There are a multitude of aspects to consider as to why an individual would be dependent on the consumption of alcohol. One being the living environment of an individual has an effect on alcohol abuse according to the studies found, McCaul et al (2009) talks about this theme and goes on to say that the more licensed alcohol establishment’s in one particular area means it’s more likely for someone to drink on a regular basis as it’s not out of their way. Another reason may be the individual’s emotional state can have an impact on how much they drink, according to Callanan et al. (2009) people consume alcohol as a way of coping with emotional factors such as stress and depression. Economic factors may be an underlying cause of alcohol abuse. Callanan et al (2009) found that the monotony of unemployment presents its self as an opportunity to consume alcohol which may become habitual.
There are many negative psycho, social and economic factors that may affect an individual abusing alcohol. St. John et al (2009) said that anyone living in a more deprived area neighbourhoods are more likely to abuse alcohol which may be down to boredom as more people in deprived areas abuse alcohol as a way of freedom from the real world for a short period of time. Economic factors may be an underlying cause of alcohol abuse. Callanan et al (2009) found that the monotony of unemployment presents its self as an opportunity to consume alcohol which may become habitual. Lee et al (2009) states that
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
Financial and emotional stress, conflicts in the workplace or in the family, and personality traits are all risk factors that could potentially lead an individual to become an alcoholic. Financial stress, specifically unemployment, can cause negative emotions and potentially negative behavior such as alcohol abuse. In an article by Ioana Popovici and Michael French it states, “From a psychological perspective, the financial challenges associated with unemployment could increase tension, anxiety, and family discord, thus leading to increased alcohol use”(2013). Stress within the family, such as divorce, is also a main factor in the development of alcoholism. According to Begoña José and Hans Van Oers in their article titled “Stressors and Alcohol Consumption”, both getting and being divorced is linked to heavy drinking(2000). If alcoholic behavior occurs in a family it is common for the relationships to be weakened and more stress to be created, which can further push the alcoholic into isolation and worsen their drinking behavior. Not only can outside factors have an influence on the occurrence of alcoholism, but certain personality traits can contribute to an individual’s likelihood of becoming an alcoholic. Personality characteristics can determine how a person will react to stressors. One person may abstain from alcohol while another will resort to heavy drinking while
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 the consumption of alcohol is necessary to develop alcoholism, the availability of and attitudes towards alcohol in an individual's environment affect their likelihood of developing the disease.
As of January 2015 alcohol related deaths were represented as accountable for approximately 6% of deaths worldwide. That is 3.3 million deaths from alcohol related car accidents to alcohol poisoning. The consumption of alcohol can be tied with being a factor in a variety of diseases, disabilities, tragedies, and crimes. An estimate of over 76 million people suffer from alcohol dependence and abuse. Consumption of alcohol can become a serious threat to personal and public health when an individual engages in activities such as binge drinking or drinking while driving. In other words, harmful drinking is anytime an individual becomes unable to have full perception and control of his/her surroundings because of alcohol. Harmful drinking can also be defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption causing health problems that are directly connected to alcohol.
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.
In today's modern society alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse has become one of the most complex, life-threatening issues. Most depressed individuals usually indulge themselves in bars or pubs with their alcohols to escape from their stressful life. It has become increasingly alarming how alcohol does not only attract the adults, but also teenagers these days. "Research has shown that approximately 14 million Americans (7.4%) of the population meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism" ("Facts about Alcohol"). Alcohol addicts may encounter social impact such as loss of respect from others who may see the problem as self- inflictive and easily avoided. Repeated use of alcohol over a period of time can result in
Alcohol is a substance that has numerous diverse affects on the body-both positive and negative. Alcohol not only kills brain cells, but when taken in profusion it has almost no constructive affects. Sure it can make one overlook his/her problems, but the consequences of drinking in excess far outweigh the benefits. It is not a crime to get drunk, however alcohol will almost always cause one to conduct them self in a way he or she would not normally behave. For instance, a sober man will not usually drive ninety-five mph down I-95, however, after consuming a good amount of alcohol, his eyesight, judgement, reflexes and abilities are hindered to the point that he feels
Social influences include low socio-economic status of the individual, low levels of parental guidance and education, family or domestic issues at home, presence of a history of alcoholism in the family, lack of rules on alcohol use in the family setting and peer pressure.
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).
Plenty of people always seem to ask “what are the causes of alcohol abuse?” As a matter of fact, there are many origins that come to mind when actually thinking of why people drink alcohol excessively. Alcohol abuse can run in a person’s family, or sometimes it may be caused by the environment a person is in or if someone is taking on stress (WebMD). When people are frazzled or feel as though they are facing a serious issue within their life, they tend to feel the need to turn towards drinking alcohol so that they can get rid of all the pain they are feeling. Some people treat alcohol as an escape from the grief they are
Alcohol is one of many dangerous substances that effects our bodies. The effects of this drug can be very harmful. Alcohol is a potent non-prescription drug sold to anyone over the national legal drinking age, 21. Unlike other deadly drugs it is easy to access. This makes it easy to over-consume and create a tragic accident, even death. It can damage a person not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Many people each year become more and more addicted to alcohol and soon experience all of it?s dangerous effects. Even if alcohol use is discontinued, some of these damages can not be cured, because the scars have been left on those that drink and those that surround them. The only hope
Social and cultural factors play roles in to establishing drinking patterns and the development of alcoholism. In some cultures, there is conflict between abstaining and accepting the use of alcohol as a way to change moods or to be social, thus making it difficult for some people to develop stable attitudes about and moderate patterns of drinking. Society tends to aid in the development of alcoholism by making alcohol seem glamorous, showing that by drinking, you will become more popular, more glamorous and more worthy of respects from others.
People drink in many ways, for many different reasons. We drink socially, to gain acceptance into a group. We drink alone to ease stress, to cope with our problems, or we “drink because we like the taste or how it makes us feel”#. Often drinking is a learned behavior, starting out as a social drinker; you quickly become psychologically and physically dependent. When someone reaches this stage they are often classified as an alcoholic. To an alcoholic, drinking becomes a compulsion; they cannot stop themselves from having another drink, like a social drinker can. In many cases alcoholics don’t even have to drink continuously in order to be an alcoholic. One the problems of alcohol addiction is that it’s something that doesn’t just effect the individual but it effects, friends and family as well. Spouse abuse, child abuse and dysfunctional family relationships can all be influenced by alcohol abuse.
Alcohol is very popular among people who are looking for a good time, but it is also a very addicting and evil thing. Most people try alcohol for the first time in their teen years even though it is against the law. Most of the time people try it because their friends drink. People who are weak minded are easily influenced by their friends to try out bad habits like alcohol, and at the end the only one it affects is that one person. That person will become dependant on alcohol and build a tolerance to it. Every week they drink more and more it will never be enough because they will always need a bigger amount of alcohol to satisfy them every time. That is how people become alcoholics. Alcoholics lose everything they have and own. Alcohol becomes everything they can ever think about, it takes over their life and in some cases it also takes their life.