Definitions of and Treatment for Alcohol Abuse Essay

One out of every thirteen adults are considered to be an alcoholic or to suffer from drinking problems. Alcoholism is a developmental disease that progresses slowly over a number of years and is based on both the physical and emotional dependency on alcohol. In many cases it leads to brain damage or early death. Alcoholism is a chromic disease, which means that it will last a person’s lifetime. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced by both a person’s genes and their lifestyle. Early symptoms of alcoholism includes putting an excessive importance on the availability of alcohol. An alcoholic usually has a high tolerance to alcohol, which means they are able to drink more and show less side effects when compared to another†¦show more content†¦It can permanently damage the central and peripheral nervous systems. If an alcoholic withdrawals from drinking it can cause shaking limbs, Hallucinations, and blackouts: Which can be fatal if they are not treated properly. Recent studies show that approximately fifty-three percent of adults in the United States have one or more close relatives that have drinking problems. Alcohol Abuse has cost the United States more than 220 billion dollars in 2005 alone. Problem drinkers are most often found in young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years old, and the fewest in adults who are 65 years of age or older. Alcohol Abuse is one of the major risk factors for violence, and research shows that fifty percent of all homicides and forty percent of all assaults in the United States are alcohol related. In the United States, more than forty percent of the people who start drinking when they are fourteen years old or younger are more likely to become alcoholics than those who don’t. One in ten Americans, currently have alcohol problems. Alcoholics have the option of involving themselves in a treatment group, which may be an individual therapy, or a group therapy. (AA) Alcoholics Anonomous is one of the treat ent groups that is available, using the twelve step method in approaching sobriety. Some other treatment methods include doctor prescribed medications, which help to decrease the craving for alcohol. Some examples of prescribed medications that areShow MoreRelatedAlcohol Abuse And Alcoholism Abuse1458 Words   |  6 PagesThe alcohol abuse definition is similar to alcoholism in that in both cases alcohol is causing harm to the drinker s life and those around them. The difference is that those who abuse alcohol, but are not yet alcoholics, typically can put some limitations on their drinking and they have not yet become physically addicted to alcohol. The key to the alcohol abuse definition is not in the amount of alcohol consumed but on how it affects an individual. Alcohol abuse is a psychiatric diagnosis in whichRead MoreUnderstanding Addiction1317 Words   |  6 PagesThe Doctor’s Opinion, Dr. William Silkworth (1939) wrote the following, â€Å"We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their relianceRead MoreDID Essay1460 Words   |  6 Pagesmemories of trauma is important for a person living with DID, because this disorder is believed to be triggered by physical or sexual abuse in childhood. Young children have a pronounced ability to dissociate and it is believed that those who are abused may learn to use dissociation as a defense. In effect, the child slips into a state of mind in which it seems that the abuse is not really occurring to him or her, but to somebody else. In time, such a child may begin to emotionally and cognitively splitRead MoreEssay on Social Aspect of Substance Abuse1001 Words   |  5 Pagesbarbiturates, benzodiazepines, PCP, amphetamines, etc. The use of illicit drugs, such as alcohol and nicotine, are less frequently included in this definition, despite their widespread use and undisputed potential for harm. Substance abuse, however, is a more value-laden term which implies substance use, probably over time, which is somehow detrimental or harmful. Thus, substance use need not constitute substance abuse, although they often coexist. Wormer, Davis (2010) indicates that addiction is oftenRead MoreThe Substance Abuse/Life Circumstance Evaluation. The Salce1639 Words   |  7 PagesTHE SUBSTANCE ABUSE/LIFE CIRCUMSTANCE EVALUATION The SALCE model processes assessment of a character’s substance use/abuse by way of analyzing a broad variety of behavior. This version simulates the techniques and tactics that might be hired inside the personal interview system. It focuses on, and examines, styles of client solutions as opposed to relying generally on the client answers to the SALCE assessment tool. The intention of this assessment is to reach at the of adapted action to accompanyRead MoreHSM 542 Week 3 Assignment Essay639 Words   |  3 Pagessubstantial risks of physical harm to be taken into custody and undergo involuntary patient alcohol treatment.1 Other states have proposed or enacted bills that respond to women who expose a fetus to the harms of alcohol in pregnancy by means such as requiring involuntary civil commitment of the woman, requiring health practitioners to report newborns demonstrating prenatal exposure, expanding definitions of child neglect to include neonatal harm or prenatal damage to a child, and defining such actsRead MoreBiopsychosocial Model Essay1381 Words   |  6 PagesAspects of Substance Abuse One definition of addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences (NIH). Taking drugs can affect the biological process. Substance abuse is considered a disease of the brain, because drugs change the brain chemistry. Drugs change the brains structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long-lasting, and can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who abuse substances, BrainRead MoreNCH Case Study732 Words   |  3 PagesPhysicians at NCH provide the best care possible. The guideline for the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome evaluation and treatment is a document that clinicians rely on. As it is, it provides the exact recommendation to follow in the implementation of orders to care for patients with AWS. Once the physician dictates the orders, a power plan is generated in the EMR. When the system triggers such alert, it is the duty of the nurse to acknowledge the order, which then the pharmacist verifiesRead MoreA New Paradigm Substance Use Disorder Treatment1656 Words   |  7 PagesRemission a new paradigm in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Addiction treatment is a complex and paradoxical issue. Despite the fact that most of the medical and academic institutions define addiction as a chronic brain disease, it is too often treated on an acute basis. Chronic conditions are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as requiring ongoing management over a period of years or decades and cover a wide range of health problems. The goals of chronic care are not to cure, but toRead MoreDrug Addiction And Drug Abuse1401 Words   |  6 PagesAn Essay on Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse Introduction: The terms drug addiction and drug abuse are often used interchangeably. However, they are in fact two separate situations. Drug abuse generally leads a person down the path toward drug addiction, but not every individual who abuses drugs becomes an addict. The definition of drug abuse continues to change because the term is subjective and infused with the political and moral values of the society or culture one lives in. An example