Response to an article on alcoholism - Essay Example

Dowshen (2009) suggests that alcohol acts as a depressant because it slows down the functioning of the central nervous system by obstructing or blocking messages that are communicated to the brain. This blockage has the effect of altering perceptions, emotions, and vision, movement and hearing abilities of an individual. Although Dowshen argues that alcohol when taken in small quantities helps a person to have a feeling of relaxation and less anxiety, when taken in huge amounts it causes big changes in the brain that results in intoxification.

This is whereby a person, who has over consumed alcohol staggers, loses coordination and is slur in speech with a probability of being confused and disoriented. The person might think that they are okay but they may not be because they might be slow in reaction and out of their character. In addition, when alcohol is consumed in a short period in huge amounts, it can result to poisoning commonly referred to as alcohol poisoning. In this stage, the body is poisoned by alcohol such that it is induced to vomit, sleepiness, breathing difficulties, low blood sugar, seizures and unconsciousness.

Zieve et al describes alcoholism as when an individual has or shows “signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continues to drink despite physical and mental health threats and social problems or job responsibilities” (2). Research worldwide indicates that alcoholism is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in the society today. Alcohol addiction therefore occurs when a person’s body becomes dependent on alcohol and the body builds tolerance to alcohol, which results, to the person taking a larger dose of alcohol than before, to get the same effect.

A person who is addicted to alcohol is therefore referred to as an alcoholic and therefore, alcoholism is the disease of alcohol addiction and it is chronic. The article