Factors Contributing to The Develoment of Alcoholism in Today's Society

Alcohol is part of the American culture as millions use it as a way to socialize, celebrate, grieve, or relax. For some people, however, drinking is more than an occasional leisure activity, it is a way of life. The Mayo Clinic defines alcohol use disorder as “A pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect, or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking” (2015). The use and abuse of alcohol can date back thousands of years, but was considered a moral weakness instead of a medical disease for the majority of its history. In fact, the majority of people viewed alcoholism as social illness caused by personal weakness, poor self-control, or lack of faith until the World Health Organization declared it a medical disease in 1956 (Gifford, 2009). Since this time, perceptions on alcoholism have changed dramatically, awareness has spread, and research has advanced to great lengths. Alcohol use disorder is a serious disease in that it has been prevalent throughout history and continues to affect millions of people, has several causal factors, and leads to serious short and long-term health effects.

Scientist have not been able to identify a specific cause for alcoholism, nor do the majority believe one exists. Instead, research indicates alcohol addiction stems from a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological, and neurobiological factors. According to Principles of Psychiatric Genetics by John Nurnberger and Wade Berrettinist, variations in certain genes have been proven to affect the risk of developing alcohol use disorder (2012). In fact, the risk of developing alcohol use disorder is three times higher in those with a positive family history of the disease in first-degree relatives. In addition to genetic variations, risk of developing alcohol use disorder is also related to variations in environment such as alcohol accessibility, price, and social norms (Nurnberger & Berrettinist, 2012). An interaction between the genetic and environmental factors can also increase risk. In other words, when someone is genetically predisposed to alcohol use disorder and exposed to environmental risks, the risk of developing the disease is higher than it would be with either of these factors individually.

The third factor that is related to development of alcohol use disorder is psychological influence. People suffering from this disease are often diagnosed with other psychiatric in addition to alcohol use disorder. This dual diagnosis is known as comorbidity. According to an article in Alcohol Research & Health, comorbidity of alcohol use disorder and other psychiatric disorders occurs in nearly ninety percent of patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (Petrakis, Gonzalez, Rosenheck, & Krystal, 2002). Of this ninety percent, twenty-nine percent were diagnosed with comorbid mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder, thirty-seven percent were diagnosed with comorbid anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and comorbid twenty-four percent were diagnosed with schizophrenia. This article also notes that the majority of comorbid patients claim they suffered from other psychiatric disorders before alcohol use disorder, and that they used alcohol as a way to manage unpleasant symptoms.

The fourth influence that scientist have found that is associated with development of alcohol use disorder is neurobiological factors. The brain is an incredibly complex organ that must maintain a constant chemical balance in order to function properly. The consumption of alcohol will disrupt this balance in any brain but the brain is able to recover and return to equilibrium. However, if the brain is consistently exposed to alcohol it cannot restore this chemical balance. According to the American Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, this may cause certain parts of the brain to work differently in order to compensate for this constant chemical imbalance and allow the brain to function normally in the presence of alcohol ("Neuroscience: Pathway to alcohol dependence," n.d.). In that lies the reason a person with alcohol use disorder is not only psychologically dependent on alcohol, but also physically dependent on alcohol.

One of the main symptoms that characterizes alcohol use disorder is continued consumption of alcohol despite its negative short and long-term health effects (Petrakis, Gonzalez, Rosenheck, & Krystal, 2002). Alcohol immediately enters the bloodstream when consumed leading to an increase in blood alcohol content. As blood someone continues to drink, their blood alcohol content will continue to rise which can cause several immediate effects in the body. Because alcohol acts as a depressant, someone of the first systems to be impaired is the central nervous system. Weakening of the central nervous system causes brain activity to slow down which can lead to impaired judgement, perception, and attention as well as reduced motor coordination, balance, and reaction time (Sullivan, Harris, & Pfefferbaum, 2010). The more alcohol someone consumes, the more severe these symptoms become. If someone drinks more alcohol than their body can metabolize, they run the risk of developing more fatal symptoms such as loss of consciousness, nausea, respiratory dysfunction, or even death. Those with alcohol use disorder consistently experience these short-term effects as they consume alcohol on a regular basis.

In addition to the negative short-term health effects of alcohol, the long-term use of alcohol has several long-term consequences such as organ dysfunction, organ failure, impaired body systems, and other medical diseases. Also, according to the mayo clinic, alcoholism is a significant risk factor in developing several types of cancer, especially in the aero-respiratory tract, but also cancers of the digestive system, liver, breast, and ovaries (2015).

The organs most often affected by alcohol include the brain, heart, pancreas, liver, stomach. According to an article written by Thomas Cargiulo in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, alcohol interrupts several processes in the brain which can cause dysmorphia and a change in physiology (2007). As a result, one may suffer from changes and impairment in mood, behavior, coordination, and other cognitive processes. The heart also experiences extensive stress from chronic alcohol abuse, which increases one’s risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and ischemic stroke (Cargiulo, 2007).

The pancreas, which is a very important organ part of the endocrine system, may suffer long-term damage as a result of chronic alcohol abuse. The pancreas produces insulin, which is a hormone needed to regulate blood sugar. Alcohol has a high sugar content causing hyperglycemia, which then triggers the pancreas to secrete excess amounts of insulin which can then cause hypoglycemia (Cargiulo, 2007). In response, the pancreas begins to secrete harmful toxins leading to acute inflammation of the pancreas and eventually pancreatitis.

The organs of the gastrointestinal tract experience some of the most severe and long-term damage from alcohol, especially the stomach and liver, as they are responsible for digesting and filtering alcohol (C. Bode & C.J. Bode, 1997). The stomach is the first of these organs to come in contact with alcohol and it causes a rise in gastric acid. This can lead to chronic pain and development of sores in long-term alcohol users (C. Bode & C.J. Bode, 1997). Unlike other foods and beverages, the majority of alcohol metabolism is done in the small intestine, where the liver works to filter and breakdown toxins. Unfortunately, alcohol has several harmful byproducts that can cause not only acute liver inflammation, but also liver diseases such as steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis (C. Bode & C.J. Bode, 1997).

Alcohol use disorder is a serious disease in that it has affected and continues to affect millions of Americans nationwide. Prevention of this disease can be difficult because there is no specific cause and those with the disease begin to abuse alcohol for different reasons. However, scientist have found several influences that contribute to the development of alcoholism including genetic, environmental, psychological, and neurobiological factors. Alcohol use disorder is marked by long-term alcohol use, which can cause several short-term health effects such as cognitive impairment, as well as long-term health effects including organ damage or failure, impaired body systems, and other medical diseases such as cancer.