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Location: United Kingdom
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 Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:12 pm Post subject: Alcoholism |
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Alcoholic drinks have been prepared and drunk for thousands of years, and the problems that can accompany excess alcohol intake have undoubtedly been around just as long.
Friend or foe?
High levels of alcohol consumption can lead to physical illness and psychological and social distress. Alcohol has therefore always had an ambivalent position in society.
In moderation, it can be the oil that makes a social occasion go with a bit more flow or helps a shy person overcome their inhibitions.
Small, regular amounts of alcohol also seem to have a positive effect on the heart and circulation. But too much alcohol is often a recipe for disaster.
The increasing use of alcohol, along with other drugs of abuse, is a serious public health problem across all age ranges, but especially so in the young.
What is alcohol dependence?
Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence is a medical term with a deliberately more precise meaning than the problems that can occur, sometimes as one-offs, through an uncharacteristic binge.
In alcohol dependence a number of features come together in the behaviour of the person affected.
Drinking begins to take priority over other activities. It becomes a compulsion.
Tolerance develops, so it takes more alcohol to produce drunkenness.
Withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and tremor develop after a short period without a drink, and are reduced by taking more alcohol.
Often alcohol dependence remains undetected for years. Both the availability of alcohol and the way it is used (the social patterns) appear to be major factors in influencing the likelihood of a person becoming alcohol dependent.
There may also be a genetic component, because alcohol dependence clusters in some families. However, it’s hard to be sure that this is not because of learned behaviour.
What problems are caused by too much alcohol?
Excess alcohol can lead to health problems including:
depression
liver cirrhosis
heart failure
damage to the brain and nervous system.
Along the way there is often damage to relationships, finances and jobs and problems with the law.
Mental health and alcoholism
Mental health problems are common with alcoholism. Each can lead to or reinforce the other.
Depression is a common cause of alcoholism as the depressed person seeks a way out of their problems or a relief from insomnia. Unfortunately, alcohol is itself a depressant, so the problem is only compounded.
Anxiety can be temporarily relieved by alcohol, but this may lead to repeated intake and dependence.
Without adequate attention to the mental health needs of a person with alcohol dependence, little progress will be made. Often alcoholism remains unsuspected even by the doctor, and it may come to light only when medical tests are done for other reasons.
Treating alcoholism
The difficulty of treating alcoholism should not be minimised – it can be very hard, even with support from family, friends and your GP. However, there are a a number of steps you can take including not drinking alcohol on weekdays.
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