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Thesis on: The detrimental effects of drinking alcohol
Alcoholism is an addictive disease, which is characterized by increased and regular drinking of alcohol. It is a detrimental disease, and causes many harmful effects over the mind and body of the individual afflicted with it. His friends, family, and even in extreme cases, the society suffers from the detrimental effects of alcohol. The signs that a person is suffering from alcohol are an increasing consumption of alcohol intake, sole interest in drinking, denial that alcohol is a problem, etc. He may hide alcohol bottles, finish an entire rink in a few gulps, have an immense longing for drinking, and lose control over himself. Alcohol abuse can be of several types. The aim of this thesis is to unearth all the severe harmful effects of alcoholism.
Alcoholism has many causes. There are social factors involved, like increased influence of families and peers. The easy availability of alcohol is also a major cause. Stresses, inability to cope with difficulties, friendship with other alcoholics are other problems. Genetic factors are also responsible for alcoholism. Genetic predisposition is, in fact, a major cause of alcoholism. Scientifically, it is proven that a child of an alcoholic parent is more prone to take on alcoholism than a child of a non-alcoholic parent. Besides, there are other causes like youthful celebrations, aping someone else, etc. There are many causes, both minor and major, that enable a person to
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take on alcoholism. The effects however are far-fetched and very harmful. There may be psychological, physical, deterioration, and addiction, each of which causes detrimental harm to the individual himself, as well as his near and dear ones.
Psychological Effects- Alcohol is a major depressant. It depresses the central nervous system, and makes an alcoholic more prone to depression than a non-alcoholic. There is an increased tendency for suicides. Alcoholics become self-centered. They are only bothered about their bottles and nothing else. If anyone tries to keep them away from alcohol, they might get violent, too. The only thing that concerns them is their own drinking. People suffer from cloudy thinking. They can’t distinguish between right and wrong. There is an increased level of self-pity. The patients of alcoholism think that they are very sad and unfortunate, and only their daily dose of alcohol can lessen their sorrow. They cry, and beg for alcohol. They are the pitiable ones. However, there are some people who think that they are big shots. In fact, it is called the “big shot complex.” After they are intoxicated, they think that they are the masters of the universe. They take the upper hand, and abuse their family and friends( Saunder, John.B.,Aasland,Olaf.G., Babor, Thomas.F.,et al.2008).They often turn tyrannical, too. Some other alcoholics, again, suffer from the problem called “perpetual stress.” They seek stress in everything, and drink copious quantities of alcohol just for the same. They are discontented with life all the time. They feel as if they are missing something, and seek the pleasures of intoxication for the same. The alcoholic people aren’t able to keep their promises. They are mostly always promising to quit alcohol, yet bring a hidden bottle inadvertently. No matter, how hard they try to stay off alcohol, and maintain their resolution for the same; they never manage to implement it for a long period of time. They are victims of anxiety. They get worried if they don’t get alcohol, and imagine
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themselves falling ill. Sometimes there is Dysthymia occurring in alcoholics, which is a chronic depression.
The alcoholics also refuse to believe that they have any problem. They think that drinking is just a way of life, and rarely do they accept that alcoholism is a brutal addiction. There is an obsession of sorts, with alcohol. There is restlessness without alcohol, and increased irritability. Sometimes, the irritability is so high, that people get violent. They abuse, and hit others, too. The alcoholics lose interest from their hobbies and pursuits. Nothing matters more than their bottle of drink. Their capabilities get burdened under alcohol. Their bodies and minds suffer from sleep problems. Addiction of alcohol causes both sleeplessness and overt sleepiness. People are unable to concentrate on their work, if they drink too much. Lack of concentration brings poor results. The inevitable failure makes these alcoholics take their resentment out on their families and themselves, by drinking more. Thus, to sum up the psychological effects of alcoholism- it is a complete mental impairment. The person doesn’t behave like he used to; his personality changes completely, and in most cases the change is for the worse. All the good things about a person get burdened under alcohol. The only concern that haunts them psychologically is that they must drink more and more, else life is not worth it.( Dasgupta, Amitava.2011)
Physical Effects- The effects on the human body due to excessive consumption of alcohol are manifold. The human liver is severely affected by alcoholism. The liver may get an inflammation, and get diseases like Steatosis, Alcoholic Hepatitis, Fibrosis, and Cirrhosis.Steatosis is the accumulation of fats and lipids in the liver. Alcoholic Hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver from excessive intake of alcohol. This can lead to Cirrhosis. In
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Cirrhosis, the liver tissue gets replaced by scar tissues, and the liver gradually stops functioning. The blood flow is stopped via the liver, and nutrients, hormones, etc. can’t reach the body. There is a change in the appetite; the body loses lots of weight, continuous nausea and vomiting, jaundice, high fever, and excessive fatigue. In advanced stages, it can cause death, even.
In case of the pancreas, increased alcohol consumption can lead to the formation of toxic substances, which can, at later stages, cause Pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a disease that causes the inflammation of the Pancreas. In advanced stages, it is a life-threatening disease. There might be increased abdominal pain, swollen abdomen, nausea and vomiting, high fever, and increased heartbeats.
There are severe consequences on the heart, as well. There might be Cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscles stretch and droop, causing pressure on the heart. Another problem might be Arrhythmias, which is symbolized by irregular heartbeats. There might be severe and fatal strokes. The blood pressure is almost all the time at a peak high.( Morten Grønbæk.2006)
The increased and regular alcohol consumption causes problems in the brain pathways, and thus, the communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. Mood and behavior patterns are changed. There are uncoordinated body movements, and sometimes, no control over the body at all. (Klatsky AL, Armstrong MA, Friedman GD.1989)
Increased alcohol consumption can cause carcinogenic effects on the mouth, oesophagus, throat, liver and breasts (Boffetta P, Garfinkel L .1990).Any of these body parts, if inflicted with cancer, can cause death. Drinking too much alcohol can weaken the immune system altogether. Thus, with decreased immunity, the body can contract diseases faster. The body can refuse to fight
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with infections- even up to 24 hours after bring drunk. The alcoholic people find it more difficult to fight fever, pneumonia, and tuberculosis than the non-alcoholic people.
In women, excessive alcohol consumption causes the menstruation cycles to stop. This brings on infertility, and cases of increased miscarriage, stillborn child, and premature delivery in case of pregnant alcoholics. Long term alcoholism can cause the body to face difficulties in producing new bones. Osteoporosis and bone fractures become common. Muscles tend to become weaker, and muscular atrophy can occur in the worst case.( Anderson P.1995)
Deterioration- From the social aspect, too, alcoholism has terrible effects. The number of car accidents, and consequent deaths, caused by drunk and irresponsible drivers are too many to keep a tab on. There are effects of alcoholism like self-centeredness, and poor concentration. Indiscipline at work surely goes punished, and alcoholic people are mostly left unemployed. They manage to drink still, and cause a huge tug on the pockets of their families. Over consumption of alcohol causes people to inculcate an abusive personality. These people resort to domestic violence to release their pent-up frustration. Verbal as well as physical abuses of the spouses and the children increase manifold. The happy household picture is just a myth in the homes of alcoholics. There are increased numbers of divorces,, and the children of alcoholic parents often fail their exams, and study poorly at schools.
Underage drinking is also a major moral deterioration. Too many young people these days, resort to alcoholism to show off new attitude, or just to copy some other people. This aggravated rate of underage drinking causes problems like assaults, violence, accidents, and injuries. Crime rates are at an alarming high in the population of underage drinkers. Judgment and coordination are
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impaired when one drinks too much. Thus, a person is unable to decipher the consequences of his or her actions, and most often, cause turbulence in the personal space. Loss of friends and loved ones is the most common result of increased aggressiveness arising out alcoholism. There is a lot of social embarrassment that alcoholics, and unfortunately their families, face. Morals go for a toss, and people behave in a monstrous manner with their near and dear ones. Sometimes people are so hard of cash, which they resort to thieving and pickpocketing to get their bottle of drink. Some of the more aggressive ones may even resort to physical attacks and assaults. Thus, unfortunately the social and moral deterioration of alcoholism is manifold.
Addiction- Alcohol addiction takes a toll on family life. It becomes impossible for people to live with alcoholics, no matter how much they love them. The children of alcoholics suffer from low self-esteem, guilt, loneliness, fear of abandonment, anxiety and stress, as well as chronic depression in certain cases. The little ones think it is their fault that their parents drink, and often cry at night. They wet their beds, and have nightmares. The older ones have difficulty in making friends, and fear social stigma. They may even go to the extent of developing phobias. They may often face abuse in the hands of their alcoholic parents too. Once the kids grow up to be adults themselves, they hate their alcoholic parent and the filial ties are broken. They are often alienated from their parents, and live separately. They suffer from depression, and are often susceptible to fall prey to alcoholism themselves.( Sheff,Nic.2012)
There are increased divorces these days due to increased alcoholism. The respective spouses simply refuse to endure domestic violence, and leave. The ones, whose marriages are not legally nulled, are prone to decreased communication, increased anger and fights, zero or very less
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intimacy, marital abuse and domestic violence, and reduced economy due to the money spent on alcohol. All these are exacerbated with the increased consumption of alcohol. The things, like love and care, go out of the window and increased disgust, anger, resentment take over. Family ties are broken and shattered forever.
In conclusion, it can be said alcoholism has numerous detrimental effects on the person himself, as well as on his family. A person, when picks up a bottle of alcohol for the first time, doesn’t know that increased and continued intake of alcohol can ruin him psychologically, financially, physically, cause moral downgrade, and make him a different person altogether. There is no addiction or pleasure greater than that of a healthy life. If a person drinks socially, once or twice, it is acceptable. But, if his increased addiction causes such long term a harmful effect on himself, as well as his family, then such an addiction is simply not worth it.Alcoholism is a bane on every person who suffers from its abuse. It must be cured through therapy and medication. If left to itself, alcoholism will become a menace to the person, and his family, further hurting the society.
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Works Cited:
- Saunder, John.B.,Aasland,Olaf.G., Babor, Thomas.F.,et al. “Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption.” Addiction. 24 Jan.2006.Web.28 Nov.2014
- Morten Grønbæk. (2006) Factors influencing the relation between alcohol and cardiovascular disease. Current Opinion in Lipidology 17:1, 17-21
- Anderson P. Alcohol and risk of physical harm. In: Holder HD, Edwards G, eds. Alcohol: evidence and issues. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1995.Print
- Boffetta P, Garfinkel L. Alcohol drinking and mortality among men enrolled in an American Cancer Society prospective study. Epidemiology 1990;1:342-348
- Klatsky AL, Armstrong MA, Friedman GD. Alcohol use and subsequent cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations. Stroke 1989;20:741-746
- Dasgupta, Amitava. The Science of Drinking:How Alcohol Affects Your Body and Mind. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publisher. 2011.Print
- Sheff,Nic. “We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction.”London:Little,Brown.2012.Print
