Understanding What Alcohol Abuse Is And How To Recognise It
Alcohol abuse has disrupted lives, societies and civilizations since the beginning of time. Unfortunately some of us don’t know when to stop and become affected by the excessive consumption of alcohol in a socially disruptive way. Hence the problem of
Today, probably more so than ever before, consuming alcohol has become the norm. When consumed in moderation, it can be a form of relaxation. Many people come home from a hard day of work and unwind with a drink. The problem is how do you know when that relaxing drink has taken over your life? How do you know when you become dependent on it? Alcohol abuse in today’s society is becoming a serious problem. In the past people used to believe that alcohol abuse was characterized by a weak personality, but today it is seen as a serious disease that can affect us all.
Statistics on Alcohol Abuse
It will probably surprise you that 1 in 13 people are affected by alcohol abuse, It is reported by the online health guide, WebMD that in the United States alone, 12 to 14 million adults suffer from alcohol abuse and each year, around 100,000 adults will die from alcohol abuse. Not only that but it has been proven that alcohol abuse is largely responsible for contributing to the country’s car accidents, suicides and homicides. Alcohol also affects many other areas of daily life, including increased rayes of job absenteeism, increased reports of domestic violence and child abuse.
Understanding The Signs Of Alcohol Abuse?
Occasional drinks at home or with friends does not mean that you have a problem with alcohol. As a guideline:
- in women, a key indication that there is a degree ofalcohol abuse is if you consume more than seven drinks a week and more than three in a social gathering. - In men, the rate of consumption would have to equal more than 14 drinks per week or anexcess of four drinks while with friends.
Other signs include: - Alcohol cravings, - A loss of control when drinking, Being able to know when they have had enough. - When the drinkers tolerance to alcohol builds up, thiscan be another sign of alcohol abuse, - Signs of a physical dependence on alcohol, such as nausea, sweating and headaches if no alcohol is consumed.
Scientists are discovering that many other factors are involved with drinking, such as family history of drinking, family genetics toward drinking, stress levels, and social and environmental factors.
Alcohol abuse has become a serious disease that is escalating all over the western world. Fortunately, it is treatable, but is difficult to cure and it can affect anyone. There are many factors make some people more susceptible to it than others. Even though many of us drink and enjoy ourselves in moderation, however,it is important that we all hear the message and keep our consumption to recognized tolerable levels.
There is an Unfortunate modern social development which has raised alcohol consumption to levels of absurdity as the fashion of Binge Drinking has become the norm amongst many of the young. This bad influence will only lead to more and more of us suffering from alcohol abuse.
