Essay, Research Paper: Alcohol

The Affects of Alcoholism
Drinking for many starts as a seldom habit. We may drink for strictly social reasons, but for some the problem becomes uncontrollable. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates the affect alcohol has on Huck. But, alcohol affects more than just one person it affects a whole community. In our society alcohol doesn’t just affect the alcoholic but there is an unbelievable impact on the family and friends.
For about 9,000,000 Americans alcohol has become a habit-forming addictive substance. An alcoholic is affected in many different ways. Those who have this disease are usually having problems with relationships, employment or finances. The first sign of an affect on an alcoholic is a change in behavior and personality. Drinking large amounts of alcohol impairs the user’s speech and muscle coordination. The excessive use of alcohol effects the liver and pancreas causing severe damage. It also can be a deadly disease, which many die from. Alcohol doesn’t affect one just physically, but as well as emotionally. They find themselves alone, feeling irritable and hopeless. The high level of alcohol consumed depresses brain activity and reduces their ability to use self-control. This is where the abuse, physical and verbal come into the situation. They say things that they don’t mean and commonly hit those close to them. The alcohol affects your emotion and judgement to where it is inevitable to control your actions.
Not only does alcohol have major effects on your body but it also has drastic effects on people around you such a family. Families of alcoholics are under an extreme amount of pressure. They commonly deny there is any problems with they’re relative and live a lie. Dealing with an emotional loss of a relative is hard, imagine being pushed away and seeing a loved ones’ life turned upside down because of a constant ungovernable use of alcohol. In some cases families are verbally and physically abused which causes an unimaginable amount of strain, hurt and pain in ones life. Families are not the only people who go through these struggles; friends are also faced with some of the same situations.
It is almost a fact, when dealing with an alcoholic friend to be pushed away with no explanations. This is because the alcoholic feels as if they can live in secret and seclude themselves from “real life” there is no “real” problem. Friends see those they care about go through awful situations. Instead of becoming a leaning shoulder they become the enemy. Many friends lose the battle and the alcoholic joins a new crowd or becomes completely independent. It becomes a very stressful situation; many become frustrated and scared because they don’t know how they can help. In teenage cases around two thousand young people die from alcoholic related cases a year.
Alcoholism is a chronic disease. We have seen the damages alcohol can cause. It is necessary to refrain from becoming a statistic but rather become a cause. Alcoholism affects people in many other ways.


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