Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol abuse is the habitual and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks which generally leads to an addiction and an effect on someone’s health. This kind of addiction can be caused by many situations or circumstances. The most common causes of alcohol addiction are sociocultural factors, such as peer pressure and living stressful lives, psychological factors, such as the need to boost self-esteem, and biological factors which can apply in the case where a parent used to drink excessively.

Alcoholism has also been on the increase in Canada with Ontario, Alberta, and BC being the major areas affected. Most of the reasons for alcohol addiction are peer pressure from the youth.

The short term and immediate effects of alcohol addiction include, vomiting, nausea, poor decision making and irrational behaviour. Long term effects of alcohol addiction normally leads to severe damage of body organs such as the liver. Pregnant mothers who consume large quantities of alcohol might also give birth to mentally incapable babies or babies who have physical abnormalities.

Denial is also an effect of alcohol addiction on an individual. Someone who is an alcohol addict does not realize how much he is actually drinking and how much it is affects their work, or even their family. The person drinking tends to believe that there is no problem at all. This generally leads to problems at work, in relationships and even in the family.

Alcohol addicts also get into problems with the law due to disturbance and drunk driving, so most of them find themselves in jail. The fact that they get into problems also make them victims of social alienation because of their unacceptable social behaviour, thus making the addict a loner and alcohol his best friend.