New Alcoholism Studies

I hope that the following article will help you to better understand this topic.

"Alcoholism is not just a man's disease anymore," says the most recent reports in Science Daily Magazine. "We found that for women born after World War II, there are lower levels of abstaining from alcohol, and higher levels of alcohol dependence, even when looking only at women who drank," the findings said. However, alcohol use and abuse was no greater or lesser for young men, which indicates that the gender gap is closing. Women born in the 1940s-1960s grew up with changing cultural norms that put women into the work force, in colleges and brought them to more equal grounds. Alcohol consumption for native-born Americans is generally more taboo, and therefore more prone to excess, than for European citizens, where there is a lower legal drinking age.

"Alcohol can change gene expression in the brain. This is believed to be responsible for many of the hallmarks of addiction, such as tolerance, physical dependence and cravings, as well as the consequences of chronic alcoholism, such as neurotoxicity (brain damage)," said Dr. R. Adron Harris, director of UT Austin's Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research.

Just as a computer virus corrupts the system, alcohol consumption can also tinker with proteins and regions of the brain, leaving its mark. In his study, he found that 163/4,000 brain tissue genes (4%) were found to differ by 40% or more between alcoholics and non-alcoholics. The genes most susceptible to change were the sensitive "white matter" called myelin. Myelin is the insulation between the brain's information-carrying cells, which would explain why cognitive deficiency is one of the effects of alcohol.

To treat alcoholism, the most effective method is to take a screening diagnosis test. While they may seem basic, the questions identify the troublesome behavioral patterns exhibited by people who don't know how to moderate or who drink as a cure-all. The "CAGE" questionnaire, for instance, asks the following: Have you ever felt the need to Cut down on your drinking? Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking? Have you ever felt the need for a drink the first thing in the morning (Eye opener) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover? There are also medical tests that may indicate the toll that excessive alcohol consumption may be taking on the body, such as an enlarged MCV, elevated GGT, an AST:ALT ratio of 2:1 and high carbohydrate deficient transferring.

The ultimate effects of untreated alcoholism may be: cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, epilepsy, polyneuropathy, alcoholic dementia, heart disease, cancer, nutritional deficiencies, sexual dysfunction and even death. The physical effects sometimes pale in comparison to the disappointment suffered by family and friends or strained relationships, depression, social anxiety and the feeling that life is simply out of control. Many alcoholics use the effects of alcohol as a bandaid for their broken lives and need to learn new coping mechanisms in order to fully recover.

Good luck putting this information to good use. Once again thanks for reading.

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