Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction is characterized by uncontrolled and compulsive consumption of alcohol despite the negative effects it has on the drinker’s health, relationships, and social standing. Like many other addictions, alcoholism is a treatable disease. Alcoholism is the term widely used, but in medicine, the term was replaced by alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse in the 1980s. alcohol dependence was known as dipsomania before the word alcoholism replaced it. They are risk factors however which include stress, mental health, social environment, genetic predisposition. Alcohol can damage almost every organ in the body.

Excessive alcohol use such as compulsive drinking despite awareness of its harm to his or her health indicates that the person might be an alcoholic. Abuse, misuse, problem use, and heavy use which is the improper use of alcohol may cause social, physical, or moral harm to the drinker. Alcoholism can have adverse effects on mental health and can cause psychiatric disorders to develop and the risk of suicide. With long-term alcohol abuse, a number of physical symptoms can occur. While drunk an alcoholic’s behavior and mental impairment, can have an impact on those surrounding them and lead to isolation from family and friends. This isolation can cause marital problems, domestic violence, and or divorce, and can also lead to child neglect, with lasting damage to the emotional development of the alcoholic’s children. Withdrawal from alcohol dependence can be fatal if it is not managed properly when alcohol consumption is suddenly stopped. The nervous system suffers, and this can cause symptoms such as seizures, anxiety, shakes, hallucinations and possible heart failure.Acute withdrawal symptoms usually subside after one to three weeks.