Author: Marisa Crane

Alcoholism Addiction

Alcoholism is another term for Alcoholism. Alcoholism is an addictive disease, which results in the continued ingestion of alcoholic beverages of any type despite the negative consequences of the behavior. With alcoholism, the person affected is consumed by a preoccupation with the drink and a failure to recognize the negative social and physical effects of the illness.

The person with the alcoholism addiction is commonly refereed to as an alcoholic by the medical community and by society. He or she becomes dependent upon the alcohol. The body begins to crave and need the substance – hence the term alcoholism addiction.

After long-term ingestion of alcoholic substances changes in the body make it hard for the alcoholic to stop drinking. When blood alcohol levels drop the body will exhibit symptoms of withdrawal. Thus, a person with alcohol addiction must battle the emotional and the physical upheaval associated with quitting.

The amount of alcohol consumed for a person to become an alcoholic varies with each individual. Some people begin to show symptoms of early alcohol addiction beginning with the first few drinks. Others are able to consume alcohol on a regular basis before becoming addicted.

There is no definite predictor of the development of alcoholism addiction. There is a genetic component but you do not have to carry the gene to develop the addiction. Other factors for alcoholism include the stress levels, individual emotional health and the social environment of the individual.

The term alcoholism addiction means many different things to different people. There is no set medical definition. Within religion, abuse and addiction are words that are often used interchangeably. They often refer to consumption of a any substance that is perceived with negativity by the religious community.

Remission refers to the situation where an alcoholic no longer exhibits the signs and symptoms of alcoholism addiction. This means that the alcoholic is less preoccupied with the thought of alcohol and no longer consumes the substance.

Even with the term remission there are different meanings associated with the usage. One term is early remission. This is the term given when an alcoholic shows early signs of being able to overcome the addiction. There is also a late remission where an alcoholic shows signs of stopping the addiction although his or her body is already racked with symptoms of the disease.

Several physical health factors are adversely affected by alcoholism addiction. The physical effects may include (but are not limited to) seizure disorders, neuropathy, sexual dysfunction, cirrhosis, heart disease and more. People with alcoholism addiction also suffer from an increased risk of death as compared to the general population.

Emotionally the disease exacts a high price. Psychiatric disorders go hand in hand with the diagnosis of alcoholism.

When an alcoholic attempts to withdraw these emotional symptoms may worsen. In some people, the alcohol served to mitigate the symptoms of the disease. As control over alcoholism addiction progresses, so too will the corresponding emotional disorders.