Actually, nearly 14 million people in the U.S. have some kind of
problem related to alcohol, and five times more men that women become in some way
alcohol dependent. Two
problems are basically associated to alcohol; alcohol
abuse and alcoholism. Though alcohol abuse can lead to alcoholism, they are not the same thing. Alcohol abuse is what is also known as a ‘drinking problem’, and refers to a pattern of excessive drinking that has social and health consequences, but in this case the drinker has the ability to change his or her drinking habits. People who suffer from alcohol abuse generally use alcohol to help them change the way they feel about themselves or circumstances in their lives, use problems related to their alcohol abuse to set limits to themselves on how much or how often to drink, usually avoid repeating alcohol related behaviors that have brought them problems in the past, and perceive the complaints of others regarding their consumption of alcohol as expressions of concern for their well-being. And most important of all, they still have the possibility of changing their habits. Alcoholism, on the other hand, is a disease, chronic and progressive, which can be fatal if not treated. Alcoholism cannot be cured, but it can be treated. People who suffer from alcoholism continue drinking, no matter the negative consequences, promises they have made to themselves and others about drinking in moderation or not at all, and consistently disregard and resent complaints about their drinking. The Mayo Clinic has elaborated a list of frequent signs or alcohol abuse, which includes drinking alone or in secret, forgetting conversations or commitments, having rituals of drinking before, with or after dinner, and becoming annoyed when such rituals are questioned or disturbed, losing interest in activities that used to be pleasurable, becoming irritable when drinking time comes, especially if there is no alcohol available, keeping alcohol in unlikely places, even at work or in the car, gulping drinks, having problems with relationships, employment, or legal. When alcoholism sets in,
symptoms become more extreme. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has identified the following symptoms as indication of alcoholism; a craving, or strong need, to drink, loss of control over the ability to stop drinking, physical dependence, which becomes evident through the presence of withdrawal symptoms (nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping to drink), and tolerance, referred to the need to
drink in greater amounts to get intoxicated. Alcoholism is
disease that results from a combination of multiple causes that is unique for every person. Some of these causes are brain chemistry imbalance (excessive drinking depletes the production of hormones in charge of inhibiting impulsiveness and increases the production of hormones in charge of exciting the nervous system), genetics (in about 50% of the cases of alcoholism there are certain genes which predispose the individual to the disease), mental and emotional stress (alcohol helps to block emotional pain resulting from conflicts and stress), individual psychological factors (low self-esteem and depression), and the social and cultural pressures, which frequently legitimize and glamorize excessive drinking. Though low to moderate alcohol drinking may be beneficial for certain conditions, prolonged and excessive drinking can leads to many health problems, such as impaired mental functioning, liver disorders, including alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea, hemorrhoids, ulcers), heart disease and stroke, lung disorders (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome), cancer (of the digestive system, lungs, esophagus, breasts, vagina, and cervix), skin, muscle and bone disorders (osteoporosis, muscular deterioration, skin sores, and itchiness), and pregnancy and infant development complications (damaging the developing fetus, and causingfetal alcohol syndrome, which can derive in mental and growth retardation). Prolonged and regular consumption of alcohol may also increase the risk of other addictions, especially to nicotine. Unfortunately, alcohol is the number one drug being used by young people, exceeding the consumption of all other illicit drugs combined. In the case of a teen who is abusing consuming alcohol, early intervention is a key element to avoiding a future problem or addressing a current one. There are many warning signals that may indicate a drinking problem in a teen, but because some of these are common to the normal behaviors of children going into puberty and adolescence, it is important to talk to young people if any of these signs are noticed: the odor of alcohol, sudden changes in mood or attitude, drops in attendance or performance in school, loss of interest in activities that used to be fun, behavior problems at school, withdrawal from family and friends, having a new group of friends and being reluctant to introduce them to their parents, depression. People who may be developing a drinking problem usually identify with at least two of the following: (1) They need a drink as soon as they get up. (2) They feel guilt about their drinking. (3) They think they must cut back on their drinking, but they cannot. (4) They are annoyed when other people comment on their drinking habits. Still, many people who abuse alcohol or have become alcoholics are not honest enough to accept this situation. And it is not always easy for others to identify symptoms of alcoholism. This is why health professionals have developed questionnaires and tests to detect alcohol abuse patterns of behaviors,
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