Withdrawal from Alcohol Addiction

Although the collection of findings from several types of genetically informative research designs does provide compelling evidence for the influence of genetics and heritability on the risk for addiction, they do

Prescott, C. A., Madden, P. A. F., & Stallings, M. C. (2006). Challenges in genetic studies of the etiology of substance use and substance use disorders: Introduction to the special issue. Behavior Genetics, 36(4), 473-482.

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.

Addiction is a complex disease that is influenced by several factors including: genetic, developmental, experiential and environmental factors (Goldstein & Volkow, 2002). Alcohol dependence, otherwise referred to as alcoholism, is characterized by frequent use of alcohol resulting in intoxication, a preoccupation with alcohol, compulsion to seek and consume alcohol, the inability to limit alcohol intake and the emergence of negative emotional state when the drug is absent (Gilpin & Koob, 2008; Ernst et al., 2012; Kunce, & Newton, 1989; Crews, 2012). There is an estimated 85,000 deaths annually caused by unhealthy alcohol consumption. Medical issues such as liver disease, neurological problems and malignancies, in addition to behavioral and

Most people have a confused idea of alcoholism as a disease that invades or attacks your good health. Use of such a strong word such as "disease" shapes the values and attitudes of society towards alcoholics. A major implication of the disease concept is that what is labeled a "disease" is held to be justifiable because it is involuntary. This is not so. Problem drinking is a habit in which the so-called "alcoholic" simply has decided that the benefits of drinking outweigh the liabilities; it is all a matter of personal choice. An alcoholic participates in or causes many of their own problems by their behavior and the decisions they make, so why should they be viewed as helpless victims of a "disease"(Skipper 1)? Alcoholism should not be

Alcohol abuse is something that has affected countless lives, both mentally and physically. There are numerous disorders linked to this abuse, from Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorders to Alcohol-Induced Psychotic Disorder. These disorders have varying affects on the body and the person’s lives, and can cause serious injury and/or have serious side effects. A US Department of Justice study found that as many as 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol. Of the 3.9 million Americans who received treatment for a substance abuse problem in 2005, 2.5 million of them were treated for alcohol use. Drinking alcohol to the point of dependence poses a severe health

Contrary to popular belief, genetics account for about 50% of the likelihood that someone will develop an alcohol addiction. (Horvath, T.)

Alcohol like many other drugs can be addictive; the question is how our genetic makeup and environment play a role in this does? Alcoholism is a difficult condition that encompasses both the genetic and environmental factors. Like other addictive drugs, youths who consume alcohol are more likely to become addicted and remain addicted throughout their adult lives. Alcoholism has a very high impact on our society. The Center for Disease Control informs us that there are over 100,000 alcohol related deaths every year due to drunk drivers and other alcohol related injuries and diseases. Each day 65 drivers die in drunk driving accidents according to the California Capitol Report. In 1988, 25,000 Americans were killed in auto accidents involving

McGue (1999) found that genes contribute to the development of alcohol dependence, with heritability estimates from 50-60% for both men and women.

The consequences of alcohol abuse serve as a danger to an alcoholic’s physical, mental, emotional, and social health, in addition to serious outcomes for the abusers career, family and friends (“Alcohol Addiction Signs” 2015, para. 2). Due to the use of alcohol abusing, these main points will be affected the most in the abusers life. (“Alcohol Addiction Signs”) states “This alcoholism can cause irreversible damage to critical organs and body systems such as the Liver, Nervous system, Heart, Stomach, and the brain (para. 2). Alcohol abuse produces other medical side effects as well. “Common medical side

The Kalsi et al. (2008) article is a review article, therefore, lacking a hypothesis. The main idea was to identify various genes that are related to alcoholism and how they affect the brain. The first variant studied was DRD2, a dopamine receptor gene (Kalsi et al., 2008). This gene is known for being related to addiction and pleasures in life. It is not shocking to know that this gene is elevated in the nervous system, because alcohol raises the dopamine receptors and causes drinkers to feel as if they need more, thus increasing their happiness. Another gene discussed is the GABAA gene, a component of the GABRA2 gene. This component when found in AD, spikes an increase in tolerance level, thus creating an effect in the brain to encourage the individual to continue drinking. Once the tolerance levels have spiked, GABAA and another receptor gene, NPY will induce withdrawal behavior. These variants, if found at low levels, play a vital role in the onset of alcoholism. While understanding that the NPY gene may be found in the individuals, the CREB signaling pathway must also be discussed. They observed a study on rodents to drive a correlation between deficient genes and their correlation to humans. They observed this by analyzing the

Alcoholism, in some way or another, affects everyone, as it is ever-present in nearly every aspect of American culture. Although there are numerous different opinions on the true main influence that causes alcoholism in an individual, it is an undeniable fact that alcoholism is an addiction, which is a disease of the mind. Alcoholism cannot be fought and cured in just a few days, it takes support from loved ones, willpower, and a competent treatment center. Alcoholism is not a game to be toyed with, is is a very serious issue, which affects many individuals and their families like mine throughout the U.S. I hope that you, whoever reads this essay, learned the biological factors that influence alcoholism, as well as the social and biographical

The article by Bierut et al. 2010 is a discovery science article, in which there are no hypotheses tested. This article focuses on alcohol dependence and the genetic influences that may contribute to the rapid growing dependency. Various case subjects were used to analyze the results from, the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), Family Study of Cocaine Dependence (FSCD) in addition to the Collaborative Genetic Study of Nicotine Dependence (COGEND). This genome-wide association case study Bierut et. al analyzed various single nucleotide polymorphisms, likewise known as, SNPs, that are capable of being genetically linked to alcohol dependency. SNPs are nucleotides that contain genetic variation in the genome as well as, vary between individuals.

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

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.