Alcohol Abuse Advice

The case against alcoholism and alcohol abuse

 

Alcohol is one of the oldest drugs known to man. As a narcotic, it stimulates nerve cells, putting them in a state of excitement. So, alcohol first acts as a stimulant, temporarily reliving anxiety and tension. Action and speech seem to speed up. The skin gets redder, blood pressure rises, the heart beats faster, and breathing is quickened. Alcohol soon exerts a depressing effect on the brain. It first

depresses the brain’s inhibitory activity. Consequently, it depresses the nervous system. The ability to think, observe and concentrate is affected. Inhibitions are relaxed. In the human body, nerve fibers called inhibitory fibers act as brakes in the nervous system. They are developed as the result of training and education. They make us disciplined, restrained, nice-behaving people. When these inhibitory fibers are paralyzed by alcohol, a person can no longer control himself as he would without alcohol. That is why a person who has had too much to drink succumbs to sleep in the most unlikely places and positions. He reveals secrets he would not reveal even under duress when not intoxicated. He utters words he is ashamed of when sober. Ethanol, the chemical compound present in most alcoholic drinks, is a neurotoxin. Neurotoxin is a substance that damages or destroys the nervous system. A person who is drunk is, in fact, suffering from a form of poisoning.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is the continued and habitual drinking of alcohol in great quantities. It is the stage when alcohol abuse has led to dependence – that is, the loss of control to abstain from drinking. Alcoholism is addiction to alcohol. Alcoholics are excessive drinkers, always troubled by a great, irresistible urge to drink. They crave alcohol and continues to drink despite various alcohol-induced problems and all the negative effects of alcohol abuse. They suffer from alcohol – induced problems. Alcohol dependence is a stage reached by an alcoholic when his brain has adapted so much to the presence of alcohol, the brain cannot operate properly without it. To maintain the chemical balance, the body craves alcohol. When an alcohol has no alcohol in him, his brain chemistry is completely destabilized and withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, trembling, or even seizures, set in.

Abusing alcohol

Alcohol abuse is the cause of the death of tens of thousands of people on our road every year. It is the cause of the break-up of many homes. Alcohol abuse has caused so much suffering, sorrow, tears, poverty, even death in our societies that every effort to prevent it should be made by every person in the world. Alcohol can wreak havoc on any organ in the body, especially the liver and the heart (and the nervous system). It deprives the brain of excessive amount of oxygen and begins to shut down vital bodily functions. Symptoms may include vomiting, unconsciousness and slow or irregular breathing. In some cases death can result.

Alcoholism is now generally accepted as the third major cause of premature death, surpassed only by cancer and coronary heart disease.

 

Implies the negative effects of Alcohol Abuse, and how alcohol is not a solution to everyday problems. Made for a JIS health project.
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