Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a very serious disease in volving alcohol beverages. It often affects a

lot of people and their families. I will discuss the symptoms of alcoholism, the effects of

alcoholism and the treatment of the disease.

It is a very serious disease. Alcoholism has been often been thought of as a

symptom of a psychological or social problem, or as a learned, behavior to cope with the

everyday problems peoples lives. More recently alcoholism has become recognized disease

of it's own. Alcoholism usually develops over a period of a few years. Early symptoms

include spending an excessive amount of limited income on alcohol. The availability of the

alcohol influences the person's choice of friends and the things that they do. Alcohol

becomes used as more of a relaxer than as a casual beverage. At first, the alcoholic may

have a high tolerance of alcohol, drinking more and showing less effects than other

drinkers. The alcohol becomes a very serious hazard to the users health. The person

progresses by losing control over their drinking and are not able to control their habit.

The effects on major organ systems include a wide range of digestive disorders

such as ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, and cirrhosis of the liver. The nervous system

can also be permanently damaged. Blackouts, hallucinations, and extreme tremors may

occur to the person as a direct result of drinking alcohol. Studies have evidence that

shows that heavy or even moderate drinking during pregnancy can cause serious damage

to the unborn child. This is known as fetal alcohol syndrome. About 10 percent of all the

adult drinkers in the U.S. are considered alcoholics or they have some sort of drinking

problem.

The consumption of alcohol is currently rising in the U.S. There is also an increase

of alcohol-related problems growing around the world. Specialized treatment facilities

within general or psychiatric hospitals are rapidly increasing in number. Earlier and better

treatment has led to high recovery rates. In addition to physical complications and

withdrawal symptoms, treatment involves counseling and group therapy such as AA are

directed at complete recovery from the symptoms from alcoholism. The desired goal, of

these facilities is that there can be a safe return to social drinking. Antabuse, is a drug that

produces a violent intolerance for alcohol as long as the substance remains in the body and

is sometimes used after withdrawal. Despite these promising signs, estimates of the annual

number of deaths related to excessive drinking exceed 97,000 in the United States alone.

Economic costs related to alcoholism are at least $100 billion a year.

These facts have helped me to understand that alcoholism is very serious and

should not be taken lightly.