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Alcoholism - Alcoholism symptom, treatment, causes

Excessive, persistent and compulsive drinking of alcohol resulting in personal and social problems and breakdown of health. People who become addicted to alcohol often begin to drink heavily to find relief from personal, social or work stress. The more they drink, the less tension they can tolerate without alcohol, when someone cannot get through the day without a drink and needs alcohol to feel normal, chronic alcoholism with physical and psychological dependence has developed.

Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, and often fatal disease. Left untreated, alcoholism can be fatal. The chronic alcohol consumption caused by alcoholism can result in psychological and physiological disorders. Alcoholism can develop insidiously, and often there is no clear line between problem drinking and alcoholism. The severity of this disease is influenced by factors such as genetics, psychology, culture, and response to physical pain. Long-term ingestion results in the synthesis of more glutamate receptors.

The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle. Scientists have found that having an alcoholic family member makes it more likely that if you choose to drink you too may develop alcoholism. The chemistry of alcohol allows it to affect nearly every type of cell in the body, including those in the central nervous system.The secondary damage caused by an inability to control one's drinking manifests in many ways. Eventually alcohol dominates thinking, emotions, and actions and becomes the primary means through which a person can deal with people, work, and life.

Symptom of Alcoholism

Alcoholism leads to loss of appetite and malnutrition. and eventually the liver, digestive system, heart, reproductive system, nerves and brain are adversely affected.

Many problems (the most serious being delirium tremens --uncontrolled shaking and abnormal behaviour) can occur when an alcoholic is deprived of alcohol. Withdrawal should always be under medical supervision, in hospital when addiction is longstanding and dependence profound.

Treatment of Alcoholism

Treatment includes medication to counter withdrawal reactions, psychotherapy, social support and complete abstinence from alcohol, with vitamin supplements and a balanced and plentiful diet to correct the effects of poor nutrition. With the patient's agreement. alcohol avoidance may be aided by the use of a drug that causes a severely unpleasant physical reaction (such as vomiting) if alcohol is taken - a type of aversion therapy. There are a number of social agencies that offer support for alcoholics and their families

The active constituent of 'drink' is ethanol. The effects of alcohol on the body depend upon the amount of ethanol in the blood after a drink.

Common FAQs on Alcoholism

> How much ethanol is there in a drink?
A shot of whisky/12 oz of beer/1 glass of wine=10 g ethanol.

> How much does this raise the blood level of ethanol?
Any of the above measures raise the blood level of ethanol to 25 mg%.

>What does a person experience as blood levels of ethanol begin to rise?
At 50 mg%, the experience is still generally one of pleasant relaxation.
At 100 mg% one begins to feel sick: nausea and even a vomit may occur.
At 150-300 mg% one begins to appear, and feel, drunk.
At 400 mg%, the dose of ethanol is toxic and may be lethal.
Death follows soon thereafter.

> What about the permissible blood level while driving?
The legal limit is between 80-100 mg%. But many persons feel unsteady long before this limit is reached as behavior and sensations have altered.

> How many calories does a drink have?
Ethanol has 7.1 kcal/ gm. A drink has anything between 70-100 calories.

> So, isn't alcohol a good source of energy?
No.
Most of the calories are 'empty'-that is, they don't produce energy that can fuel you. Alcohol also lacks all of the common nutrients you need.

> What does regular drinking do to the body?
After 1-2 weeks of daily drinking, the body develops tolerance to alcohol. This means the amount one needs to drink to feel good starts increasing.

> Will a drink a day harm me?
A daily glass of wine (not hard liquor) has been found to have cardiac benefits in persons who have a healthy liver and are not pregnant. But anything more definitely has a toxic effect on all body systems.

What are the warning signs of alcohol toxicity?
. Blackouts: loss of memory for the events of an evening of celebration.
. Sleep disturbances.
. Neuropathy: numbness, tingling, altered sensation in the limbs.
. Unsteady gait-and lack of balance-result in falls even
when not intoxicated.
. Visual disturbances
. Episodes of confusion
. Stomach irritation/vomiting
. Vomiting blood
. Jaundice
. Swelling of abdomen and ankles.

> Is alcohol safe during pregnancy?
Emphatically NO!
Even the 'social drink' may cause damage to the fetus.

> What about children?
A child's brain is very susceptible to minute doses of alcohol. Tonics, particularly 'herbal' tonics are often prepared with an alcohol base.

No child needs a tonic for any disorder. Parents must be extremely vigilant about their child's medication, first familiarizing themselves with the drugs on the label. ALL OTC medications are dangerous to children. Brandy must not be given to colds.