What Is Alcoholism?
In America, alcohol is our drug of choice. For far too many of us, though, the occasional social drink gradually leads down the dark path to abuse and eventually to the addiction we call alcoholism. Nearly 18 million Americans abuse alcohol, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Each year more than 100,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes. Tragically, alcohol is a factor in almost half of U.S. traffic deaths, Alcohol abuse is one of America’s most serious social, economic and public health problems. It cuts across social, economic, racial, gender and age boundaries. Alcoholism is rampant in every sector of American society.
A chronic, progressive disease that gradually progresses from abuse to the addiction we term alcoholism, left untreated alcoholism can be fatal. It is a disease whose effects reach far beyond the individual alcohol abuser, impacting his family, friends, coworkers, even strangers with whom he shares the highways. Its myriad effects are physical, mental, emotional and social.
Chronic abuse of alcohol — generally 15 drinks a week for men and 12 for women — causes physical dependency; however, the quantity, frequency and regularity of alcohol consumption required to develop addiction varies tremendously from one person to another. Strong biologic, genetic, psychological and social risk factors contribute significantly to whether and how quickly a person becomes addicted.
- Age. People who start drinking in their teens or earlier have a significantly greater risk of becoming dependent on alcohol. Younger bodies do not process alcohol as effectively as adult bodies so the path to addiction is much shorter when you are young.
- Genetics. There is strong evidence that a predisposition to alcoholism, or perhaps the body’s inability to handle its effects, is passed down genetically.
- Sex. More men become alcoholics than women.
- Family history. If your parent or parents are alcoholics, the risk is greater that you too will become an alcoholic.
- Emotional disorders. The use of alcohol to blot emotions is powerfully attractive to those who suffer depression or anxiety. Their low emotional ebb makes it that much easier for them to slide from abuse to addiction. Adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are also more likely to become dependent on alcohol.
Alcoholism doesn’t start full-blown. It begins with one drink and gradually progresses as the number of drinks increases and the time between them decreases. Not everyone develops a problem, but it is possible to have an alcohol problem without exhibiting all the characteristics of alcoholism. When your excessive drinking begins to cause health or social problems, but you are not yet dependent on alcohol and still maintain marginal control over your alcohol use, you are an alcohol abuser. There are certain emotional and social factors that can push an abuser down the path of addiction to alcoholism.
- Emotional factors. High levels of stress, anxiety or emotion pain can lead to alcohol abuse as a way of deadening emotional pain or turmoil.
- Psychological factors. Low self-esteem and depression can lead to over-drinking as a way of blotting out the difficulties of life.
- Social factors. Movies and advertisements that portray drinking as glamorous encourage mimicry and make excessive drinking seem socially acceptable. Living with someone who drinks or being with friends who drink can encourage excessive drinking, making it more difficult to maintain control.
Once you lose control of your drinking, when the need for alcohol begins to dictate when you have your next drink, you have become an alcohol addict, an alcoholic.
Next time: What alcohol does to your body and your brain.
