Causes Of Alcoholism

CAUSES OF ALCOHOLISM

The cause or causes of alcoholism have been theorized to be many different things at different times. The American Society of Addiction Medicine and the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence jointly define alcoholism as, "...a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations the disease is often progressive and fatal.

It is characterized by continuous or periodic impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial."

There is a variance among alcoholics: They have different drinking patterns (episodic, binge drinking, daily drinking, etc.), different choices of alcoholic beverages ("hard" liquor, wine, beer, etc.) and different quantities consumed (a "few sips," several six packs, a fifth a day, a few glasses of wine with dinner, etc.). Focus on the disease should not be on the differences but on the fact of uncontrolled drinking despite the consequences.

There are many "theories" of the cause of alcoholism. One theory, diminishing in popularity, is that alcoholism is a "moral weakness" -- that the alcoholic could stop drinking if he or she "would just use a little willpower."

Other theories regarding the cause of alcoholism include:

-- That anyone who drinks enough over a long period of time can become alcoholic.

-- That alcoholism is an environmental product, influenced by one's surroundings. There are areas of the country where drinking is much more acceptable than in other areas; and, therefore, more drinkers can be found there. There are also occupations which appear to attract heavy drinkers. These include popular musicians, poets, novelists, salesmen, career soldiers and sailors, and coal miners.

-- That alcoholism is caused by an individual's "allergy" to alcohol.

-- That this person metabolizes alcohol differently than others.

-- That it is caused by either a deficiency or excess of neurotransmitters in the chemical make up of the brain.

-- That the disease is genetically influenced. Research has made it increasingly clear that the genes people inherit can contribute to the development of alcoholism. In the last few years, studies have persuasively demonstrated that approximately one half of all alcoholic persons have inherited a genetic predisposition --or susceptibility--to the disease. Studies of twins and adoptees have shown that children who have a biological parent who is alcoholic are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than the children of non-alcoholics. For sons of alcoholic fathers, the risk is even higher. This is true regardless of the environment in which they are raised.

The disease of alcoholism may be compared to that of diabetes--while the individual is not responsible for developing the disease, he or she is responsible for carefully following a treatment program once they know they have it. As with other chronic diseases, the symptoms of alcoholism may "go away" with treatment, but the disease is still present in a controlled form. In other words, the disease is in remission as long as the alcoholic doesn't use alcohol. Although incurable and potentially fatal, it is important to remember that alcoholism is also among the most treatable of all chronic diseases.

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Alcoholism and alcohol abuse facts

• Alcohol abuse is a disease that is characterized by the sufferer having a pattern of drinking excessively despite the negative effects of alcohol on the individual's work, medical, legal, educational, and/or social life.

• Alcohol abuse affects about 10% of women and 20% of men in the United States, most beginning by their mid teens.

• Signs of alcohol intoxication include the smell of alcohol on the breath or skin, glazed or bloodshot eyes, the person being unusually passive or argumentative, and/or a deterioration in the person's appearance or hygiene.

• Almost 2,000 people under 21 years of age die each year in car crashes in which underage drinking is involved. Alcohol is involved in nearly half of all violent deaths involving teens.

• Alcoholism is a destructive pattern of alcohol use that includes a number of symptoms, including tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, using more alcohol and/or for a longer time than planned, and trouble reducing its use.

• Alcohol, especially when consumed in excess, can affect teens, women, men, and the elderly quite differently.

• Risk factors for developing a drinking problem include low self-esteem, depression, anxiety or another mood problem, as well as having parents with alcoholism.

• Alcohol dependence has no one single cause and is not directly passed from one generation to another genetically. Rather, it is the result of a complex group of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors.

• There is no one test that definitively indicates that someone has an alcohol-use disorder. Therefore, health-care practitioners diagnose these disorders by gathering comprehensive medical, family, and mental-health information.

• There are thought to be five stages of alcoholism.

• There are numerous individual treatments for alcoholism, including individual and group counseling, support groups, residential treatment, medications, drug testing, and/or relapse-prevention programs.

• Some signs of a drinking problem include drinking alone, to escape problems, or for the sole purpose of getting drunk; hiding alcohol in odd places; getting irritated when you are unable to obtain alcohol to drink; and having problems because of your drinking.

• While some people with alcohol dependence can cut back or stop drinking without help, most are only able to do so temporarily unless they get treatment.

• There is no amount of alcohol intake that has been proven to be generally safe during pregnancy.

• The long-term effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism can be devastating and even life threatening, negatively affecting virtually every organ system.

• Codependency is the tendency to interact with another person in an excessively passive or caretaking manner that negatively affects the quality of the codependent individual's life.

• Adequate supervision and clear communication by parents about the negative effects of alcohol and about parental expectations regarding alcohol and other drug use can significantly decrease alcohol use in teens.

• With treatment, about 70% of people with alcoholism are able to decrease the number of days they

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