Alcohol is a product that is consumed globally by various people. According to Anderson et al., alcoholic beverages form a significant part of the economies of many countries and build a strong market (127). The availability of these products is a major driver of individual and family problems that many people face. The inability to give up excessive alcohol consumption on one’s own entails significant health concerns.
What Is Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a form of physical and mental addiction to drinks containing alcohol. As Edenberg et al. state, in about half of the cases, this dependence is hereditary (1). This suggests that family history plays an essential role in preventing the development of a dangerous problem. Excessive consumption of alcoholic products develops an addiction, which often requires the intervention of specialists since personal motivation may be insufficient.
Effects of Alcoholism
Both physical and mental effects are the consequences of alcoholism. According to the statistics cited by Edenberg et al., about 5.3% of all deaths in the world are caused by alcoholism, and the average number is about 3 million cases per year (1). In addition to the load on the internal organs, the psyche of alcoholics is deformed. Hallucinations, neuroses, seizures, and other dangerous manifestations may arise, especially in its neglected state. Broken families are also a common outcome of alcohol addiction.
How One Can Cope with Alcoholism
One of the basic steps to take is to identify the causes of addiction. People may consume alcohol for a variety of reasons, such as to combat stress, which is a strong reason to consider other stress mitigation strategies (Anthenien et al. 102). Involving loved ones in helping an addict is another potentially effective practice. Solving the problem on one’s own is unlikely without sufficient motivation, and relatives’ assistance and support can be valuable in the context of overcoming addiction, especially at the initial stage.
Works Cited
Anderson, Kym, et al. “Global Alcohol Markets: Evolving Consumption Patterns, Regulations, and Industrial Organizations.” Annual Review of Resource Economics, vol. 10, 2018, pp. 105-132.
Anthenien, Amber M., et al. “Drinking Motives and Alcohol Outcome Expectancies as Mediators of the Association Between Negative Urgency and Alcohol Consumption.” Addictive Behaviors, vol. 66, 2017, pp. 101-107.
Edenberg, Howard J., et al. “Genetics of Alcoholism.” Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 21, no. 4, 2019, pp. 1-7.