About Alcoholism

GERI'S RECOVERY MUSIC presents a great new article on alcoholism from New York DUI.

About alcoholism

When addressing someone with an alcohol problem, we usually refer to it as alcoholism. However, the proper terminology for the disease is actually alcohol dependence syndrome, which is the last link in a chain of drinking problems that get progressively worse.

Issues with alcohol affect people differently; some can be mild nuisances, while others reach a level of severity that becomes life-threatening. Despite the fact that alcoholism is the most serious phase of this downward spiral, there other drinking disorders that can also be quite detrimental to one’s health.

Binge drinking

Technically, binge drinking is the consumption of at least five alcoholic drinks in one sitting for a man and a minimum of four drinks for a woman. To simplify it, binge drinking can also be defined as “drinking to get drunk.” This is the most prevalent alcohol problem for high school and college students under 21 years of age.

Alcohol abuse

Binge drinking evolves into alcohol abuse when the drinking directly impacts a person’s life in a negative manner, but they continue to drink regardless of the consequences. Drinking will remain constant through interpersonal and legal struggles—even when dealing with circumstances as extreme as the aftermath of an accident. It may reach an extent that the daily routine is interrupted, and the drinker is often absent from class or work and begins to ignore children and domestic duties.

Alcohol dependence

Abuse crosses the line of dependence when a person:

· Starts to yearn for alcohol.

· No longer has control of their drinking.

· Experiences withdrawal symptoms when not consuming alcohol.

· Builds up their tolerance to a point where they must drink greater quantities of alcohol to achieve the same feeling.

Alcohol dependence is a chronic disease that worsens with time, and the desire to drink is heightened in spite of continual problems of various sorts.

Alcoholism and genetics

Chances are if you are an alcoholic, there are other members in your family tree that have also suffered from the disorder. Extensive scientific studies reveal that genes passed down through the generations do contribute to the development of alcoholism. On the other hand, research also indicates that the setting someone grows up in and peer pressure also may play a significant role.

Although the majority of scientists support the relationship between heredity and alcoholism, a family history of alcoholics does not guarantee that anyone will succumb to the disease themselves. Sheer willpower is sometimes all someone needs to overcome a predisposition to such a disorder.