Article Sphere Logo
 

Alcoholism - Causes and Effects

By Expert Author: Michael Russell Platinum Expert Author | Article Abstract
Word Count: 583 words | Views: 518 view(s)
Alcoholism is the inability to control or ignore a strong craving for alcohol. People suffering from alcoholism often find that they need the aid of alcohol to feel good or normal. They often crave alcohol, but this craving is much stronger than the occasional craving people have for certain foods. The craving for alcohol experienced by those suffering from alcoholism is often so severe that the individual feels they need alcohol as if it were food or water. They do not feel they can go a day, or in some extreme cases, an hour, without consuming alcohol.

Alcoholism is not characterized by the type of alcohol consumed or how much alcohol is needed to satisfy the craving. Alcoholism is characterized mostly by the loss of control. Alcoholics often build up a tolerance to alcohol over time. This means they need more and more alcohol to satisfy their need for it. As they consume more and more alcohol, serious health problems manifest themselves. Alcoholism also affects the sufferer psychologically, as well as physically.

Alcoholism differs from alcohol abuse in that a person who abuses alcohol does not display a loss of control over their drinking. An individual who abuses alcohol may act irresponsibly while under the influence. They may also put themselves and others in danger by driving or operating machinery while drinking. Relationships may suffer, as with alcoholism and work performance may become careless. While alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism, it can be a serious problem and should not be ignored.

There are many symptoms of alcoholism. Many of the symptoms of alcohol abuse are also displayed by those suffering from alcoholism. Some symptoms include drinking alone or secretly (hiding the fact that they are drinking), memory loss (also known as "blacking out"), ritually drinking at certain times during the day and becoming irritable when this ritual is disturbed, feeling the need to drink to feel normal, loss of interest in relationships or activities that were once enjoyed, experiencing financial, marital, or legal problems caused by drinking, building a tolerance to alcohol or experiencing withdrawal symptoms if alcohol is not available. These symptoms are just a few of the possible symptoms that could be displayed by alcoholics.

Studies show that some individuals are more likely to experience alcoholism at some point in their lives than others. For example, genetics can play a role in whether or not a person is likely to be drawn to alcohol. Often the children of alcoholics will have a higher risk of one day becoming an alcoholic themselves. Psychological problems also increase the risk for alcoholism. Individuals suffering from depression, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder and many other psychological disorders often turn to alcohol to make them feel better or ease their suffering. This often turns into a dependency.

There are many health problems that are caused by alcoholism. Alcoholism depresses the central nervous system. Over time, alcoholism can cause fatigue, paralysis of the muscles surrounding the eyes and short-term memory loss. Other, more life-threatening health problems caused by alcoholism include cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, sexual dysfunction and bone loss. Alcoholism also increases the risk of certain cancers, such as cancer of the esophagus, larynx, liver and colon. If left untreated, alcoholism can lead to death.
Michael Russell

About the Author/Author Bio

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to http://alcoholism-guided.com/">Alcoholism

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Alcoholism---Causes-and-Effects/61947

Article Tags: alcoholism

Article Submitted: 2006-12-06 | This Article has been viewed 518 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

Does Alcohol Cause Constipation?
The Risk of Alcohol Consumption
Daily Drinking and Liver Damage
Problems Related To Drinking
Addictions Start Because of an Inability to Accept Suffering as an Intimate
 

More "Alcoholism" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Alcoholism" article category.

People interested in the above article "Alcoholism - Causes and Effects" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
Choosing the right alcohol rehab center is an important step and choosing wisely and well can actually help sustain the decision for recovery and make the recovery itself more successful. Make the decision based on the cost factor, the location of the facility, the philosophy of care offered, after care duration and nature of post rehab program, etc.
It is not just a matter of where you lay your head to rest at night that makes outpatient alcohol rehab different from alcohol rehab center that offers inpatient facilities. With an inpatient facility one is required to commit to the program more totally; it offers a 24 x 7 residential facility that isolates an individual from the outside world. With an outpatient facility, one can actually carry on with their regular life in terms of work, school, family, etc.; it is part time so to speak.
The action of alcohol on the stomach is extremely dangerous that it becomes unable to produce the natural digestive fluid in sufficient quantity and also fails to absorb the food which it may imperfectly digest. A condition marked by the sense of nausea emptiness, prostration and distention will always be faced by an alcoholic.
Could you recognize the stages of alcoholism in yourself, your friends, or your family members? If you are concerned that someone you know has an alcohol problem, then just knowing the four alcoholism stages could enable you to help that person quit drinking, and may even help you save their life.
Someone you love may be an alcoholic, and you don’t even know it. But knowing the symptoms of alcoholism, and the warnings signs people with alcoholism exhibit, will go a long way towards helping you get them the help they need.
Alcohol has many side effects including altering your perceptions, dulling your senses, hindering coordination, and blocking memory functions. If you continue to use alcohol heavily, you could experience stomach ailments, sexual impotence, heart and central nervous system damage, loss of appetite, and blackouts.
2-4 per cent of all cancer cases are related to alcohol. Upper digestive tract cancers are the most common, hitting the esophagus, mouth, larynx, and pharynx. Women who drink prior to menopause are more likely to develop breast cancer. Your risk of skin cancer doubles if you drink slightly more than "moderate levels." Some studies implicate alcohol in colon, stomach, pancreas and lung cancer. And let's not forget the liver...
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Disease And Conditions Alcoholism
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish