Alcohol Abuse: Physical Part - Case Study Example

Alcohol Abuse: Physical Part “More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year” (Alcohol). Moreover alcohol is the most widely misused substance in the world. Even though moderate use of alcohol may not cause many problems, excessive use of alcohol may make a person addicted to alcohol. Some people consider alcoholism as a disease whereas others believe it as a behavioral problem. In any case, it is a fact that alcoholism is increasing day by day both in advanced societies and also in underdeveloped societies. In general terms, any abusive behavior under the influence of alcohol can be referred as alcohol abuse or alcoholism. Majority of the people in this world might have consumed alcohol at some point of time in their life. There are many people who use alcohol in a controlled manner. When alcohol is used in a controlled manner, it may not cause many damages either to a person or to the society. However, it is difficult to use alcohol in a controlled manner because of its abilities to make person addictive to it. Most of the people start alcohol use just for a joke and become addicted to it unknowingly. Alcohol abuse is one of the major multifaceted problems in the world which has social, emotional and physical dimensions. The social dimension of alcoholism is the family problems and subsequent divorce issues. Alcoholism may cause sexual dysfunction which can create problems in family life. In many cases, divorce is taking place because of the alcoholic husband or wife. Moreover alcoholism can cause mental diseases such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia etc. The most vital aspect of alcoholism is the possibility of development of physical diseases to body organs such as liver, pancreas, heart etc. In many cases, alcohol can cause cancer disease also. In short alcoholism can generate physical, mental and social problems. This paper limits its focus only to the physical problems which can be generated as a result of alcoholism. The commitments of current generation are more than that of the earlier generation. Current generation has lot of social, cultural, professional and personal commitments. It is difficult for them to fulfill all these commitments equally well. The failure to fulfill commitments will increase the stress levels of the people which may lead them to an imaginary or virtual world- the world of alcohol. Most of the people take shelter in the world of alcohol in order to stay away from realities in the real world. “More than 2 million American people experience alcohol-related liver disease and some drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis; i.e., inflammation of the liver. About 10% to 20% of drinkers who abuse alcohol develop cirrhosis of the liver: i.e., scarring of the liver” (Effects of alcohol abuse). The importance of liver in maintaining our body healthy cannot be underestimated. Alcoholism may force liver to increase the rate of its normal functions which may result in the development of physical diseases such as hepatitis, fever, jaundice abdominal pain etc. Blood sugar level in human body is controlled by liver. When a person consumes excessive quantities of alcohol, liver tries to eject the excessive amount of alcohol from the body and as result of that it cannot focus more on its routine works such as blood sugar level controlling in the body until all the excessive amounts of alcohol contents will be cleared from the body. In other words, consumption of alcohol beyond certain limits will result in undesired amount of sugar in our body and the result would be the development of diabetes disease. Lifemojo (2009) has pointed out that “Alcohol can make blood glucose too high or too low. Moderate amount of alcohol can cause blood sugar to rise but excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level” (Lifemojo). One of the myths associated with alcoholism is the belief that alcoholism can help patients with heart problems. There are some rumors spread mainly by the alcoholic beverage manufacturers that alcohol has the ability to increase the activities of heart and therefore problems such as heart attacks or heart failures will not be there for the alcoholics. It is fact that alcohol has the ability to increase the activities of hearth and therefore blood pumping rates will be increased. However, it should be noted that if exceeds beyond certain limit, increase blood pumping can cause heart attacks and strokes among patients with coronary problems. Since alcohol has the ability to create addiction among its users, it is difficult for people to use alcohol in a controlled manner. A person, who makes use of alcohol for medical purposes or for some other useful purposes, may become addicted to it later and will develop more physical problems. In other words, when we consider the possibilities of other diseases which can be developed as a result of alcoholism, the advantages of alcohol consumption to heart patients can be considered as negligible. Alcohol negatively impacts bone health for several reasons. To begin with, excessive alcohol interferes with the balance of calcium, an essential nutrient for healthy bones. It also increases parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, which in turn reduce the body’s calcium reserves. Calcium balance is further disrupted by alcohol’s ability to interfere with the production of, a vitamin essential for calcium absorption. In addition, chronic heavy drinking can cause hormone deficiencies in men and women. Men with alcoholism tend to produce less testosterone, a hormone linked to the production of osteoblasts (the cells that stimulate bone formation). In women, chronic alcohol exposure often produces irregular menstrual cycles, a factor that reduces estrogen levels, increasing osteoporosis risk. Also, cortisol levels tend to be elevated in people with alcoholism. Cortisol is known to decrease bone formation and increase bone breakdown (Alcohol and Osteoporosis) Osteoporosis is another disease which has close links with alcoholism. It is a disease which causes problems to the bone strength. A person with Osteoporosis is vulnerable to fracture because of the less strength associated with his bones. Bone fracture rate among binge drinkers is more than that among normal people which forced medical science to think in terms of a possible association between alcoholism and Osteoporosis. “Alcohol can increase the risk of certain cancers of the liver, breast, esophagus, mouth, lips, larynx, pharynx, and gastrointestinal tract” (Windblad). The increased rate of different types of cancer among binge drinkers forced medical science to conclude that alcoholism can cause cancer disease of various kinds. Many researches succeeded in proving the close linkages between cancer and alcoholism. Even though Mouth and Liver are more vulnerable to cancer among binge drinkers, other parts of the body can also be affected by cancer in the case of binge drinkers. Females are believed to be more vulnerable to alcohol related cancer disease compared to males. Breast cancer seems to be the major cancer problem seen among females as a result of alcoholism. It is believed that even a single drink per day can create more problems to female drinkers than a male who consumes two drinks per day because of the biological or genetic peculiarities of female body. So far we have discussed the physical problems a person can develop as a result of his alcohol abuse behavior. Now it is necessary to see how alcoholism of person may physically affect other people. Future generation is one of the primary victims of alcoholism. For example, female alcoholism can affect the growth and development of fetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a permanent birth defect occurred to children of female alcoholics. “The Harvard Womens Health Watch advises pregnant women that "having more than one alcoholic drink per day puts the fetus at risk for various defects and disabilities" (Prof. Hanson). When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it not only reaches the body of the woman, but also enters the body of the fetus. At the same time, the functions of alcohol in the woman’s body and in the body of the fetus are quite different. Since the fetus has inferior abilities to counter the negative effects of alcohol compared to the abilities of the woman’s body, alcohol may cause more damage to the development of fetus. “The presence of alcohol can impair optimal nutrition for your babys developing tissues and organs and can damage brain cells” (Mayo clinic staff). Since the intensity of the damage which can cause due to drinking during pregnancy is unknown, doctors are unique in their opinion that it is better to avoid drinking habits during pregnancy period in order to keep the baby healthy before and after birth. “Fetal alcohol syndrome isnt a single birth defect. Its a cluster of related problems and the most severe of a group of consequences that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. Collectively, the range of disorders is known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)” (Mayo clinic staff). Battaglia (2009) has pointed out that “women become addicted to alcoholic beverages more quickly than men” (Battaglia). The above facts clearly show that female alcoholism is more harmful than male alcoholism. In short, alcoholism among pregnant women can cause problems to the future generation. Alcohol has the ability to develop aggression among drinkers. Ogle, & Miller (2004) conducted several studies with respect to the effect of alcoholism in developing aggressive behaviors and concluded that: Alcohol is the drug most strongly associated with interpersonal aggression and violence. Alcohol indirectly causes aggression through its effects on cognitive processing. Alcohol indirectly causes aggression by disrupting attentional, mnemonic and higher processing abilities, leading intoxicated individuals to attend to only the most salient cues of an interaction between a possible aggressor and victim (Ogle, & Miller, 2004) Bushman & Cooper (1990) have conducted a comprehensive research about the relation between alcoholism and aggression and obtained the result similar to that of the findings of Ogle, & Miller. In their opinion, “Alcohol causes aggression directly by anesthetizing the center of the brain that normally prevents aggressive responding. Alcohol facilitates aggression indirectly by causing certain cognitive, physiological, and emotional changes that increase the probability of aggression” (Bushman & Cooper, p.342). The above findings clearly suggest that alcohol has the ability to make drastic changes in the behaviors of a person. There are many cases in which clam and quiet people become aggressive under the influence of alcohol. Many of the alcoholics show repentance once the influence of alcohol decreases. Alcohol has the ability to affect brain systems and rational thinking processes. A person under the influence of alcohol may not have much control over his behavior. Short temper, and aggressive behaviors are controlled or regulated by brain systems and these brain systems may not function properly, if a person get addicted to alcohol. Thus, he will become more aggressive when he consumes alcohol and may cause physical damages to others unknowingly. Alcoholism can force a person to engage in crazy sexual habits. People may loss control of their activities under the influence of alcohol. Alcoholic women can be easily exploited sexually and they will not bother much about the consequences of their crazy sexual habits when they are under the influence of alcohol. Unwanted pregnancies can occur as a result of female alcoholism. There are many cases in which teenagers or unmarried females become pregnant because of their drinking habits and subsequent unsafe sexual activities. Such people will be forced to abort their fetus. Repeated abortions can cause severe damages to the physical health of the teenager. To conclude, alcoholism can generate several physical problems not only to the drinker, but also to the society. Liver diseases, heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis etc are some of the physical problems alcoholism can causes to a person. Moreover, alcoholism of one person can affect future generation also. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a developmental disorder which can occur to the children of alcoholic mothers. Alcoholism and aggression are closely related to each other and there are many cases in which even good citizens become antisocial elements under the influence of alcohol. In short, alcohol abuse has lot of social, psychological, emotional and physical dimensions and physical dimensions seem to be the most vital one. Works Cited “Alcohol”. 2011. Web. 21 August 2011. “Alcohol and Osteoporosis”. 2011. Web. 21 August 2011. Battaglia Emily. “A Short History of Female Addiction in America”. 2009. Recovery Magazine. February 17, 2009. Web. 21 August 2011.   Bushman Brad. J. & Cooper Harris.M. (1990), “Effects of Alcohol on Human Aggression: An Integrative Research Review”. 1990. Psychological Bulletin. American Psychological Association, Inc.1990, Vol. 107, No. 3,341-354. Web. 21 August 2011. “Effects of Alcohol Abuse”. Web. 21 August 2011. Lifemojo. “Diabetes and Alcohol”.2009. Web. 21 August 2011. Mayo clinic staff, “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”.2011. Web. 21 August 2011. Ogle, Richard. L. & Miller William. R. “The Effects of Alcohol Intoxication and Gender on the Social Information Processing of Hostile Provocations Involving Male and Female Provocateurs”. 2004. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. January 1, 2004. Web. 21 August 2011. Prof. Hanson David J. Ph.D. “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”. 2011. Web. 21 August 2011. Windblad, Loring A. “Alcohol and Health Adversaries”. 2010. Web. 21 August 2011 Read More