What is alcoholism?
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance. Like other psychoactive substances, it affects the psychological functions of the body and causes psychological and physical dependence.
Today, alcoholism is considered the third disease of the modern world, right after heart diseases and malignant diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3% of the world's population suffers from this disease.
Alcoholism goes through certain characteristic phases: - experimental phase - in which young people get acquainted with alcohol and unwritten social rules about drinking, exploring their own limits. Most accept the social rules of the environment and move on to the next stage. - phase of integrated drinking - represents approved and acceptable drinking encouraged by customs and ceremonies. The largest number of people remain in this stage. - the phase of excessive, problematic drinking - this phase is characterized by frequent drinking with physical, psychological and social consequences for the person. The first symptoms of alcohol addiction manifest themselves in interpersonal relationships and professional activities. A smaller number of people reduce the amount of alcohol and manage to return to the previous stage. A much larger number remain in this stage for a longer or shorter time and then move on to the next. - addiction phase - alcohol addiction is characterized by uniform regular consumption and signs of health disorders and social problems (changes in the personality and behavior of alcoholics). At the end of this phase, there is a decrease in alcohol tolerance. Smaller amounts of alcohol are enough to cause intoxication.
An alcoholic is a person who drinks alcoholic beverages excessively, a person whose dependence on alcohol is so great that he shows signs of mental, physical and social disorders.
Why do people drink alcohol in the first place?
Alcoholism is a disease that develops gradually and almost never has only one cause. The causes are much more complex and represent the interaction of three factors: organism, environment and alcohol itself. The more these factors overlap, the greater the chance of someone becoming an alcohol addict.
Alcohol
Like any other psychoactive substance, alcohol has an addictive potential, i.e. the ability to cause addiction to any living organism after a certain number of intakes.
Organism
As far as the organism is concerned, a person is determined by his/her psychological and physical characteristics. The psychological reasons why someone reaches for alcohol can be: some personality traits such as lack of self-confidence, emotional instability, social immaturity, but also more serious psychological problems and psychiatric disorders. And the situations that lead to alcohol are: "help" in stressful situations, a way to "solve" problems, tensions, a discrepancy between desires and possibilities (frustration), as a way to "fix" the mood or relieve suffering, also disorders in interpersonal relationships, divorce, death of a loved one, single life, job loss and long-term unemployment.
Of course, physical characteristics also have an influence: genetic characteristics (hereditary factor), gender (the female organism is significantly more susceptible to the effects of alcohol - women need a smaller amount to achieve drunkenness and they need less time to become addicted), ethnicity...
Environment
When we look at the environment as a factor in the emergence of alcoholism, we see three elements: the family, the work environment - the school, and the wider social environment. Factors within the family are: learning patterns of behavior from parents, family problems and lack of communication. According to research, 80% of all people suffering from alcoholism come from families where someone was already addicted to alcohol.
The influence of peers is significant for the school. During growing up, belonging to a peer group that imposes the use of alcohol as a way of expressing maturity, courage and endurance is important. Also, when growing up, young people experiment with various psychoactive substances, including alcohol, and unclear educational messages about the harmfulness of alcohol and too few clear rules about drinking contribute to this. In the working environment, daily contact with alcohol (waiters, managers, field workers, commercial travelers, etc.) has an impact. In the wider social environment, the drinking of alcohol is promoted by social customs, the liberal attitude of society towards drinking alcohol, generally accepted norms of behavior, the wide availability of alcoholic beverages and the aggressiveness of the alcoholic beverage industry.
How does alcohol affect our body?
Alcohol passes from the digestive system into the bloodstream along the entire path from the mouth to the stomach. The transition of alcohol into the blood is called resorption and takes about one hour. Absorption is faster if the stomach is empty, if additional liquid is taken or the drink is diluted, if the drink is warm, and if there is carbon dioxide in the drink (carbonated drinks).
A few minutes after consumption, alcohol reaches various organs and tissues through the bloodstream. Of all the organs, it reaches the brain, liver, kidneys and muscles the most. 90% of alcohol is broken down in the liver, and 10% is eliminated through exhaled air, sweat and urine. In the brain, liver and kidneys, toxic substances resulting from the breakdown of alcohol (acetaldehyde and acetic acid radicals) remain for a long time, which accumulate and can cause psychological and physical consequences of alcohol use. It takes about 60 minutes to break down one glass of spirits, one glass of wine or one bottle of beer (0,5 l).
What are the consequences of long-term alcohol consumption?
Psychological consequences:
- damage to the nervous system - death of nerve cells in the cortex of the brain and nerve structures in the depth of the brain. The damage causes personality changes, loss of control, forgetfulness and finally complete mental and moral deterioration. - mental disorders - appear first in the family, later in school or at work. They are recognized in the disturbance of interpersonal relations with the characteristic mood swings of alcoholics. The next stage is characterized by moodiness when there is no alcohol or a feeling of remorse after drinking. This can also end in suicide. The last stage is represented by alcoholic madness (delirium tremens alcoholicum). It is characterized by: weakness, lassitude, tremors, severe restlessness, complete loss of orientation in time and space, sensory deceptions - hallucinations.
In this state, a person can be aggressive and dangerous to himself and the environment, especially if he feels persecuted. Delirium can end in death, especially if it does not occur for the first time.
Physical consequences:
Digestive organs - damage to the digestive organs is preceded by increased secretion of stomach acid. Acid secretion later decreases and is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. In addition to the stomach, alcohol damages the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and in the later stages, the appearance of malignant tumors is common. Alcohol can cause damage to the pancreas that can be life-threatening and can have permanent effects.
Liver - the liver is the organ where almost all alcohol is broken down. Alcohol leads to damage and deterioration of liver cells. Fatty infiltration of the liver occurs first.
Cirrhosis of the liver occurs as the final stage after many years of drinking. It is a severe and incurable disease from which a large number of alcoholics die. Long-term cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer.
Nervous system - even small amounts of alcohol can lead to nerve inflammation. A milder form of inflammation is manifested by complaints in the hands and feet: tingling, pricking, faster fatigue, loss of strength, slowing down of reflexes, spasms and pain in the muscles. In an advanced stage, partial and complete loss of muscles can occur.
Cardio-vascular system - larger amounts of alcohol cause accelerated hardening of the blood vessels, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Reproductive system - long-term drinking of alcohol in men can lead to impotence and reduced sperm development, which can lead to infertility. In women, drinking alcohol during pregnancy can damage the fetus with possible permanent consequences.
Skin - alcohol leads to characteristic facial damage, especially in girls. The skin becomes rougher, baggy dark circles appear under the eyes, and cracked capillaries appear around the nose. Other skin changes often occur.
What type of addiction does alcohol cause?
Alcohol causes both physical and psychological dependence. Physical dependence is reflected in an abstinence crisis when an alcoholic does not take alcohol. Then there are tremors, sweating, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, nausea, vomiting, headache and general weakness. This condition is often accompanied by delirium and epileptic seizures. Psychic addiction is reflected in an irresistible desire for alcohol.
During the use of alcohol, tolerance develops. This means that increasing amounts of alcohol are needed to get a person "drunk". This applies until the final stage of alcoholism, when the body is exhausted to the extreme, so tolerance decreases and less and less drink is needed to get a person drunk.
Severe drunkenness can also end in death
Depending on the concentration, the effect of alcohol on the body also differs:
- mild alcohol intoxication - concentration up to 0,50 per thousand in the blood. There is a feeling of clarity of mind, a reduced reaction to stimuli and a decrease in visual acuity. - drunk state - alcohol concentration 0,50-1,50 per thousand. It is recognized by freer behavior, without fear and inhibitions, elevated mood, reflexes are slowed down, strength is weakened, attention and alertness of consciousness decreases. - drunk state - alcohol concentration 1,50-2,50 per thousand. A person is not able to control his actions and behavior, aggressiveness appears, speech is difficult "tongue entanglement", visual disturbances, coordination of movements and balance are present, attention and alertness of consciousness are further reduced. - severe drunkenness - alcohol concentration 2,50-3 per thousand. Alcohol begins to paralyze certain parts of the brain, consciousness is narrowed, and its vigilance is reduced to drowsiness, speech is difficult to understand, vomiting often occurs, uncontrolled small and large bowel movements. - deep unconscious state - alcohol concentration over 3,50 per thousand. Loss of consciousness and coma occur, and if no response is given, death.
Risky behaviors of a drunk man
Under the influence of alcohol, the control mechanisms of the cortex of the cerebrum become numb, and because of this, moral norms - "psychic brakes" - relax. Then the person loses the possibility of control and responsibility for his actions.
Risky sexual relations are particularly dangerous among young people - research shows that young people under the influence of alcohol in up to 80% of cases do not practice safe sex, i.e. they do not use condoms as protection against infections and unwanted pregnancy, nor any other contraceptive means as protection against unwanted pregnancy.
Because of this, the risk of sexually transmitted infections: HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, fungal diseases is increased. We don't even need to talk about the risks of drunk driving - they are really numerous.
Under the influence of alcohol, sight, hearing, concentration weaken, reflexes slow down. On the other hand, the person is uncritical, has a sense of omnipotence behind the wheel. All this leads to the fact that the most common cause of disability and death of young people under the age of 20 is precisely traffic accidents experienced under the influence of alcohol.
Bonus video:
