Essay, Research Paper: Alcoholism

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.