Alcoholism of All the Addictive

¶ … Alcoholism

Of all the addictive substances which have plagued mankind since the beginning of recorded history, it appears that alcohol continues to be the "drug of choice" of millions of people worldwide, due in part to its easy accessibility and the relatively low costs associated with it, not to mention that alcohol can be made from just about anything organic, whether grapes (wine and champagne), hops and barley (beer and ales), potatoes (vodka) or juniper berries (gin).

Overall, according to the most recent studies and surveys, alcohol is responsible for the premature deaths of tens of thousands of people annually, either from acute alcohol poisoning or the long-term effects of heavy drinking which affects almost every organ in the human body in a negative way, especially the liver, the heart and the brain. Obviously then, the consumption of alcohol, at least in high quantities, poses a very real threat to the overall health of a person, both physically and mentally. So, a person should be aware of the many complexities linked to alcoholism, such as the causes of the disease, its effects on the body and mind, and some possible solutions to preventing alcoholism in the first place.

By definition, alcoholism is an extreme dependence on excessive amounts of alcohol, a clear, colorless liquid obtained by the fermentation of carbohydrates with yeast, better known as ethyl alcohol which is present in every type of alcoholic beverage and which causes euphoria or drunkenness. As a disease, alcoholism is a chronic illness with an often slow onset, meaning that a person may become an alcoholic after years of drinking or in some instances soon after taking that first drink as a young person. The exact cause of alcoholism is not known, but some research suggests that it may be linked to a person's cultural upbringing or to genetics, due to families of alcoholics having a higher incidence of alcoholism. In other words, some people are genetically predisposed to alcoholism through some type of genetic abnormality which has not yet been fully identified by scientists and alcohol researchers.

Frequent drinking, being consuming large amounts of alcohol on a daily basis for many years, creates many destructive effects on not only the body and the mind but also on a person's family and social life. Under most conditions, alcohol affects the central nervous system by depressing it and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Also, most people tend not to eat when drinking which only increases the negative effects of alcohol on the body, such as gastro-intestinal problems, heart problems and the ability to synthesize much-needed proteins and vitamins.

In some alcoholics, when alcohol is taken away, this creates what is known as alcohol withdrawal which causes physical weakness, severe sweating and extreme nervousness. The worse example of this is called the delirium tremens or the DT's in which a person may experience hallucinations, both visually and audibly, and then requires some type of hospitalization or perhaps a lengthy stay in a rehabilitation institution so that they can "dry out" over a period of time. As to medications, there are no commonly prescribed drugs for alcoholism except for what is called anabuse which is taken orally on a daily basis and prevents the person from drinking by inducing severe vomiting when alcohol is consumed.

There are basically five types of alcoholics. First, there is the young adult type, generally under the age of 25 who began drinking at an early age, perhaps in their middle teen years. This type is more prone to binge drinking, where a great amount of alcohol is consumed in a short period of time, resulting in alcohol poisoning and even death. This type also drinks less frequently, perhaps one or twice a week. The second type is the young antisocial drinker, generally between 25 and 30 years of age. These types are usually seen as having an antisocial personality and began drinking in their early teen years. They also tend to use illegal drugs more often, especially marijuana.

The third type is the functional drinker who is generally between 35 and 45 years of age and holds down a good job and provides for his/her family. They also tend to be better educated than the first two types and are employed in high-paying positions, such as bankers, stockbrokers, lawyers and even physicians. This type does not generally consume alcohol on a daily basis and prefers to drink only on special occasions or a dinner with perhaps two or three glasses of wine or cocktails. The fourth type is the familial type who drinks in a family environment and almost always at home. Most of the time, this type of drinker has close family members who also drink, either on a daily basis or during special occasions, often to excess.

The fifth type is by far the worse of the five, known as a chronic severe drinker which includes persons who drink to excess on a daily basis. This type is almost exclusively male, is either unmarried or divorced and uses illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine and other illicit drugs. Under most conditions, this type of drinker has a long history of consuming alcohol and may often experience alcohol withdrawal or even the delirium tremens. Wit the type of drinker, the outcome over a lifetime of consuming alcohol is either hospitalization or premature death from an entire range of physical illnesses.