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Taylor Jade
Sue Briggs
English 2010; 1pm
8 April 2016
The Impact of Alcohol
Blacking out. No inhibitions. Vomiting. The symptoms of an alcoholic are so familiar we
could recite it by heart. Everyone knows someone who drinks. A celebrity, a pastor, its all
around us. But when does drinking alcohol become an addiction?

Alcohol Addiction
Drinking becomes alcohol abuse when the person has some control over limiting their
use, but it is still destroying parts of their life (Smith, Robinson, and Segal pp. 1). The constant
abuse can become alcoholism with only a stressful situation to bring the user over the edge, or it
can build a creeping tolerance until the person is dependent on alcohol. This dependence is
physical, a reliance on alcohol to feel normal, and is the most severe form of problem-drinking
(Smith et al. pp. 2). The addiction itself is defined not by how much, what, or how often the
person drinks, but how the alcohol is affecting them. Smith, Robinson, and Segal put it simply,
If your drinking is causing problems in your life, you have a drinking problem (pp. 1). The
fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM-V) reflects this synchronization of
alcohol problems by categorizing both abuse and dependence under the heading Alcohol Use

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Disorder, or AUD. One is addiction, one is a close pathway to addiction, and whatever theyre
recognized as, the most important would be recognition for the danger they possess.

The Other Argument

Some
people argue
that alcohol in moderation (1-2 drinks per day) is good for
your health. Moderate consumption has been linked to a
decreased risk for heart disease and mortality due to heart
disease, a decreased risk for ischemic (restricted blood
supply) strokes, and a decreased risk for diabetes, especially
in our disease-prevalent Western culture (NIAAA pp. 2). The
problem is that it doesnt work for everyone. People who are
recovering from alcohol addiction must treat alcoholism as a
chronic illness, and the benefit of complete abstinence while facing the chemical and behavioral
addiction can be the difference between their life and death. Pregnant women also should not
partake in any amount of alcohol: Heavyand even moderatedrinking during pregnancy can
cause serious damage to the unborn child: physical or mental retardation or both (Funk par. 2).
The National Institute on Alcoholic Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states that further research
on the relationship between moderate alcohol imbibing and potential health benefits is a
challenge to obtain, and even then, they admit, [A]lcohol may not benefit everyone who drinks
moderately (NIAAA pp. 2).

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Warning Signs
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are dangerous because theyre often accompanied by
denial. The abuser will frequently say, I can quit anytime I want to. Its usually used as an
excuse to continue drinking, however, when truthfully they dont want to stop. Other warning
signs are tolerance and withdrawal. With increased tolerance, you need more alcohol to feel the
same effects, a minor warning flag (Smith et al. pp. 2). For withdrawal affects to occur, however,
your brain has to be so used to consuming alcohol that it recognizes the altered neurochemical
state as the normal state of mind. The addicts brain physically creates new receptors, creates less
of another, and sometimes quits producing neurotransmitters altogether (Hanson par. 2). Your
brain being forced to cope is what creates withdrawal symptoms, a much bigger red flag to
encroaching alcohol dependence. Symptoms of withdrawal include anxiety, shakiness, sweating,
nausea and vomiting, insomnia, depression, irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite, and headaches
(Smith et al. pp. 2).

Consequences
Alcohol, in strict moderation, was considered a proponent of health benefits. However,
when not taken in moderation, as is the common outcome, it causes health risks it was said to
prevent. Multiple sources, including the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, confirm the
known negative health effects: It affects the digestive system, including cirrhosis of the liver, the
central and peripheral nervous systems, causing blackouts and memory loss, and the
cardiovascular system, including damage to the heart muscle (par. 2). Deterioration caused by

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alcohol to the nervous system can be permanent. General alcohol use also increases the risk for
cancer in the colon, larynx, esophagus, and liver (Funk par. 2).
Consequences of alcohols influence dont only amount to a physical health toll, but a
coinciding death toll as well. Driving under the influence killed 75 people on Utah roads alone in
2015; the only number that was higher was deaths of people not buckling up (zero fatalities). In
the United States, 9,967 people died due to alcohol-impaired driving in 2014 (NIAAA pp. 1).
Annually in the U.S., nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes (NIAAA pp. 1).
These numbers are friends and family, the people we know.
Alcohol doesnt stop there, but wreaks havoc on peoples daily relationships as well.
Marriages collapse with children as the
casualties. Problems abound in home, work, and
school. Run-ins with the law become more
frequent. Meaningful activities are given up in
order to drink or recover from drinking. Health
problems worsen. Dependence grows until you
are unable to stop (Wood pp. 1)
But it doesnt have to be like this.

Conclusion
For those of our loved ones who are addicted, theres hope ahead: Treatment programs
that aim at teaching how to manage alcoholism (Wood pp. 2). Family support groups, Alcoholics

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Anonymous. Medications that can ease withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Rehabilitation
centers that will help them stay sober with acquired healthy coping methods.
For those who are on their way to dependence, the
best way to combat it is through understanding the
addiction. People who are trying to recover from alcohol
addiction will be battling with themselves for the rest of
their lives. When they have come to the decision to quit,
they will need your support more than ever. Together, as we come to understand more, raise
awareness, and spread compassion, we can change those numbers of deaths, challenge the poor
health of our society, and bring a fullness back to the marriages and families that alcohol has
stripped away!

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Works Cited
Hanson, Dirk. The Chemical Carousel. Dirkhanson.org. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, Jan. 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
Reference Entry. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2014. Print.
Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal. HelpGuide.org. HelpGuide.org, Apr.
2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
Wood, Debra. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Research Starters. Salem Press Encyclopedia of
Health, Jan. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
Zero Fatalities. Zero Fatalities, 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.