35 units a week and men who are drinking more than 50 units a week are described as high risk drinkers and said to be particular risk of harm (NHS, UK, 2014). Though average consumption of alcohol reached to a peak 11.6 litres in 2004, but it is returned to 9.7 litres in 2012 (British Beer and Pub Association, Statistical Handbook, Brewing Publications, London, 2013). In 2014, estimation of 53% of alcohol drinks are more affordable than in 1980 (HSCIC, Leeds, 2015). Approximately 29% of violent incidents took place in or around a pub or club in 2013-14 and Over 68% of violent crimes occur in the evening or at night (ONS, 2015). Meanwhile in England, alcohol related deaths has risen to 10.1% from 2003 to 2013 and there were estimated 333,000 hospital admissions attributing alcohol as primary or secondary cause (Alcohol educationtrust.org, 2016). Although it is clear that excessive drinking by young people is a

While many people view consuming alcohol as charming, it is indeed detrimental to a person’s health and well-being. “[As of] 2013, 86.6 percent of people ages eighteen and older have drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime…56.4 percent reported that they drank in the past month” (NIAAA). Drinking is the cause of many accident inflicted hospital visits, increases the risk for a plethora of illness, and is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States (NIAAA).

International statistics reveal that Alcohol is attributed to 4% of total mortality and between 4- 5% of DALY’s (1, 2). Rhem et al notes that more than 25% of the global consumption is estimated to be unrecorded, due to lack of surveillance. This variance can create a higher global burden of disease attributable to Alcohol (2). According to the World Health Organisation (2014), overconsumption of Alcohol has been linked to the development of more than 200 diseases, making it the third highest risk leading to death and disability (1). Rhem et al conducted an analysis of the burden of disease attributable to Alcohol. In particular their analysis revealed that the pattern of drinking, volume and quality of alcohol consumed were causally linked to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver cirrhosis and injury (2). The study also elucidates the notion that even with evidence based management strategies and widespread acceptance of the harms associated with the drug, Alcohol misuse is a significant issue in society. The net harms outweigh any notable benefits of Alcohol over consumption.

There are approximately 85,000 alcohol related deaths in the United States each year (Drug War Facts, 2004). Included in that number are young teens, college students, and adults. The word alcoholic means anyone who is affected by drinking, and seriously influences or interferes with his/her work,

In the United States, 17.6 million people – about one in every 12 adults, abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. (NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2012) The Mayo Clinic defines alcoholism as a chronic disease in which your body becomes dependent on alcohol (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010), and indicates that more than 100,000 Americans die annually from alcohol related causes (Johnson) . Aside from the physical problems that alcohol addiction can create, there are frequently emotional and social complications. Alcoholism is a disease that harms not only the alcoholic, but also the co-workers and family of the alcoholic.