Alcohol's Mental and Physical Effects - Essay Example

Alcohols mental and physical effects Introduction: Consumption of alcohol is a wide spread social trend as well as an evil which has penetrated the social fabric and is imbibed into social customs, since times immemorial. Although a drink or two is presumably perceived to be harmless, addition to alcohol may cause long lasting negative impact on an individual’s physical and mental health. The consequences and repercussions of alcohol consumptions can be analyzed from various perspectives, to understand and assess the extent of damage it can cause. The consumption of alcohol not only tends to harm the individual consuming it, but also those around them, thus, disrupting their social relationships in the process. Various studies have been conducted in the past to assess and examine the impact of alcohol on an individuals well-being with varying results. There are various external as well as internal influences which trigger such a habit. These influences include social, cultural, mental, or political influences. It is the interplay of all such external as well as internal factors which determine the degree and extent of addiction to alcohol. According to the psychological perspective, dependence on alcohol indicates a response to various external factors and situations. This paper seeks to discuss the effects of alcohol on the mental and physical well-being of individuals and analyze the same with regard to three key psychological perspectives namely; the Cognitive perspective; the Socio cultural perspective and the Biopsychological perspective. Impact of alcohol – the Cognitive perspective: The cognitive perspective is a modern psychological perspective which focuses on the manner in which factors such as intelligence; memory, problem solving; learning etc are influenced. According to this theory, the reliance on alcohol and other similar addictive substances is perceived as a "learned" behavior which is acquired through experience and observation. For instance, if the repeated consumption of alcohol leads to positive outcomes such as reduction in stress levels, or feelings of inner peace, it becomes the preferred means of dealing with negative emotions. According to research, reliance on alcohol is strongly associated with a series of factors such as reduced cognitive abilities with regard to working memory; conditional associative learning and the individuals’ intelligence levels (Aytaclar, Tarter, Kirisci, & Lu, 1999; Finn & Hall, 2004; Harden & Pihl, 1995; Pihl, Peterson, & Finn, 1990; Poon, Ellis, Fitzgerald, & Zucker, 2000). Any setbacks suffered with regard to such key factors associated with individual’s cognitive ability or functioning, leads to an uninhibited response or behavior (Finn, 2002; Finn & Hall, 2004; Giancola, Zeichner, Yarnell, & Dickenson, 1996; Harden & Pihl, 1995). It has been clearly established that there is a direct relationship between the alcohol and cognitive functioning of individuals, as it is due to internal and external cognitive factors that leads to an individual’s dependence on alcohol abuse. Various studies have been conducted in the past to analyze and understand the relationship between external stimuli / factors and the cognitive ability of individuals however, not many of them have focused explicitly on the study of these external factors and cognitive ability with regard to alcohol dependence. The same has been addressed in one of the recent studies conducted by Finn et al (2009) on the "Reduced cognitive ability in alcohol dependence: examining the role of covarying externalizing psychopathology" which aimed at studying the influence of alcohol on cognitive abilities. Impact of Alcohol – the Sociocultural perspective: The socio cultural perspective of psychology studies the impact of social and cultural influences on the individuals behavior. This includes the influence of factors such as age, gender, race, lifestyle, income, etc. as they play a major role in influencing and shaping our actions. This perspective helps in understanding the role socio cultural factors play in accentuating a certain type of behavior by intoxicated men. Consumption of alcohol is closely associated with violence. Several studies have focused on the manner in which alcohol abuse, almost invariably culminates into partner violence. In fact several studies on partner violence have identified problem drinking as one of the key reasons behind aggression towards females. According to a recent study, almost forty per cent of men enrolled for counseling for partner violence were diagnosed with alcohol abuse or a high reliance on alcohol (Fals-Stewart, 1992). It is also observed that there is a high dependence on alcohol increases the risk of partner violence during a major conflict, i.e. alcohol leads to a rise in aggression levels which is caused due to a significant reduction in the ability to process information properly and hence resulting in reduced capacity to instantaneously when provoked. However, researchers have now pointed out the role of other factors such as those related to an individuals social or personal developmental factors, on accentuating / fuelling such violence when under intoxication. According to studies, partner related violence by men under the influence of alcohol when compared to those without such an influence, highlights the fact that those having a violent streak, even without the influence of alcohol or those who are diagnosed with personality disorders are more likely to indulge in such acts, are more affected by alcohol abuse as compared to their counterparts (Murphy, O’Farrell, Fals-Stewart, & Feehan, 2001; Murphy & O’Farrell, 1994). The socio cultural perspective highlights the key differences in consumption of alcohol in accordance with diverse social and cultural norms followed by individuals. The various internal and external factors such as self-esteem, association with certain power groups, values, expectations, gender based roles and differences etc play a key role in determining the degree of reliance of individuals on alcohol. The sociocultural factors play a major role in patterns of alcohol consumption and the responses and consequences of such excessive dependence on the same. The study conducted to examine the relationship between violence and alcohol abuse, is a case in point, whereby it was clearly established that the aggression as a result of alcohol abuse, lies in the basic intrinsic nature of the individuals, which in turn, is an outcome of one’s sociocultural backgrounds. Impact of Alcohol- the Biospyschological perspective: The biopsychological perspective is a combination of psychology and physiology of the brain in the study of mental processes and human behavior. This is a form of modern psychological perspective, which entails that every human behavior, feeling or emotion is triggered by a simultaneous and corresponding physical event which occurs in the brain. The key objective of this perspective is to attempt to understand the relationship between the two. According to various studies, the excessive and repeated consumption of food or drink is categorized as an addictive behavior with deep neurobiological roots. Researchers believe that there is a deep relationship between the continuous consumption of a particular food / drink and an inverse relationship between alcohol dependence and body mass index of individuals. According to recent research conducted to assess the impact of excessive food consumption, such a habit is perceived as addictive in nature. The claim / belief is however, further, confirmed when studied from a biological and/or behavioral perspective. Various researches and studies conducted to analyze the causes and repercussions of excessive food consumption, on the basis of tests conducted on animals and the study involving humans, suggest that such an excessive consumption of food is closely associated with neurobiological transformations in the human system which in turn is triggered by consumption of addictive substances such as drugs (Hajnal, Smith, & Norgren, 2004; Hoebel, Rada, Mark, & Pothos, 1999; Mark, Smith, Rada, & Hoebel, 1994; Nieto, Wilson, Cupo, Roques, & Noble, 2002; Volkow et al., 2003). On the basis of various experiments conducted on animals, it was observed that the consumption of sugar lead to an increase in their tolerance levels and the animals tend to display symptoms of withdrawal (Hoebel et al., 1999; Nieto et al., 2002) which are known to be the key characteristic traits of addiction. Similar observations have been made with regard to alcohol, which is known to have similar characteristics with that of other highly addictive food substances such as high-fat foods, or food high in sugar. In studies concerning the study of emotions, both alcohol as well as food high on fat, have been consistently used with a view to control emotions (Canetti, Bachar, & Berry, 2001; Cooper, Frone, Russelll, & Mudar, 1995). Thus, it has been amply proved that alcohol is known to influence human behavior by controlling their emotions. Although, consumption of addictive food is known to have a significant impact on human emotions, the individuals’ personal characteristics too play a major role in defining the manner in which they react. Such reactions in turn, are highly dependent on their biological makeup. Individual biological traits play a key role in influencing their behavior or reactions such as loss of self-control; loss of ability to stop consumption of such addictive food etc. (Kleiner et al., 2004). Various studies conducted with regard to the consumption of addictive food and its impact on human’s mental and physical health has focused on the consumption of alcohol. It has been observed through such studies, that continuous consumption of alcohol leads to excessive weight gain. According to some researchers, alcohol is one of the most widely consumed food products, which contains high amount of calories, and hence excessive consumption of the same leads to serious physical diseases such as abnormal weight gain or obesity (Gruchow, Sobocinski, Barboriak, & Scheller, 1985). Conclusion: Each of the contemporary psychological perspectives discussed above, focus on various different factors / elements of human behavior, offering diverse explanations regarding a single phenomenon, and broadening our insights. However, it cannot be claimed with accuracy that either of them is a complete study in itself. Although, when studied in groups i.e. a combination of all or some of these modern psychological perspectives, with a view to analyze or examine a particular phenomenon, such as - the influence of alcohol, in this case, it gives us a broader perspective and helps in understanding the same in multiple ways. Psychologists have historically studied human behavior and tried to analyze the same from various perspectives, and with the help of various theories, especially with regard to theories involving human strengths, and weaknesses; emotional distress; hope, despair; violence and aggression; etc., as well as the impact and / or influence of various external factors on their behavior. Thus, the study of human psychology offers a wide area for researchers to examine a given phenomenon from various psychological perspectives. It not only helps in understanding the impact of certain factors from different perspectives, but also helps in broadening our views on the subject, and hence presenting newer opportunities for further research. References: Aytaclar, A., Tarter, R. E., Kirisci, L., & Lu, S. (1999). Association between hyperactivity and executive cognitive function functioning in childhood and substance use in early adolescence. 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