What is alcoholism and how does it begin?

   What is alcoholism and how does it begin?

On a base level, drinking alcohol is considered a socially acceptable way to have fun or relax. While the effects of drinking alcohol irresponsibly are well documented, underlying reason behind alcohol intoxication is not necessarily common knowledge. Alcohol is a depressant that is converted from sugar and in 1956, the American Medical Association declared alcoholism as a disease. Alcoholism, which is caused by excessive alcohol abuse, is the altering of the brain’s structure and function. In this review, we will look at how alcoholism begins.

In the study conducted by Waldron and Vaughan (2014) found that in both sexes, the relationship between age at first alcohol use and risk for alcohol dependence followed a linear trend. The findings showed that the highest rates of alcohol dependence were observed in those individuals who began drinking at an early than average age (14 years or younger).  These findings lead us to another question; what factors influence individuals to begin drinking at 14 years or younger?

There are plenty of reasons why people begin drinking such as stress, financial problems, family issues, school, etc. However, drinking at a young age is often tending to be due to shared environmental factors, heritability, and genetics. Young people who grow up in a home where the parents drink heavily may assume that is a normal behavior. Also, in that environment the parents may have a more tolerant attitude towards underage drinking. (Weisner and Moore 2001). There is a hereditary component which makes people more prone to alcohol abuse. Some individual’s genetic makeup makes them more likely to experiment with alcohol. Some people are just born with a higher tolerance for alcohol than others. Other factors explaining why individuals have their first intake of alcohol are peer pressure and personality types. In general, people feel the need to be accepted by others. With that being said, if a young person is hanging around a gang of friends who are drinking they may crack under pressure and go along with them whether they want to or not with a desire to “fit in”. Personality type has a big factor on your first substance use and how well you can take an “experiment”. If the young person shows characteristics such as low self-esteem, attraction to high-risk behaviors, and nonconformity they may be demonstrating a battle with an addictive personality which will put them at a higher risk for alcohol dependence and/or alcohol abuse.

Risks Associated with Drinking at an Early Age

There are several risks associated with drinking at  early age such as alcohol addiction later on in life, damage to the liver, early development of cirrhosis, and brain damage to name a few. Drinking at an early age also is a gateway to alcohol-related accidents. Rehm (2011) conducted a study on the amount of deaths due to alcohol related risks and the results showed 5,320 deaths (1,530 female deaths; 3,790 male deaths) or 5.9{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} of all deaths (4.9{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} of all female deaths; 6.3{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} of all male deaths. Of those deaths, 74.5{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} (61.3{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} for females; 79.8{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} for males) were caused by heavy drinking, and 26.9 {0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119}( 25.6{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} for females; 27.5{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} for males) were attributable to alcohol dependence. These statistics show how dangerous a simple experiment with alcohol at an early age can lead to.

Alcohol also is known to be a gateway drug to other substances as well. For those young people who drink alcoholic beverages, while under the influence of alcohol this could potentially lead to other behaviors such as promiscuous sex and using illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, PCP, etc. Drinking alcohol also interferes with ability to make logical decisions and performance at school. These risks associated with alcohol can cause long-term effects and have serious implications on an individual’s well-being.

Costs and Effects of Alcoholism Treatment