Alcoholism Risk Is
Linked to Early Aged Drinking
Lifetime Alcoholism Risk Is Linked to Early Aged Drinking According To Survey The survey appeared in Volume 160,
of the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, pages 739-746.
The article states of those 43,000 participants in a survey of U.S. adults who had developed the disease,
Alcoholism; 47% of them had met the criteria for alcoholism by age 21.
That is almost half of those involved in the survey. This is important information that will support the theory
that alcohol use by our youth is a risk factor for developing alcoholism and for developing it at a quicker rate
and at a younger age, usually within 10 years of when they started drinking.
The survey took into account other risk factors for alcohol dependence to further validate the evidence.
The survey was very specific regarding terms such as "starting to drink" did not mean tasting or sipping but
actually consuming the drink.
The survey involved personal interviews that were face to face. The participants in the survey were age 18 and
older.
The data used in the survey was gathered from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related
Conditions (NESARC), according to the article." While interpreting the survey results, one may surmise that as the
world ages, our youth are exposed to more intense pressures and temptations are inclined to be in their face.
Youth may see alcohol as an answer to escape these pressures. As the survey suggests, turning to alcohol at an
early age will hold lifelong consequences (namely alcoholism).
The Internet is a prime example of how the trials and temptations of the day can come right into our homes. The
Internet exposes our kids at an earlier age to a barrage of advertising, Websites and chat rooms that are of an
adult nature.
If not supervised or monitored closely enough this exposure will continue without the benefit of safeguards for
health or safety.
Not only are kids bombarded with stress but also they are exposed to the inappropriate ways to handle stress,
especially drugs like alcohol. Communication is at lightening speed, and involves more than local participants, as
the Internet is a global medium.
Did You Know
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Alcoholism effects men and women at different levels and over different amounts of
time but one thing that everyone who is an alcoholic has in common is that their bodies will be
negatively affected and damaged from the regular intake of alcohol. Alcoholism affects all of the
body systems including the brain.
There are short-term effects that last during the drinking phase but once the
person is in recovery, those effects go away. There are also long-term effects that are caused by
the alcoholism and are permanent damage to the drinker.
Some of the short-term effects of alcoholism are related to being drunk.
These include things such as weight loss, intoxication, drunk driving, poor
decision-making, and irresponsibility and reproductive disorders.
Once the alcoholic is sober, they may have to go through counseling in order to
learn better responsibility and decision-making tools but without the alcohol, the person is much
better.
Of course being intoxicated goes away when the person stops drinking and they have
a tendency to gain weight because time that was spent drinking and not eating is replaced with at
least eating regular meals. Alcohol alters the brain and inhibits its functioning.
Interestingly, people will feel like they are extra creative and will believe that
they are "with it". However, alcohol is a depressant and actually slows brain function.
Alcohol will actually inhibit creativity and productivity regardless of how it
makes the alcoholic feel.
The regular use of alcohol will actually alter the reproductive cycle in women and
can cause infertility as well as other reproductive related problems.
The long-term or even permanent effects of alcoholism are more dangerous and
difficult if not impossible to recover from.
Alcoholism causes the human brain to literally shrink over time. This causes brain cells to die and can affect memory, sight,
smell, hearing, hormones, and the nervous system.
Alcoholism can also cause infertility in both men and women as well as permanent
birth defects in babies who are born to alcoholic mothers.
Cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer can result from excessive drinking as well
as cancers of the stomach and breast, too.
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There is a 2005 survey that supports the finding of the previously mentioned survey. The 2005 survey is the
Youth Risk Behavior Survey that was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It found that in the U.S., 26% of high school students had already consumed at least one alcoholic beverage,
before the age of 13.
Based on this it would seem that there is enough evidence that youth are indeed drinking, not just
experimenting with alcohol and that this could contribute to the existence of younger alcoholics.
Interesting Facts
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Talk to someone if you find that drinking is becoming a problem. Seek the assistance of
Alcoholics Anonymous. That's what they are there for.
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These younger alcoholics would have obviously a longer time to deal with this devastating and chronic disease.
There is no telling what the ramifications of contracting Alcoholism earlier and having longer affects of the
disease would have on the body and mind of those who suffer from it; one might guess that it would not be good.
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