Archive for Alcoholism Effects
Do Women Experience A Greater Risk In Alcohol Abuse?
Posted by: | CommentsDo women experience a greater risk in alcohol abuse? Yes. Heavy drinkers, specifically women affront greater health risks than men do. Women and alcoholism can manifest unique effects that only women can undergo. Women are more inclined to have alcohol- related diseases. Most of these illnesses target the liver, the heart and the brain which are three of the most functional vital organs of the body.
This could really be a great risk. But how come women are more prone to the probability to suffer these diseases due to excessive alcohol intake? The difference in the bodily composition of men compared to women answers it all. Reports have shown that women and alcoholism go along with each other causing a higher death rate among women. Women die due to alcohol abuse twice as much compared to alcoholic men.
Also, women can suffer from many health problems that men could not ever encounter. Heavy drinking can cause problems on menstruation such as irregular periods and early menopause. This could also cause infertility.
Women and alcoholism is one of the main reasons why women are not only prone to health issues. They may also suffer from physical violence and sexual abuse causing them to procure sexually transmitted diseases.
The following justifications can answer the question why women suffer a greater risk in alcoholism than men:
a. The water composition in a woman’s body is lesser than the fat composition. This causes a weak dilution of the alcohol. The fat composition will likely absorb the alcohol intake and becomes concentrated in the blood.
b. A woman’s digestive system weakly tolerates alcohol. A woman’s stomach can only handle less amount of alcohol than men do.
c. Women become more intoxicated when there is a high concentration of alcohol flowing in the blood. Also, women are more prone to faster intoxication during menstrual periods.
Alcoholism is very dangerous to women especially during pregnancy. This could not only harm the pregnant mother but the more formidable effect is on the fetus. This happens when the mother intakes alcohol. Alcohol can pass through the barrier where the fetus is protected. It then now enters the bloodstream of the fetus.
The fetus could suffer the so- called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This is a naming classification explaining the variation of effects of alcohol in a fetus. Upon conception, the infant could suffer many disabilities as he or she grows up.
Women should not abuse alcohol or at least do drinking in moderation. Certain situations should imply or stop women from drinking heavily. Such instances are when they know that they can not control heavy drinking, if they are under medications, if they are pregnant and if they have a history of drug addiction. They should sensibly consider the different risks they should face because of alcohol abuse.
Alcohol can harm women on a greater basis than it affects men. There are many reasons why women should control their drinking habits. They should pay special attention to the possible dangers they could encounter because of alcoholism. In many cases, they are not the only ones affected. It could also badly harm an innocent child.
Alcoholism Effects On Family
Posted by: | CommentsAn alcoholic can completely disrupt and destroy a family and create harmful effects to a person’s life that can last a lifetime. Alcoholism effects on family are very evident to those who have suffered from pain and violence that have been caused by the person in the influence of alcohol. It could be the father, the mother, or anyone in the family—the cycle goes on untreated until such time that everyone in the house gets has been disturbed and destroyed by the alcoholism effects on family.
Figures show that 76 million adults in the United States have been been subject to alcoholism in the family at some point in their lives. A pregnant woman, for example, suffers from alcoholism with the unborn child included in the process. As alcohol is likewise distributed to her body, it is also carried down to its placenta, where the membrane that joins the mother and child’s blood systems are located. It is also very important to note that the level of alcohol concentration in the pregnant woman’s body is the same as her baby’s. Thus, it is very dangerous to drink alcohol in the period of pregnancy as this can often lead to serious diseases and physical defects on the fetus even before the child is born. As a result, the baby is born underweight or malnourished, noticeably shorter than normal babies. Children can also suffer from brain and skull deformities, and central nervous system can also be damaged, which might lead to intellectual incapacity, or even retardation.
Children who are born in the an alcoholic family usually have problems with self-esteem, social interaction or intellectual performance. Many of these individuals have uncontrolled feelings of resentment, rejection, loneliness, and guilt, all of which can also lead to suicidal tendencies if left ignored by the parents. Most of these children also develop poor image of themselves in the public, or can also be excessively self-conscious.
Alcoholism effects on family can be greatly aggravated by lack of proper communication and counseling. Other behavioral problems reported to arise from this condition include stealing, lying, and fighting. Most children of alcoholics also find it hard to express themselves, as a result of their inability to predict the mood and behavior of their parents.
Obviously, crime and violence are two strongest alcoholism effects on family. Other crimes include incest and battering which are also attributed to the alcoholic’s addictive drinking habit. Self-pity and fear of contact are also the common reactions to alcoholism effects on family. Because victims tend to blame themselves for these crimes, they are less likely to confess for the committed violence or incest.
Alcoholism effects on family can indeed last even up to the person’s adulthood, and can give a very high tendency for the children to be alcoholic themselves at some point in their lives. If this cycle repeats itself for generations, there is a very high possibility that the alcoholism effects in the family can also go on unnoticed, even after the pain, violence, or crime has been committed by the alcoholic.