According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcoholism is the fifth most important risk factor for premature death and disability:
* Reduces life expectancy by 12 years.
* It is responsible for at least 200,000 deaths annually.
* Is involved in half of all deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
* It is the fourth leading cause of suicides.
* It is related to more than 65% of the murders.
Y * is considered the main health problem in developed countries.

Diseases associated with alcohol addiction
The cerebrum and cerebellum are the primary organs affected by alcohol. The first damage usually cause hallucinations, dementia and delirium tremens, which can be fatal. The damage in the second, meanwhile, tend to cause loss of coordination, vertical and memory.

The liver, for its part, is the organ most affected is responsible for metabolizing the alcohol in 90%. Fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, are among the ailments caused by harmful habit.

But not just the brain and liver are affected by alcoholism: the stomach, pancreas, kidneys, heart, and to the testes and ovaries, may also be harmed.
Why drink alcohol?
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the use of substances by family members or friends, sexual abuse, drug use at early ages, as well as violence at home or school, are some of the causes that could lead a person alcoholism.

Psychological and social factors implicated in the causes of this addiction. Among the former are: the need to relieve anxiety, conflict in interpersonal relationships, depression and low self-esteem. Among the latter: the easy availability of alcohol, peer pressure, social acceptance and stressful lifestyle.

The very source adds that are at risk for alcoholism, men who eat 15 or more drinks a week, women who consumed 12 or more drinks on the same period and anyone who drinks five or more drinks per occasion at least Once in the proper period. (A drink is defined as a bottle of 12-ounce beer, a glass of wine or 5-ounce shot of liquor 1 1 / 2 ounces).

As binge drinking poses serious health risks
Alcohol dependence reduces life expectancy, is linked to half of all deaths in traffic accidents and is one of the causes of suicide.

Miguel is an inveterate alcoholic. At 60 years, has nothing good to tell of his life because of his addiction to alcohol lost family, jobs and prestige. Their only child abandonment can not forgive. Her relatives do to one side. His friends … Miguel has no friends, except for loneliness. Never sought help from a doctor. Never felt sick. But, suffering from alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a chronic disease
More than just a vice, alcoholism is a chronic progressive disease caused by intoxication with ethyl alcohol on a regular and prolonged. Such wasteful consumption often interferes with physical and mental health of those affected and their family responsibilities, work or social.

While noting primarily male, an increasing prevalence in females and between young people in general, reporting a high incidence worldwide.

Role of genetics in children of alcoholics
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, United States, studies have shown that genetic factors are closely linked to the likelihood of alcoholism. In fact, today it is known that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop this disease than the rest of the population.

However, this genetic predisposition is not the only factor. Own investigations have found that more than half of these descendants do not become alcoholics ever.

This is the case of the son of Miguel, who is not only alcohol, but almost completely abstinent. Knowing firsthand the effects of the disease, does not want for him or his family anything that has to do with the disastrous attacks of evil. In a drink on special occasions to do so without measure every day, there is a long way that he is not ready to go.

Quite often the alcoholic becomes self-harm in order to enjoy free time on the floor of an accident. Alcoholism causes havoc in the industry very difficult to establish in statistics, even if the problem is known. Here are some of the problems:

• Low productivity
• Shredding or misuse of the material
• Deterioration of quality of manufactured product
• Reduce the rate of production where it is placed
• Large number of absences or tardiness

These costs increase with the degree of competence or authority of the employee.

The Three Stages Of Alcoholism

Every alcoholic drink in their own way, but all people with an alcohol problem have something in common:

• They can not control your drinking.
• At first, develop tolerance to alcohol. So, when taking endure much, compared with the other people who drink.
• Consequently, increasingly need to take to achieve the same effects as before.
• But this is temporary, it lasts forever.

Later, the opposite happens: the drinker needs very little alcohol, sometimes a single drink to get drunk. It becomes then, of those who can not tolerate anything. Although each alcoholic follows its own path toward the disease, one can say generally that all alcoholic goes through three stages.

First Stage

It usually takes about 10 years, but we must not take this as if it were a rule.

This stage covers the following:

• repeated promises to leave the alcohol that lead to failure, anxiety, guilt and consequently more drink.
• more frequent alcohol intake.
• Increased tolerance. The drinker ever take any more.
• Increased irritability, personality changes. Blackouts occur (forget what happened when you drink).

Second Stage

It creates a vicious circle: the person drinker goes from an uncontrollable desire to take the anguish and guilt for having done so and hence the isolation and frustration, which leads again into the drink and start the cycle again .

• The patient denied having a drinking problem or hide the fact, while for others it’s obvious her alcoholism.
• Take from the morning alone.
• Has permanent and visible signs of defects of alcohol, even at work.
• The drink becomes a necessity for him everyday.

Third Stage

Start utter ruin. The intoxicated person practically live and adds difficulties with family, friends and work, which leads her to suffer financial difficulties.

• You will fall in the desert. Avoid her friends and family, and these in turn try to get away from it.
• Live for drinking and hardly eats. Sometimes partial receive medical help to combat his anxiety and weakness.
• personality changes radically, their own friends and relatives do not know.
• You suffer serious disorders such as destruction, weakness and hallucinations.

When someone reaches this stage, is at a point where there are only two paths:

If you continue along the path of alcohol, expect the final collapse: disability, dying and death.

The other path is definitely quit drinking and begin a slow return to health. You can not combine the two paths. No way to keep drinking and cured to make. The only way to control alcoholism, is to achieve total abstinence.

In the U.S., alcohol (wine, beer or liquor) is the leading preventable cause of mental and physical birth defects.

When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy risks giving birth to a baby who will pay the consequences, mentally handicapped and physically-for the rest of his life.

Still, many pregnant women drink alcohol, and it is estimated that each year in the U.S. one in every 750 babies is born with a picture of physical, developmental and functional known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Another 40,000 children born each year with fetal alcohol effects (FAE).

In the event that your child is adopted, there are signs that may indicate the presence of fetal alcohol syndrome. Or, if you have consumed alcohol during pregnancy and are concerned that your child may suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome, there are some signs that should be set.

Signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome

The characteristics of children with fetal alcohol syndrome are:

1. low birthweight
2. smaller head circumference
3. growth retardation
4. failure to thrive
5. organ dysfunction
6. facial anomalies, including eye smaller than the normal, flat cheeks and underdeveloped philtrum
7. epilepsy
8. problems of coordination and fine motor
9. poor social skills, including difficulty in establishing and maintaining friendly relations and to interact in group
10. lack of imagination or curiosity
11. learning difficulties, including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor understanding
12. language and little ability to solve problems
13. behavior problems such as hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal, stubbornness, impulsiveness and anxiety.

Benzodiazepines much swallowed include diazepam (Valium), temazepam, oxazepam and alprazolam (Xanax). This means it is often wise not to use too long and slow to stop. Symptoms include: intense anxiety and tension, tingling and hypersensitivity of the limbs, especially legs, hallucinations, hypersensitivity to sound and in severe cases, seizures and loss of realism.

Also, complaints were suppressed return, sometimes temporarily increased rate, it is sometimes called the rebound effect. Prolonged use of especially high doses can cause protracted withdrawal symptoms, ranging from several weeks to several months and even a few years. The symptoms take very slowly in intensity, and as they take more than two years, they are often the benzodiazepine-withdrawal syndrome.

The withdrawal syndrome is the set of physical or bodily reactions that occur when a person addicted to a substance (alcohol or beverages with ethanol, snuff or other drugs) stops using.

This syndrome may also occur in some psychological disorders and emotional dependence, which is not dependent on a substance or drug, but of affection or excessive dependence on another person, the individual presenting somatization (ie, the process by which are transformed or become emotional or psychological problems in physical pain) [citation needed]

Although symptoms vary in form and intensity according to the product used and the time it takes to develop dependence, in all cases are due to have altered the normal functioning of the nervous system.

Alcoholism can develop insidiously, often no clear line between problem drinking and alcoholism. Sometimes people experience long-term depression or anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, personal or work stress that lead to alcohol for relief, but often no extraordinary event has occurred that could explain the problem of drinking alcohol. People who are alcoholics have little or no control over the amount they drink or the duration or frequency of drinking alcohol. They are occupied with drinking, deny their own addiction and continue to drink even if they are aware of the dangers. Over time, some people become tolerant to the effects of drinking and require more to become intoxicated, creating the illusion that they can “hold their liquor.” They have memory lapses (black-outs) after frequent discomfort the next day (raw) that cause them to lose the day. Can you drink alone and start at the beginning of the day. Periodically stop drinking or change from hard liquor to beer or wine, but hardly the last time these periods. Severe alcoholics often have a history of accidents, marital instability and work and health problems related to alcohol. The Episodic violent and abusive incidents against spouses and children and a history of unexplained or frequent accidents are often signs of drug abuse or alcohol.

The family members can not always rely on a physician to make an initial diagnosis, although the signs of alcoholism are seen during a physical examination. Although 15% to 30% of patients who are hospitalized suffer from alcoholism or alcohol dependence, doctors often fail to examine the problem. Doctors may not recognize symptoms or may not want to confront the patients. It is particularly difficult to diagnose alcoholism in the elderly, where symptoms of confusion, memory loss, or the fall can be attributed to the aging process. Although alcoholism is identified, patients often do not receive treatment for addiction. In one study, 23% of patients in a hospital were found to have an alcohol problem, but only 7.4%, were given a diagnosis that could have led to a treatment.

Testing selective review.

Many selective examination papers are available to diagnose alcoholism, usually in the form of standardized questionnaires that the patient can take on their own or in the form of an interview conducted by the physician. Because people with alcoholism often deny their problem or lie about it, the tests are designed to elicit responses related to the problems associated with drinking rather than the quantity of liquor consumed or specific drinking habits. The quickest test takes only a minute, is called the CAGE test, an acronym for the following questions: © attempts to reduce (Cut) drinking, (A) discomfort (Annoyance) with criticisms about drinking, (G) fault (Guilt) about drinking, and (E) use alcohol as an eye opener (Eye-opener). In one study, 75% of people who responded “yes” to two or more of the questions were correctly identified as alcoholics. To screen pregnant women for alcohol-related problem, doctors can use the CAGE test but substitute a “T” for “G”, with “T” represents tolerance, the woman will be asked how many drinks can tolerate before you feel the effects. A response of more than two drinks indicates a potential health problem for both mother and baby. Other short selective review tests are the Test of Selective Review Michigan Alcoholism (MAST, Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test), Test Alcoholism Test Selective self-administered (SAAST, Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test) and the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADES, The Alcohol Dependence Scale) [see table]. Longer tests are used to measure the consequences of drinking and level of self-knowledge of the patient. Adolescents may require different types of evidence from those given to adults. In general, these tests are exactly the same, and although no evidence of selective review provides a perfect diagnosis, are beneficial in several ways. Selective review tests often discover behavior which patients themselves are aware and can help to promote self-knowledge. They are useful in determining the severity of the condition and type of treatments that can be extremely useful.

Lab tests and other tests.

Tests for alcohol levels in the blood are not useful for diagnosing alcoholism because they only reflect a moment and not the long-term use. A blood test environment corpuscular volume (MCV, mean corpuscular volume) is sometimes used to measure the size of erythrocytes, which increase with the use of alcohol. Other blood tests may show elevated liver enzymes that are associated with alcohol abuse. A physical examination and other tests should be performed to find medical problem. Sometimes the results of these tests can help convince a patient to seek treatment, particularly if they reveal serious problems, such as a computerized tomography scan (CT) showing brain atrophy, reporting a blood test for liver damage, or levels of low testosterone indicate a risk for impotence.

Getting the patient to seek treatment.

Once a diagnosis is made, the next major step is getting the patient to seek treatment. This often requires a collaborative effort of physicians, family members, friends and employers. The group meetings between the patient and friends and family members who have been affected by the alcoholic behavior have been very useful. This intervention approach should be compassionate but direct and honest report for each person to describe specifically how they have been individually hurt by alcoholism. Even children can participate in this process, depending on their level of maturity and ability to handle the situation. Family and friends should express their affection for the patient and their commitment and full support for recovery, but should be strongly and consistently demand that the patient seek treatment. The patient and family should fully understand that alcoholism is a disease and that the answers to this disease, need, desire, fear of withdrawal symptoms, are not personal failures as well as pain or discomfort are symptoms of other diseases . They must also understand that treatment is difficult and sometimes painful, as well as treatments for other life-threatening diseases such as cancer, are painful, but this is the only hope for a cure. Employers can be particularly effective. Their approach should also be compassionate but strong, threatening the employee with job loss if he or she seeks help. Some large companies provide access to treatment programs for low or no cost for their workers.

His serious behavior disorders are not usually attributed to alcohol, until recently have been applied in industry discipline. This attitude stems from inaccurate and incomplete knowledge of the problem.

The costs of alcoholism

Alcoholism is a progressive disease that can progress camouflaged for 10 or 15 years. It is easy to recognize in advanced stages, is far more difficult to be detected in intermediate states. Many people arrive at work the morning after the night before. To get euphoric have to have a drink before leaving the house, which only lasts until you get to work.

The entire day is experiencing withdrawal symptoms only do routine work and still all that can be camouflaged. Is the spirit away from its function and is in constant danger of accidents. Remorse assail him, nervous and anxious, ready to explode at any time in the smallest setback.

Cause misunderstandings with his attitude and undermines the morale of his comrades.

Quite often the alcoholic becomes self-harm in order to enjoy free time on the floor of an accident.

Alcoholism causes havoc in the industry very difficult to establish in statistics, even if the problem is known. Here are some of the problems:

* Low productivity
* Shredding or misuse of the material
* Deterioration of quality of manufactured product
* Reduce the rate of production where it is placed
* Large number of absences or tardiness

These costs increase with the degree of competence or authority of the employee.

The more he gets into intellectual capacity and personality of the individual, the disease will progress more, the closer the periods of drunkenness and more intensified and expanded the problems. All this for camouflage and protection.

Symptoms usually occur and can be used to make a social diagnosis of alcoholism include:

* Delayed frequent arrival to work.
* Frequent absence day after party or at least slow, slurred and irregular work. • frequent disappearances post without prior justification.
* Small absences for minor illnesses: Colds, flu, or minor accidents occurred with regularity at work, outside, on the road.
* Progressive change in attitude of the subject hitherto regarded as a good worker, discussions, reviews, small mistakes which seeks to justify, small accidents which offers or other material liable.
* Marked variations in mood, anger, loss of interest in the job.

The anxiety induced by alcohol is characterized by a feeling of fear without object, disabling and repeated. Alcohol can transiently diminish impressions of anxiety. In the long term, however, alcohol dependence majorises fears, fears and anxiety. Alcohol also induces depressive disorders marked by sadness, fatigue, decreased interest and difficulty falling asleep.

Depression is caused by the effects of alcohol on the brain and the adverse consequences of alcoholism on the personal, social and professional.

The prolonged use of alcohol and pathological cause’s disturbances of affective life, character and intellectual functions. The main disturbances are related to the loss of the ability to assess, to appreciate against the other. This disruption causes a roughness of contacts and exchanges with all family and work hard.

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