Alcoholism Is a Chronic and Progressive Disorder Essay

Alcoholism does not only affect a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state, but it also changes the lives of people close to the drinker forever. It ruins relationships and trust that took years to build up, and may never be able to be restored. In Jeannette Walls’s memoir, The Glass Castle, she tells the story of her childhood in which her father was an alcoholic. Jeannette’s father, Rex Walls, was brilliant and charismatic when he was sober, but when he drank, he was destructive and dishonest.

Suffering, treatment, rehabilitation, and mental and physical illness are just some of the issues common alcoholics deal with. Aside from those complications, alcoholism has been a devastating problem, especially in Ireland, for hundreds of years. But who is really feeling the detrimental effects that most people assume the alcoholics themselves have to deal with? Ireland is culturally known to be “a race of drunks” and the long lasting effects due to alcoholic dependence truly defeats not just the alcoholics, but their families lives as well.

Alcoholism is a major issue that still plagues our nation to this day. Jeannette Walls experienced this issue first hand through her father, Rex, as depicted in her memoir The Glass Castle. Jeannette’s father was an alcoholic, evident of him always disappearing for days at a time to go on drinking binges and always spending most of the money that the family earned (Jeannette included) on alcohol. Jeannette was not the only one subjected to one’s alcoholism; my wife was also a victim of alcoholism. She was not the alcoholic though, I was. My alcoholism almost destroyed my marriage on numerous occasions. I was verbally abusive toward my wife and I made our day-to-day lives extremely unbearable. Are Rex and I the only ones who affect our worlds and our loved ones through alcoholism? Unfortunately no, we are not. Our nation and our world is filled with people suffering from this pandemic of alcoholism and it has thrived since the early days of alcohol’s discovery. What can we do as a society to better understand and prevent alcoholism? What is it going to take to get control of our lives back from alcohol that has had

and spanned a course of some twenty years. Two decades of conflict and disharmony that seemed to connect with many of the attendees displayed by their numerous head nods and looks of shared shame. He said he never intended to become an alcoholic. He was just trying to “fit in” with friends. Another reason given for using alcohol was to squash the stress and anxieties all too familiar with the formative years of pre-adulthood. “Little did I know”, he said that he was setting the stage for how to handle all his subsequent problems later in life.

In the state of Wisconsin where I currently reside, alcohol addiction is a never-ending problem. Alcohol is often associated with football games, baseball and even social gatherings. Unfortunately, alcohol can also be a coping mechanism for those who are dealing with a loss of a family member, financial crisis or even homelessness. The cost of alcohol addiction and treatment in the State of Wisconsin is approximately $6.8 billion and rising due to the continued abuse of alcohol (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2014, p. 14). With the high usage of alcohol abuse, one must turn to programs within their local community for support and treatment.

     Alcoholism has devastating effects not only to society, but also to the family structure. Alcohol dependence develops differently in each individual. But certain symptoms characterize the illness, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). An alcoholic separates them self from almost all social situations and consumes his/her self in having another drink or thinking about their next drink. Seventy six million Americans, about 43% of the U.S. adult population, have been exposed to alcoholism in the family (NIAAA) . I have first-hand experience dealing with an alcoholic because my father was one until his death on July 2,nd 2004.

Imagine you are at a family wedding reception where there is alcohol being served. As the night progresses you notice your Uncle Bob frequenting the bar in the corner of the room for nearly one drink after another. He is reaching his limit for liquor he can handle, and you notice him acting increasingly disoriented, obnoxious, and tipsy. The rest of your family watches him as he virtually makes a fool out of himself and comments about him fill the room. "He has always been drinking way too much since his days in the frat house at the university," states one relative. "He is just like his father," comments another. Such a story sparks a debate as to the foundation of alcoholism. Merriam-Webster 's Dictionary defines alcoholism as continued

Dramatically negative influences of alcohol use disorders aren’t just limited to the individual alcohol abusers; the damaging consequences reach far beyond and affect the alcoholic’s friends and families. It is shown that alcoholism is responsible for more family problems than any other single cause; one of every four families has problems with alcohol (Silverstein, 1990). Writing about the same problems, Joyce Rebeta Burditt also agrees with Silver’s opinion: ‘Alcoholism isn’t a spectator sport. Eventually the whole family gets to play”.

Alcohol Dependence is a disease characterized by: a strong need or compulsion to drink, the frequent inability to stop drinking once a person has begun, the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms (nausea, sweating, shakiness) when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking, and the need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to feel an affect. Most experts agree that alcoholism is a disease just as high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis are diseases. Like these other diseases, alcoholism tends to run in the family. Drinking alcohol is not the only factor that leads to alcoholism, it is a chronic disease that leaves an everlasting effect on the person's life and his family.

between abstaining and accepting the use of alcohol as a way to change moods or

From the earliest recorded use of alcohol, drinking has been a social activity, and both consumption and behavior have been subject to self-imposed social controls. The future of children who grow up in alcoholic families. (1)

     The definition of alcoholism can be described as a chronic illness, which is marked by uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages that interferes with physical or mental health, and social, family or occupational responsibilities. This dependence on alcohol has only been diagnosed as a medical disorder recently in the medical field. Like many other diseases, it has a predictable course and is influenced environmentally and sometimes genetically. The disease can also be called progressive and fatal which means that the disease can persist over a long period of time, bodily changes progress as the drinking continues and can cause premature death through overdose, suicide, motor vehicle

INTRODUCTION: Alcoholism can affect anyone. It has enormous costs as it pertains to societies, families, and individuals. It is not prejudicial towards any race, color, sex, religion, or economic level. Although we do have ideas as to what alcoholism is, what we do not know is the exact cause(s) of this problem. Researchers are continually seeking answers to the long-standing nature versus nurture debate. Different views are split between a biological paradigm and a physchological paradigm. No one explanation seems to be better than another is. I will present views of the effects alcoholism has on society and an insight to the factors that serve to fuel the

The alcoholic beverage has long been a key element of our social world and has grown into a way of life for many. It is something that is at almost every party that we attend, it is advertised on television, and is promoted by many celebrities. People consume alcohol to celebrate an occasion, socialize with their friends or strangers, or to just simply relax. Alcohol, whether it be in the form of wine, beer, or spirits, have almost become inescapable in todays society. We often wonder the effect that is has on different individuals, and wonder why some become so heavily addicted to it while others do not. Because the prevalence of alcohol has continued to flourish in our society, the number of people who heavily consume it has increased

Alcoholism is a term used to describe a disease that follows a destructive pattern of alcohol usage that includes tolerance. Using more and more alcohol for a long period of time describes the types of patterns of people who become addicted to alcohol. They are formally known as “alcoholics” and it is typically when this person will suffer from alcoholism. It is the illness that feeds off of the alcoholic, naturally calling for the alcoholic to consume numerous drinks. It is appropriately considered a disease rather than a weakness because it is a pattern that the individual creates and will have withdrawal symptoms if they don’t have more amounts. Alcoholics build up a tolerance to achieve intoxication, which has the power to depress the central nervous system.(CITE) The mood of