Last name: 1
Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Effects of alcoholism
Alcoholism is a disorder resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol to the extent
where an individual is dependent on alcohol. It is not a recognizable diagnostic entity because it
is widely referred to as alcohol dependence or alcohol use disorder. When an individual drinks a
lot of alcohol until his/her body becomes dependent on it, this individual is said to be an
alcoholic. When it happens, alcohol becomes the most important thing in this individual’s life.
Its effects can be direct or indirect. The direct effects mainly include how it affects the liquor
consumer’s health while indirect effects refer to how it affects the people around an alcoholic
individual.
An alcoholic individual will continue drinking, although it destroys the relationship with
people around him/her or any other negative consequences like losing job or family troubles. The
cause of this disorder is unknown. The only thing that is known is that too much alcohol
consumption changes the chemical in the brain. This change increases the pleasurable feelings
when an individual drinks alcohol. Alcoholic performance in a work environment is significantly
reduced, which eventually leads to being laid off. The painful fact is that, even after being laid
off, they won’t stop consuming alcohol. The consumption will increase exponentially because
they have a lot of free time (Khairnar, Mahesh 87).
Alcohol dependency affects both body and mind. The effects may be classified as longterm or short-term. Lower inhibition or poor judgment, trouble concentration, loss of
Last name: 2
coordination, mood swings, reduced core body temperature, raised blood pressure, vomiting, and
passing out are few short-term alcohol effects. These short-term effects are dangerous since some
of them can lead to accidents, which may eventually lead to death.
Long-term effects are diminished grey matter and white matter in the brain, reduced
attention span, trouble in learning, liver fibrosis, alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver (steatosis), stroke,
irregular heartbeat, and liver cancer. This long-term impact leads to a lot of suffering for an
alcoholic individual. These effects are expensive to treat, so an individual will have to spend a
lot. This spending may affect other aspects of their lives, therefore, reducing their living
standard.
Most health experts believe that alcoholism is a combination of psychological, genetics,
and social environmental factors. The more risks an individual is exposed to, the more an
individual is likely to become an alcoholic. Stressful environments may turn an individual to be
alcoholic. However, not all individuals turn to alcohol when there are stressed. But, those who do
drink heavily to relieve the stress. Doctors and nurses are usually affected by this because their
work environment is very stressful. Also, an individual’s proximity to alcohol stores or retail
stores and bars affects the chance of alcoholism. The closer you are to an alcoholic
establishment, the more likely you will participate in the activity.
Reduced social and family relations can be a result of alcoholism. The social factors that
are responsible for alcoholism include culture, religion, family, and work influence. Over 50% of
homes of alcoholic parents end up in divorce. This impacts every individual from that family
(Thapa, Sunita, eta al. 14) A person’s likelihood to be an alcoholic is mainly influenced by the
family. For instance, if children are exposed to alcohol abuse at an early age, they may develop
hazardous drinking patterns, thus becoming alcoholics. A study has shown that, at the age of 18,
Last name: 3
the children of alcoholics develop severe coping problems. Lower IQ is also typical among these
children compared to those of nonalcoholic. The other thing that is greatly affected is verbal
scores. Their score is usually way lower compared to the normal children. The other study
showed that the children raised by mothers who abuse alcoholic will likely develop low selfesteem. Future performance will be dismal since the mother underrates their children’s abilities.
The same children underrate their own competence.
Furthermore, starting college or a new working environment may make an individual
drink heavily, especially if an alcoholic parent raised them. In this new environment, an
individual is trying to make connections and make new friends and peers. In the process, he/she
is impacted to become an alcoholic and may pass this on to the next generation. The desire to be
liked by your peers people may make an individual participate in activities that he/she usually
wouldn’t partake in. This may lead to someone becoming dependent on alcohol.
Quite a number of psychological factors may contribute to an individual abusing alcohol.
Each and every individual has their own unique way of handling situations. However, certain
behavioral traits can be impacted by how an individual copes with these feelings. People with
anxiety, high stress, mental health condition, and depression are susceptible to alcohol. In these
situations, alcohol is usually used to suppress feelings. This may develop into a habit over time.
The body will become tolerant to alcohol the more an individual uses alcohol to suppress
feelings, pain, and hardship. In the process, the individual is impacted to become an alcohol
abuser. Apart from this, the children of alcoholics may develop depression and anxiety because
of the situation at their home that was caused by alcoholism like divorce, parents fighting, and
other undesirable family situations. The other disorder that the children may develop is their
emotion is negatively affected. Moreover, the children of alcohol-dependent parents have
Last name: 4
behavioral problems such as being violent, stealing, fighting, truancy, and many other negative
behaviors.
According to Harris and Erica (34): there is a close link between alcoholism and
biological factors, which comes down to genetics and physiology. Some individuals are in
control enough to limit the amount of alcohol they consume, while others cannot resist. They feel
a strong urge to keep drinking the liquor. This puts too much pressure on an individual to try not
to consume alcohol since it does not occur naturally. This makes them waste too much money on
trying not to become like their parents. If this concentration were directed in other aspects of
their lives, it would have improved their lives.
To wind up, for those who cannot control alcohol consumption, the pleasure they get
from drinking alcohol encourages them to drink more to achieve even more satisfaction. Also,
scientists have discovered that certain chemicals in the brain are responsible for alcohol abuse in
humans. They have even gone further and narrowed down to 51 genes scattered in the
chromosome regions. The individual who inherits this gene may spend a lot of finances in
treating alcoholics if they choose to go to rehabilitation centers.
Last name: 5
Work cited.
Harris, Erica L. “The Role of Genetics with Alcoholism and its Effects on Genes ALDH2,
ADH1B by Causing Mutations in the Genome.” (2019).
Khairnar, Mahesh R., Umesh Wadgave, and Sonam M. Khairnar. “Journal of Alcoholism &
Drug Dependence.” (2017).
Thapa, Sunita, Arielle S. Selya, and Yvonne Jonk. “Peer Reviewed: Time-Varying Effects of
Parental Alcoholism on Depression.” Preventing chronic disease 14 (2017).