Alcoholism: Alcohol Dependence Syndrome
Carl Arrogante, a marriage and family therapist and addiction specialist, discusses Alcoholism and Alcohol Dependence Syndrome in this Special Report.
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, which is known as alcohol dependence syndrome, is a disease that is characterized by the following elements: craving which is a strong need or a compulsion to drink, loss of control, the frequent inability to stop drinking once the individual has begun, physical dependence, the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.
These symptoms are usually relieved by drinking alcohol or by taking another sedative drug.
Alcoholism
What causes alcoholism?
Alcoholism is influenced by genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors that have an impact on how it affects the individuals body and behavior.
The process of becoming addicted to alcohol occurs gradually. Although some people have an abnormal response to alcohol from the time they start drinking.
Over time, drinking too much may change the normal balance of chemicals and nerve tracks in the individual’s brain. These chemicals and nerve tracks are associated with the experience of pleasure, judgment, and the ability to exercise control over their behavior.
This may result in the craving of alcohol to restore good feelings or remove negative ones.
What are the symptoms of alcoholism?
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 of questions 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 alcoholism?
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 imbalance and have an impaired immune system.
Brain damage can also occur as the result of a vitamin B2 deficiency. A well-known condition, Kosakoff’s Syndrome, is an amnesic disorder which means that people find it difficult to remember past events and to learn new things.
Alcoholism Dependence
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