Alcoholism
For most, alcohol provides an excuse for friends to get together after work, to enjoy a toast on special occasions, a feeling of warmth and relaxation from time to time. Alcohol has become a part of American culture as much as hot dogs and apple pie. It has been used as a social tool that makes business deals, friends, and huge amounts of money for those who make and sell it. Somewhere along the line, though, alcohol became a crutch for many people, a means of surviving from day to day. It helped to erase the painful existence of one's life. These people, often referred to as alcoholics, have not learned how to deal with life on a day-to-day basis without the assistance of their best friend, alcohol. The leading literature available describes alcoholics as "...subjects of King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm..." (Alcoholics Anonymous p. 151) E.M. Jellinek, an early pioneer in research of alcoholism, theorized alcoholism as a disease with specific causes, a predictable progression, and diagnosable symptoms. This progression is shown in his chart at the end of this paper. Most doctors, researchers, addiction experts and alcoholics themselves contend that alcoholism is a disease. Current research involving
Alcohol and the Addictive Brain:New Hope for the Alcoholic from Biogenetic Research. In his book, The Alcoholic Self, Norman Denzin described personality traits in alcoholics as:"restlessness, impulsiveness, anxiety, selfishness, self-centeredness, lack of consideration, stubbornness, ill humor, irritability, anger, rage, depression, self-destructiveness, contactlessness, physical cruelty, child or spousal abuse, arrogance that may lead to aggression or to coldness and withdrawal, aggressive sexuality often accompanied by infidelity, which may give way to sexual disinterest or impotence, lying, deceit, remorse, reduced mental and physical function, eventually blackouts, susceptibility to other diseases, denial there is a drinking problem, and always loneliness. The preamble of AA starts with, "Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope in recovery that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. " AA "has but one primary purpose-to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. The effect is temporary, and more alcohol is needed to maintain the necessary chemical balance. " Although these characteristics will generally vary from person to person, most people with these traits, coupled with excessive alcohol use, will eventually lead to alcoholism. They go to meetings to recover from alcoholism and to rediscover themselves. When a normal person consumes alcohol their liver and other organs go into effect to neutralize the compound and the body excretes the waste product. In alcoholics, there is a shortage of enkephalins in the body, which causes the brain to compensate by creating more receptor sites in an attempt to "feel" the alcohol more. 8% of the male children of alcoholics were afflicted with the disease while only 14. When alcohol is ingested into the system, Tetra-hydroxy-isoquinolone (THIQ) is produced, which has the ability to stimulate these receptors.
Common topics in this essay:
Norman Denzin,
Copenhagen Denmark,
EM Jellinek,
Alcohol American,
Alcoholics Anonymous,
Traditions AA,
Tetra-hydroxy-isoquinolone THIQ,
,
Syndrome Diabetes,
King Alcohol,
normal people,
alcoholics anonymous,
personality traits,
alcoholism disease,
children normal people,
brain alcohol,
chemical balance,
normal person,
receptor sites,
children alcoholics,
people alcoholic,
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