Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol Abuse is the subject of this Special Report by Carl Arrogante, a marriage and family therapist and addiction specialist.
What is alcohol abuse?
The process of abusing alcohol occurs gradually although some people have an abnormal response to alcohol from the first time they start drinking.
Over time, drinking too much may change the normal balance of chemicals and nerve tracks in the individual’s brain associated with the experience of pleasure, judgment, and the ability to exercise control over behavior.
This may result in the craving of alcohol to restore good feelings or remove negative ones.
Alcohol Abuse
What causes alcohol abuse?
Alcohol abuse may involve a number of related factors including genetics, how the individual was raised, the social environment, and emotional health.
People who have a family history of abuse or who associate closely with heavy drinkers are more likely to develop drinking problems.
Also, those who suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder are also particularly at risk because alcohol may be used to self-medicate.
What are the symptoms of alcohol abuse?
Aggressive increases in the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption can begin to produce more serious medical symptoms of addiction.
Someone abusing alcohol makes drinking the central activity of his or her life, displacing healthy activities and relationships and resulting in negative consequences.
How is alcoholism diagnosed?
Diagnosing alcoholism can be tricky since the diagnosis depends on the drinker being willing and honest enough to answer a series question about his or her drinking patterns and attitudes.
This is a problem because a common symptom of alcoholism is denial. If someone is unwilling to be honest about his or her drinking habits, it is difficult if not impossible to accurately diagnose alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.
What are the physical and mental effects of alcohol abuse?
Long-term alcohol abuse can be very damaging to one’s physical health.
Health risks include cirrhosis or the hardening of the liver, gastrointestinal problems, damage to the heart muscle and impaired muscle functioning.
Heavy drinkers often tend to miss meals or lack adequate diets and therefore suffer from nutritional imbalances and have an impaired immune system.
Brain damage can also occur as the result of a vitamin B2 deficiency. A well-known condition, Korsakoff’s syndrome, is a amnesic disorder which means that people find it difficult to remember past events and to learn new things.
Alcohol Abuse
Click Here to Download a PDF version of this report.
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