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alcoholism1

alcoholism1 Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. Alcoholism is a complex disease with physical, social and psychological consequences, but it can be treated through detoxification and anti-anxiety drugs. What will be explained in this essay is basically the history of alcohol, signs of one possibly being an alcoholic, possibilities to why one becomes an alcoholic, and treatments for it. In the past, alcoholism was often viewed as a moral weakness or character flaw; it was thought that the person could stop drinking if he or she really wanted to. It wasn't until 1970, with the establishment of NIAAA and a national public education effort, that people began to understand and accept that alcoholism is a life-threatening, chronic disease involving psychological and physical dependence on alcohol. Based on the American Psychiatric Association's 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, NIAAA recognizes four signs of alcoholism: Loss of control over drinking. Alcoholics may intend to have two or three drinks, but before they know it, they are on their 10th. Continued use of alcohol despite social, medical, family, and work problems. Increased alcohol tolerance over time, (needing more alcohol to become intoxicated.) Withdrawal symptoms when alcoholics stop drinking after a period of heavy drinking. The symptoms include anxiety, agitation, increased blood pressure, and, in extreme cases, seizures. These symptoms may persist for several days. People do not need to have all four signs to be diagnosed as alcoholic. Those who have significant problems controlling their drinking and functioning in social situations because of alcohol may be considered alcoholics without the physical signs, tolerance and withdrawal. The APA manual distinguishes between alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The latter is a less severe problem; unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers do not develop physical withdrawal or compulsive alcohol use. However, like alcoholics, their drinking has negative health, economic and social effects. Both alcoholics and alcohol abusers need treatment, although the goals differ. In most cases of alcohol abuse, the goal is to limit drinking, while for alcoholism, it is to stop drinking altogether. Why some people become alcoholics remains a mystery, although most scientists now agree that a combination of genetic and environmental factors increases a person's vulnerability. Based on the results of Swedish adoption studies, some researchers divide alcoholism into two types. Type I, the most common, occurs in both men and women and is associated with adult-onset alcohol dependence. This form, also known as "milieu-limited" alcoholism, appears to be the result of "genetic predisposition and environmental provocation," according to NIAAA's 1991 publication Alcohol Research: Promise for the Decade--that is, the development of alcoholism in these cases is an interaction between inherited predisposition and the person's life situations. Type II, or male-limited, alcoholism, on the other hand, is due mainly to genetics. It occurs only in men, usually with early onset in the teen years, and is more difficult to treat. Type II alcoholics tend to exhibit antisocial, aggressive behavior. A study in a 1992 Journal of Studies on Alcohol (Volume 53, Number 2) suggests there may be a third type similar to Type II but without the antisocial behavior. People often realize a friend or family member has alcoholism through the consequences of drinking, such as arrests for drunk driving or problems at work, including chronic absenteeism. Alcoholics' spouses may demand they leave the house. Later in the disease, they may be hospitalized for liver disease or pancreatitis. Denial of these and other negative effects of alcohol in their lives is common in alcoholics and those close to them, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. But sometimes the negative occurrences can serve as a catalyst for getting the alcoholic into treatment. More usually, an ultimatum from the spouse or other family member, boss, doctor, or judge is the driving force. For some alcoholics, treatment begins with "detoxification"; this is a medical management of acute alcohol withdrawal. This can be done in the hospital or on an outpatient basis and usually lasts one to seven days. FDA has approved two anti-anxiety drugs, Valium (diazepam) and Librium (chlordiazepoxide), for treating alcohol withdrawal effects. Some doctors also prescribe other drugs in the same chemical class, also approved to treat anxiety. These drugs help decrease the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, including anxiety and tremors, and reduce the risk of serious consequences of withdrawal, such as seizure and delirium. Dosages are based on the severity of patients' symptoms. Use of these drugs beyond the withdrawal phase is not advised for alcoholics because of the drugs' abuse potential and alcoholics' addictive inclination. Because heavy drinking often results in nutritional deficiencies, vitamins, particularly thiamin and other B vitamins, also may be given. Once sober, patients can begin rehabilitation. Many enroll in hospital-based or freestanding alcoholism treatment centers. According to a 1991 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 575,000 people were treated in 8,298 facilities in the United States on Sept. 30, 1991. Of those, 12 percent were treated as inpatients, 88 percent as outpatients. While enrolled, patients attend classes, hear lectures, and participate in individual, group and family counseling sessions. The activities aim to educate patients about alcoholism, help them recognize that they have the disease, and help them adjust to a life without alcohol. Patients often are introduced to self-help groups, such as AA. Family members often get involved, too, and may be referred to Al-Anon, a self-help group for family members of alcoholics. Following this intensive program, patients are often encouraged to continue with some type of aftercare program for at least one year. This might include AA, individual or group psychotherapy, or a center-sponsored program that continues on a smaller scale the same type of activities offered during the intensive treatment. For example, at an addiction treatment center in Bethesda, Md., aftercare consists of a 15-week program, in which participants meet twice a week for one hour. They hear lectures and participate in group therapy. This is followed by ongoing group therapy of up to one year for patients with a history of relapse. "This is a powerful enough disease that a great number of people are going to drink one more time, at least," said Larry Goodwin, a licensed social worker and director of the Addiction Treatment Center at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, Md. "And sometimes that's a necessary part because they find out, 'I don't like the results. I've tried it again, and the experts are right.'"( Clemments 17-18) Though treatments are helping make controlling alcoholism easier, a cure is more elusive. The disease is so complex, said Richard Fuller, M.D., director of NIAAA's division of clinical and prevention research, that it may be unlikely one single drug to treat alcoholism will be discovered. Instead, he said, research will continue to focus on finding drugs that can treat various aspects of alcoholism. "I really see alcoholism as a chronic relapsing disease, like arthritis," he said. "And just as with arthritis, in which various inflammatory agents can be used to treat an acute episode, there will be more drugs developed to help alcoholics get and stay on the road to recovery." (Schuckit 60) What is sad to say is that alcohol is a disease that people truly bring upon themselves. Everyone knows and have most likely been taught that alcohol does harm to the body and kills. It has been proven to be addicting and it also has the capability to cause other diseases. Many people die as a result of it, but people still drink like nothing will happen to them. There may be treatments for it, but there shouldn�t have to be. The certain treatments that are being done, I agree with. They are a good way to keep alcoholics away from what they do best (drinking), and lead to a better path. Not only are they harming themselves, they are in many cases, putting others lives in danger. Bibliography:

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