Alcoholism

Introduction to Psychology II

12 December, 2001

Alcoholism

Thousands of years ago people began to make alcohol for practical reasons. Wine making began with the early Egyptians who found that grape juise spoiled quickly, but that fermented juise or wine would keep without spoiling. They also had problems with impure water, and the Egyptians noticed that people did not sick ower wine, but they often became ill when they drank inpure water. In later years, wine became inportant to the Roman Catholic Church throughout Europe because wine was used to celebrate the sacrament of the Mass. By the 1300’s, beer industry had emerged in Central Europe. At this time, wine was also continuing to grow in popularity; many brands named for the places in which they originated. At first alcohol was desined for the practical reasons, its use changed. People began to experiment with different types of alcohol. Alcohol became an integral part of European culture. We need to understand the harmful effects of alcohol, because it can be fatal.

"Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic: impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial." (http://www.ncadd.org/facts/defalc.html).

Alcoholism is sometimes characterized by the following elements:

1. Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink.

2. Loss of control: The frequent inability to stop drinking once a person has begun.

3. Physical dependence: The occurrence of withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking. These symptoms are usually relieved by drinking alcohol or by taking another sedative drug.

4. Tolerance: The need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to get "high.

"Most of the psychologists consider alcoholism as a progressive disease, when naturally progressing has 3 stages that go one after another. The transition between those stages is smooth and unnoticeable for a person. That disease never appears suddenly. You can suddenly get flue, appendicitis, gonorrhea, or any other disease, but not alcoholism.

First stage is always introduced by pleasant regular “cultural” drinking that lasts from 1 to 10 years. People predisposed to alcoholism cover that stage very quickly, sometimes in a several months.