Alcoholism
Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion
What Is Alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also known as “alcohol dependence,”
is a disease that includes four symptoms:
• Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink.
• Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking
on any given occasion.
• Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea,
sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after
a period of heavy drinking.
• Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in
order to “get high.”
People who are not alcoholic sometimes do not understand why an alcoholic
can’t just “use a little willpower” to stop drinking. However,
alcoholism has little to do with willpower. Alcoholics are in the grip of
a powerful “craving,” or uncontrollable need, for alcohol that
overrides their ability to stop drinking. This need can be as strong as the
need for food or water.
Although some people are able to recover from alcoholism without help, the
majority of alcoholics need assistance. With treatment and support, many individuals
are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives.
Many people wonder why some individuals can use alcohol without problems but
others cannot. One important reason has to do with genetics. Scientists have
found that having an alcoholic family member makes it more likely that if
you choose to drink you too may develop alcoholism. Genes, however, are not
the whole story. In fact, scientists now believe that certain factors in a
person’s environment influence whether a person with a genetic risk
for alcoholism ever develops the disease. A person’s risk for developing
alcoholism can increase based on the person’s environment, including
where and how he or she lives; family, friends, and culture; peer pressure;
and even how easy it is to get alcohol.
Alcoholism has also been shown to have many negative effects on families.
Alcoholism can tear families apart and often times children are in the middle
of alcoholic parents and are forced to downplay the effect that alcoholism
is having on their family, or on themselves. With the following webquest you
will be able to see how alcoholism effects children and how to spot warning
signs for children of alcoholics.