Alcoholism is a serious problem around the world and especially in the U.S. Alcoholism affects some 14 million people in the United States alone, costing $ 184 billion a year (Newton &Messing, 2006). Heavy drinkers are also more susceptible to cancer than those who drink on occasion or not at all. This very common substance in our society was once illegal. But in the present day, it is very much legal to those of age and there are no restrictions on how much one individual can buy. The types and proofs of alcohol available for purchase can contain up to 80% alcohol!
Have you ever wondered why alcoholic beverages are also referred to as “spirits”? The mechanisms of alcohol in the brain work in a way that inhibits our inhibitions. Our inhibitions are those that restrain us from being inappropriate in public, speaking out of turn and the way we talk to each other. What I mean by this is that when people are inebriated, they act differently than if they were sober (obviously). But how does this happen?
Alcohol is substance that brings individuals a sense of unwinding and relaxation. In other instances it is used for celebrating and partying. I am often told by my fellow foreign exchange students that alcoholic beverages are abused in the U.S. unlike European countries; it is safe to say that alcohol could be a drug of abuse. When we imbibe, we are activating the reward center of our brain which is mediated by dopamine. Dopamine continues to activate neurons in the central nervous system called glutamate receptors that counterbalance inhibition by alcohol. The release of opioids in the brain, caused by alcohol, trigger a cascade of GABA release, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and is vital in inhibiting dopamine neurons. This also causes our decision making and response time to decrease. Have you ever heard of someone being called an emotional drunk? Alcohol plays a large role in emotion as we can see by the inhibition of inhibitions. But when alcohol is consumed regularly, substance dependence can eventually form due to the activation of the pleasure/reward system. The substance (alcohol) is usually the beginning of addiction. But when actions of drinking start to become habitual, the motion and/or holding the beverage become a fixation to the individual.
I’m not trying to insist that alcohol is the root of all evil and that anyone who consumes it will become an alcoholic. It is actually a fact that occasional ingestion of such libations is good for the body and heart. But when it becomes apparent to us that someone that we care about is abusing this substance, should we do something about it? Or should we let them handle it themselves?
http://www.alcohol-facts.net/
Drunken words are honest thoughts.
