One might think that the concept of addiction is as old as time. Not so: the idea is relatively recent – and those who have defended always were driven by political or moral. The modern version of the concept was invented in the eighteenth by the physician Benjamin Rush, with his friends in the anti-alcohol, he had the addiction as the cause of (and argument against) the dangers of demon alcohol. Alcoholic beverages were then accused of causing a “disease control”.

Later, the theory of “degeneration” would make its way into the medical field, it was thought that mental disorders could be hereditary; this heredity condemning its victims to the mental and social failure. In the nineteenth in the Colonies, alcohol was rampant among the natives, deemed “inferior” the psychiatrists concluded that the two states – Alcoholism and degeneration – went together. The addiction as such was less attributable to the harmfulness of drugs, it is then attributed to the physiological weakness of the victims. He was complaining addicts, not condemn them.

The “degeneration” and eugenics eventually disappear in the 1950s – a death-deserved and well overdue. One idea, however, survived these concepts: the claim that addiction is caused by vulnerability to be a susceptibility which existed even before the person came into contact with drugs. This line of thought seems to have peaked in 2004: a report from the World Health said while substance dependence was “a mental disorder, as well as the neurological or psychiatric illness.

Generally, alcohol addictions begin safely. There are people for whom life becomes boring and not find a way to cheer for a natural way. Likewise, those who suffer from antisocial personality disorder are more likely to move from being simply drinkers become alcoholics. That is, take refuge in drink as a way to escape reality.

And although most people achieve a better life through intellectual stimulation, to converse with others, reading, listening to music or go to the movies or the theater, unfortunately, a certain percentage are looking to improve their lives, wrongly through alcohol or other drugs.

In general in our society it is customary to identify alcohol with fun and thought that a party is not fun if you do not drink much, an idea that the media is responsible for promoting a continuous parade of pleasure provided by the alcohol. And so, the success of any event is inconceivable without wine. However, we must never forget that alcohol is a drug and is toxic until proven otherwise.

However, the good news is that the human body is better able to enjoy life without taking any type of drug. We have an almost unlimited range of activities that can have fun and be happy, but healthy.

The damage caused by alcohol in the workplace are not always apparent to the naked eye. The alcoholic is a sick often hidden and concealed. 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. Cause misunderstandings with his attitude and undermines the morale of his comrades.

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.

Treatments for alcoholism include detoxification programs conducted by medical institutions. This may involve the patient’s stay for an indefinite period (perhaps several weeks), specialized hospital wards where can the use of certain drugs to avoid withdrawal symptoms of alcoholism.

After the period of detoxification (alcohol detoxification), the patient may be subjected to various methods of group therapy or psychotherapy to treat psychological problems of substance that may have to take the patient to dependence.

Furthermore, it can build the program with therapies that encourage the patient to repel the alcohol with drugs like Disulfiram, which causes sudden and severe hangovers ever consumed alcohol. Nutrition therapy is another treatment.

Many alcoholics syndrome have insulin resistance, a metabolic disorder due to which the body does not properly regulate the sugar supply causing unstable blood circulation. Although this disorder is treatable with a hypoglycemic diet, this can affect their behavior and mood. These symptoms are side effects often seen in alcoholics undergoing detoxification under treatment. The metabolic aspects of alcoholism often overlooked resulting in treatments of dubious results.

In the 1990s, the self-help groups consultations were gaining notoriety for their accomplishments, as has been the movement of Alcoholics Anonymous.

A study by the research group at the University of Granada “Alcoholism and Drug Addiction” has demonstrated the genetic predisposition to develop the “disease of alcoholism”, indicating that the deficiency of endorphin is hereditary.

In a statement, Andalucía Investiga explained that beta-endorphin is a kind of morphine produced by the body in the brain in response to various situations, among which is the pain.

Chronic alcoholics have levels of beta-endorphin very so low, can be considered as “endogenous analgesics” and that inhibit pain transmission, so that scientists from Granada have focused their attention on low levels of beta-endorphins that have the chronic alcoholics.

According to Professor of Medicine and head of the group, Jose Rico Irles, “this low level of alcohol consumption affects the endorphins.

“The risk is because when the brain stops producing beta-endorphins, it becomes accustomed to the presence of surplus and begins to depend increasingly on the external source: alcohol,” he added.

Researchers have assessed these levels in 200 families from the province of Granada, in which at least one chronic alcoholic parents, so that from birth each individual has a predetermined level of beta-endorphins.

However, the children of the study population, aged between six months and ten years, beta-endorphin levels are also lower than those of any person with the same age.

Although alcohol consumption does not affect everyone equally, according to scientists, these differences in endorphin levels make some subjects more sensitive to alcohol and therefore more likely to be dependent.

About 200,000 deaths a year can be fully or partially attributed to drinking. Alcoholism can kill in many different ways. In total, reduces life expectancy by 10 to 12 years. The earlier a person begins to drink large amounts of alcohol to a large extent, the better your prospects for developing serious illness later.

In addition to causing numerous physical and mental damage in the alcoholic, alcoholism is a problem of social type. The alcoholic is a person who does not perform at work so just losing it and becomes part of the large group of homeless alcoholics anonymous, unfortunately, no home and no job.

It is especially rejected by others for being annoying and careless about their grooming and personal hygiene and do not show a consistent and reasonable dialogue. Many alcoholics end up committing crimes and end up in jail. If young people leave to attend to their studies or is evicted from the center.

The person with alcohol problems also have poor relationship with his family. Abandon the obligations of the house. Tends to be aggressive with their relatives or family members. In addition to suspicious, usually your partner very jealous and violent with his own children, of whom it anymore. (Many cases of deaths by gender violence so common in today’s society tend to occur under the influence of alcohol). Alcoholism is one of the main reasons couples break between.

Finally we should also mention the problem that alcoholism is for circulation. Many road accidents are caused while intoxicated by alcohol or too high levels of alcohol in the blood. This is sadly true during weekends when many young people are accidents, after having been drinking at the club all night.

It is thought that up to 50% of accidents answers this problem.