Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms: Loss of control- Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun. Craving – A strong need, or urge, to drink. Physical dependence- Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking. Tolerance-The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

Alcohol has been consumed for thousands of years by almost all civilizations. Americans have been drinking alcohol since the country was founded and in moderation, it can be a relaxing beverage. Many people come home from a hard day of work and unbind with a drink.

How do you know, though, when that relaxing drink has taken over your life? How do you know when you become depend on it? Alcohol abuse in America is becoming a serious problem. Many people used to believe that alcohol abuse was a characteristic of a weak person, but now it is known that it is really a serious disease that has a chance of affecting us all.

A surprising statistic is that 1 in 13 adults is affected by alcohol abuse. The online health guide, WebMD reported that in the United States alone, 12 to 14 millions adults abuse the substance and each year, around 100,000 adults will die from alcohol abuse. It has also been proven that alcohol abuse is a large factor in most of the country’s car accidents, suicides and homicides. It also affects many other things in daily life, including increased rates of job absenteeism, and increases reports of domestic violence and child abuse.

Treatments for alcohol abuse are quite varied in keeping with the multiple perspectives of the condition itself. Counselors approaching the condition as a medical disease will recommend different treatment processes and goals than, for instance, those approaching the condition as one of social choice. Most treatments focus on helping abusers completely discontinue their alcohol intake, as well as providing life training and/or social support to help them resist a return to alcohol use.

Since alcohol abuse involves many factors which encourage a person to continue drinking (psychological/social, physical, and neurochemical), all of these factors must be addressed in order to successfully prevent a return to active alcohol use.

The treatment community for alcohol abuse typically supports an abstinence-based approach, as studies have shown that the vast majority of people who abuse alcohol cannot learn to drink in moderation. The most common approach to alcohol abuse treatment is detoxification followed by a combination of supportive therapy, attendance at self-help groups, and ongoing development of coping mechanisms.

The effectiveness of alcohol abuse treatments vary from successful to counterproductive. When considering the effectiveness of treatment options, it is important to consider the percentage of those who drop out of a program, not just those who complete it. Most programs can boast a high cure rate for those who complete it because most people only complete a program if it works for them. It is also important to consider not just the percentage of those reaching sobriety but how many of those experience relapsing.

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