Chronic Alcoholism: Its Effects And Implications
Alcoholism is commonly defined as that condition characterized by the inability of a person to control or abstain from consuming alcohol despite its adverse physical, social and moral effects. In the United States, alcohol is the most abused drug. The economic cost of alcoholism is pegged at more than a hundred billion dollars every year. The medical community describes alcoholism as a disease because of three reasons. First, it can exist for many years or in other words, it may lead to chronic alcoholism. Second, it is strongly influenced by genetics. Lastly, it is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability.
Chronic alcoholism usually develops after many years of being unable to control alcohol consumption. Studies show that this stage of alcoholism often manifests in men and women whose ages range from 25 to 50. People, who became alcoholics at a young age, do not reach the chronic stage because they are able to successfully control their alcohol use by the time they reach 30.
Physical, social and psychological disorders are often manifested in chronic alcoholism. Chronic alcohol dependents suffer from many acute and chronic diseases. In fact, alcoholism is among the most prevalent public-health problem in the society. It is very interesting to note that while smoking may shorten the lifespan of a person by 8 years, alcoholism shortens it by 15 years. The physical effects of chronic alcoholism include nutritional diseases like beriberi heart disease, pellagra, scurvy and anemia. Thiamine deficiency, which happens to approximately 80% of alcoholics, may also develop Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This is a serious brain disorder that causes mental confusion and oculomotor paralysis and may ultimately lead to psychosis, which is characterized by learning and memory problems. Liver cirrhosis is also one of the most classic diseases associated with alcohol addiction. It may also lead to temporary or lasting damage to other organs like brain, bone marrow and heart. Examples of brain damage include cortical laminar sclerosis and cerebellar degeneration. Both acute and chronic alcoholism may also affect digestion and gastrointestinal functions.
Among the social effects brought forth by this condition is the increase of petty and sexual crimes, driving offenses, women and child abuse, homicide, divorce and unemployment. Many chronic alcohol users, especially those living alone and suffering from chronic aliments, are also potential suicidal risks. Psychological symptoms associated with chronic alcoholism include mild dementia and certain psychiatric conditions such as attention deficit disorder, panic disorder, antisocial disorder and schizophrenia. Alcohol abuse may also lead to a change in personality traits. In the early stage of alcohol addiction, an alcoholic becomes more irritable, moody or depressed if he is not able to drink alcohol. Alcoholics also tend to lie about their drinking habits and blame other people or other things for their drinking. Incidentally, these two are some of the warning signs that a person may be alcoholic. Moreover, chronic alcoholism may increase the risk of some diseases like diabetes and of infection. It also increases the risk of unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Chronic alcohol users also are more susceptible to fatal poisoning and deaths and injuries from accidents due to compromised neuromuscular and mental functions.
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