Alcoholism
First the Person Takes the Drink
Then the Drink Takes the Person
Presented by:
Naor gutman
Lior Ben-Or
Table Of Contents
About alcoholism 3-6
Alcoholism Facts 7
Story #1: Another Day 8
Story #2: My name is Melanie and I'm an Alcoholic 9
Story #3: The grubby secret world 10
Summery 11
Bibliography 12
About Alcoholism
Alcohol is the most used and abused drug in the world, for this reason there is no wonder why we
have alcohol problems. The most common problem is alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic usually
progressive disease that includes both a psychological and a physical addiction to alcohol.
Alcoholics know what will happen to them when they drink but they are so addicted they can't stop
drinking. Alcohol becomes the most important part of the person's life. It totally consumes them; all
their thoughts and actions have to do are somehow associated with alcohol. Alcoholism like other
illnesses will become worse without treatment and remain life threatening as long as it is left
untreated. The psychological dependence an alcoholic has is when they think alcohol is necessary
and life will not be good without it. The physical dependence an alcoholic has is when their body
becomes so used to the drug that it now needs alcohol to function without pain. Alcoholism is not a
disease experienced only by adults. Alcoholism, like any illness, can strike at any age. Ten percent
of the adult drinkers in the U.S are considered alcoholics or at least experience drinking problems
to some degree. Surveys have shown that more than one out of three Americans have a personal
friend or relative who has had a drinking problem for ten years or longer. Almost two out of three
Americans report that they know someone who drinks too much. It is estimated that there are 18
million alcoholic or problem drinkers in the U.S. For every alcoholic there are at least four other
people who are affected by the alcoholic. This means that in the U.S. there are at least seventy-two
million other people dealing with the disease somehow. Many people believe that alcoholics are
people that are the skid row winos and bums. This is a common misconception; actually ninety-four
percent of alcoholics live at home, while only six percent are the skid row type. Ninety percent of all
alcoholics are employed, and many work for years before their alcoholism becomes so bad that
they cannot perform their job. Federal officials estimate that the abuse of alcohol costs the economy
well over one hundred billion dollars every year. Alcohol does this by making people be less
productive at work, taking more sick days, sustaining on the job injuries, collecting more workmen's
compensation, and increasing health insurance premiums. Physical Effects Prolonged alcohol use
like that of an alcoholic can lead to permanent damage of your body. The liver is the organ of the
body most vulnerable to damage by alcohol because the liver is where the alcohol is broken down.
The liver may become worn out from the daily task of removing alcohol from the blood; this may
cause the liver to be unable to perform as well in removing other harmful substances. One of the
most dangerous
Diseases of the liver caused by long-term alcohol use are cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis causes
the liver to become inflamed and scarred, which eventually kills the liver and the person. Over
fourteen thousand deaths a year from cirrhosis are directly related to alcohol. Alcohol causes an
increase in blood pressure; this makes the heart pump harder to move blood around the body.
Alcohol can cause an increase in heart rate while at the same time reducing the ability of the
heart muscle to pump; it can also cause abnormal heart rhythms. Long-term and heavy use of
alcohol can cause a condition of the heart called alcoholic cardiomyopathy, this impairs the heart
muscles ability to contract and eventually fail. Alcohol's action on the brain is what causes people
to feel intoxicated. A sudden intake of large amounts of alcohol may result in death; this is
because nerve impulses to the brain are dangerously blocked. There are over two hundred
deaths a year from this kind of accidental alcohol poisoning. Alcohol also has an increasing
effect on our brain chemistry this is what causes are change behavior. This can make people do
things that they would not do when they are sober, this is common sign of an alcoholic. Test has
shown that long-term drinking like that of an alcoholic can lead to a measurable loss of thinking
ability. Over time heavy drinking can also cause permanent damage to the central nervous
system. Research has shown that there seems to be an association between alcohol and
cancer, with heavy drinkers having the highest risk. Drinkers seem to get cancer more frequently
than non-drinkers. Scientists believe that alcohol weakens body tissue and makes them more
susceptible to cancer causing substances. Alcohol is considered a factor in over seven thousand
cases of cancer a year. Alcohol hurts heavy drinkers health in general, consuming large amounts
of alcohol over a long period of time harms their bodies and shortens their life. On average,
heavy drinkers are taking twelve to fifteen years off their lives. How People Become Alcoholics It
is believed that there are many different ways a person can become an alcoholic. Alcohol alone
does not cause alcoholism; if it did everyone who drank would be any alcoholic. There are a
number of factors that lead to alcoholism. The way most scientists think you become an alcoholic
is through genetics. Because of genetics people tend to inherit an inability to handle alcohol, just
like other people inherit other diseases from their parents. This is the reason that alcoholism
seems to run in families from generation to generation. This is why some people become
alcoholics from the first time they drink, because of the genetics they become hooked from the
start. Experiments testing the genetic factor have been conducted by taking children of alcoholics
at birth and placing them in non-alcoholic families, despite having no exposure to the alcoholic
parents the children had a four times higher risk of becoming an alcoholic than children of non-
alcoholic parents. Another reason people become alcoholics are the environments they grow up
in. If children are exposed to drinking as an activity in which drinkers are careful and moderate
they are more likely to become a responsible drinker. If the children grow up seeing heavy
alcohol use and abuse they are more likely to use alcohol in that way. Also, if the children are
exposed to large amounts of peer pressure from the kids around them they are more likely to
drink. Alcoholism is also a disease that can be acquired over a long period of time. Alcoholics
may start out as social drinkers who are able to control their drinking, but they may lose this
control and be carried into the alcoholic class. Some people may drink daily just out of habit on a
controlled level. But they may become careless about their habits and the step across the line to
alcohol dependence is a short one. Once they are dependent on the alcohol they will build a
tolerance to it, this will cause them to drink more and more to get the same effects. Drinking
more only makes their dependence worse and eventually they will develop into a full blow
alcoholic. Women Alcoholics Alcoholism is a disease people see as mostly a male problem. But
this is incorrect, as many as half of the nation's alcoholics are women. The reason it seems there
are not as many female alcoholics is that female alcoholics are usually closet drinkers. You rarely
see a woman alcoholic publicly show alcoholic behavior, while with men it is very common. It is
easier for a woman alcoholic to damage her body than it is for a man. The physical damage is
worse than men's because women wait longer to seek help because society places a greater
stigma on o woman who drinks too much. Women's livers don't process alcohol as well as men's.
This makes women alcoholics susceptible to developing cirrhosis and other liver problems with
lower levels of alcohol in their bodies and after shorter periods of drinking. Large amounts of
alcohol in women may interfere with fertility by upsetting the hormones in their body and it can
increase the chance of a miscarriage. Women alcoholics who become pregnant can cause great
damage to their babies, this damage is called fetal alcohol syndrome, and fetal alcohol
syndrome can cause physical deformities and mental retardation. Women alcoholics also have a
higher rate of relapse than males. Violence and Alcoholism Being an alcoholic probably means
you will be under the influence of alcohol quite a bit, which increases your chances of doing
something stupid or illegal more than the regular person. Alcohol causes a change in brain
chemistry which results in changed behavior such as increased aggression and reduced fear
that may lead us to take needless risks. Alcohol can cause people to be rude, verbally abusive,
and physically threatening. These factors almost always lead to trouble, such as fights with family,
friends, or even complete strangers. Some people use alcohol to express hostile feelings that the
wouldn't express when sober. Alcohol is a major factor in the committing crimes. Two out of three
murders, one out of three rapes, and two out of five results are connected to the use of alcohol.
This comes of no surprise to me because it is almost everyday you here of someone committing
a crime while under the influence. Traffic deaths caused by alcohol are very common in the U.S.
This shows that alcohol not only hurts the people drinking but also innocent people. One out of
two traffic deaths are caused by alcohol and nearly twenty-five thousand Americans die each
year as a result of the eight hundred thousand car accidents caused by alcohol. Alcoholics are
seven times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than non-alcoholics. Alcohol is also
related to three out of five cases of child abuse, up to one out of two incidents of domestic
violence, one out of three suicides, and up to seven out of ten deaths by drowning. What I'm trying
to point out here is that when people use alcohol, especially frequently and heavily like alcoholics
do, they are just setting themselves up to get hurt or hurt someone else. Getting Help Early
identification and treatment of alcoholism is the best way to prevent alcohol from ruining your life.
The first and most important thing an alcoholic can do is admitting that they have a problem. It is
unlikely that the alcoholic will be the first to admit it, usually they will deny they have a problem,
first they will deny their problem to others and then to themselves. But once the alcoholic admits
they have a problem, they are on the road to victory. After they admit they have a problem they
have to decide for themselves that they want to stop drinking for good. Another very crutial part of
recovery is recognizing alcoholism itself as the problem needing attention, rather than saying it is
just secondary to another underlying problem. There are many places an alcoholic can get help
from like: family, friends, health-care workers, Alcoholics Anonymous, and alcoholism
counselors. They can provide the moral support the alcoholic needs to get well. Alcoholics may
need to check into a detox center if really bad, because the withdrawals can be very painful and
could possibly cause death. Withdrawal reactions can include any or all of these: high fever, loss
of appetite, nausea, uncontrollable shaking, hallucinations, and possible coma or death.
Alcoholism is a disease that cannot be totally cured but people can recover and return to a
normal way of life. Recovering depends on total abstinence from alcohol. Recovering alcohol's
can never touch alcohol again because their addiction is too strong. Alcoholism is a very serious
disease that affects a large number of people. I think if we educate children at an early age to
use alcohol in moderation and within a reasonable limit we would have less cases of alcoholism.
We also now have the ability, through technology, to detect, which people will most likely develop
into alcoholics. I think with this information we should get these people help right away, the
sooner the better. There is still hope for today and tomorrow's alcoholics because they are able
to recover from alcoholism. It will only get easier to recover from it if more people get involved in
the fight against alcoholism.
Alcoholism Facts
-It KILLS
-Alcohol will kill the Alcoholic in one way or another.
-1 in every 10 American women in peak reproductive years (18-24) drinks enough alcohol (2 or more
drinks a day) to jeopardize her unborn child
-1/3 of alcoholic deaths are from suicides or accidents such as drowning, head injuries from falling, or
car crashed
-Only 14 percent of deaths actually caused by alcoholism are so labeled.
-One in four American youngsters age 10 to 18 are at serious risk of becoming involved in abuse or
alcohol and other drugs.
-Offspring of alcoholics are three to four times more likely to develop alcohol problems than are the
offspring of non-alcoholics, regardless of the environment in which they are raised.
-Recent studies indicate that immediate relatives of alcoholics are seven times more likely than the
general population to develop a similar drinking problem.
-As many as 3 million Americans over the age of 60 are alcoholics or have serious drinking problems
-An estimated 6.6 million children under 18 live in households with at least one alcoholic parent.
-About 43 percent of U.S. adults - 76 million people - have been exposed to alcoholism in the family:
they grew up with or married an alcoholic or had a blood relative who was an alcoholic or problem
drinker.
-Research has consistently found that higher levels of parental tolerance of adolescent drinking are
associated with an earlier onset of drinking among offspring.
-It is estimated that of 260 million Americans, more than 28 million are children of alcoholics.
Another day
Today is another typical day of living with an alcoholic. He was home from work early due to the rain.
The garage is the usual hangout. He starts complaining about everything. I just try & am quiet so I
don't get upset. It is very tiring. I don't know if someday I will divorce him or if he will get help. Is way to
cope with the world is in the bottle, then his anger surfaces.
Life is not easy & I truly know that, but I always give it my best shot. There is really so much to be
thankful for each day. I try to stop & enjoy a simple forgotten pleasure each day, taking in a sunset or
listening to the birds. Helping others or just calling to say hello. Learning something new each day.
Living with this atmosphere I feel that I am not reaching my full potential living with the stress.
My children are grown & have grown up with having a father that they cannot truly count on or believe
in. They do love him but they also feel resentment. Both are actually doing very well with their lives
considering all the other things that have happened. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer & had
treatment twice. She has been in remission for 3 years now. She is going to college to be a medical
social worker. My son has lost a lot of his friends due to accidents or suicide. He is a workaholic, has
a nice girlfriend & very close with his friends. We also know more seriously ill children & adults, some
who did not get a chance to grow up. It is great when we run into some old friends & other survivors &
they are doing okay!
I think that seeing first hand how precious life is and that we need to make it count is what makes me
so sad that people that we love cannot change. I have tried to talk to him many times. I have begged
him to drink non-alcohol beer. I had him evaluated & he said that he already knew that he was an
alcoholic. I was going to have him committed, but the cost still after insurance was too high per month
when I am still paying on a hospital bill after insurance payment. What family can pay out 500 dollars
a month for medical? He is full of more excuses than I am. I talked to my minister & he could not help.
I went to Alanon & that did not seem to be what I needed either. His family says you can count on
them but they just pretend it doesn't exist. There is another organization that I need to check out those
takes into consideration other financial problems. I did not even know what drinking could do a
person because I was raised in a family where this type of problem did not even exist. I am very
thankful for the loving parents that I had. When will I say enough I enough?
My name is Meloney and I'm an alcoholic
My name is Melanie and I'm an alcoholic. There, I said it. Actually I typed it, I'm not ready to
verbalize it yet, but I know I need help.
My father is an alcoholic. My sister and I never knew it while we were still living at home. He sought
help when I was 25 years old and have been sober for eleven years. (Go Dad!) I never knew anyone
could be an alcoholic on 3.2% beer, but I am proving that to be
true as well for me.
My alcoholism began unsuspectingly when I was in high school. It started with a few beers with
friends whenever we could get our hands on the stuff. Then I turned 21. What a glorious age! I could
drink legally! And drink I did. Almost every night from the age of 21 to 31 I was a beer connoisseur.
The wine became the beverage of choice for the next four years. So sophisticated I was, holding a
wineglass, I knew alcohol would never become a problem I shared with my father. I didn't have a
DUI, I was always careful about drinking and driving (sheer luck in retrospect), I hold down a great
job and I live in a nice place. I have been married and divorced three times, however, all to
practicing alcoholics themselves. Then I joined a social organization and drinking was the center of
activity. I began to experiment with other spirits and mixers, just to find something that would taste
good and not make me feel so hangover the next day. And it worked for a while. Now my alcohol is
betraying me. I feel worse after each drinking episode. My nails are no longer smooth. My skin is
starting to look dry and weathered even though I don't ever sunbathe, and I'm getting an alcoholic
redness to my face. I get diarrhea every day after drinking, even if I only have two drinks. I'm gaining
weight as well. I feel awful about myself. Worst of all, I feel suicidal when I have been drinking.
I desperately need help and I'm glad to have found this site. Today I talked to my boss about our
employee assistance program. In fact, I choked on the mere words, "employee assistance
program." I want to have control over my life and I realize that I can't stop drinking once I start. Just
because I don't drink everyday doesn't mean I don't have a problem. The suicidal thoughts scare me
and are my wake-up call. I want to hang on before I hit rock bottom. Hey, maybe I already have?
Peace to all. And, I love you, Daddy.
The grubby secret world
I've just discovered your site and it makes very moving, inspiring reading. I gave up alcohol completely
in December last year and have managed to keep dry without too much difficulty, which is in itself a
blessing. People often ask me if I miss the drink and I have only to remember the grubby secret world
of the hardened drinker, the betrayals it induced and the total lack of control over my life. Miss it?
You've got to be joking and so long as I remember I am just one glass away from misery, sobriety
gives me a far bigger kick than alcohol ever did.
As someone who spent the nineteen nineties in an alcoholic decline, let me take this opportunity to
wish you all the best from England and to spread the word to people like me, (an ordinary family man
whose life was being horribly distorted by an external influence), that giving up equals power and self
respect. Remember that you can always fight back.
Summary
While searching information about our subject, read and edit it, we have realized the great damage it
causes to the people who are addicted to alcohol and to their families.
We learn about the results, the effects, and the damage that alcoholism causes.
We found that alcohol addicted is a disease, which is very hard to recover.
We enjoyed writing this work. It was very interesting.
We hope that you enjoyed reading our work.
Bibliography
-http://www.alcoholismkills.com
-Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.
-http://www.yahoo.com
-http://www.altavista.com