Explain Alcoholism 

 

Surprisingly, many people wonder what an alcoholic is and what is alcoholism.

There is much information to be covered on the subject of alcoholism.

The coverage here of this disease will be but a glimpse of the condition.

The term alcoholism is given to a disease which creates a strong craving for alcohol.

The person that has this condition is considered to be an alcoholic. These people seem to have varying degrees of need in their drinking desires. While some seem to need the alcoholic beverage constantly others only seem to crave a drink when something goes wrong for them or causes them a degree of stress which is more than they feel they can handle on their own.

Still, others are what are known as a social drinker. While the medical world does not know the exact causative factor in alcoholism there is a suggestion that social factors, genetic factors and psychological factors all contribute to the development of this condition.

Additionally, the term alcoholism is not simply equivalent to excessive drinking of any magnitude.

It is more a relationship of severity and to the extent of the disorders related to alcohol use along a progressive course.

And while the person with a drinking problem might even realize they could harm their health or circumstances in their life caused by excessive drinking, they seem to not have the ability to control the drinking and cravings for the alcohol.

They can grow to depend on that alcoholic drink as a means to support their psychological well being.

They have become dependent on alcohol. But to what magnitude? Well, the magnitude of a drinking problem varies with each affected person.

As such, there have been some terms created to signify to what degree a person is affected by the need for alcohol.

What are these terms or levels of disorder?
* Social Drinker
* Heavy Drinker
* Problem Drinker
* Alcohol Dependent

The least severe of the alcohol disorder is: Social and the most severe is a dependent drinker. Furthermore, with each increase in drinking needs, the health risks also will increase. Lets look at what these levels basically mean.

A social drinker is defined as a person who drinks to enhance their experience at a social gathering but the drinking is not the focus of their activity.

 Did You Know

Women process alcohol differently than men. Women who are alcoholics or even occasionally drink too much alcohol face much greater health risks than men who drink the same amounts.

Women who drink will get drunk faster than men get and become addicted to alcohol faster than men become.

Although men are more likely to drink alcohol and drink in larger amounts, gender differences in body structure and chemistry cause women to absorb more alcohol, and take longer to break it down and remove.

In other words, upon drinking equal amounts, women have higher alcohol levels in their blood than men, and the immediate effects occur more quickly and last longer.

These differences also make women more vulnerable to alcohol’s long-term effects on their health. 

Research has shown that they also suffer the consequences of abuse-related illnesses a lot quicker than men do.  

The effects on the liver are more severe for women than for men and women have a higher risk of having alcohol-related liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.  

Proportionately, more women die of alcohol related cirrhosis than men do. 

Some alcohol-related illnesses that female alcoholics are at risk for include heart disease, ulcers, reproductive problems, pancreatitis, memory loss, and osteoporosis. 

In the late stages of alcoholism, women can develop hypertension, anemia, and malnutrition faster than men according to the Centers for Disease Control.  

Several recent research projects have determined that excessive alcohol consumption in women can result in breast cancer and different cancers of the digestive tract. 

A recent study showed that women who drink two to five alcoholic drinks per day have a 41 percent increase in their risk of getting breast cancer. 

Research has shown that excessive drinking in women actually causes the brain to shrink. 

 

 
 
A heavy drinker is basically defined as a person who incorporates alcoholic drinking into more and more activities with the focus being on drinking.

A Problem drinker is basically defined as a person who does not recognize that drinking alcoholic beverages and getting the resulting intoxicating effects have become a goal in itself.

They often will deal with a problem by drinking even if it was originally caused by having too much to drink.

 
Interesting Facts

Drinking steadily and consistently over time can cause a physical dependence on alcohol as well as withdrawal symptoms when going without alcohol for very long.

Physical dependence will not lead to alcoholism by itself. There must first be issues involved that cause the person to abuse alcohol and to abuse alcohol in an effort to deal with painful emotions and/or experiences.

Many factors lead to alcoholism and alcohol abuse. These things are important to recognize when the alcoholic goes through recovery and quits abusing alcohol.

Any factors that can be removed or solved need to be addressed as part of the alcoholism treatment.
 
An alcohol dependent person is a drinker that can not control or resist the urge to drink an alcoholic drink period.
 
This is the stage or level that a doctor considers a serious disease.
 
So, there you have a brief explanation of what qualifies someone as an alcoholic and a brief look at alcoholism.

 

 
 alcohol affects
 

Better Your Health

Site Map
What is the Attraction To Alcohol
Alcoholism is a Widespread Problem
◦ The Difference Between Alcohol Dependence And Alcohol Abuse
◦ FAQ's About Alcoholism Pt 1
◦ FAQ's About Alcoholism Pt 2
◦ A Brief Summary Regarding Alcoholism
◦ Alcohol Abuse and the College Campus
◦ The Brain And Alcohol
◦ Health Risks For Women Alcoholics
◦ Holiday Survival Guide For The Alcoholic
◦ How A Child See's Alcoholism
◦ Alcoholism Detoxification Steps
◦ Alcoholism and the Workplace
◦ The Children of Alcoholics
◦ Common Questions About Alcoholism
◦ Tests for Alcohol Use
◦ Do All Alcoholics Need a Rehab Center
◦ The Dangers and Penalties Of Drinking and Driving
◦ The War On Drunk Driving
◦ How To Determine When Someone Needs Professional Help
◦ Some Facts About Alcoholism
◦ Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
◦ Diet Hints To Assist With Alcoholism Withdrawal
◦ Helping Someone To Overcome Alcoholism
◦ Alcoholism Risk Is Linked to Early Aged Drinking
◦ A Portrait Of An Alcoholic
◦ The Symptoms of Alcoholism
◦ Basic Facts About Alcoholism
◦ Hard Facts About Alcoholism
◦ Cautions Concerning Non Alcoholic Beer
◦ The College Campus And Alcoholism
◦ Dangers of Alcoholism
◦ Alcoholics Anonymous Steps 1-6
◦ Alcoholics Anonymous Steps 6-12
◦ What Causes An Alcoholic Blackout
◦ New Shot to Treat Alcoholism
◦ Alcoholism's Physical Effects
◦ Group Support For Alcoholism
◦ Threats From Alcoholism
◦ The Truth About Alcoholism
◦ Treating The Three Main Issues In Alcoholism
◦ Treatments for Alcoholism
◦ Vitamins and Supplements For The Alcoholic
◦ Recovering From Alcoholism
◦ Help Your Teen Avoid Becoming An Alcoholic
◦ What Is Alcholism
◦ Family Members Drinking Too Much
◦ Explain Alcoholism
◦ Who Are The Alcoholics
◦ Women Fighting The Consequences of Alcoholism
◦ Al Anon Support For The Alcoholic's Family
◦ Health Consequences Of Alcoholism
◦ Medications Used For Treating Alcoholism
◦ Screening Tests For Alcoholism
◦ What Is The Difference Between Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism
◦ What the Bible Says About Alcohol Abuse
◦ How to Stop Drinking Alcohol without AA
◦ The Truth About Alcoholics Anonymous
◦ Alcoholism - Curable or Just Controllable
◦ The Causes of Alcoholism
◦ So How Much Drinking Really Is Too Much?
◦ Is Alcoholism Hereditary
◦ What Children Need to Know About Alcohol
◦ How to Recognize When Children are Drinking
◦ What You Need to Know about how to Set Up an Intervention for an Alcoholic
◦ How to Quit Drinking Without Gaining Weight