Bill Cosby once said, “[t]he past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever
have is now.” Anxiety, worry, suffering, and regret are all washed away by one simple thing: “the now.” The torment and suffering humans feel on a daily basis is the result of something that has happened to us in the past or fear of something happening to us in the future. The root of our problems can be easily fixed or reduced by simply being in the moment. However, alcohol addicts say otherwise. Alcohol is often used to fix addicts’ problems. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), in the “2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 15.1 million adults ages 18 and older had Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).” Although there are many addictions people possess, alcohol is the most common in America. The social acceptance of consuming alcohol can often lead to denials and severe consequences. To prevent this chronic disease known as alcoholism, one must know the causes; this includes drinking alcohol because of one’s stress, depression, and family history. Failure to prevent alcoholism could damage our body, relationships, and life.
The main cause of alcoholism is drinking alcohol while being in a stressful environment. An injury, illness, or exposure to harsh temperatures can cause stress to one’s body. Grieving, depression, and fear can cause psychological stress. Stressors are events or conditions like an exhausting work schedule or a rocky relationship, that may trigger stress. Anything that puts high demands on our body can be stressful. The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it by a simple method called homeostasis. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, when one’s body experiences stress, it mobilizes a variety of physiological and behavioral changes activating both the nervous and endocrine system; their goal is to maintain homeostasis and cope with stress. However, many people who experience stress turn to alcohol to cope with it. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues, an article from helpguide.org, states that “37 percent of alcohol abusers have at least one serious mental illness… of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse alcohol.” Although alcohol may seem to help the stress because of its ability to slow down the brain's central nervous system processes, alcohol becomes harmful when it is used to cope with stress. Cleveland Clinic wrote an article called Stress, stating that instead of alcohol relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, alcohol tends to keep our body in a stressful state and cause more problems. Drinking alcohol may seem to provide some relief in the short term, but as stressful events continue, excessive consumption of alcohol can cause medical and psychological problems.
Another cause of alcoholism is drinking alcohol because of our depression. According to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, “[d]epression is a mental disorder characterized by feelings of worthlessness, guilt, sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness.” Depression is a complex illness that affects the way we think, feel, and behave. Some people may experience depression during a serious illness, and others may have depression with life changes such as a move or a death in the family. Depression affects the brain and can cause memory problems. If someone is diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), doctors can prescribe medication to help with their depression. In contrast, many people drink alcohol to cope with their depression. American Addiction Center wrote an article called, Can Alcohol Induce Depression, stating that “people can be drawn to the sedative effects of alcohol as a kind of medication, helping to distract from persistent feelings of sadness.” While alcohol may temporarily relieve some of the symptoms of depression such as mood changes and sleep deprivations, alcohol serves to worsen depression in the long run.
The last cause of alcoholism is drinking alcohol because of our family history. If we have a parent, a grandparent, or any other close relative with alcoholism or history with alcoholism, we are at an increased risk of having problems with alcohol. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, “many studies of children of alcoholics have found that they are about 4 times more likely to develop alcohol problems than people without a family history of alcoholism, says the (NIAAA).” Alcoholism is often inherited because of the influence of our genetics. Rita Milios, an author from Recovery.org, wrote that “recent research has identified numerous genes, and variations within these genes, that are associated with the addictive process. One way genes affect a person’s risk for addiction involves how genes metabolize alcohol. Another is how nerve cells signal one another and regulate their activity. Such changes in genes can be passed down from one generation to another.” Part of alcoholism is due to genetics and the other part is due to our environment. Spending time around people who drink heavily or abuses alcohol will cause many to do the same.
The causes of alcoholism can be solved without drinking alcohol. Although the causes of alcoholism may seem unbearable or unpreventable, failure to prevent alcoholism can cause critical effects. One way alcoholism can affect us is by damaging our body. Our body is the structure of us. It is comprised of many different types of systems, cells, and organs that work together to keep us functioning; however, these body parts could all be damaged by alcohol. The main body part that alcohol affects is our brain. Alcohol damages our brain and causes our body to have, “[d]ifficultly walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction time, [and] impaired memory”(“Alcohol’s Damaging”). Alcoholism can cause permanent damage to our memory. People who have been drinking large amounts of alcohol for long periods of time may develop serious and constant changes in the brain. Drinking alcohol also increases the risk of damaging one’s heart. The heart is one of the major organs that pumps blood throughout our body. According to Matthew Solan, an executive editor for Harvard Health Publishing, alcoholism may sometimes cause one’s heart to have a high blood pressure and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). As the amount of alcohol consumption rises, so does the degree of damage in our hearts. There are many health problems that alcoholism can cause, but one could prevent the effects of alcoholism by not relying on alcohol to fix one’s situation.
Alcoholism also affects our relationships. Anyone who is engaging in heavy
drinking on a regular basis is faced with many emotional, physical, and psychological challenges, which tend to destroy relationships. People with alcoholism usually have a hard time maintaining healthy relationships because of their alcohol abuse. One example of how alcoholism affects relationships is conflicts within marriages. When alcoholism is present, it increases the risk of abusive behavior both verbally and physically, which causes deterioration in marriages. According to American Addiction Centers Resources, “[f]inancial problems are likely to arise due to not only the cost of supporting a drug addiction but also the loss of productivity and regular work hours due to increased illness, hangovers and other adverse effects.” Fights are more prone to marriages if one’s partner is an addict; this can cause couples to have a divorce. In the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, “a consumption increase of 1 liter of alcohol per capita brings about an increase in the divorce rate of about 20%.” The symptoms of alcoholism affects far more than just the addict. Alcoholism affects the people around the addict and the people who care about them. Friends may not want to be around the addict because of their constant personality changes and mood swings. Alcoholism puts distrust and damage on one’s relationships.
Alcoholism can have a negative impact on people’s life. People who drink too
much alcohol can instantly feel how alcohol affects their minds and bodies. On the other hand, people who drink regularly on a daily basis or become addicted to alcohol can often experience life-altering effects as time passes. Some people may even find their relationships, careers, and other major aspects of their life falling apart because of how alcohol affects their mood, behavior, and choices. Alcoholism disrupts one’s daily activities in one’s life. These daily activities include social judgment, loss of concentration, sleep deprivation, mood swings, and coordination. Many addicts rely on alcohol to fix their problems, but they should know that consuming large amounts of alcohol will affect their life. The effects for alcoholism can alter one’s life and turn one into a completely different person. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “many [addicts] have lost control of their drinking; they are unable to stop or cut down despite serious negative health consequences and the loss of valued activities or relationships.” As our life changes and the effects of alcoholism are presented, we may feel the need to drink more alcohol because of the amount of stress and pressure we feel in our life. Thus, alcoholism does not affect our lives for the better, but for the worse.
In order to prevent alcoholism, we must know that drinking alcohol because of our stress, depression, and family history can ultimately lead to this chronic disease. If we fail to ignore and prevent the causes of alcoholism, it can destroy one’s body, relationships, and life. Stress and depression is the leading cause of alcoholism because addicts turn to alcohol to help fix their stressful situation. Although alcohol may fix the addict’s situation instantly, alcohol causes more stress in our body in the long run. Our family history is also a huge factor for developing alcoholism. One may have inherited genes from past alcoholics. People who drink large amounts of alcohol for long periods of time may develop serious and constant changes in the brain, heart, and other vital organs in our body. In addition, alcoholism can destroy one’s relationship and life. Marriages, friendships, and other important aspects of one’s life can all be negatively affected because of one’s constant personality changes and mood swings. Alcoholism is a serious and complex illness that one should seek help immediately if diagnosed. Thankfully, there are many support groups and organizations to help out addicts: