Causes of Alcoholism

Knowing the causes of alcoholism, it is easier to find a way out of the maze.

At the time, there was actively activated a theme: “”two worlds – two ways of life”. Today there is no one to fight with, the disputes’ name has changed, but the essence remains: we are the best! But when discussing the problem of alcoholism is complemented by digital illustrations, “optimists” can’t add anything, but an appeal, saying that the people in other countries also drink. But, as one of the site visitors has noticed, Czechs and Germans prefer beer, the French – wine. And in the former CIS people drink vodka.

So even a superficial view of the problem tells that the causes of alcoholism have a different start, but they are classified.

According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) of alcohol consumption problems in the world, the post-Soviet space is really ahead. The average European drink about 12 liters of alcohol over a year. Moldavians drink 19, Russian – 15, Ukrainian and Belarusian – a little less. For comparison, the Czechs prefer beer – 57% of the French wine – 62%. In Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, they are given less priority, respectively, from 33% to 20% and from 1% to 9%.

The highest prevalence of heavy drinking is noticed in Ukraine – 31.5% (men).

1.7% of the population of Russia – are hopeless alcoholics and registered officially. In Belarus and Kazakhstan – there are 1.6%of such, in Ukraine – 1.5%. And this is only the official data, and how many such alcoholics, but not recorded, sufferers hiding in basements and attics!

Thus, an alcoholic subject doesn’t lose its actuality with the changes in the political and social sphere of society. No matter, who, how much and where drink, all people are divided into two categories. Some do it with a sense of proportion. But for others even the first glass – is a start to the deceptive world of pleasure and satisfaction.

Who and how does alcohol choose?

The activity of a human’s central nervous system is often compared to the work of the computer. Let’s use this analogy, comprehensible to modern man. What happens to a computer when it is attacked by viruses? It is right, it begins to “fail”, or even stops functioning. It all depends on what kind of file is hit by “Trojan”.

For a human such virus is like a poison. Getting to the body, it affects almost all organs, but most of all liver, kidneys and central nervous system (CNS). Let’s talk some more about last one.

Hitting some parts of the cells, alcohol alters their chemical composition:

• gamma-amino butyric acid, which controls impulsive actions, alters its function and decreases markedly;
• glutamate, being a CNS stimulant, also go through changes;
• the level of dopamine, which is responsible for starting the mechanism of “pleasure”, it also changes.

These and other changes at the level of the chemical composition of the brain require for recovering of the achieved tonus level by getting new portions of alcohol, and, with a plus to the achieved level. The man is constantly seeking for the best. But realizing, in this case, the sham of better, he reaches for the next portion of vodka in order to fall into euphoria again. If this human’s craving of alcohol becomes noticeable – this is an alarming signal. So, the risk of alcohol dependence have risen, and the disease starts to progress. A person needs immediate help from the outside.

Factors and reasons of alcohol abuse development

If the same chemical formulas work in a human brain, so why the result will be different? Why does some move on to another alcoholic’s level, while others do not join the number of alcohol addicted?

The fact that there are factors, which, in their turn, as catalysts for the process affect the result:

1. Heredity. She has an active influence on the final result of alcohol dependence. If one of the ancestors showed excessive interest in alcoholic beverages, their heirs would race in the number of potential receivers of “alcoholic” genes too. This does not mean that such people will become alcoholics, but they should drink alcohol in moderate or better under dose.
2. Emotionality, as well as the desire to drown out the problems and get out the stress, is often the cause of involvement into the zone of alcohol dependence. Scientists have identified even specific hormones that can accelerate the progression of alcoholism.
3. There is a psychological factor. A person with low self-esteem easily falls into depression. It also can cause alcohol dependence.
4. Social factor, such as legalization of alcohol consumption, its availability, and also not regulated activity of PR-companies in propaganda of drinking, useful for manufacturers of alcoholic beverages, has fixed a glass as a culture of a modern human’s behavior.
5. Frequent drinking – is a way to sustainable alcohol dependence. This axiom is also among the factors that cause alcoholism. Each body has its strength of basis for such way, so those who have it stronger, argue often about that how much they can drink at one sitting. But all have one destination.
6. Not everybody is given wisdom by age to understand that the older you are, the less amount of alcohol you need. And young people, who have become addicted to alcohol before adulthood, have an addiction to alcohol.
7. Sexual characteristic in the drinking is also important. Men are more prone to alcoholism, but women’s alcohol dependence develops faster.

Nowadays, alcoholism, as a problem, hasn’t run out of steam either in our country nor “there, where people drink”. Part of society, which is subject to disease, remains rather big, so it’s not a problem of a single individual, but remains one of the national problems, concealing a huge scale of medical and social threats.

The state and the problem of alcoholism

Some are still inclined to blame a government in a not decreasing threat of alcoholism. And in fact, it has been well said that a personality is formed by an environment. There are examples in a literature, which work in favor of this theory. For example, it is affirmed that on a deserted island without medication and help from the outside there are will survive only alcoholics among a number of hypertensive patients, patients with cancer, and so on. He is able to be reborn without drugs from alcohol intoxication like a phoenix from the ashes.

If the theory is correct, it means that someone has to take care to isolate potential patients from the poison. It is impossible to hang for everybody’s hand. That is why, as this “someone” is the government. At different times and in different countries, it has made efforts by penalties and restrictions in order to achieve a reduction of alcoholic beverages consumption. But it did not work out.

Statistics doesn’t change a negative sign because of this. About four percent of deaths in the world fall exactly on alcohol. This is higher than tuberculosis or AIDS.

The most “hot” point of the alcohol spreading is situated in Kazakhstan and Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Ukraine and South Africa.

As you can see, the studying of the alcoholic question in WHO, has confirmed that we are really one of the best. But this leadership is not happy. And the state had to follow the appropriate measures. But a government had to provide the appropriate measures.

During the USSR times, there was supported a policy of the state monopoly on a production and turnover of alcoholic products. What has changed with the dissolution of USSR to individual states, how it has affected the anti-alcohol fighting tactics with “green serpent”?

For the first time during five centuries of history of the states, Commonwealth of countries has refused such a monopoly and from 90s of the last century has weakened its influence on the regulation and control of the social and economic important process. The level of shadow production of alcoholic beverages has risen. As a result, only in Ukraine the number of deaths by poisoning increased for 10 thousand and surpassed the previous level of 30 thousand people. In Russia, the annual rate exceeded the 70,000th milestone.

Areas of fiscal policy give the prerequisites for the hope of changing the situation for the better. And it is already in the former CIS countries observed a move out of the shadow of alcohol production. Analysts believe that the strengthening trend for the better may be changed in legislation. It will happen or not, and when, is not known. But now we need to put obstacles in the way of alcohol to a social danger.

The social problem of alcoholism

Thus, there is no reason to say that the state, as a regulatory organ, is suspended from the fight against alcoholism. But there can be seen another important aspect – economic interest. We cannot say that someone is trying to make a choice between health and economic benefits. The presence of alcohol on every corner, in every store only aggravates the social component of the alcoholism problem. A person often has to deal with himself: to take another drink or it’s enough? If not to drink, then somebody can accuse you of the weakness of spirit. If to overdrink, then tomorrow there will be a hangover with all the ensuing consequences. And if somebody plunge into alcohol dependence, so will hide and not agree that has turned into a drunkard. Lookers-on see more than players. And first of all, relatives, friends see more. They first have to come to the rescue.

And here, in fact, alcohol enlightenment should work constantly. For the majority, in fact, an alcoholic is who has got drunk and fallen asleep with his face in a salad, or somewhere on the curb. But how much such social advertising can be found during the pauses between blocks of favorite TV or radio show or on the pages of publications? And it is not necessary to compare: alcohol and beverage are advertised, sober lifestyle – much less. But it should be advertised more and more active.

You know, the number of people, lost by society, would be different. Remember, more than 200 thousand people die each month, unable to cope with alcoholism. A liberal share of such people is rather young and very hard-working of age – from 15 to 59 years old.

Manifestations of child abuse alcoholism as the costs of upbringing

Have you pay attention at a starting number of deaths from alcohol? 15 years of age! The child smelled alcohol, drank and died at once? Of course, it is not so.

Let’s get remember he same statistics: two of three adolescents aged from 13 to 16 years drink some alcohol systematic. From where does this craving appear? With mother’s milk? Partly. “Browse” pages of social networks and see the delight with which youngsters pose with a glass of beer, wine, and even vodka. Emancipation of society has led to the fact that nowadays more and more children are proud and brag by who had tasted an alcohol first.

Where are these photos from? They aren’t only from bars and discos. Some perceive a celebrating of birthday without alcohol as bad manners. Adults prefer a bottle of alcohol to entertainment and games.

Later, as a mediator during any meeting of a friend, as a rule, a bottle of fortified beverage acts.

Mankind, unfortunately, has not yet formed a society with a sober way of life. But it has already managed to identify areas of children’s alcoholism, which warm up children’s and adolescents’ craving for the systematic consumption of strong beverages:

1. Imitation the parents. If at least one member of the family friends with alcohol, this attachment will not go unnoticed by a child. Some parents, “in order not to accustom to vodka,” treat the child with “harmless” beer. And it trains fledgling body better than 40-degree vodka.
2. Apathy or unduly in matters of guardianship of the child to the same degree can lead to a delayed manifestation of curiosity to alcoholic beverages. If you overdo in education, a child may want to prove their maturity through a glass of vodka, deforming the reflection of reality. If parents have no time to engage in education, then a child in such family perceives an alcohol as a mediator in solving their teenage problems.
3. The impact of the company, not necessarily with a predominance of society with bad habits. Children from well-off families, but deprived of attention of adults, can get into such company of peers. There are can gather children from different social strata and from families with different incomes. A desire to be seen, and, therefore, useful, can serve as a joining beginning and also want to get a foot in the door in any company.
4. Stress and anxiety, which often plague contemporary human, cast doubt in the future, in the success of achieving the desired result. Conflicts with peers, a sense of lack of understanding of the problems by adults are extinguished with alcohol. Most of these people, and not only among children and adolescents are constantly dissatisfied with themselves and others.

Problems of female alcoholism

As it’s known, alcoholism does not choose a victim by age or gender. It only develops differently in each case. Many people are drawn to it, like to a saving straw. He becomes a priority in human’s life hobbies, always deceiving man. Alcohol reaches its target in the female body much faster in comparison to the male body.

What makes a woman abuse?

In most cases, the role of the first violin is played by psychological aspects. Loneliness, disappointment from not worked out personal life; sex problems are pushing to find a solution to the problems in the bottle of wine, and later with the more strong drink.

Against this background, the appearance of such problems at rather successful businesswomen does not seem possible. It is inexplicable why they also become unsatisfied and seek help in a bottle.

Having implemented their career plans, reached financial independence, “raised” children, the image of a successful woman becomes a different. The pedestal for the image is built: money, property, children with “high” education and work. But the house becomes empty and lonely. The paints of youth loved one has remained there, behind the door of a beautiful life. The transition from hopelessness to the world of peace and the feeling of a false solution to the problems is seen after the bottle.

Many women with childbirth devote themselves to his education. The kitchen, nursery, kindergarten, the school may eventually disappoint, raise doubts about one day correctly chosen life credo, on which the whole past life was build.

Sexual frustration, suspicion, or the fact her husband’s infidelity can serve as aggravating the situation. Many of the “halves”, becoming mature women, find it necessary to revise their still active principles and throw themselves into the depths of their secret fantasies, expectations, and hopes.

In search of ways out of the situation, the woman reaches for alcoholic drinks in a closed apartment, alone. Because she realizes well the condemnation degree of a drunken woman in society.

Everything starts from soft drinks – gin, beer, fortified wine. Over time, the “percent” rises, and more strong drinks are used. “Infallibility” of the chosen path supported by the shots the soap operas, where alcohol helps to find a positive way out through random encounters with lots of beverages.

If a woman has chosen to herself this way, the active manifestation of relevant symptoms will start faster than at her male companion. A few years later the doctor will have to admit a chronic alcoholism from the constant passion to alcohol. The same time will be needed for irreversible processes in the female psyche and changes in the physiology of the internal organs.

Women are often warned that female alcoholism is not treatable. It’s necessary to make a note, not as a refutation of pessimism, but rather, for greater determination to fight for their health: the timely recourse will give one woman from ten a chance for a cure.

In everyday life, we can meet the view that medical graduates need to specialize in dentistry and pharmacy. If you delve into the problems of modern society, it is safe to say if for many a daily bottle or can of beer is normal behavior then for the psychiatrist it will be enough work for years. Buying a “daily dose” buyer helps the manufacturer to become richer and gets a ticket in the direction of the problem with alcohol abuse. And she forgets that a return ticket will cost more.

Way out of the maze of alcoholism

The problem of alcoholism is several decades. For centuries, people were looking for a way out of the trap of alcohol. Scientists are constantly looking for ways of struggle with human vices and bad habits. History knows a lot of facts about alcohol impact on people. At one time they were isolated in prison, physically punished, sentenced to the death penalty, there was implemented a complete ban on the production and sale of alcohol. But each time the green serpent has not only survived, but also revived with a new scope. According to what can be seen at present times, craving for a glass reinforces, gaining more and more souls and depriving them of society.

In order to find the weak spot of “green snake”, you must know the causes of alcoholism; see the future, to clarify the implications of the impact of alcohol on the human body. Then, perhaps, the path of struggle against this harmful habit will be determined.