Alcohol
Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholic's normal personal, family, social, or work life. The chronic alcohol consumption caused by alcoholism can result in psychological and physiological disorders. Alcoholism is one of the world's most costly drug use problems; with the exception of nicotine addiction, alcoholism is more costly to most countries than all other drug use problems combined.
While alcohol use is required to trigger alcoholism, the biological mechanism of alcoholism is unknown. For most people, moderate alcohol consumption poses little danger of addiction. Other factors must exist for alcohol use to develop into alcoholism. These factors may include a person's social environment, emotional health and genetic predisposition. In addition, an alcoholic can develop multiple forms of addiction to alcohol simultaneously such as psychological, metabolic, and neurochemical. Each type of addiction must be treated individually for an alcoholic to fully recover.
Effects
Alcohol consumption causes a number of changes in behavior. Even low
doses significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to
drive a car safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can increase the
incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child
abuse. Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in
higher mental functions, severely altering a person's ability to learn
and remember information. Very high doses cause respiratory depression
and death.
Continued use of alcohol can lead to dependence. Sudden cessation of
alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including
severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions. Long-term
effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when
combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital
organs such as the brain and the liver. In addition, mothers who drink
alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol
syndrome. These infants may suffer from mental retardation and other
irreversible physical abnormalities. In addition, research indicates
that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other
children of becoming alcoholics.
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