Interesting Yet Startling Alcoholism Facts
There are too many facets about alcoholism that can be learned. All these alcoholism facts are however, significant to understand the condition of alcoholism or alcohol dependence better.
Alcoholism is a prevalent social problem worldwide. In the United States, more than 10 million people are categorized as alcoholics according to a study conducted. Aside from this, another 7 million alcohol users have experienced the adverse effects f alcohol consumption on the human body. The same study further showed that for each person who is alcohol addiction, at least four other persons are more likely to be influenced by him or her. Research also reveal to 75% of alcoholics are married and have jobs or professions. These people are also seen as society members of good standing. Alcoholism facts further reveal that 10 - 20 percent of the male population and 5 - 10 percent of the female population qualify for alcoholism at least once in their lifetime.
While many believe that alcoholism is a choice, alcoholism facts reveal that the genes of a person may make him predisposed to alcohol addiction. It is also interesting to note that alcoholism is a threat only to some people. Some people have natural protection against alcohol making them less likely to suffer from alcoholism. In particular, people with low alcohol tolerance level may not likely be addicted to alcohol because they become intoxicated way before they can achieve alcohol addiction level. However, an estimated 20% of people have very high alcohol tolerance levels making them susceptible to alcoholism. In order for alcohol addiction to develop, very big amounts of alcohol should be consumed. Women, as a group, have lower alcohol tolerance level than men, making them three times less likely to become alcohol addicts.
Alcoholism facts also reveal that many young people who resort to drinking five or less glasses of alcohol within a couple of hours experience blackouts. This is alarming since these binge drinkers consume far less than heavy drinkers who are often the victims of blackouts. Research reveals that blackouts happen when a drinker drinks excessively and quickly. Alcoholism facts also show that while men drink more than the women, an equal number of men and women complained about experiencing blackouts. This led researchers to conclude that women, by virtue of their gender, are more likely susceptible to blackouts. Alcoholism facts also have proven alcoholism to be the cause of a host of diseases in a human body. Three particular adverse effects of alcoholism that are worth discussing are the Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, and hepatic encephalopathy. The Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome arises when the body becomes thiamine deficient. Eighty percent of alcoholics have this deficiency. The WK syndrome causes a person to become mentally confused and leads to the paralysis of the eye muscles and problems in using different sets of muscles. Due to this condition, patients may no longer be able to know how to go out of a room. Hepatic encephalopathy, on the other hand, arises when the liver becomes too damaged due to heavy alcohol use. A patient with this condition can go into a fatal coma.
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