Alcohol Abuse Basics

image: young man holding head after drinking image: nurse checking old female alcoholic image: old female alcoholic looking lost image: old man lost in thought while drinking

 

Finding Alcohol Abuse Information

By Christopher J

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The popularity of alcohol in society has led to many problems with its over consumption and abuse. People of all ages drink alcoholic drinks for a variety of reasons including enjoyment, peer pressure, curiosity and to get drunk and escape from the reality of their life. When people begin to consume too much alcohol it is important for the person and their friends and family to recognize this problem. Finding alcohol abuse information can help people understand and identify when drinking alcohol has become or is becoming a serious issue for an individual. Having the information readily available can lead to early and quick intervention.

If alcoholism usually takes a long time to develop, then the "normal" drinking patterns of an extremely large number of people are highly questionable and risky.  In short, repeated abusive and excessive drinking (such as binge drinking) over time can develop into alcohol dependency.  The moral of the story is this:  if you want to avoid the possibility of developing alcoholism later in life, either learn how to drink responsibly or do not drink at all!

Resources For Alcohol Abuse Information. A lot of information can be easily found in ones own community. Hospitals, clinics and schools will usually have some handouts with information and many will have a counselor or other professional that can assist with information.

Simple phone calls or visits can assist a person with finding a lot of great information and local resources. Local chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous and Alanon can also be great local resources for information and can also help in addressing any problems with alcohol.

According to U.S. prison statistics, roughly 50% of the state prisoners and 40% of federal prison inmates who have been incarcerated for committing violent crimes claim that they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol while committing their crimes.

Good resources can be found at several government web sites. Sites such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (www.niaaa.nih.gov) offer information related to various aspects of alcohol abuse and even have printable resources. The recent increase in young people abusing alcohol has caused the government to increase the amount of resources available for both underage and college age alcohol drinking. These sites also offer reliable data and statistics for use in a large group setting or for anyone needing good research materials.

Continual use of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, which can limit the absorption of nutrients and vitamins associated with several serious neurological and mental disorders, including brain damage, memory loss, loss of sexual responsiveness, sleep disturbances and psychosis such as Wernike's Encephalopathy and Korsakoff's syndrome.

For quick information on alcohol abuse and other alcohol issues there is some good information atalcoholism.about.com. This site offers a definition of alcohol abuse, a list of symptoms, and diagnosis and treatment information. The site also has current news articles and events related to alcohol abuse information. This site even offers a quick twenty question quiz to help determine if alcohol is a problem. The Alcoholism Screening Quiz is a list of question with yes or no answers that are easy for anyone to answer and can quickly identify a potential problem.

Numerous studies in the alcohol addiction research literature point to the fact that alcohol problems are not only frequently found in families but that alcohol problems often destroy families.  For example, more than 50% of the current drinkers in the U.S., according to research statistics, have a family history of alcoholism or alcohol abuse.

There are several ways for a person to get information on alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Any person who has alcohol included in their life should become familiar with the information so that they can quickly identify their own problem or a problem a family member or friend may be developing. Early intervention will prevent a snowball effect from this disease.

Christopher Jay provides more free and extremely helpful information in his content rich Alcohol Abuse Information site For more alcohol abuse causes, explore- Alcohol Abuse Information Sitemap

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Alcoholism and alcohol abuse statistics reveal that while more than 18 million individuals in the U.S. require alcohol treatment, only about 25% of these "problem drinkers" will get the treatment they need.  The following are some of the reasons why problem drinkers do not get the required treatment: a lack of treatment and rehab facilities, a lack of space at the treatment facility, a lack of money, the denial manifested by many individuals about the severity of their drinking circumstances, a lack of local alcohol abuse programs, and finally, a lack of desire exhibited by many people to get the required treatment.

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