Alcoholism among the Aged Members of the Society - Essay Example

Alcoholism among the Aged Members of the Society Alcoholism among the Aged Members of the Society The study of factors affecting the aged and their behavior was ignored until the beginning of the twentieth century. The problems that the aged face includes diseases such as cancer and depression that lack a cure. These diseases mainly result from the heavy consumption of alcohol. Studies indicate that the behavior of alcohol consumption is relative meaning that it arises from the surrounding rather than from an individual. This indicates that there is a need for the involvement of the government in the reduction of alcohol. The state may intervene through educating the public or banning the use of the drug. Introduction The increase in diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and stroke among the aged in the population raises attention interest among researchers. The aged in the society refers to the citizens of sixty-five years and above, and these are mostly the retired members of the society. Researchers gain interest in the health of the aged so that they can determine the causes of the diseases and methods of treatment. Research indicates that the diseases that adults suffer from mostly arise as a result of heavy consumption of alcohol (Rigler, 2000). This means that at least one out of every ten members of the retired group suffers a certain disease because of consuming alcohol (Mellinger, 2002). The findings of these researches continue to reveal facts, which need to be studied further to help in determining a solution that may reduce or prevent this predicament. Background The abuse of drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, and heroine was said to be common among the youths until the twentieth century when investigation was carried out in this field. The investigations indicated that the youths consume more alcohol than adults in terms of quantity, but the undesirable consequences of the behavior are more among the aged. This means that even the little quantities of alcohol may cause serious health damages among the elderly in the society. This phenomenon arises because the bodies of the elderly are more sensitive than those of the youths. The sensitivity arises from the wearing out of the adipose tissues, muscles, and cells. The adipose tissues also increase because of the reduction of water in the body; while muscles reduce as fat deposits enlarge in the body (Merrick, Horgan, & Hodkin, 2008). The health effects of alcohol consumption differ between men and women because of the biological differences in their bodies. The effects also differ because of the variation in drinking patterns with men being the more vulnerable than women. The main consequences that men face include depression, liver damages, physical injuries, and malnutrition (Radecki, & Cowell, 2008). Women mostly suffer from diabetes and hypertension because of instability in their families that arise from the misconduct. These findings indicate that there is need for further research to find out the patterns of alcohol consumption among elderly. This will enable health institutions and the government to formulate techniques of reducing alcohol consumption. Objectives The main objective of the research is to study alcohol consumption among the elderly members of the society. This aim may be split into specific objectives, which are listed below. i. To find out the patterns of alcohol consumption among the elderly members of the society. ii. To find out the risks that faces the alcoholic elderly members of the community. iii. To determine the most efficient techniques of reducing or preventing the consumption of alcohol among the aged. Literature Review The literature review analyses various aspects that are related to alcohol consumption such as causes, patterns, and methods or prevention. The analysis uses the findings of previous researches, which have been proven through field study. Causes of Alcoholism among the Aged The aged members of the society consume alcohol as a result of addiction to the drug during early adulthood. This means that the causes of consuming alcohol are similar to the elderly and the youths, and they include peer pressure, depression, and testing (Skinner, & Israel, 2007). Patterns of Alcohol Consumption Research conducted by the National Institute of alcohol abuse indicates that the drinking patterns of the elderly become rigid as they grow older. This means that the elderly acquire the behavior of alcohol consumption from their surroundings. This postulation is in accordance with the theory of social learning, which argues that humans derive their behavior from the society where they live. The Alcohol Institute gives an example of drinking pattern between the elderly members who were born in the 1920s after the First World War, and those whose lives began after World War 11. The institute’s findings indicate that after the Second World War, alcohol consumption was common in numerous states; therefore, the aged members of the society who were born during this period consume large quantities of the drug. Men are the main victims of the addictive consumption behavior. On the other hand, the members of the society who were born in the 1920s when alcohol was discouraged consume less quantities of the drug (Merrick, Horgan, & Hodkin, 2008). These examples postulate that the drinking behavior of a person is directly related to the surrounding. Men abuse and consume more quantities of alcohol than women. Abuse of alcohol arises when one consumes more than thirty drinks in a month or more than three in a day. 16% of the members of the males group abuse alcohol while only 4% of their female counterparts do the same (Sun, Townsend, Okerere, & Grodstein, 2011). The behavior of drinking among men and women is influenced by family, ethnicity, geographical region, and time among other factors. Risk factors of Alcohol Consumption The risks of consuming alcohol in excess are higher than the benefits among the aged members of the society. The only benefit that researchers have found out to be associated with alcohol consumption is the reduction of heart diseases. The National Institute of Alcohol conducted research and found out that this benefit may occur in some people; although the institute has not proven this argument. The organization argues that the benefit arises when the elderly consume alcohol moderately for example, men should take two drinks while women take one drink in a day. Several researches have conducted studies and made similar conclusion, but others do not concur with this argument. The Institute, therefore, argues that this benefit has not been proven until further research is conducted on the topic (Merrick, Horgan, & Hodkin, 2008). The toxic risks that are associated with alcohol consumption among the elderly include breast, pancreas, and liver cancer (Rigler, 2000). There is no medication that cures cancer directly, and the disease is more incurable to the elderly than the youth. The lack of a specific cure for cancer means that the elderly face death threats when they consume alcohol in excess. The risk of liver cancer faces men more than women; while the threat of breast cancer is more prevalent to females. Apart from cancer, the aged face the threat of hip breakage because of weakening of bones that is caused by alcohol (Rigler, 2000). Adults experience hip fracture because of falling off the ground when they are drunk. The acquisition of these life threatening diseases increases their dependence of adults on the youths. Other risks that face the elderly because of consuming alcohol include depression, road accidents, and accelerated aging. Treatment and Prevention Strategies The elderly receive treatment of the diseases that they acquire in health centers; however, there is no known drug that leads to alcohol abstinence. Research indicates that the alcohol treatment is more responsive among the elderly who do not over consume the drug (Sun, Townsend, Okerere, & Grodstein, 2011). The elderly who abuse the drug may acquire treatment, but it fails to produce the desired outcome because of the sensitivity of their bodies to new antigens. Therefore, the adults who do not respond to treatments are helped by involving their family members to help them shun the behavior. Physicians help family members by advising on how to take care of the alcoholic aged. Summary The results of studied summarized in the literature review indicate that the consumption of alcohol among the aged begin at an early age. The pattern of consumption is also directly related to the environment. This relationship indicates that the social learning theory of psychology is applicable in the study of alcohol consumption among the elderly member of the society. This also means that the treatment of a single person who suffers from heavy alcoholism may not be beneficial to the society as a whole (Rigler, 2000). The treatment of the addictive behavior should use universal techniques besides personal management. The reviewed literature indicates that the risks of consuming alcohol exceed the benefits. The risks are high because of the sensitivity and wearing out of the cells of the aged persons. The review also indicates that adult bodies are sensitive to alcohol more than youths even if they consume minute quantities of the drug. The fact that even the minutest quantity of alcohol affects adults negatively indicates that the benefit of the drug has not been proven (Menninger, 2002). Adults should shun the consumption of alcohol completely because the risks of the act exceed the benefits, which have not been proven scientifically. Recommendations The treatment of alcohol abuse among the aged should be universal meaning that it should involve the whole society. The methods include educating the society about the risks of alcohol through public campaigns and integrating the topic in the school curriculum. This will help to reduce the relative pattern of alcohol consumption, and it will increase the awareness of the risks of the act in the society (Radecki, & Cowell, 2008). The government should prevent the consumption of alcohol by banning the use of the drug in the country. This is the only solution that would guarantee the reduction and prevention of risks that face the elderly who lack self control. The state may also monitor the sale of alcohol by limiting the quantity sold to the aged to one drink in a day (Skinner, & Israel, 2007). This should occur if banning of the drug is impossible. The government may also ensure that the ingredients in alcohol do not have harmful effects to the body. References Menninger, J.A. (2002). Assessment and treatment of alcoholism and substance related disorders in the elderly. Bulletin of the meaning66, (2). 64-67 Merrick, E.L., Horgan, C.M., Hodgkin, D., etal. (2008). Unhealthy drinking patterns in older adults: Prevalence and associated characteristics. Journal of the American geriatrics 56, (2). Radecki, S., & Cowell, G. (2008). Health promotion for elderly patients. Family medicine 22, (4). 299-302. Rigler, S.K. (2000). Alcoholism in the elderly. Am fam physician 61,(6). 1710-1716 Skinner, H., & Israel, Y. (2007). Early identification of alcohol abuse. Canadian medical association journal, 124, (9). 1134-1145. Sun, Q., Townsend, M.K., Okerere, O.I., & Grodstein, F. (2011). Alcohol consumption at midlife and successful ageing: a prospective cohort analysis in the nurses’ health study. Plos medicine 8, (9). 1-9 Read More