FREE ESSAY ON ALCOHOLISM: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, AND EFFECTS

ALCOHOLISM: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, AND EFFECTS

Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only
affects the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co-workers, and eventually total
strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects.
Alcoholism is defined as a pattern of drinking in which harmful consequences result for
the drinker, yet, they continue to drink. There are two types of drinkers. The first
type, the casual or social drinker, drinks because they want to. They drink with a friend
or with a group for pleasure and only on occasion. The other type, the compulsive
drinker, drinks because they have to, despite the adverse effects that drinking has on
their lives. 
The symptoms of alcoholism vary from person to person, but the most common symptoms seen
are changes in emotional state or stability, behavior, and personality. Alcoholics may
become angry and argumentive, or quiet and withdrawn or depressed. They may also feel
more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more (Gitlow
175).
Because time and amount of drinking are uncontrollable, the alcoholics is likely to
engage in such behaviors as [1] breaking family commitments, both major and minor; [2]
spending more money than planned; [3] drinking while intoxicated and getting arrested;
[4] making inappropriate remarks to friends, family, and co-workers; [5] arguing,
fighting and other anti-social actions. The alcoholic would probably neither do such
things, nor approve of them in others unless he was drinking (Johnson 203).
The cause of alcoholism is a combination of biological, psychological, and cultural
factors that may contribute to the development of alcoholism in an individual. Alcoholism
seems to run in families. Although there is no conclusive indication of how the
alcoholism of families members is associated, studies show that 50 to 80 percent of all
alcoholics have had a close alcoholic relative (Caplan 266). Some researchers have
suggested that in several cases, alcoholics have an inherited, predisposition to alcohol
addiction. Studies of animals and human twins have lent support to this theory. 
Alcoholism can also be related to emotional instabilities. For example, alcoholism is
often associated with a family history of manic-depressive illness. Additionally, like
many other drug abusers, alcoholics often drink hoping to drown' anxious or depressed
feelings. Some alcoholics drink to reduce strong inhibitions or guilt about expressing
negative feelings.
Social and cultural factors play roles in to establishing drinking patterns and the
development of alcoholism. In some cultures, there is conflict between abstaining and
accepting the use of alcohol as a way to change moods or to be social, thus making it
difficult for some people to develop stable attitudes about and moderate patterns of
drinking. Society tends to aid in the development of alcoholism by making alcohol seem
glamorous, showing that by drinking, you will become more popular, more glamorous and
more worthy of respects from others.
The physical effects of alcoholism are somewhat gruesome. Excessive in take and prolonged
use of alcohol can cause serious disturbances in body chemistry. Many alcoholics exhibit
swollen and tender livers. The prolonged use of large amounts of alcoholism without
adequate diet may cause serious liver damage, such as cirrhosis of the liver (McCarthy
505). 
Alcoholism also causes loss of muscular control. The condition, delirium tremens, known
primarily to heavy drinkers, causes hallucinations along with loss of control of muscular
functioning. When this condition develops and the alcoholic slows their drinking,
withdrawal syndrome can and often does occur. This may include agitation, tremors,
seizures, and hallucinations. 
Alcoholism also casues damage to the brain. Alcoholics may suffer from lack of
concentration. The alcoholic may also experience blackouts, occasional onsets of memory
lapses, and possibly complete memory loss. They may also suffer from more serious forms
of brain damage. 
The social effects of alcoholism can be as devastating as the physical effects. Children
of alcoholics may be affected by the parents alcoholism in several different ways. Having
a problem- drinker parent often increases the risk of becoming a problem drinker oneself.
This may happen for reasons such as identification with or imitation of the alcoholic
parent. It may also happen because of the social and family conditons that are thought to
be associated with the development of alcoholism. These include family conflict, job
insecurity, divorce, and social stigma.
Alcoholism is an outrageous public health problem. The Institute of Medicine of the
National Academy of Sciences estimates that alcoholism and alcohol abuse in the United
States cost society from $40 to $60 billion annually, due to the lost production, health
and medical care, motor vehicle accidents,violent crime, and social programs that respond
to alcohol problems. One half of all traffic fatalities and one-third of all traffic
injuries are related to to the abuse of alcohol (Caplan 266).
Accidents and suicides that are associated with alcohol problems are especially prominent
in the teen years. It is estimated that over 3 million teens between the ages of 14 and
17 in the United States today are problem drinkers. 
Alcoholism is a serious problem in today's society. It is extremely important that the
public, including the large groups of users and abusers of alcohol, gain as much
knowledge as possible about the symptoms and effects of alcoholism if we ever want to see
the reduction of statics involving fatalities, injuries, diseases caused from the use and
abuse of alcohol. Education and realization of the effects alcoholism can have on the
different aspects of a person's life are the best ways that we can help control the
number of alcoholics in the United States.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Caplan, Roberta. Alcoholism. Academic American Encyclopedia. 1992.
Gitlow, Stanley E., M.D. Alcoholism. New Book Of Knowledge. 1991.
Johnson, Vernon. Everything You Need To Know About Chemical Dependency: Vernon Johnson's
Guide For Families. Minneapolis: Johnson Institute, 1990.
McCarthy, Raymond G. Alcoholism. Collier's Encyclopedia. 1974