Introduction

Alcoho
lism in
our
society

It is not a disease is addiction, which consists in having a strong need to drink

ethyl alcohol, in a way that there is a physical dependence of it, expressed
through some withdrawal symptoms when their use is not possible. The
alcoholic has no control over the boundaries of their consumption and often go
over time raise their degree of tolerance to alcohol. So far there is a known
common cause of this addiction, although several factors may play an important
role in its development and evidence shows that who has a parent with
alcoholism is more likely to get this disease, one may be stress or problems that
the person who drinks it. This may be due, more to the environment social,
family or advertising campaigns, to the presence of certain patterns that could
increase the risk of alcoholism. Some other factors associated with this
condition are the need to relieve anxiety, conflict in relationships, depression,
low self-esteem, ease of getting alcohol and social acceptance of alcohol
consumption.

Development of the topic

It is a serious health risk that often involves the risk of premature death as a
result of type conditions liver such as liver cirrhosis, internal bleeding, alcohol
poisoning, hepatocellular carcinoma, accidents or suicide. Alcoholism is not
fixed by the amount ingested in a certain period of time: people affected by this
disease can follow very different behavioral patterns, there are both alcoholics
that they consume on a daily basis, and alcohol they drink weekly, monthly, or

without a fixed periodicity. While the degenerative process tends to shorten the
time between each intake. Prolonged and excessive consumption of this
substance is forcing the Agency to require increasing amounts to feel the same
effects, this is called "increased tolerance" and triggers an Adaptive mechanism
of the body until it reaches a limit in which reverses the alleged resistance and
then "assimilates less", that tolerate more alcohol is itself a risk of
alcoholization.

Alcoholism,

unlike

simple

excessive

or

irresponsible

consumption of alcohol, has been considered in the past a symptom of social or

psychological stress, or a learned and maladjusted behaviour. Alcoholism has
come to be defined recently, and perhaps most successful as a complex
disease itself, with all its consequences. It develops over years. The first
symptoms, very subtle, include concern the availability of alcohol, which
powerfully influences the choice by the patient of their friendships or activities.
Alcohol is considered increasingly as a drug that alters mood, and less as a part
of food, a social custom or a religious rite. Alcohol chemistry allows you to affect
almost every type of cell in the body, including those in the central nervous
system. In the brain, alcohol interacts with other desirable sensations and
pleasure centers; After prolonged exposure to alcohol, the brain adapts to the
changes that produces alcohol and becomes dependent on it. For people with
alcoholism, drinking has become the primary means by which it can be treated
with people, work and their lives. Alcohol dominates their thoughts, emotions
and actions. The severity of this disease is influenced by factors such as
genetics, psychology, culture, and physical pain. Alcohol causes many
psychological and physiological problems in heavy drinkers and light drinkers
alike. A few well-known consequences of alcohol on the brain and body have

been proven. This includes: cognitive mood and memory disturbances, injury to
the gastrointestinal and intestinal tracts, and injury to cardiovascular, pulmonary,
endocrine and integumentary systems to name a few. Alcohol has an adverse
effect on almost all of the bodys normal functions. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a
growing problem. Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs when expectant mothers drink
during pregnancy. This condition afflicts over 5,000 infants a year causing
mental retardation, constant confusion, withdrawal after delivery, and many
visible physical defects. Cirrhosis of the liver is the most common alcohol
related health problem. Approximately 10,000 to 24,000 deaths from cirrhosis
are attributable to excessive alcohol consumption each year. When a person is
deep in alcohol addiction, psychological problems begin to be apparent. Three
main problems are blackouts, repression and euphoric recall. All of these
deeply affect the memory system making the alcoholic believe even stronger
that they have no problem. However, despite all of these alcohol related health
disasters that are publicly acknowledged, people continue to take drinking to the
extremes. There are two basic types of alcoholics, those who inherit a
predisposition to compulsive drinking, and those who develop a problem from
long-continued stress or long-term social drinking. In either case, brain wave
patterns and brain chemistry are abnormal. These abnormalities lead to the
symptoms and characteristics of alcoholism, which vary from person to person.
The American Psychiatric Association recognizes early symptoms as:
restlessness, anxiety, stubbornness and anger. This drives the person to selfdestructive and anti-social behavior. The outer phenomenology of an alcoholic
provides an image of a defiant, overconfident, exuberant and independent
personality; behind which is a victim who feels inferior, depressed, dependant,

helpless and worthless. Even though the alcoholic realizes the danger, the
short-term rewards are so great and the urge so powerful that the drinking habit
must be protected, and adverse effects denied. Since alcoholics can portray
there is no problem, it is often difficult to spot a person in trouble. There are
many methods of treatment for alcoholics to use to try to kick their habit. One
approach is Alcoholics Anonymous or AA. AA is a twelve-step program designed
to make the person realize their problem, and also allow them to talk to others
with the same addiction problem. Treatment of alcoholism is best done in
groups and twelve step programs where an individual can relate to those in a
similar situation. Other approaches include treating the patient with drugs.
These drugs deter withdrawal symptoms such as cramps, hallucinations, and
frustration. Many conventional programs use drugs like Valium or Librium to
offset withdrawal from alcohol. However, later on patients must be weaned off of
the fore-mentioned drugs, many times causing a relapse into alcoholism. The
most effective way to deal with alcoholism is prevention. Scientists think that
genetic factors may make some people drink too much. Alcoholism might also
be caused by an imbalance in the chemicals in the brain. If people are very
stressed, or very anxious, or hurt emotionally, they may start drinking too much.
If people are depressed or do not feel good about themselves, they may drink
because it makes them feel better. People sometimes drink too much because
their friend or their husband or wife drink too much and they don't want to be left
out. Some people think it is glamorous to drink because all the ads and
television and the movies make it look like something exciting and fun to do.
Doctors and scientists have shown that you do not have to drink heavily to be
an alcoholic. The most severe forms of alcoholism are called alcohol

dependence. People who drink less are said to have an alcohol abuse problem
and this can mean they just drink moderate amounts. Each individual who
develops a dependence on alcohol is different, according to the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Alcoholics develop a strong
urge to drink even though they know that drinking is causing problems in their
lives. They cannot stop drinking once they start. They become physically
dependent on alcohol: their body needs it. If they stop drinking, they get very
unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, sweating, anxiety, and shakiness.
Alcoholics develop a tolerance for alcohol: that is, they need more and more
alcohol each time to produce the same amount of drunkenness. The
disabilities caused by alcohol last a lifetime and therefore completely change
the life of any person and those people who will take care of him. Some people
start being exposed to alcohol during their fetal development and therefore
suffer throughout their whole lives sometimes not even having a small hope to
find their places in the world and not being even comparatively independent.
They cannot concentrate, talk too much and are not capable of making proper
decisions. Such people are completely helpless and unprotected. The outcomes
of alcohol abuse for the body are severe. Alcohol or sometimes called ethanol is
a volatile liquid can easily burn oxidizes and is composed of oxygen, hydrogen
and carbon, having the formula of C2H5OH. Alcohol influenced the whole
human body, even including the central nervous system and the brain of a man.
After the process of drinking alcohol people start feeling pleasure and more
open to the outer world.

Nevertheless, even though the person feels

comfortable and more self-confident the most dangerous thing is often forgotten
alcohols side effects. If a person drinks large amounts of alcohol in a very small

period of time it may result in the persons brain being suppressed by the
chemicals and lead to a fatality. If the amount of alcohol in a human body is
exceeding a person can die in his sleep, because the body will not have enough
resources to cope with the suppression. It is also extremely dangerous to
combine alcohol with other chemical substances. The changes that occur in the
human organism for the reason of alcohol abuse are terrible. The whole body is
damaged and the person stops being able to either move and think properly.
The effect of alcohol throughout the period of humans life is immense and even
the lesser amount of alcohol may cause some changes. These destructive
processes, which occur inside the organism, cause irreparable damage that it
made on the genetic level. Very often it is said that alcohol heavy drinkers look
the same. This happens because in the first place all of them experience
problems with their skin. As the vessels of the skin widen, the blood flow to the
persons face become more intensive. This is the reason people who drink
alcohol have a flushed skin color and constantly feel that they are hot. Alcohol
also often causes serious weight problem. As a fact, alcohol prevents people
from consuming healthy food on a regular basis and it direct influences the
heart of a drinker. This is one of the primary reasons why people who prefer to
drink alcohol can experience a heart failure. Another part of the body that is
directly damaged by alcohol is the liver. This is primarily due to the fact that it is
liver that works the most to clean the organism from the chemicals in alcohol.
When alcohol get to the blood of a person rather often, the blood in its turn
damages the process of functioning of the liver cells and some of them start
dying. The majority of people do not keep in mind the fact that even a one-time
alcohol abuse makes the liver cells die, but it is the body of the person, who is

not an alcohol heavy drinker, still has time to recuperate from the damage. In
case the person drinks alcohol on a regular base the liver becomes weaker and
weaker from day to day.

Conclusion
Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. While it carries connotations of pleasure
and sociability in the minds of many, harmful consequences of its use are
diverse and widespread. From a global perspective, in order to reduce the harm
caused by alcohol, policies need to take into account specific situations in
different societies. Average volumes consumed and patterns of drinking are two
dimensions of alcohol consumption that need to be considered in efforts to
reduce the burden of alcohol-related problems. Avoiding the combination of
drinking and driving is an example of measures that can reduce the health
burden of alcohol. National monitoring systems need to be developed to keep
track of alcohol consumption and its consequences, and to raise awareness
amongst the public and policy-makers. It is up to both governments and
concerned citizens to encourage debate and formulate effective public health
policies that minimize the harm caused by alcohol.