Mankind possesses a huge experience of alcohol abuse. For many centuries, even when people drank only wine, the detrimental influence of alcohol on the individual psyche, as well as on the morally ethical condition of the society was noted. In the past and present artistic and medical literature, and also in today’s movies the condition of alcoholic intoxication was made equivalent to madness. Concerning alcoholic addicts, different measures were taken. They were sometimes pretty cruel: the drinkers were expatriated from communities, and subjected to various bodily punishments, or even death. These harsh measures were used by the society in order to protect itself from dissemination of alcoholism that had a tendency to disrupt all rational interpersonal relations. Emphatically, such cruel measures were given up for much more humane methods of battling alcoholism, as approximately in the middle of the 19th century it was for the first time addressed as a medical condition, which implied that different medical treatment methods were needed in order to fight this disease. However the implemented measures did not bring to desired results yet, as the dissemination of alcoholism is not decreasing, but has a tendency to rise. This can be observed from the number of alcoholic patients who have appealed to substance abuse professionals and psychiatrists in order to seek medical assistance. Besides, the majority of alcoholics do not turn for professional help. This fact is associated with high permissiveness of society towards this problem, as well as negative attitude of the population towards alcoholic therapists. Nevertheless it is quite difficult to distinguish alcoholism as a disease from ordinary inebriety.
As was mentioned earlier, the problem of alcoholism in general and alcoholism as a disease is reflected in many modern art forms. One of the films that vividly portray this issue is entitled “Leaving Las Vegas”. This film is based on a cognominal novel by John O’Brien, and is believed to be autobiographical to him, as this writer was a hardcore alcoholic. The movie “Leaving Las Vegas” is actually considered to be a memorial to this author, as it appears that two weeks after the production had commenced, O’Brien had ended his life, committing a suicide. Nicolas Cage stars in the role of Ben Sanderson, who is an experienced alcoholic. His antisocial influence on the people that surround him is not to be doubted. The director draws a clear picture of a depressed alcoholic, whose ceaseless drinking problem had caused him to loose everything and everyone, including his family and his career as a Hollywood screenwriter. This loss of social connections as material possessions is very common in chronic alcoholics. His friend Peter is all he has left, and Ben meets him at the restaurant in order to get some cash, so that he may have enough to fulfill his plan of going to Las Vegas and drinking himself to death. The desperate anti-social nature of an alcoholic is clearly exemplified, when after meeting with his friend Peter he heads to a bar, and performs a piteous attempt to pick up a girl that he likes, but off course he fails. After being fired from his prestigious job the main character proceeds to his house and makes a backyard bonfire, where he burns all his material belongings, and heads to Las Vegas. This illustrates his impaired psychological condition and inability to soberly evaluate the situation due to constant alcoholic intoxication. Having arrived in Vegas, Ben almost runs over a woman, who is in just as hopeless state as he is, and will be his accompanying heroine in the following part of the film. Being in the state of alcoholic exhilaration the next day he finds that woman, who turns out to be a prostitute, named Sera. Ben offers her $ 500 in order to come with him, but instead of having sex with her, he starts talking to her, and subsequently creates a strange relationship with this woman. They attempt to build their relations on coming to terms with each other’s problems. Sera never criticizes Ben’s drinking problem, and Ben never mentions or makes remarks concerning Sera’s occupation. However having lived like this for a while, both Sera and Ben become frustrated with each other’s issues. Sera tries to get her partner to submit to a healthier lifestyle, but he in his turn makes another false step towards more alcohol consumption. When Sera is begging Ben to see a doctor, Ben refuses to deal with this issue, and feeling angry brings another woman – a prostitute back to Sera’s house. At this point Ben demonstrates signs of severe substance intoxication, with symptoms of possible brain damage, as his speech patterns are incoherent. When Sera walks in her rented home and finds Ben with a prostitute, she throws him out, and soon after that she gets raped and beaten by a few of her clients. This makes her occupation obvious to the home owners and the woman gets evicted. Following this, she receives a call from Ben who is dying, and begs her to come see him. When she comes to visit him, they have sex for the first time, and in the morning Ben dies, holding sleeping Sera in his arms.
This film with a tragic ending demonstrates a clear example of chronic alcoholism. During the film Ben was shown consuming alcohol numerous times. After the intake he was experiencing a condition called acute alcoholic intoxication. The individual manifestations of this condition depended on many factors, such as the amount of consumed alcohol, activity of enzymatic systems that break down the substance, personality type, psychological, and physical condition. It was visible, that alcohol consumption impaired Ben’s adequate perception of reality, limited the volume of perceived information, and reduced the rate of information processing. This was clear, when he after being fired made an irrational decision of killing himself and started burning all his possessions. At this point alcohol had deteriorated Ben’s personal qualities of making wise decisions and rationally planning out his actions. The main character of this film has demonstrated various sides of his personality in relation to alcoholic consumption. According to a psychological study of alcoholics it was discovered that certain personalities are more inclined towards alcoholism than others (Penick et al., 1999, p. 188). He continually manifests his pedantic and vexatious qualities, as being under the influence he becomes more communicative and relaxed, and attempts seeking communication, firstly in the bar when he tries to pick up an attractive girl, and secondly when he just met Sera and instead of having sex, starts talking to her. It is clear that due to this anxiousness, it important for Ben to consume alcohol in order to feel more relaxed and have an easier time satisfying his communication need. The viewer can precisely observe that depressive reactions (desire to kill himself) are also very inherent to Ben’s personality, as being under the influence often causes unhappy mood, gloomy thoughts, and sense of despair. When the hero refused to stop drinking or see a doctor, his hankering towards alcohol was becoming stronger. The metabolic processes were becoming modified, and his organism tuned towards constant intoxication was demanding its everyday dose. Ben was suffering severe physical dependence, as his appetite for alcohol was irresistible, and after another overdose he had a desire to satisfy his hangover with another drink in order to quell unpleasant sensations.
The alcoholism portrayed in this film was probably nearing its final third stage, as at the end when Sera demands Ben to see a doctor, he does not have any control over his consumption, and shows visible signs of abstinent syndrome. According to his speech, his brain had suffered a severe intellectually mnestic disorder, as he cannot sustain a conversation due to possible encephalopathy. It was demonstrated by many authors that when over a period of time an individual consumes large amounts of alcohol his blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). It was also revealed that the alcohol exposure patterns affect peak BACs and induce brain damage (Hannigan, Spear, Spear, & Goodlett, 1999, p. 23). Another study focused on researching an alcohol induced disease called hepatic encephalopathy, which is a brain disorder caused by chronic failure of the liver. It is very common in alcoholics who have cirrhosis and some of its results are impairments of psychiatric, cognitive, and motor functions. The reduction of liver cells due to cirrhosis causes the diversion of blood around the liver, which leads to such toxins as ammonia and manganese to enter the neural tissue and cause the damage of astrocytes (Butterworth, 2003). At the end of the film Ben appears to demonstrate the above symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy. At this stage the internal organs are suffering irreversible alterations, such as cardiomyopathy in the heart, and polyneuropathy in the nervous system which becomes apparent through aches and abnormal walking pace. All of the above consequences of this disease bring Ben Sanderson to a tragic end that is very common among today’s chronic alcoholics.
Annotated Bibliography
Butterworth, R. F. (2003). Hepatic Encephalopathy. Alcohol Research & Health, 27(3), 240+.
This article’s main concern is the recent research in the field of hepatic encephalopathy, the most common cause of which is alcoholism-induced cirrhosis. It gives clear characteristics of hepatic encephalopathy and its influence on the brain structures, as well as provides methods for its diagnosis and suggests possible treatment interventions.
Martindale, D., & Martindale, E. (1976). The Social Dimensions of Mental Illness, Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
This book focuses on the solution of problems called social control, mastery of nature, and socialization. This source also makes objective remarks on the careers of substance abusers. It’s main idea of accenting the role of alcohol and substance abuse on the human social development. It states that humans are not born with social instincts however it is important for them to become social and assist each other, whereas substance abuse prevents and disrupts the formation of social relations, perplexing the communication.
Chafetz, M. E., & Demone, H. W. (1962). Alcoholism and Society. New York: Oxford University Press.
This source tells the reader about the historical development of traditions related to alcoholism, as well as its causes from etiological point of view. Summarizing the history of this substance dependence the authors attempt to understand why some people are more inclined than others, and why does alcoholism spreads at such fast rate as a psychiatric disorder. The central argument of this book was helpful in understanding the concept of alcoholism as a disease that does not affect an individual, but affects society as a whole.
Hannigan, J. H., Spear, L. P., Spear, N. E., & Goodlett, C. R. (Eds.). (1999). Alcohol and Alcoholism: Effects on Brain and Development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
The main concern of this source is the effects of alcohol consumption on the human brain and its influence on the human nervous system. It takes a neurophysiologic look at the problem of chronic alcohol consumption on the brain physiology, and clearly illustrates the severe consequences of chronic alcoholism on individual health.
Penick, E. C., Nickel, E. J., Powell, B. J., Liskow, B. I., Campbell, J., Dale, T. M., et al. (1999). The Comparative Validity of Eleven Alcoholism Typologies. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 60(2), 188.
This journal article reports on a study that may help classifying alcoholics as a certain type. This may assist the therapists in more precise diagnosis of this disease. The study introduces a clever classification of alcoholics according to two dimensions: alcoholism severity, and psychiatric/social impairment. Such classification appears to be a useful clinical tool for psychiatrists and physicians.
Judge, M. G. (1997). Alcoholism: Character or Genetics? Insight on the News, 13, 8+.
This magazine article discusses the issue of alcoholism, particularly its cause. It focuses on two possible etiological causes of this disorder and discusses whether it is associated with the individual character, or is it the fault of the inherited human genes. This article refers to numerous studies that support both theories, however does not come to a clear conclusion.