The risks of alcohol abuse - Research Paper Example

?Topic: Risks of alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse and dependence are the most prevalent and deleterious psychiatric disorders in the world and in 1992 it was estimated that 14 million adults in USA either abused alcohol or were dependent on it (Bridget) .In 2003, the prevalence of alcohol use disorders were estimated to be 1.7% globally and they accounted for 7.4% of all world disease burden. In 1999, the economic costs of alcohol abuse and dependence was $184.6 billion and this is expected to be high at the moment (F. G. Bridget).According to (Alcoholism and abuse), alcohol abuse is a disease which is characterized by the suffer having a pattern of drinking excessively despite the negative consequences of alcohol on the individual’s health , work, legal, education or social life and it attacks 20% of men and 10% of women in USA, most of which begin at teenage. On the other hand, alcoholism refers to alcohol addiction or alcohol dependence. The risk factors for developing drinking problem includes; anxiety, depression, low esteem and also having parents who have alcoholism, antisocial behaviors. Sexual or physical abuse in women can also lead to alcoholism .Alcohol abuse and dependence is due to interaction of complex group of genetics, psychological and environmental factors (Alcoholism and abuse).The effects of alcohol are devastating, life threatening and can affect any organ. Though research has shown that there is survival benefit of light drinking of 4 to 8 ounces of wine, potential of reducing risks of heart diseases, stroke and dementia, there is no amount of alcohol that has shown to be generally safe for expectant mothers. Diagnosis involves obtaining a comprehensive medical, mental health and family history on alcohol use (Alcohol abuse and alcoholism).Control of these risks is through interventions such as psychotherapeutic and pharmacological approaches. The arguments in this topic are that alcohol disorders are associated with childhood maltreatment, support, nurture, parental socialization practices and youthful deviance. There is also relationship between sexual assault and alcohol abuse. In the study of alcohol abuse risks, there are many questions which are raised. For instance; 1. Is there safe level of alcohol consumption? 2. Is there relationship between age at onset of alcohol use and subsequent development of alcohol use and dependence? 3. What it the contribution of individuals’ genetics, social and environmental factors such as culture, per influence, alcohol availability and stress on alcohol abuse? 4. What is the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of the current alcohol abuse screening instruments in determining alcohol abuse and dependence? 5. Which age group is mostly affected by alcohol abuse and dependence? The objective of this study will be to explore the risk factors involved in alcohol abuse and dependence. This will be done through administering of questionnaires and also through literature review. A control group obtained from non alcohol individuals will be included for comparison purposes. Risks of alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse has long term physical and psychological effects. Women are more susceptible to medical complications of drinking than men as they achieve high blood alcohol concentrations than men after they have consumed an equivalent amount of alcohol doses. Women also have elevated mortality than men (Katharine) .About 2000 people under the age of 20 years die annually due to car accidents in which drinking is involved. Research has also shown that, about half of all violent deaths involving teens, alcohol is involved (alcohol abuse and alcoholism).The increased domestic violence is also associated with alcohol use. Studies have also shown that heavy alcohol use contributes to liver diseases in the setting of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection which causes cirrhosis. Excessive drinking is also associated with detrimental effects of the cardiovascular system such as vasoconstriction, hyperlipidaemia, cardiomyopathy and also arterial hypertension. Research has also shown that alcohol exhibits both acute and chronic effects on the heart (Hofer). There are risks of heritability of alcoholism. Studies have shown that biological siblings of alcoholics are three to five times likely to develop alcohol dependence than those individuals from families without alcoholism history. Genetic factors are involved in the different dimensions in which a substance is taken. The genes involved includes those that are in; dopaminergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic, Opioidergic, serotoninergic, cannabinoid, noradrenaline and circadian rhythm systems (Chloe).These genes play an important role in alcohol abuse and dependence. Research has also shown that the risks for committing crimes among Schizopherania patients is 9.5 times more than in non Schizopherania patients who did not abuse alcohol (Pirkko). The risks of alcoholics getting Hiv/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases has also been shown to be high among people who use alcohol .Alcohol is regarded as the most commonly used psychoactive substance and the most prevalent behavior associated with sexual risks for sexually transmitted diseases such as Hiv/Aids. The moderating factors are drinking environment, economics and sexual coercion. Alcohol therefore elevates the risks of sexually transmitted disease due to impaired decision making, impaired reasoning and sense of responsibility among alcohol users (Seith).Due to this, most organizations have changed their strategy of combating Hiv/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases by addressing the problem of alcohol use as a predisposing factor of transmission. Among the women, alcohol use and abuse during pregnancy can lead to severe altered growth, growth deficiencies such as decreased infant birth weight and altered morphologies are some of the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse during pregnancy (Ruth).Other risk factors in women includes; spontaneous abortions due to placental abruptions, menstrual symptoms such painful, heavy and irregular periods which are more in women who drink compared to those who don’t. Women who drink more than 2 drinks have also been shown to have 31 to 41 % increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Heavy drinking in women has been shown to lead to increased risks of developing uterine or ovarian cancer (Katherine).Alcohol consumption is also associated with infertility in women as it causes ovulatory dysfunction and endometriosis (Katharine). Substance and alcohol abuse has also been shown to negatively affect the antiretroviral medications and therapy adherence. Alcohol causes cascades of molecule reactions in the body and this affects many systems in the body including metabolism and absorption of drugs. Most people addicted to alcohol and those infected with Hiv/Aids may find it difficult to adhere to medications as they may forget and this will consequently affect their health life (Gregory). The children of alcoholics are also exposed to disorganized milieu, more negative feelings, alienations, aggression, abuse rearing, negligent, social isolation and economic hardships. In relation to non alcoholic families, studies have shown that in alcoholic families there is high conflict levels, low levels of cohesion, more hostile communication and more impaired problem solving. These studies have also shown that alcoholic parents are associated with many psychopathology, behavioral medical problems, conduct disorders and delinquency and impaired health (Bridget). Early alcohol onset is also associated with vehicle crashes, tobacco and other drug use, pregnancy and depression .Many pregnancies occurs due to lack use of contraceptives among alcohol users. This is particularly due to impaired decision making as a result of alcohol abuse. It is also likely that progression to taking of other drugs can occur as a result of taking alcohol (Grant). Alcohol abuse has also led to many suicides and this leaves the children of such families without care especially if the sufferer is the bread winner in the families. There is also a high risk of suicide among alcoholic men who have lost their spouses (alcohol abuse and alcoholism). Pre-operative alcohol abuse has also been described as an operative risk and the mechanisms involved includes suppressed immune system, subclinical cardiac dysfunction and amplified hormonal response to surgery (Kehlet). There is also a direct association of crime and alcohol use. Most of crimes committed have a direct link to drinking just prior to the crimes. Risks of neglect of activities such as important social, occupational, recreational are likely to occur due to drinking. Alcohol is also linked to gastrointestinal infections such as inflammation of mucosal lining of the gut due to alcohol use. This is characterized by erosion of stomach lining which can lead to hemorrhages, and oesohagitis. Alcohol pancreatitis is also another risk factor due to alcohol use (WHO).There are also other psychiatric morbidities which are associated with alcohol abuse and dependence. Such comordities includes; personality disorders, phobic disorders, depression, panic disorders and somatization (Katharine). The amount of alcohol consumed in each occasion increases the risks of fetal injury in both men and women and this is likely to be in dose response manner (Katharine).Osteoporosis and bone metabolism are also associated with alcohol consumption. Studies have shown that heavy drinking may lead to increased bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Other studies have also shown that heavy drinking may lead to increased risks of developing osteoporosis and this is may be due to decreased metabolism of vitamin D and decreased bone formation. Methodology Categorizing pattern of alcohol abuse According to National Institute of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, there are two categories of alcohol abuse patterns. The two categories are based on the alcohol amount consumed. In moderate drinking men takes less or two drinks per day while women takes less than one drink or one drink per day. On the other hand , at risk drinking men takes more than 14 drinks per week or four drinks per day while women takes more than 3 drinking per occasion (David).According to WHO, drinking is one in which there are risk involved from alcohol while harmful drinking is one in which alcohol causes physical or psychological harm (David). Data collection tools and materials Data collection will be collected using tools such as administering questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires have been shown to be a very effective tool in data collection. These questions should seek to provide information on mental disorders such as schizopherenia, schizoaffective disorders, psychotic disorders, behavioral disorders such as attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder as all these mental symptoms are linked to alcohol abuse. Questions about the family history, frequency of drinking, quantity of drinking, whether one has problems at work, home or school, or legally due to drinking and demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, employment should also be included. CAGE and AUDIT questionnaires can be used in this case. These questionnaires have been shown to be very important tools from screening and case identification. AUDIT questionnaires have been found to be useful in case detection, detection of risk behaviors such as hazardous level off alcohol intake. It can be admitted orally, in writing or through computer and can be used as part of general health risk assessment. Data will be collected from people with alcohol abuse problems and also from non alcoholics as control. The questions should be well framed to reduce introduction of biasness in the study. Data analysis Statistical analysis of results can be done using regression analysis to assess the relationship between age at onset of alcohol and the odds of lifetime abuse and dependence. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) can also be used to find out if there is significance difference of risk exposure among the categories of alcohol abuses. Data reporting and presentation The results of this study can be shared through conference or publications in the necessary journals. References Alcohol abuse and alcoholism. 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