ALEXANDER HERRERA

Alcoholism

Nature of Disease

Alcoholism is an addictive disorder characterized by an uncontrollable desire and tendency to consume alcohol beyond levels that are considered healthy to a human body.

People suffering from alcoholism or alcohol dependence find it almost impossible to fight the compulsion to drink despite the habit's impact on their health and personal lives.

Signs and Symptoms

Early Stage- One of the alcoholic symptoms is when a person begins to depend on alcohol to affect their mood. The person drinks to gain relief from problems or stress. Gradually, they think more and more about drinking, which is one of the early hidden signs of alcoholism.

Middle Stage- Progressing signs of alcoholism to look for here is when the person consumes greater amounts, more frequently and starts their drinking earlier in the day. Their need and desire progressively intensifies and the importance of alcohol in their life grows.

Late Stage-The person's obsession with alcohol has taken over their life and others can see the more obvious signs of alcoholism. His or her health, both mental and physical, begins to disintegrate. Large quantities of alcohol impede the digestive process, reducing nutrients absorption and the addict suffers from malnutrition. Other physical symptoms include memory loss, emotional instability, confusion, loss of appetite and mental alertness.

Causes of Alcoholism

Gender- Males are more likely to develop this disease

Social environmentFrequency AgePersonality Types

Statistics

http://alcoholismstatistics.net/

Impact of Stress

People depend on alcohol as a stress relieverAlcohol is a short term fixHumans prefer a short term effect over long

termWhich can be worse because the pain or

stress is only gone temporarily which makes the person abuse more alcohol and more frequently

Who Gets It

Alcoholism has no prejudices, it can affect any regardless of their-

RaceSocial backgroundEconomic background ReligionEducation

How it develops

Alcoholism is a disease that grows and only gets worse as time goes on

Overtime the person will begin to tolerate more alcohol, hide alcohol, lose interest in hobbies and social activities, and have malnutrition

This is a chronic disease that can lead to an early death if left untreated

Effects of Alcohol Use

Treatment

The only true treatment of alcoholism is abstinence

The best way to recover from this disease is through the 12 step program - * admitting that one cannot control one's addiction or compulsion;

* recognizing a higher power that can give strength; * examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member); * making amends for these errors; * learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior; * helping others who suffer from the same addictions or compulsions. In 2010, the avg length of sobriety was eight years Other stats: sober less than a year 31%. One to five yrs 24%. Five to ten yrs-12% More

than 10 yrs 33% Morbidity vs Mortality rates- About 14 million Americans, about 7.4% of the pop. Meet

the criteria for alcohol abuse. Number of alcoholic liver disease deaths: 15,990. Number of alcohol-induced deaths, excluding accidents and homicides: 25,692.

Ways to Prevent Alcoholism

Find healthier ways to cope with stressExercise, yoga and meditation, eating rightReduce stress in your work place, social

environment, most important your home should be stress free

The use of alcohol should not be 100% depended onIt should be consumed moderately and controlled Stress will always be in our lives and the best way to

deal with them is by finding healthy and help activities that help lower stress in our mind and body the healthy way

Bibliography

1 Gemme, Marcel. "The Nature of Alcoholism." The Nature of Alcoholism. Drug Rehab Services, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.

2 "Alcohol Use." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 June 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.

3 Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.

4 Jones, Bobby D. "Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholism - The 3 Stages." Ezinearticles.com. N.p., June-July 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.

5 Dr. Marc Siegel, Dr. Marc. "Preventing Alcoholism among College Students." Fox News. FOX News Network, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.