In addition, alcoholic women are more likely to be sexually assaulted than non-alcoholic women, and a large percentage of sexual assaults occur in domestic violence situations. (Wakefield, P
The first assumption is that "alcohol use and/or alcoholism cause men to batter." (Zubretsky, T
However, this correlation is likely the result of many complicated behavioral and environmental factors within the family, and shouldn't be blamed on genetics. This is a just a convenient excuse for destructive behavior, as hundreds of thousands of AA members can attest to the success of the AA program as just one treatment option (Begleiter, Reich, Hesselbrock, & Porjesz, 1995)
Further effects on the brain and body might encompass liver damage, malnutrition, heart disease, increased risk of certain cancers, brain injury or inflammation, memory loss, dependence on other drugs, suicide, or fetal alcohol syndrome as a result of alcoholism during pregnancy. (Berkow & al, 1997) (Oscar-Berman & Marinkovic, 2003) Not only does alcoholism have a myriad of symptoms and consequences, it also has many faces
alcohol dependence; these two forms exist on a continuum of alcohol use extending all the way from social drinking to severe addiction (Vaillant, Hiller-Sturmhofel, & Susanne, 1996). One of the least common forms of alcohol abuse is called "periodic"; this attests to the addictive and habitual nature of alcohol use (Chafetz & Demone, 1962)
Even Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) for alcoholism is gaining ground as an effective treatment, since many marital issues and dynamics can exascerbate and "enable" the problem. Some of the marital behaviors associated with homes having at least one alcoholic partner include "poor communication and problem solving, ineffective arguing habits, financial stress, nagging" (Fals-Stewart, O'Farrell, Birchler, Cordova, & Kelley, 2005), verbal abuse, and inappropriate excuse-making for or care-taking of the alcoholic
In a classic study (Cotton, 1979), researchers concluded that alcoholics are six times more likely than nonalcoholics to report a positive family history of alcoholism (PDX, 2010). Another typical study (Russell, 1990) resulted in the claim that children of alcoholics are "approximately four times more likely to develop alcoholism than people without such a history" (Gilbertson, Prather, & Nixon, 2008)
Some of the marital behaviors associated with homes having at least one alcoholic partner include "poor communication and problem solving, ineffective arguing habits, financial stress, nagging" (Fals-Stewart, O'Farrell, Birchler, Cordova, & Kelley, 2005), verbal abuse, and inappropriate excuse-making for or care-taking of the alcoholic. In addition, studies of emotional transmission between couples indicate that "distressed couples show more reciprocation of negative affect"; in other words, negative interactions between husbands and wives can become a downward spiral, with alcoholism being a major complicating factor (Larson & Almeida, 1999)
Further effects on the brain and body might encompass liver damage, malnutrition, heart disease, increased risk of certain cancers, brain injury or inflammation, memory loss, dependence on other drugs, suicide, or fetal alcohol syndrome as a result of alcoholism during pregnancy. (Berkow & al, 1997) (Oscar-Berman & Marinkovic, 2003) Not only does alcoholism have a myriad of symptoms and consequences, it also has many faces
In summary, the human brain doesn't handle ambivalence well; psychologists call this phenomenon "cognitive dissonance." (Palijan, Kovacevic, Drazen, Kovac, Turcinovic, & Medak, 2007) People feel guilty and conflicted when they drink, particularly to excess; one way to numb these uncomfortable feelings is by drinking even more
Still, there are those who argue that alcoholism has such a powerful genetic component that the outlook for successful treatment is bleak. In a classic study (Cotton, 1979), researchers concluded that alcoholics are six times more likely than nonalcoholics to report a positive family history of alcoholism (PDX, 2010)
Common symptoms include an inability to drink moderately, denial, progression of the disease over time, withdrawal if drinking is controlled, black-outs, inability to hold a job or maintain stable relationships, and a kind of "dual personality." (Rosenthal, 2003) While some of these symptoms are also effects, further short-term and long-term effects of alcohol abuse include indulgence in crimes and violence, depression, irritability, gastrointestinal irritation, fatigue, loss of appetite, chronic or frequent headaches, insomnia in the absence of alcohol, dizziness, anxiety, and a generalized passive attitude
The "12-steps" of AA are summarized as follows: 1) admission of powerlessness over the disease; 2) recognition that a higher "power" can make this control possible; 3) decision to turn your will and life over to this higher power; 4) make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself; 5) admit to God, yourself, and another "the exact nature of your wrongs"; 6) be ready to have God remove these defects of character; 7) humbly ask God to remove these shortcomings; 8) make a list of all people you have harmed, and be willing to "make amends to them all"; 9) make these amends in all cases except when doing so would cause harm; 10) continue an ongoing personal moral inventory with willingness to admit when wrong; 11) use "prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with God,…praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out"; 12) have a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, and carry the 12-step message to other alcoholics and into all aspects of your daily life." (serenity found, 2004) Although these steps have an obvious focus on God or a "higher power," AA members argue that it attempts to treat alcoholism without any religious or other bias; it should apply to anyone suffering from the disease (Wilcox, 1998)
Examples include anxiety and mood disorders, anti-social personality disorder (ASPD), bipolar disorder, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even schizophrenia. (Shivani, Goldsmith, & Anthenelli, 2002) These are often "chicken or egg" cases; doctors find it difficult to tease out which came first -- the alcohol abuse or the mental illness
However, as some American teachers who chastised alcohol use became incorporated into Aleut society, attitudes began to change. (Chafetz & Demone, 1962) as one researcher stated in 1962: "This attitude, if accepted by the Aleuts, may lead to feelings of resentment, fear, and shame, ultimately creating unfavorable group attitudes of ambivalence and guilt, and thus opening one of the doors to alcoholism (Chafetz & Demone, 1962) and in fact, just a decade later, another study found "alcoholism to be the most prevalent mental disorder in all the Native groups and to have a special prominence among Athabascan Indians and Aleuts" (Spiegler, 1993)
In Portugal, for example, all drugs have recently been decriminalized, and this radical change in attitude and policy has indeed resulted in a reduction in all forms of drug abuse, including alcoholism. (Szalavitz, 2009) Why should this not work in America as well? There are countless studies and everyday examples of the ways in which alcoholism is bred by societal beliefs and behaviors
The two main categorizations are alcohol abuse vs. alcohol dependence; these two forms exist on a continuum of alcohol use extending all the way from social drinking to severe addiction (Vaillant, Hiller-Sturmhofel, & Susanne, 1996)
Alcohol use is such an important part of adolescence for many Americans that it has become a "rite of passage" from childhood to adulthood. Moreover, studies have found a correlation between early alcohol use (particularly before age 14) and the progression of full-blown alcoholism; in some cases this initial exposure takes place with parents or other family members (Warner, White, & Johnson, 2007)
Alcoholism Is Contagious Lisa Eliassen Tara Jill Ciccarone Alcoholism is Contagious "The development and practice of alcoholism is an integral and presently unavoidable aspect of American culture (Wilcox, 1998)
"In an effective disease management concept, hospital detoxification is just one step in a chain of therapeutic interventions that will stabilize a patient to remain abstinent" ( Kienast & Heinz, 2005). Within the first 6 to 48 hours after the last drink detoxification begins (Alcoholism Facts, 2011)