Alcohol Addiction Research Paper
Alcohol Addiction
Laurie Evans
COM/156
August 4, 2013
Alcohol Addiction Is alcoholism a disease of addiction? This is the question you will find answers to in the following paper. Let’s start by defining what a disease is. A disease can be defined as any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of mind or society. Alcoholism can be defined as a disease because if one consumes more than the recommended amount you can have memory loss, become violent, and in some cases become depraved. Alcoholism isn’t an ordinary disease that you can go to the doctor and have checked out, and get a cure for with a simple pill. This sort of disease manifests itself over the course of time and often goes under the radar; sometimes even the family …show more content…
members are not able to realize the main problem.
Alcohols leading issue is the compulsion to consume something that does more harm and helps you escape from reality and more commonly your problems. The problem with this disease is it is powered by an addiction, which is a state of enslavement to a habit that is psychologically or physically habit-forming to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. Sometimes this problem that one has can go undetected for many years without anyone knowing. This is a direct result of adjusting to one 's environment, whether it is in the life of the alcoholic or the life of their family members. Alcoholism is a very serious problem that can affect one mentally, physically, emotionally, and will also disrupt the family dynamics as far as family roles go.
Alcoholism can be defined many ways; it is excessive and repetitive drinking of alcoholic beverages to the extent that the drinker is repeatedly harmed or harms others. (Encylopaedia Britannica, 2013 para. 1) The harm may be social, legal or financial and it may be physical or mental. Some clinicians would say, the excessive use of alcohol is marked by a compulsive nature brought out by their diminished voluntary …show more content…
control. Alcoholism is therefore, viewed by many as an addiction and a disease. However, if you ask the members of AA, they would say, the themes are the same: it costs you more than the cost of a drink, it hurts others around you, and you cannot stop at one. (Watt, 2009 D3) Another definition would be it is a physical compulsion with a mental obsession. An alcoholic is a person who drinks too much, while alcoholism is the illness. Another way of saying that would be, the alcoholic suffers from alcoholism. However, the simplest and best way of defining an alcoholic would be to say alcoholism is a disease caused by chronic excessive drinking. You now have a clear definition of alcoholism and may be asking yourself, “what about the causes”? Here are a few of the possible causes of alcoholism; heredity, peer influence, cultural influences, availability, occupation and certain coexisting psychiatric conditions. There are a few psychiatric conditions that increase the risk of alcoholism, such as, attention deficit disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and especially anti social disorder. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, some lifetime studies have shown that some of the theories of alcoholism were incorrect because they confused the cause with the association. (Encylopaedia Britannica, 2013 para. 8) For example, alcoholism is associated with, but not caused by growing up in a house with alcoholic parents. It is also associated with depression, self-indulgence, poverty and childhood neglect however; it is not caused by any of these associations. The excessive users of alcohol suffer in varying degrees by acute and chronic diseases. One acute condition known as the alcohol – withdrawal syndrome varies in degrees of debilitation. The most common ailment is known as the hangover, which consists of a general feeling of discomfort, severe headache and nausea. However, if the alcoholic goes through a prolonged bout of drunkenness, he/she may have severe withdrawal symptoms, such as a loss of appetite or inability to retain food, restlessness, sleep disturbances, tremulousness, seizures, or an electrolyte imbalance. In severe alcohol withdrawal, usually within the first 48 hours, it is common for the sufferer to have seizures, hallucinations, (these can be both auditory or visual) disorientation and mental clouding. If the alcoholic does not get proper nutrition, it could lead to Wernicke disease. This is a direct result of a thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency and means they would have a clouding of consciousness and abnormal eye movements. Many of the chronic diseases are brought on by poor nutrition over prolonged periods of time. They include, beriberi heart disease, which results in long term thiamin deficiency, Pellagra is from a niacin deficiency and scurvy from vitamin C deficiency. The most common disease associated with alcoholism is cirrhosis of the liver. The cause has not been determined, however, it is possibly caused by genetics, poor nutrition, or the constant strain of breaking down excessive amounts of alcohol. Besides medical disorders, there are also psychological and social disorders belonging to the alcoholic. Between these two disorders, there are compulsive self-destructive uses of alcohol, depression, anxiety, emotional instability, and impaired cognitive function for the psychological disorders and for the social disorders, there are child and spousal abuse, sexual offenses, petty crimes and divorce. Homelessness, homicide and unemployment are more common among alcoholics than a nonalcoholic person. So far, we have discussed alcoholism as a disease, which it is however; it is also a family’s disease. It is important for the family to understand, they are not responsible for the drinkers problem. Some family members feel the need to hide the problem or help the alcoholic to cover up the problem from other people. This only leads to dysfunctional family roles, which confuses the child’s perception of what is appropriate in regard to drinking alcohol. Children of alcoholics will try to bring structure and safety to their home although in reality it is the complete opposite. They do this by taking on different roles within the family unit in order to adapt to their environment. Some of the different roles are “the overly responsible one”. This child will become the parent; they will look fine in all outward appearances because that is how they want their world to be. They have numerous characteristics such as, goal-oriented behavior, and they will struggle with asking for help. The next one is “the placater”. The placater is a very kind and caring child who takes one the emotional responsibility to the family. However, they are emotionally closed off to their own feelings because they are taking care of everyone else’s. Then there is “the adjuster”. The adjuster says nothing is wrong; they will do anything to avoid drawing attention to their self. They are flexible but very withdrawn emotionally. The final role is “the scapegoat”. The scapegoat will act out and does not have any trouble letting any one know there is a problem. They are closer to seeing the truth of the situation, however, they will question authority, can be exceptionally angry and have a more difficult time entering into mainstream society. (Hevey, 2010) Of these four roles, many will be able to identify with more than one. It is important for the children to understand, alcoholism is hereditary, and they are more likely to develop a chemical dependency with drugs or alcohol than other children of a non-alcoholic parent. Other problems, they may experience as an adult are depression, relationships, parenting or being able to be positive about their own personal accomplishments.
Where alcoholism isn’t the same disease as cancer, it still can be considered a disease.
It is one that infects your mind, and often creeps into your life incognito. This is a disease that can only be cured when the person who suffers the most wants to change. This is a personal struggle as most of who suffer don’t see a problem with their lifestyle and refuse to change when “there isn’t a problem”. When they finally come to the realization that they have a problem the most important thing that we can do for them is to show our support and never give up the hope that they can overcome a battle as hard as alcoholism. The only thing that one can do to help them is to be patient; support them in trying to change, and to be there for them when they begin the journey to recovery. It is a long and difficult journey, but it can be overcome. The road to recovery can be made a little easier with the support of others willing to help them. Many recovering addicts go to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), they help remind each other that they may always struggle with alcohol, but together they can help each other get through the hard times. They also have a 12 step program that helps them and others around them to see just how far they have come in overcoming their life long battle with alcohol. Life is full of struggles everyday, and we choose what we will do with ourselves each day. It is our conscious decision to make a change when there is a something that we don’t like in our lives. It is
also our decision to stick to what we have decided to do. Only we can direct our lives to where we would like to be. Surround yourself with people who want to help you better yourself.
References Encylopaedia Britannica. (2013). alcoholism. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13448/alcoholism Hevey, M. (2010, May 10). Alcoholism & its Effects on the Family. Retrieved from http://health.uml.edu/thc/HealthIssues/AlcoholimFamilyEffects/defaulthtml#familyeffects Watt, E. (2009, Oct 3). Last order is the toughest call; WHAT IS AN ALCOHOLIC; THE TWELVE STEPS. Dominion Post, page D3. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/338429170?accountid=458
References
Encylopaedia Britannica. (2013). alcoholism. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13448/alcoholism
Hevey, M. (2010, May 10). Alcoholism & its Effects on the Family. Retrieved from http://health.uml.edu/thc/HealthIssues/AlcoholimFamilyEffects/defaulthtml#familyeffects
Watt, E. (2009, Oct 3). Last order is the toughest call; WHAT IS AN ALCOHOLIC; THE TWELVE STEPS. Dominion Post, page D3. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/338429170?accountid=458
Laurie Evans
COM/156
August 4, 2013
Alcohol Addiction Is alcoholism a disease of addiction? This is the question you will find answers to in the following paper. Let’s start by defining what a disease is. A disease can be defined as any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of mind or society. Alcoholism can be defined as a disease because if one consumes more than the recommended amount you can have memory loss, become violent, and in some cases become depraved. Alcoholism isn’t an ordinary disease that you can go to the doctor and have checked out, and get a cure for with a simple pill. This sort of disease manifests itself over the course of time and often goes under the radar; sometimes even the family …show more content…
members are not able to realize the main problem.
Alcohols leading issue is the compulsion to consume something that does more harm and helps you escape from reality and more commonly your problems. The problem with this disease is it is powered by an addiction, which is a state of enslavement to a habit that is psychologically or physically habit-forming to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. Sometimes this problem that one has can go undetected for many years without anyone knowing. This is a direct result of adjusting to one 's environment, whether it is in the life of the alcoholic or the life of their family members. Alcoholism is a very serious problem that can affect one mentally, physically, emotionally, and will also disrupt the family dynamics as far as family roles go.
Alcoholism can be defined many ways; it is excessive and repetitive drinking of alcoholic beverages to the extent that the drinker is repeatedly harmed or harms others. (Encylopaedia Britannica, 2013 para. 1) The harm may be social, legal or financial and it may be physical or mental. Some clinicians would say, the excessive use of alcohol is marked by a compulsive nature brought out by their diminished voluntary …show more content…
control. Alcoholism is therefore, viewed by many as an addiction and a disease. However, if you ask the members of AA, they would say, the themes are the same: it costs you more than the cost of a drink, it hurts others around you, and you cannot stop at one. (Watt, 2009 D3) Another definition would be it is a physical compulsion with a mental obsession. An alcoholic is a person who drinks too much, while alcoholism is the illness. Another way of saying that would be, the alcoholic suffers from alcoholism. However, the simplest and best way of defining an alcoholic would be to say alcoholism is a disease caused by chronic excessive drinking. You now have a clear definition of alcoholism and may be asking yourself, “what about the causes”? Here are a few of the possible causes of alcoholism; heredity, peer influence, cultural influences, availability, occupation and certain coexisting psychiatric conditions. There are a few psychiatric conditions that increase the risk of alcoholism, such as, attention deficit disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and especially anti social disorder. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, some lifetime studies have shown that some of the theories of alcoholism were incorrect because they confused the cause with the association. (Encylopaedia Britannica, 2013 para. 8) For example, alcoholism is associated with, but not caused by growing up in a house with alcoholic parents. It is also associated with depression, self-indulgence, poverty and childhood neglect however; it is not caused by any of these associations. The excessive users of alcohol suffer in varying degrees by acute and chronic diseases. One acute condition known as the alcohol – withdrawal syndrome varies in degrees of debilitation. The most common ailment is known as the hangover, which consists of a general feeling of discomfort, severe headache and nausea. However, if the alcoholic goes through a prolonged bout of drunkenness, he/she may have severe withdrawal symptoms, such as a loss of appetite or inability to retain food, restlessness, sleep disturbances, tremulousness, seizures, or an electrolyte imbalance. In severe alcohol withdrawal, usually within the first 48 hours, it is common for the sufferer to have seizures, hallucinations, (these can be both auditory or visual) disorientation and mental clouding. If the alcoholic does not get proper nutrition, it could lead to Wernicke disease. This is a direct result of a thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency and means they would have a clouding of consciousness and abnormal eye movements. Many of the chronic diseases are brought on by poor nutrition over prolonged periods of time. They include, beriberi heart disease, which results in long term thiamin deficiency, Pellagra is from a niacin deficiency and scurvy from vitamin C deficiency. The most common disease associated with alcoholism is cirrhosis of the liver. The cause has not been determined, however, it is possibly caused by genetics, poor nutrition, or the constant strain of breaking down excessive amounts of alcohol. Besides medical disorders, there are also psychological and social disorders belonging to the alcoholic. Between these two disorders, there are compulsive self-destructive uses of alcohol, depression, anxiety, emotional instability, and impaired cognitive function for the psychological disorders and for the social disorders, there are child and spousal abuse, sexual offenses, petty crimes and divorce. Homelessness, homicide and unemployment are more common among alcoholics than a nonalcoholic person. So far, we have discussed alcoholism as a disease, which it is however; it is also a family’s disease. It is important for the family to understand, they are not responsible for the drinkers problem. Some family members feel the need to hide the problem or help the alcoholic to cover up the problem from other people. This only leads to dysfunctional family roles, which confuses the child’s perception of what is appropriate in regard to drinking alcohol. Children of alcoholics will try to bring structure and safety to their home although in reality it is the complete opposite. They do this by taking on different roles within the family unit in order to adapt to their environment. Some of the different roles are “the overly responsible one”. This child will become the parent; they will look fine in all outward appearances because that is how they want their world to be. They have numerous characteristics such as, goal-oriented behavior, and they will struggle with asking for help. The next one is “the placater”. The placater is a very kind and caring child who takes one the emotional responsibility to the family. However, they are emotionally closed off to their own feelings because they are taking care of everyone else’s. Then there is “the adjuster”. The adjuster says nothing is wrong; they will do anything to avoid drawing attention to their self. They are flexible but very withdrawn emotionally. The final role is “the scapegoat”. The scapegoat will act out and does not have any trouble letting any one know there is a problem. They are closer to seeing the truth of the situation, however, they will question authority, can be exceptionally angry and have a more difficult time entering into mainstream society. (Hevey, 2010) Of these four roles, many will be able to identify with more than one. It is important for the children to understand, alcoholism is hereditary, and they are more likely to develop a chemical dependency with drugs or alcohol than other children of a non-alcoholic parent. Other problems, they may experience as an adult are depression, relationships, parenting or being able to be positive about their own personal accomplishments.
Where alcoholism isn’t the same disease as cancer, it still can be considered a disease.
It is one that infects your mind, and often creeps into your life incognito. This is a disease that can only be cured when the person who suffers the most wants to change. This is a personal struggle as most of who suffer don’t see a problem with their lifestyle and refuse to change when “there isn’t a problem”. When they finally come to the realization that they have a problem the most important thing that we can do for them is to show our support and never give up the hope that they can overcome a battle as hard as alcoholism. The only thing that one can do to help them is to be patient; support them in trying to change, and to be there for them when they begin the journey to recovery. It is a long and difficult journey, but it can be overcome. The road to recovery can be made a little easier with the support of others willing to help them. Many recovering addicts go to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), they help remind each other that they may always struggle with alcohol, but together they can help each other get through the hard times. They also have a 12 step program that helps them and others around them to see just how far they have come in overcoming their life long battle with alcohol. Life is full of struggles everyday, and we choose what we will do with ourselves each day. It is our conscious decision to make a change when there is a something that we don’t like in our lives. It is
also our decision to stick to what we have decided to do. Only we can direct our lives to where we would like to be. Surround yourself with people who want to help you better yourself.
References Encylopaedia Britannica. (2013). alcoholism. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13448/alcoholism Hevey, M. (2010, May 10). Alcoholism & its Effects on the Family. Retrieved from http://health.uml.edu/thc/HealthIssues/AlcoholimFamilyEffects/defaulthtml#familyeffects Watt, E. (2009, Oct 3). Last order is the toughest call; WHAT IS AN ALCOHOLIC; THE TWELVE STEPS. Dominion Post, page D3. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/338429170?accountid=458
References
Encylopaedia Britannica. (2013). alcoholism. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13448/alcoholism
Hevey, M. (2010, May 10). Alcoholism & its Effects on the Family. Retrieved from http://health.uml.edu/thc/HealthIssues/AlcoholimFamilyEffects/defaulthtml#familyeffects
Watt, E. (2009, Oct 3). Last order is the toughest call; WHAT IS AN ALCOHOLIC; THE TWELVE STEPS. Dominion Post, page D3. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/338429170?accountid=458