Alcoholism was present in my family and friends. My grandpa would start drinking only on
weekends socially. Then the drinking started every day when he was passed over for a
My grandma would get depressed because Grandpa was unhappy. She then started drinking.
also, the drinking increased so much that she started to hide vodka and gin in her bedroom.
One night, her stomach was hurting. She said the pain would not go away. My mom took her.
to the hospital, and she stayed overnight. The next day, she told my mom that she was seeing.
spiders on the wall. My mom said, "There are no spiders on the wall. You are going through the
D.T.s [delirium tremens]." My grandma said that D.T.s are for alcoholics, and she realized that
she was one also! She eventually got help soon afterward and stopped drinking.
Do you know what alcoholism is? Do you know the causes of alcoholism and the methods of
Alcoholism is a serious disorder. It can affect our lives in many ways. Forty percent of
highway deaths are alcohol-related (Channing, What to do 3). Alcohol is a large factor in
suicides and is spousal abuse (Channing, What Everyone 9). The leading cause of teenage death
is alcohol-related (Channing, What Everyone 9). Prolonged excessive drinking can shorten
the life span by ten to twelve years (Channing, What Everyone 12).
"In the U.S., alcoholism is involved in a quarter of all admissions to general hospitals, and
it plays a major role in the four most common causes of death in males, ages 20 to 40: suicide,
[auto] accidents, homicide, and cirrhosis of the liver" (Mayo).
Alcoholism can affect many people of all ages, races, gender, and economic status.
Alcoholism starts with alcohol dependence. The four symptoms of dependence are not being
able to stop or cut down using alcohol every day, binges that last two or more days, blackouts
(not being able...