Alcohol and Alcoholism Information
What Is So Addictive About Alcohol?
Alcohol addiction is defined as a compulsive need for an intoxicating liquid such as beer, wine, and other hard liquors. Alcoholism is present when a person craves alcohol and cannot limit or contain his or her drinking. Signs of alcoholism include; experiencing withdrawal symptoms when drinking is abruptly stopped or the amount is reduced, or the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to feel a high, commonly known as tolerance. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a sedative-hypnotic drug that acts on the human brain like other sedative-hypnotic drugs such as barbiturates and benzodiazepine tranquilizers. Alcohol, like other sedative-hypnotic drugs in its class, can cause physical dependence in anyone who consumes enough of it for a sufficient period of time. The withdrawal syndrome from alcohol is identical to that for other drugs in the same class such as Valium, Xanax, etc. Withdrawal symptoms for each include:
- Anxiety, restlessness, irritability, and insomnia
- Elevated blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and respiration
- Confusion and disorientation
- Visual and auditory hallucinations, acute psychotic behavior
- Grand mal seizures
- Infrequently, sudden death
Some think that it is just a matter of using one’s willpower to stop drinking but alcoholism is more complicated than that. An alcoholic’s craving for alcohol is so great that it suppresses their ability to stop drinking. The majority of alcoholics need assistance to stop drinking. With treatment, family support, and practicing an ongoing program of recovery, many have been able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives.
Causes and effects of alcoholism are thought to be a combination of nature and nurturing. The American Medical Association has labeled alcoholism a “disease”. It is a chronic condition that gets worse and can have fatal consequences if left untreated. Alcoholism normally runs in families but has been known to skip generations. It can also develop or worsen based on a person’s environment and traumatic experiences in life. These factors may include culture, friends, family, peer pressures, and the way the person lives. |
