Alcoholism: a Menace to the Society Essay

Filipinos love to drink alcoholic beverages, that is. Drinking sessions are seen almost everywhere everyday along the streets and sidewalks, inside homes, in carinderia and corner sari-sari store, and even the upmarket bars and bistros. So phenomenal has been the â€Å"tumahan† tradition that it became the undisputed national pastime and social culture of Filipinos. While local folks’ love for drinking session might have built many a friendship and warm the cockles of good ole acquaintances, it is, at the same, taking toll on the drinkers’ health. Alcoholism, also called alcohol dependence or alcohol addiction, is a destructive pattern of alcohol use that includes tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, using more alcohol or using it for longer than planned, and trouble reducing its use. Other potential symptoms include spending an inordinate amount of time getting, using, or recovering from the use of alcohol, compromised functioning, and/or continuing to use alcohol despite an awareness of the detrimental effects it is having on one’s life. Alcoholism is appropriately considered a disease rather than a weakness of character or chosen pattern of bad behavior. Many persons have become addicted to alcohol. It undoubtedly has something to do with the euphoric quality of alcohol and the resultant high. According to Vern Mason, â€Å"it is amazing how many kinds of alcohol can come out of the same bottle. It all depends who’s drinking it†. There are basically two types of drinkers who may become alcoholic. Some become chronic alcoholics from the outset almost, steadily drinking larger amounts everyday. Others may drink socially or the binge drinkers on weekends. They sort of steadily increase their drinking. The end result is the same, alcoholism. The damaging effect of alcohol stands among the leading public health problems in the world. It deserves personal concern and national action if we are to remain sober and responsible people. Alcohol abuse is a disease that is characterized by the sufferer having a pattern of drinking excessively despite the negative effects of alcohol on the individual’s work, medical, legal, educational, and/or social life. Alcohol abuse affects about 10% of women and 20% of men in the United States, most beginning by their mid teens. Signs of alcohol intoxication include the smell of alcohol on the breath or skin, glazed or bloodshot eyes, the person being unusually passive or argumentative, and/or a deterioration in the person’s appearance or hygiene. Almost 2,000 people under 21 years of age die each year in car crashes in which underage drinking is involved. Alcohol is involved in nearly half of all violent deaths involving teens. Alcoholism is a destructive pattern of alcohol use that includes a number of symptoms, including tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, using more alcohol and/or for a longer time than planned, and trouble reducing its use. Alcohol, especially when consumed in excess, can affect teens, women, men, and the elderly quite differently. Risk factors for developing a drinking problem include low self-esteem, depression, anxiety or another mood problem, as well as having parents with alcoholism. Alcohol dependence has no one single cause and is not directly passed from one generation to another genetically. Rather, it is the result of a complex group of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. There is no one test that definitively indicates that someone has an alcohol-use disorder. Therefore, health-care practitioners diagnose these disorders by gathering comprehensive medical, family, and mental-health information. Alcohol use increases medical risks. Alcohol seriously interacts with a number of drugs as well as several other medications by either increasing their potency or decreasing their effectiveness. Alcohol also prolongs the length of recovery after anesthesia. (Modern Medicine, pp. 160-165) Some signs of a drinking problem include drinking alone, to escape problems, or for the sole purpose of getting drunk; hiding alcohol in odd places; getting irritated when you are unable to obtain alcohol to drink; and having problems because of your drinking. According to the research of Aileen Ludington and Hans Diehl, alcohol greatly affects the human body: Your brain. Alcohol, even in small amounts, causes irreparable damage to brain cells; some die and others are altered. Your heart. Alcohol increases the risk of hypertension, stroke, and damage to the heart muscle. Your lungs. Alcohol depresses respiratory functions. Your reproductive system. In men, alcohol can damage cells in the testes, causing impotence, sterility, and possibly enlarged breasts. In women, alcohol can cause irregular menstrual cycles and malfunctioning of the ovaries. Alcohol has also been linked to birth defects in infants and to fetal alcohol syndrome. Your liver. Because your liver must filter alcohol from the blood, alcohol affects it more than any other organ of your body. Excess calories in alcohol are stored as fat in the liver. Functioning liver cells die from alcoholic poisoning. Scar tissue replaces dead cells, causing cirrhosis. Your immune system. Alcohol weakens the body’s defense against infection and breast cancer. Therefore, I conclude that alcoholism is a disease found in every social and economic class, in every country in the world. The problem is stinging: an alcoholic cannot control the amount he or she drinks; occasional drinkers may dive into the alcohol problem with little control on those little drinking bout. In learning that alcoholism is an illness, a child is provided with a cognitive means by which to understand a confusing, often traumatizing, emotional experience. This could range from a simple conceptualization to a more empathetic understanding of his or her parent. Relabeling the parent’s behavior helps the child feel less out of control. Learning that it is an illness not caused by the child also to helps to improve the child’s reality-testing and reduces anxiety, anger, and guilt. (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. â€Å"Underage Drinking. † Alcohol Alert 67 Jan. 2006. ) Trusted adults, clergymen or guidance counselors are worthy ones to be sought for advice. The important thing is to reach out. And if you’re ashamed of your family, try not to be. Many people understand that alcoholism is a disease, you needn’t let shame burden you. Diverting your attention, being preoccupied with worthwhile activities can do a lot to your nerves.