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Running Head: ALCOHOLISM
All About
Alcoholism Amanda
L. Boris Liberty
University
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ALCOHOLISM
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder is a growing issue, and one that is typically overlooked. Alcohol
surrounds people, and not just if they are twenty-one, this drug can still be easily accessed. This
disorder has many various causes: biological, environmental, social, and lastly physiological.
Alcohol does have the potential to be used properly; however, there are still some people that are
susceptible to abuse this drug. Suffering with alcoholism puts a person at greater risk of having
various health issues. There is treatment for this disease, in most cases this is not the easiest thing
to cure completely. The abuser can suffer from dangerous withdrawal symptoms, as well as
should partake in inpatient or outpatient treatment centers.
Causes
Alcohol use Disorder has been seen to be caused by many different factors. Once a
person partakes in drinking alcohol for a long period of drinking, the brain starts to become
dependent on alcohol to produce certain chemicals. Crews Fulton stated, “Alcoholism is a
primary, chronic relapsing disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. It
is characterized by an individual’s continued drinking despite negative consequences related to
alcohol use” (Fulton, 2016). Biological factors, environmental factors, social factors and
psychological factors are all main causes of alcoholism. Biological factors including if family
members suffer from alcohol use disorder, there is the possibility to pass it on to other family
members, classifying this disorder as hereditary. The amount of time and proximity a person is
exposed to alcohol includes the environmental causes of making a person more susceptible of
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developing this disease. Social factors also play a huge role in developing alcoholism. The
culture, religion, and work have a huge role in the behaviors of people, including drinking.
Being exposed to alcoholism at an early age are at a higher risk of falling into similar behaviors.
The psychological state of users also has an effect on whether or not a person will suffer from
Alcohol use Disorder. Users with high stress, depression, anxiety, as well as other mental health
conditions are at a higher risk of developing alcoholism. Fulton also stated, “despite negative
consequences related to alcohol use, which is exemplified by alcohol use leading to clinically
significant impairment or distress. Chronic alcohol consumption increases the expression of
innate immune signaling molecules (ISMs) in the brain that alter cognitive processes and
promote alcohol drinking” (Fulton, 2016).
Prevalence
Alcohol is everywhere, it is easily accessible, and can be used in a proper way; however,
alcohol use can also be abused. Ashish Mehta stated, “Alcohol is the most commonly used and
abused drug in the world, and alcohol use disorders pose a tremendous burden to healthcare
systems around the world. The lifetime prevalence of alcohol abuse in the United States is
estimated to be around 18%” (Mehta, 2016). Those who suffer from alcoholism are at an
increased risk for suffering critical illness, as well as they are at a higher risk of complications,
and increased healthcare needs compared to non-alcoholic patients. Alcoholism has been seen to
impact certain disorders in the critical care setting including delirium, pneumonia, acute
respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, trauma, and burn injuries.
Partaking in alcohol impairs the thinking process and decision making of the user. This being
said alcohol has been seen as a contributor to traumatic injury for both unintentional, and
intentional injuries and death. “It is estimated that 50% of all alcohol-related deaths are due to
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injury, and alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States” (Mehta,
2016). Alcohol use disorder is a growing issue, Grant Bridget participated in a study researching
the prevalence of alcohol use disorder, discovering that alcoholism rose by 49 percent in the
first decade of the 2000s. He had also found one in eight American adults, or 12.7 percent of the
U.S. population met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder, according to the study.
(Bridget, 2017)
Treatment
The right and specific treatment for each person suffering from alcoholism depends on
the person, and their situation and goals in mind. It is suggested to immediately speak to your
doctor before making any decisions on treatment. Options for treatment can include, inpatient or
outpatient programs. Inpatient treatment would be where the person participates in residential
programs, staying at the treatment center; outpatient treatment involves staying home and going
to the center for treatment. It is important for a person suffering from alcoholism to detox, which
includes cutting alcohol out completely. It is highly recommended to detox in a hospital, or
treatment center. When a person suffering from alcoholism detoxes, they can experience many
extreme symptoms. Mehta stated, “withdrawal syndromes, which include withdrawal seizures,
alcoholic hallucinosis, and delirium tremens. Withdrawal syndromes, and especially delirium
tremens, can be life threatening and occur in about 20% of alcoholics who stop drinking acutely”
(Mehta, 2016). When experiencing
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References
Crews, F. T., & Vetreno, R. P. (2015). Mechanisms of neuroimmune gene induction in
alcoholism. Psychopharmacology, 233(9), 1543–1557. doi: 10.1007/s00213-015-3906-1
Grant, B. F., Chou, S. P., Saha, T. D., Pickering, R. P., Kerridge, B. T., Ruan, W. J., … Hasin, D.
S. (2017). Prevalence of 12-Month Alcohol Use, High-Risk Drinking, and DSM-IV
Alcohol Use Disorder in the United States, 2001-2002 to 2012-2013. JAMA Psychiatry,
74(9), 911. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.2161
Mehta, A. J. (2016). Alcoholism and critical illness: A review. World Journal of Critical Care
Medicine, 5(1), 27. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v5.i1.27
