Alcoholism Facts
Alcoholism is both a chemical and psychological addiction to liquor, beer, wine or spirits. It is a destructive addiction that must be understood in the framework of an illness. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 4.65% of the American population suffers from alcoholism.
Other People Are Reading
-
Characteristics of Alcoholism
-
Alcoholics drink to excess and have an actual chemical dependency on alcohol. Alcohol becomes the most important facet of their lives, and alcoholics will often sacrifice relationships, jobs and their health and sanity in order to drink. Alcoholics, just like drug addicts, experience withdrawal when they abstain from drinking.
Causes of Alcoholism
-
An individual's propensity to develop alcoholism is determined by many factors, including emotional distress, depression and genetic predisposition. Alcoholism often runs in families. Many people use alcoholism as an escape from the reality of life, only to develop a nightmarish dependence.
-
Diagnosis
-
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association, has a set of criteria to diagnose alcoholism, including tolerance to alcohol, symptoms of withdrawal and the persistent use of alcohol despite its obvious detrimental consequences to social interactions and profession.
Health Consquences
-
Alcohol is a drug that has detrimental effects if abused. Heavy, persistent drinking can eventually cause liver damage, diabetes, nervous system disorders, cognitive disorders, birth defects if taken when pregnant and an increased risk for multiple types of cancer, including throat and liver cancer.
Drug Treatments
-
Disulfiram, marketed under the name Antabuse, is a drug treatment that sensitizes users to alcohol, making the user experience extreme nausea and vomiting when he drinks. Antabuse is used as an alcohol deterrent. Vivitrol is a FDA-approved drug injected monthly that reduces the urge to drink.
Non-drug Treatments
-
There are many residential drug treatment programs that treat alcoholism, as well as out-patient resources such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous espouses a 12-step abstinence program that has been successful for thousands of alcoholics.
-
