Alcohol can make a person momentarily happy, but this effect can be fleeting. This nature of alcohol can drag those with alcohol-related problems to continue to drink to ease emotional problems. However, this may be digging a person deeper and deeper into the hole of alcoholism where emotional problems are actually aggravated.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that liver disease killed 14,406 alcoholics in 2007. Excluding accidents and homicides, 23,199 other deaths were directly attributed to alcohol. This data suggests tha...
Treatment for alcohol abuse or alcoholism requires an in-depth assessment of your drinking habits, level of tolerance for alcohol, and life events or significant issues that may have resulted from drinking. Seek this type of as...
Alcoholic myopathy can occur as an acute or chronic disease, with the acute form usually following an episode of binge drinking. The acute form is four times more common in males than females, the Gale Encyclopedia of Public He...
Approximately one-third of the patients who are diagnosed with alcoholic steatohepatitis are asymptomatic. According to MayoClinic, patients who are diagnosed with alcoholic steatohepatitis may not exhibit any symptoms until th...
Symptoms often do not emerge until the damage to the liver becomes advanced, according to MedlinePlus. These symptoms may differ from each individual and will tend to worsen following incidents of heavy alcohol consumption.
However, for more than 17.6 million people in the United States, alcohol is a much more severe problem. Generally, alcoholism is a disease with four distinct characteristics: craving, loss of control, physical dependence and to...
For most adults, moderate consumption of alcohol is not harmful; however, for more than 17.6 million adults in the United States, alcoholism is a serious disease that emerges when a dependency forms, according to MedlinePlus. T...
An alcoholic is a person physically addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism occurs gradually, and it can sometimes be difficult to recognize. Alcoholics work hard to hide the problem, although eventually symptoms of the illness become ...
Alcoholism is the commonly used term to refer to the mental health illness of alcohol dependence. The condition of alcoholism has been around for a long time, and there is currently no cure for the disorder--only continued trea...
Alcohol is processed and metabolized by the liver. In the liver, the alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical that is normally rapidly converted into other, less dangerous chemicals. However, when large...
Physiological addiction to alcohol characterizes the presence of alcohol dependence. Symptoms relating to severe alcoholism are often termed interchangeably as physiological or physical, which indicates a change in the response...
Alcoholism is a chronic disease in which the body becomes physically dependent on alcohol. In some cases, however, individuals may not exhibit symptoms but abuse the substance that can interfere with normal daily activity. Gene...
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, between 60 and 70 percent of cirrhosis cases are caused by alcoholism. Cirrhosis causes healthy liver tissue to become tough and fibrous, and lose its function. Loss of th...
Cirrhosis of the liver was the twelfth leading cause of death in the United States in 2005 and developed as a consequence of alcoholism in over 45 percent of cases, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports...
Alcohol is highly addictive for many people, with the threshold for addiction varying by environmental circumstances and genetic makeup. Excessive consumption has repercussions for society, families and the individual. Biologic...
The first two stages represent increasing dependency and addiction. According to the "5-Minute Clinical Consult" textbook, it is estimated that in the United States, 9.6 percent of men and 3.2 percent of women will experience s...
Alcoholics suffer significantly from brain deficits that affect them physically, emotionally and mentally during the later stages of alcoholism. People may have difficulty spotting symptoms during the early stages of alcoholism...
Alcoholism is also known as alcohol dependence. According to the American Psychological Association, those who are alcohol dependent experience tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Those with alcohol dependence cannot control the...
Alcoholic liver disease usually occurs after years of excessive drinking, whereas other liver damage may happen after binge-drinking. Depending on the amount of damage to the liver, symptoms can vary from mild to life-threatening.
Alcohol can cause seizures in a variety of different ways; binge drinking, alcohol withdrawals and averse reactions to drink ingredients can all put you at increased risk for a seizure. Seizures related to each of these causes ...
According to the Mayo Clinic, some people's bodies are simply incapable of processing alcohol. Alcohol sensitivity is fairly simple to recognize because it almost always produces immediate symptoms. The only way to avoid sympto...
The damage that alcoholism inflicts on a person extends into social, psychological and physical aspects of the individual's life. Alcoholic neuropathy, sometimes known as alcoholic polyneuropathy, is one of the physical cons...
This condition occurs most frequently in patients of Asian descent. Patients who exhibit allergic symptoms to alcohol should discuss these symptoms with a medical professional.
Alcoholics physically crave alcohol and feel as though they need it to function. They continue to drink despite negative consequences, such as losing a relationship or job. Alcoholism often takes a toll not just on the abuser b...
Drinking is socially-acceptable in many societies; therefore it may be hard for someone to recognize that they or a loved one is affected by alcoholism. Knowing the signs and identifying there is a problem is the first step to ...
An alcoholic can have a physical and a psychological dependence on alcohol, with the psychological aspect being as controlling as the physical. Helpguide.org states that alcoholism is considered more than seven drinks a week fo...
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that alcoholism is a disease that continues for a lifetime. It is likely that the basic personality characteristics of a person do not change because they no longer...
Alcoholism, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is a chronic disease that makes your body dependent on alcohol. Despite the problems it may cause in the life of the alcoholic--personal, professional or legal--he is unable to control...
Merck Manuals reports that the primary cause of varices is cirrhosis of the liver, which is where tissue in the liver is replaced by non-functioning scar tissue. The American Liver Foundation reports that the most common cause...
Alcoholics fall into a pattern of drinking that gets progressively worse and may cause distress in their lives. Symptoms vary among alcoholics, but there are many signs that can be recognized by them and those around them. Some...
Alcoholism is a disease. It is one that some are more prone to than others. Although drinking in moderation on occasion does not pose a problem, drinking in excess to the point where it destroys your life is problematic. Just a...
Department of Health and Human Services reports that 6.9 percent of the population were heavy drinkers in 2008. Heavy drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion and at least five occasions in the previous...
Many people may not realize when the drinking habits of others are signs of alcoholism, because they themselves do not have these inclinations. Their needs are not the same as the wants and desires of an alcoholic. But particul...
Alcoholic dementia is caused by excessive and long-term use of alcohol. Symptoms---as with other forms of dementia---include memory loss, poor judgment and confusion. In addition, people suffering from alcohol abuse often devel...
