Tolerance To Alcohol example essay topic

Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by a pathological pattern of alcohol use that causes a serious impairment in social or occupational functioning. The important thing to note is that alcoholism is not a lifestyle choice. It is a disease, an actual impairment of the body's health that prevents the person from functioning normally and causes not only pain tothe alcoholic but also to family and friends. A disease is medically defined as an alteration of the state of the body or some of its organs, interrupting or disturbing the performance of vital functions and causing or threatening pain or weakness. In the early stages, there are usually few outward signs of a problem. The victim functions normally most of the time but a few personality changes may be present: the inability to handle stress and increased conflict with family members.

While this is not necessarily indicative of an alcohol problem, additional signs will be present to others before they are accepted by the victim: an increase in the amount of alcohol required to achieve the same effect or buzz, lapses in memory or blackouts, a feeling that drinking pattern is getting out of control, and in the final stages, the victims unable to stop drinking for an lengthy period of time but derives little or no pleasure from the alcohol consumption. The most prevalent and pervasive symptom exhibited by the victim is that of denial: no problem exists. Chronic drinking and other related problem will be attributed to other causes. Family members may also be in denial and protect the victim (calling them in sick to work to cover for a hangover) or refuse to acknowledge destructive behavior. Some more in depth signs and symptoms include: placing excessive importance on the availability of alcohol, ensuring this availability strongly influences the person's choice of associates or activities. Alcohol comes to be used more as a mood changing drug than as a foodstuff or beverage served as a part of social custom or religious ritual.

Initially the alcoholic may demonstrate a high tolerance to alcohol, consuming morean d showing less adverse effects than others. The victim begins to drink against his or her own best interest, as alcohol comes to assume more importance than personal relationships, work, reputation, or even physical health. The person commonly loses control over drinking and is increasingly unable to predict how much alcohol will be consumed on a given occasion, or if the person is currently abstaining, when the drinking will resume again. Physical addiction to the drug may occur, sometimes eventually leading to drinking around the clock to avoid withdrawal or hangover symptoms. Tolerance to alcohol builds to both physical and psychological dependence after continued abuse. It causes dependence in much the same way as any other central nervous system depressant, such as a barbiturate.

This dependence is the first sign that the heavy drinker has developed a progressive problem that is now out of control. Tolerance is a physical sign and symptom that is inherited, not a personality factor such as low self-esteem or inferiority complex or other deep rooted psychological problem. Those with a low risk for alcoholism do not adapt well to the presence of alcohol in their brains. The reaction to the lack of tolerance is dysphoria, or a distributed mood, nausea, headache, maybe vomiting an general ill feeling that only gets worse with alcohol. The nonalcoholic actuality feels better as the alcohol leaves the body to there appears to belittle reinforcement to drink more alcohol. The alcoholic, on the other hand, feels better as the blood-alcohol level rises in the body and brain so thatthe motivation is to drink more.

Tolerance to alcohol or the lack of it appears to be inherited. Whether someone is likely or not to develop alcoholism appears to depend on whether he or she has the genes for developing alcoholism. The opposite may also be true; is someone lacks tolerance to alcohol, he or she probably will not develop alcoholism. Brain areas responsible for responding to alcohol with a positive feeling, reward, and attention may be determined by genetic makeup. Alcohol has direct toxic as well as sedative effects on the body, and failure to take care of nutritional and other physical needs during prolonged periods of time excessive drinking may further complicate matters. Advances cases often require hospitalization.

The effects of major organ systems are cumulative and include a wide range of digestive-system disorders such as ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, and cirrhosis of the liver. The central and peripheral nervous systems can be permanently damaged. Blackouts, hallucinations, and extreme tremors may occur. The latter symptoms are involved in the most serious alcohol withdrawal syndrome, delirium tremens, which can probe fatal despite prompt treatment. Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the United States. More than seven percent of the population ages 18 years and older- nearly 13.8 million Americans have problems with drinking, including 8.1 million who are alcoholic.

Almost three times as many men as women are problem drinkers, and prevalence is highest for both sexes in the 18 to 29 age group. About 43 percent of US adults have been exposed to alcoholism in the family. People who begin drinking before the age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at 21. Treatment of the illness increasingly recognizes alcoholism itself ast he primary problem needing attention, rather than regarding it as always secondary to another, underlying problem.

Specialized residential treatment facilities and separate units with in general or psychiatric hospitals are rapidly increasing in number. As the public becomes more aware of the nature of alcoholism, the social stigma attached to it decreases, alcoholics and their families tend to conceal it less, and diagnosis is not delayed as long. Earlier and better treatment has led to encouragingly high recovery rates. In addition to managing physical complications and withdrawal states, treatment involves individual counseling and group therapy techniques aimed at complete and comfortable abstinence from alcohol and other mood changing drugs of addiction. Such abstinence according to the best current evidence, is the desired goal, despite some highly controversial suggestions that a safe return to social drinking is possible. Addiction to other drugs, particularly to other tranquilizers and sedatives, poses a major hazard to alcoholics.

Antabuse, a drug that produces a violent intolerance for alcohol as long as the substance remains in the body, is sometimes used after withdrawal. Alcoholics Anonymous, a support group commonly used for those undergoing other treatment, in many cases helps alcoholics to recover without recourse to formal treatment.