Prepared by Darya Davidovich & Anastasia Efimenkova

Social maladies are different…alcoholism –is one of the worst…

Alcoholism.

Symptoms. Diagnose. Treatment.

Contest

Who is an Alcoholic? 3

Alcohol consumption 3

What are the symptoms of alcoholism? 3

What is binge drinking? 4

What causes alcohol dependence (alcoholism)? 4

How is alcoholism diagnosed? 5

Complications of alcoholism and alcohol abuse 6

Treatment for alcohol dependency 7

Who is an Alcoholic?

Alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism - the body is dependent on alcohol. An alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism is a chronic (long-term) disease. People who suffer from alcoholism are obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems at home, work and financially. Alcohol abuse generally refers to people who do not display the characteristics of alcoholism but still have a problem with it - these people are not as dependent on alcohol as an alcoholic is; they have not yet completely lost their control over its consumption.

Alcohol consumption

Consuming moderate quantities of alcohol will not usually cause any physical or psychological harm. Unfortunately, for some people social drinking eventually leads to heavier drinking, which can cause devastating health and psychological problems. According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK, approximately 1 in every 13 people in the UK is an alcoholic - a sizable proportion of the UK population drinks excessively. According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), 15% of people in the United States are problem drinkers, and about 5% to 10% of male drinkers and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are at least 140 million alcoholics in the world, and the majority of them are not treated. A US study estimated that about 30% of Americans report having an alcohol disorder at some time in their lives.

Alcohol consumption more severely affects women than men, according to a coordinated study carried out by researchers at RTI International, Pavlov Medical University, Leningrad Regional Center of Addictions, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The lifetime risk of alcohol-use disorders for men is more than 20%, with a risk of about 15% for alcohol abuse and 10% for alcohol dependence, according to researchers from the University of California, San Diego, USA.

What are the symptoms of alcoholism?

The signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse are very similar, and are often just a question of degree or intensity.

Typically, the last person to be aware that he/she has a serious drinking problem is the alcoholic himself/herself - they are in denial. Some signs and symptoms of alcoholism as well as alcohol abuse include:

• Drinking alone.

• Drinking in secret.

• Not being able to limit how much alcohol is consumed.

• Blacking out - not being able to remember chunks of time.

• Having rituals and being irritated/annoyed when these rituals are disturbed or commented on. This could be drinks before/during/after meals, or after work.

• Dropping hobbies and activities the person used to enjoy; losing interest in them.

• Feeling an urge to drink.

• Feeling irritable when drinking times approach. This feeling is more intense if the alcohol is not available, or there appears to be a chance it may not be available.

• Having stashes of alcohol in unlikely places.

• Gulping drinks down in order to get drunk and then feel good.

• Having relationship problems (triggered by drinking).

• Having problems with the law (caused by drinking).

• Having work problems (caused by drinking, or drinking as root cause).

• Having money problems (caused by drinking).

• Requiring a larger quantity of alcohol to feel its effect.

• Nausea, sweating, or even shaking when not drinking.

A person who abuses alcohol may have many of these signs and symptoms - but they do not have the withdrawal symptoms like an alcoholic does, nor the same degree of compulsion to drink.

The problems linked to alcohol dependence are extensive, and affect the person physically, psychologically and socially. Drinking becomes a compulsion for a person with a drink problem - it takes precedence over all other activities. It can remain undetected for several years.