Medical News Today describes an alcoholic as someone whose body is dependent on alcohol. Alcoholism is a chronic disease that affects a person's physical and mental health. The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, reports that about 15 percent of Americans are problem drinkers with up to 10 percent of male drinkers and 5 percent of female drinkers characterized as alcoholics.
Brain Chemistry
In 2008, the Journal of Neuroscience published an article by University of Illinois director of neuroscience alcoholism research, Subhash Pandey, MD, indicating an association between anxiety and increased alcohol use. People with high levels of anxiety are already at increased risk for developing an addiction, reports ScienceDaily. Some alcoholics feel they need to continue drinking to reduce anxiety. For chronic alcoholics, lack of alcohol creates a need to continue drinking in order to feel normal.
Disease
By 2010, there is no question that alcoholism is considered a disease by the medical establishment. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or NIAAA, reports, "Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms." Developing alcoholism can be determined by your genes or lifestyle.
Age
Alcohol's effect on people varies with age. Older folks are more likely to be on medications and have slower reaction times. They have more hearing difficulties and have a lower tolerance to the effects of alcohol. Older people are more likely to fall and have accidents related to drinking. Not only can the effects of alcohol be intensified by taking medication, but it can have an effect on your mood. NIAAA indicates that the medical conditions common to older people, such as high blood pressure and ulcers, can be exacerbated with alcohol abuse.
Gender
Women become more impaired after drinking the same amount of alcohol as men, according to the NIH. Chronic alcohol abuse is more taxing on a woman's health compared to a man's health. Brain, heart and liver damage progresses more rapidly in female drinkers as well.
In 2000, the American Journal on Addictions published a study by Carrie L. Randall indicating that males and females being treated for alcohol abuse reported similar levels of social phobia symptoms and severity. Females, however, reported more distress in family and social functioning.
Treatment
The National Library of Medicine published an article in 2010 indicating that a treatment is on the horizon for alcoholics with depression. Combined treatment with an antidepressant drug, Zoloft, and the alcoholism drug, naltrexone, may improve the chances that a person with major depression and alcohol dependence could stop drinking. Study author Helen Pettinati indicates that depression with alcoholism "makes [a person's] individual disorders worse."
