QUALITATIVE Report - research technique - Essay Example

Modern medical definitions describe alcoholism as a disease and addiction which results in a persistent use of alcohol despite negative consequences. While the ingestion of alcohol is, by definition, necessary to develop alcoholism, the use of alcohol does not predict the development of alcoholism. It is estimated that 9% of the general population is predisposed to alcoholism based on genetic factors. The quantity, frequency and regularity of alcohol consumption required to develop alcoholism varies greatly from person to person.

In addition, although the biological mechanisms underpinning alcoholism are uncertain, some risk factors, including social environment, stress, emotional health, genetic predisposition, age, and gender have been identified. For example, those who consume alcohol at an early age, by age 16 or younger, are at a higher risk of alcohol dependence or abuse. Also, studies indicate that the proportion of men with alcohol dependence are higher than that of the proportion of women, 7% and 2.5% respectively, although women are more vulnerable to long-term consequences of alcoholism.

Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept, which prompts the individual to reject it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The concept of denial is particularly important to the study of addiction, including alcohol dependence. Several years later, those who have received treatments and recovered from alcoholism continue to drink alcohol, insisting that there is no problem with their dependence and they are functioning normally.

Most alcoholics enjoy being social drinkers. Frequently, they spend much of their time, as well as their effort, in controlling or curbing their drinking habits. They may attempt to drink only during the end of the week