Alcoholism Is a Problem That Affects All Aspects of Life, Including Drunk Driving

In 1620 alcohol was heavily used. Some believe that is why “Columbus” discovered America, when really, he was in search of “grog” which is a beer like substance. In 1790 is when Happy Hour began which was roughly around three at the time or when men got out of work. Around the 1850’s is when alcohol was prohibited because it drove the men from work and made a terrible amount of trouble for society. In 1887 the prohibition law was enacted and focused primarily on speakeasys as well as those who still tried to partake in drinking. A bit after prohibition came these “speakeasys”. Speakeasys flourished in 1922. These were hidden clubs and bars that illegally sold alcohol during these “hard” times. In 1933 prohibition was lifted. In 1939 Alcoholics Anonymous published its first book. In 1980 Mothers against drunk driving was created. In 2000 it was determined driving with a .08 was considered intoxicated.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and there for has sedative/hypnotic or anesthetic effects. Drug dose response relationship are important as they asses the efficiency of a substance as well as the potency. As an example, for some with the rate of alcohol increasing aggression can also increase. Patterns are used to examine incidents of violent behavior. People with a sedative dependency often create a tolerance for the drugs and have to take larger and larger doses in order to relax. Because of these patterns’ agitation, withdrawal, and the inability to sleep increase. The curvature of this sedative hypnotic curve is that with the increase of alcohol the more sedative and anesthetic response the individual will have. Which in turn can create bad behaviors and hurt loved ones. As dependence increases so does withdrawal and aggression.

The cross patterns The Disease or Medical Concept of Alcoholism describes alcohol as a chronic disease. Alcoholism is a disease in the sense that over time there are neurological or functional changes that happen as a result of heavy and progressive drinking. The DSM V describes alcohol in stages dependent upon how it impacts daily activities. For instance, is drinking interfering with home life and family? Caused job troubles or school problems? These are forms of alcohol abuse.

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Alcohol dependency is determined to be drinking excessive amounts to reach “the buzz” you desire, tried to cut down on drinking but could not commit, continued to drink despite the negative effects associated with the substance. Both of these types of abuse and dependency are definitions of the DSM V model. Cross patterns are when life bleeds into dependency habits which form unhealth life style choices/patterns. These patterns can be simple things such as coming home drunk and having a routine of how they sober up. For instance, coming home to the family drunk and expecting to be taken care of after a period of drinking. This type of definition focuses on selfishness and dependency on others.

The American Medical Association (AMA) declared addiction to alcohol a disease. This is due to the fact that it can impair human function. The AMA declared that this substance causes disease because it comes in stages. First is primary, which can be defined that there is a presence of alcohol and an illness is in existence. Next is progressive meaning it will get worse over time if not treated. After progressive is symptomatic, which is how a person’s physiological and behavioral lifestyle is affected by alcohol and how it manifests in the individual. After symptomatic is chronic and lately fatal. Once an individual hits chronic fatality is inevitable.

An alcoholic relapse is a return to compulsive pursuit and consumption of alcohol after an attempt at sobriety. Without correct support an individual will be more likely to relapse. With family or professional support an individual is less likely to have a slip and will be able to focus on sobriety without reverting back to nasty habits. There are three types of relapse, emotional, mental, and physical. Emotional is the act of suppressing emotions, blaming others and developing poor coping mechanisms which in turn can put someone back in the comforting arms of dependence. Mental relapse is associated wit cravings and the overall missing and desire for alcohol. Lastly is physical, which involves slipping and returning to sites that hold other patrons of bars who will encourage the bad habits.

Alcoholism affects not only the individual but the family as a whole. Once Mom or Dada start drinking (or both), the responsibility of the family shifts. For example, Dr. Metz mentioned that he once counseled a young boy whose father when drunk would pull into the driveway at an angle indicating he was not sober. However, when he was sober, he’d pull in like normal. When the boy saw the father’s car askew, he would run and hide from his abusive dad. Once an hour had passed the boy would then sneak to his father’s car and let the air out of the tires to prevent his dad from getting killed in a drunk driving accident. This was a child but had taken on the responsibility of an adult. With this type of responsibility, the abusive behaviors, and long nights it affected the boy’s mental health and performance in school.

Intervention is a structured attempt made by the family and friends of an individual with an addiction to point out their bad behaviors and destructive attitudes towards their loved ones. For an intervention to be successful, the participants need to become one strong unit in order to combat the addiction. At the end of the day, its not the family member they hate; it’s the booze. Each participant makes a journal of each time they felt degraded, embarrassed, hurt, or less than. Before the family meets face to face with the individual to speak about these issues the family goes through the steps of how the intervention may pan out when the alcoholic individual is in the room.

Family and friends must separate themselves and not allow the individual to speak until the session is over. When the real intervention comes into play and all parties are there, an open discussion starts. At the end, if the individual cannot give up the substance then the family will provide a bottom line. This “bottom line” could be, “if you don’t stop, the locks will be changed on the door”. If the individual promises to change then they will immediately go for treatment as an inpatient. However, if the refuse, then the family has no other choice but to remove them indefinitely until their behavior has changed.

Alpha alcoholism is the earliest stage of disease. This stage is dependent on psychological components and can be described as the “problem drinker” whose drinking creates social problems. Beta alcoholism includes cirrhosis of the liver without physical or psychological dependence. These drinkers partake nearly every day. Gamma alcoholism is the loss of control. This individual would need Alcoholics Anonymous due to the physical and psychological dependence.

Epsilon alcoholism can be known as binge drinking and is known as one of the most advanced stages. These stages are periodic and can manifest as dipsomania. Lastly is Zeta, is the abusive drinker. This individual will become addicted to alcohol and is a “mean drunk” in the eyes of friends and family. The unilateral approach is centered around changing the behavior and reaching out to an alcoholic through the work of a mediator/therapist. I believe that the early stages such as alpha, beta, and gamma would benefit from this type of intervention. All three of these alcoholics are centered around selfish behaviors that could be fixed with the correct amount of support and care. Multivariate is centered around those who are neurotic and egotistical. Epsilon and zeta both target others while the rest are focused on self-destruction. Multivariate treatment exposes the insecurities of neurotic drunks and shows what their selfishness and drinking does to those around them.

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