The Effects of Alcohol Dependency - Research Paper Example

The effects of alcohol dependency The Effects of Alcohol Dependency Alcohol dependency has been too common in the world over time. Research tells that almost 30% of the world population is drinking (Begleiter and Kissin, 1996). Many youngsters around the world get addicted to alcohol in their teenage. Some because of family traditions, some because of being influenced by the media and some because of peer pressure. This addiction then travels with them throughout their lifetime. Alcohol makes an appearance in so many parts of our lives and in so many different forms. Whether you have a beer after work, a glass of wine with dinner or a cocktail in the sunshine on holiday; it can be easy to forget that, like many drugs, it’s addictive, both physically and psychologically (Stimmel, 2002). 1) The effects of alcohol to the body: Alcohol can have enormous damaging effects on many parts of the body. Too much consumption at a time, or drinking addictively could affect the human body very negatively, which could lead to death as well. After having any sort of alcoholic drink the alcohol quickly absorbs in the blood and flows through the whole body. Going through each and every part where the blood flows from. It keeps flowing through the body for about 2 hours after consumption depending on the person’s gender, weight and other health factors. As it crosses the heart, liver, stomach and various parts of the body it leaves its traces there. The most damaging effect of alcohol is on the liver which functions in metabolizing alcohol and other harmful substances in the body. People who consume a lot of alcohol are likely to develop diseases and problems associated with liver. Alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis and fatty liver are the most common liver diseases caused by alcohol. These diseases may lead to critical conditions or even death. Alcohol affects the pancreas also, enforcing it to produce toxic substances which can ultimately lead to the infection and swelling of blood vessels in pancreas. This disease prevents the digestive system to function properly, it is known as pancreatitis. Alcohol is also proven to be cancerous to the body, specially increasing the risk of cancer in the upper portion of the body such as mouth, esophagus, throat and breast. Overdose of alcoholic drinks or even medicines could be awfully harmful for a healthy being. However, some researches show that a moderate amount of alcohol could actually be blooming for the heart, preventing the development of coronary heart disease in an active body. Nonetheless, the fact that exorbitance of anything is always harmful cannot be denied (Stimmel, 2002). Similarly, if the human body consumes excessive amount of alcohol either all at once in a single occasion or over a long time it can be harmful for the heart. It increases the blood pressure firstly; furthermore, numerous heart diseases such as heart stroke, irregular heartbeat (Arrhythmias), Stretching and dropping of heart muscle (Cardiomyopathy) can be caused. Weakening of the immune system is also one of the big draw backs of alcoholism. The white blood cells in the body become fragile which enables the body to be easily targeted by bacteria and other germs increasing its tendency of becoming sick. All these aspects clearly show that in general alcoholism is extremely harmful for a human body and should not be practiced in order to avoid diseases (Martin, 2008). 2) The effects of alcohol to the brain: When a body is unable to digest alcohol due to large intake, a person feels drunk. This general fact clearly shows that alcohol can stimulate the activity or performance of a normal brain and that how bad alcohol could be. Alcohol in many ways can affect the functioning of a normal brain and can even change the way it looks. Plethoric amount of alcohol running through the body enables the malfunctioning of the brain. The brain fails to coordinate with other parts of the body which results in dizziness, blurred vision and blemish speech. Basically, alcohol alters the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical signals sent by our brain to the rest of the body. Alcohol increases the neurotransmitter GABA (GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID) inside the brain. This causes the malfunction of the body and slurred speech. On the other hand, alcohol hinders the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate to pass to the body, which causes physiological slowdown. It becomes difficult to focus onto something or think properly. A person starts acting abnormal; showing impulsive behavior and also faces difficulty in walking steadily. At the beginning of consuming alcohol a person often feels happy and relaxed this is due to the increased amount of chemical dopamine inside the center of the brain. Alcoholism can affect the memory of normal people as well, therefore they sometimes cannot recall of what had happened when they were drunk. Moreover, continued alcohol dependency decreases the memorizing power of the brain, so eventually with time an alcoholic often starts forgetting things even when not drunk. Long-term intake of alcohol can permanently damage the brain causing it to shrink in size. This leads to insufficiency in the fiber that carries information between the brain cells. A disease called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is also likely to develop due to long-term alcoholism, which occurs because of deficiency of vitamin B. This disease causes mental confusion and memory losses. The impact on memory could be so damaging in some cases that lifetime custodial care becomes necessary. Even drinking moderately could lead to short-term impairment, for example drinking and driving is not feasible. However, all these conditions and damages depend on the amount of alcohol consumed by a person. The age and the time period since a person has been drinking, plays an important role in influencing the brain. Other factors such as gender, general health, genetic background, family history and so come in consideration as well. All in general, alcohol whether consumed in a moderate level or high, for short-term or long-term is damaging for the brain which in some cases can lead to extreme critical conditions and complete memory loss (Begleiter and Kissin, 1996). 3) Genetic effects of alcohol: Along with other disorders and effects alcohol can have effects on the genes as well. Children are likely to inherit alcoholism from their parents. However, this genetic transfer is not a completely proven fact and scientists say that only 50% chances are responsible for alcoholism due to genes. Rest of the responsibility is held by the parent’s behavior and the environment a child is raised in; obviously children will grow up to be drinking if they see their parents do the same thing. On the other hand genetic inheritance from an alcoholic could result in the opposite direction as well sometimes. Some people feel nauseous or flushed and their heartbeat increases when they consume alcohol due to the genes they inherited, which makes them avoid alcohol and drinking. Scientists are still conducting researches and studies regarding this matter, trying to come up with drugs that could lower the risk of alcoholism and addiction to alcohol (Sullivan, 1997). 4) The effects of alcohol in family: As mentioned above, alcoholics can deliberately have bad effects on their families. An alcoholic often has bad influence on his/her family, motivating them towards alcoholism as well. In many cases other family members often try to help the drug/alcohol addict to get rid of this habit, but the stubbornness of an alcoholic with the drug, pulls others towards it also. Having a spouse who’s an alcohol addict can often have negative effects on the other partner (Aronson, 2009). Alcohol becomes the most important thing in an alcoholic’s life, not caring about how his/her partner feels about it. They often fight on pity matters and the alcoholic blames everything on the partner. Eventually the partner starts doubting themselves. They feel unwanted, afraid, ashamed and hurt. Similarly children can also be very badly affected by an alcoholic in the family. Due to the bad condition of their parents they frequently have to perform the house duties that the alcoholic does not do. Ignoring their own needs which makes them feel annoyed and angry at times. In some cases the child is unable to tolerate the abnormal behavior of the parent and is found to be lost, afraid and helpless. Children get badly affected when they do not get the proper care and affection they deserve from their parents and it also leads to hatred. The most common affect is the development of drinking habits in the children. An alcoholic can totally disrupt family life and can cause harmful effects in a family which can last forever (Stainback, 1997). 5) The effects of alcohol withdrawal: For an alcoholic it can be extremely challenging to quit alcoholism. The withdrawal of alcohol after continued intake for weeks, months or may be years can result in damaging symptoms. In some cases the withdrawal of alcohol or reducing the use of alcohol for an alcoholic can even be life-threatening. People addicted to alcohol start to feel abnormal if they do not get a drink. They start feeling anxiety, nervousness and shakiness. They often get headaches and cannot sleep at night if they don’t consume alcohol. In some cases their skin turns pale, heart rate increases and they start sweating. They become unable to control and resist themselves from taking alcohol. If they are enforced to abstain from alcohol it could result in dangerous conditions for their mind and body. It certainly is very difficult to quit alcoholism for an addict and is classified to be a medical emergency. If a person wishes to withdraw the use of alcohol it is advisable that they seek proper medical attention. Doctors can help them quit alcoholism without any danger to their mind or body. Proper guidance is necessary for an alcoholic to quit or else other diseases may occur (Hanson, Venturelli and Fleckenstein, 2008). References Aronson, J. K. (2007). Meylers Side Effects of Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory Drugs. London: Elsevier. Begleiter, H. and Kissin, B. (1996). The Pharmacology of Alcohol and Alcohol Dependence. Oxford: Oxford University Press Hanson, G., Venturelli, P. and Fleckenstein, A. (2008). Drugs and Society. NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers Martin, C.R. (2008). Identification and Treatment of Alcohol Dependency. NY: M&K Update Ltd. Stainback, R. D. (1997). Alcohol and Sport. Texas: Human Kinetics. Stimmel, B. (2002). Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and the Road to Recovery: Life on the Edge. London: Haworth Medical Press. Sullivan. L. (1997). Alcohol and Health: Seventh Special Report to the Us Congress. London: DIANE Publishing Read More