Coping up with Alcoholism

I had some relatives and friends that can be consider as alcoholic. However what does it mean? What leads these people on becoming alcoholic? Are their dangers or risk? Is there such a thing as safe drinking? Is there any help available for the alcoholics? Let's answer these questions one by one.

Alcoholism is a disease known as alcohol dependence syndrome, the severe stage of a group drinking problems that begins with splurge drinking and alcohol abuse or misuse. There are two faces in drinking of alcoholic beverages, one happy and another is sad. The alcohol misuses can cause harm or even death. Most accidents are caused by drunk drivers. Actually, alcohol abuse is the third cause of death, after cancer and coronary heart disease in France according to French Health Ministry. Death is mostly heavy unto young people. Alcohol also contributes to act of violence. According to Awake! Magazine that I've read, drinking can remove inhibitions and social restraints and can blur the way one interprets other people's action, making a violent response, more likely. A French study of prison inmates suggested that alcohol was involved in two thirds of rapes and indecent assaults. According to the magazine Polytika, those in Poland 75 percent of the wives have been subjected to violence. Alcohol may as well cause broken family and stunted educations or careers. Alcohol misuses include hazardous use, harmful use and dependence. According to the World Health Organization, hazardous use is a pattern of alcohol consumption carrying with a risk of harmful consequences. Harmful use or alcohol abuse involves drinking that is already provoking either physical or mental damage but has not yet led to dependence. Dependence is the loss of control to abstain from drinking.

Too much alcohol is a great danger to our body since one of its content is neurotoxins (ethanol), a substance that can damage or destroy the nervous system. A drunken person is suffering from some form of poisoning and if you are in large quantities of ethanol, it can lead to coma and even death. A person that is drunk develops slurred speech, blurred vision, sluggish movement, and weakened behavioral restraints and inhibitions which are all common symptoms of intoxication. According to Awake!, with prolonged exposure to alcohol, brain chemistry adapts to counter the poisonous effect of ethanol and to maintain normal nerve function. These leads to tolerance, whereby the same amount of alcohol has less of an effect than it would have had previously. Dependence occurs when the brain has adapted so much to the presence of alcohol that it cannot operate properly without it. Causing modifications of brain chemistry, alcohol abuse can lead cell atrophy and destruction, altering the brain's very structure. Too much alcohol may also damage the liver in three stages (steatohepatitis, apoptosis and cirrhosis). Another tragic outcome of alcohol abuse is the effect it can do to the unborn. When these pregnant women drink, the child within her also drinks and the toxic effect of alcohol is devastating at this formative stage of the fetus. Alcohol could cause irreversible damage to its central nervous system. And can result, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), this include intellectual impairment, language problems, developmental delay, behavioral dysfunction or deficit, slow growth, hyperactivity and hearing and sight disorders.

Is there such a thing as safe drinking? An article from Nature states that even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of injury and boost the chances of developing about 60 diseases. However what constitutes safe drinking? Millions have considered occasional drinking and drinking in moderation.

What help is available to those that misuse alcohol? First is to recognize the problem since it is a common reaction among those who abuse alcohol is to deny it. According to Awake!, acknowledging that one's level of consumption is potentially dangerous and reducing it accordingly is the best way to avoid serious problems later. If you are a non alcoholic and wanted to help a friend that is alcoholic you should listen attentively, use open questions that allow the person to express his emotions and feelings freely, display an empathetic attitude that helps him think that he is understood, give encouragement for even light progress, avoid being judgmental or having an attitude that could block him from open expression and from seeking help. However, individuals that are dependent in using alcohol may need professional help to become abstinent. Being occupied to some progressive activities can be a big help in coping with this problem. Alcoholic drinks aren't the last resort for a problem. Though it can make you forget your life's burdens temporarily, you will possibly suffer its effects because of abusive use of the alcohol, and if your drinking posses a threat to you well-being, do not be hesitant to make changes in your lifestyle. It is not yet too late to change, for yourself and for the ones you love.