Alcoholism as a Societal Problem

Alcohol in Society (As a Problem)
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Alcohol in Society (As a Problem)
Alcoholism as a Societal Problem
Alcoholism is a term used to describe specific alcohol intake trends that could result in health problems, mainly referred to as alcohol consumption disorder. Alcoholism is also termed alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse. Alcohol intake in society results in physical and psychological wellbeing depending on the problem extremity (Burke, 2018). Alcoholism relies on whether the persistent intake of alcohol culminated into dependence or abuse. In this way, alcoholism entails particular behavioral inclinations characterized by unhealthy drinking, caused mainly by the addition of recurrent intake of alcohol. Alcoholics continue to drink even after medical professionals recommend that they cease doing so. Therefore, it is increasingly challenging to stop alcohol consumption despite the social, physical, and mental problems that a person manifests, mainly due to alcoholism. The affected persons cannot cease drinking irrespective of the ramifications. Burke’s (2018) study findings are consistent with Clancy et al.’s (2017) arguments that the drinking behavior mostly leaves detrimental effects on the person (Burke, 2018; Clancy et al., 2017). These behaviors reach incontrollable limits, mainly when the impacted individual turns out to be annoying to people close to them. Accordingly, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2021) reiterated that some of these ramifications could be highly life-threatening. Although alcohol is widely embraced as psychotropic medication, it could disrupt brain neurochemistry and cause behavioral, emotional, spiritual, vocational, and social problems.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2020), roughly 18 million Americans face serious alcoholism-related problems and conditions. These individuals predominantly suffer from many life-threatening illnesses that disrupt their lives as well as those of their close friends and family members. Taking large quantities of alcohol uncontrollably is detrimental to society in its entirety. According to Dr. Adrian James, Royal College of Psychiatrists president, “… the cost of addiction to society is far greater” (BBC News, 2021). In this vein, alcoholism is a significant problem in contemporary times. Alcoholics manifest risk behavioral alterations and poor judgments, particularly those who occasionally engage in too much intake. Ultimately, these individuals suffer from serious medical conditions and undermine their life quality and health outcomes (Grant et al., 2016). For example, uncontrolled alcohol consumptions lead to some life-threatening health conditions, including osteoporosis. Moreover, excessive alcohol consumption could lead to chronic disease development and other severe problems, including alcohol consumption disorder, memory, mental health, and learning (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).
Excessive consumption of alcohol is liked to various undesirable acts. Alcoholism-related abuse is also diverse and increasingly evolving. For example, there are certain socioeconomic risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption. An instance of such risks includes participating in organized crime, particularly when the addicts have inadequate finances to sustain their consumption needs. There are also instances where people consume homemade alcohol, which has been termed as unsafe for consumption. The socioeconomic ramifications of alcoholism could either be chronic or acute, depending on diverse circumstances, including genetic and biological determinants (Zehra et al., 2019). Families with individuals struggling with alcohol dependence tend to experience more challenges compared to those with no alcoholics. The depression and stress linked to alcoholism could potentially drive other persons into engaging in excessive alcohol intake over time (Jones & Sumnall, 2016). Other acute problems related to alcoholism are traffic accidents and injuries risk. Regarding chronic consequences, alcoholism could lead to liver damages and alcohol dependence. All these problems depend on diverse determinants, including duration, patterns, and amount of alcohol intake.
Solutions to Alcoholism
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