Pathophysiology of Alcohol Abuse and Addiction Essay Example
Pathophysiology is related to the study of structural and functional changes in tissues and body organs that result in illness (Miller, 2005). In the case of alcohol this disorder in the body organ may be as a result of alcohol abuse and addiction which may result from too much use of alcohol that reaches toxic levels in the body. Pathophysiology on alcohol may have an adverse effect on almost every organ in the body system. And when it goes beyond limits, may result in coma or even death.
In the brain, the condition affects neurotransmitter system this includes the GABA, serotonin, glutamate and dopamine. The Nervous system can be subdivided into the central nervous system, sensory nerves, peripheral nervous system, motor nerves as well as automatic nervous system. The central nervous system comprises of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain does the rol
...e of controlling almost all body functions. For example, it is up to the brain to induce awareness, memory, speech and thoughts (Eckardt, 2008).
On the other hand, the spinal cord carries information between the brain and the peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerves control functions of sensation around the body. Motor nerves control movement in the muscles. Sensory nerves play the role of carrying signals from the body organs when they respond to a given stimuli.
The automatic nervous system helps in regulating body processes such as blood pressure. Taking alcohol in large quantities may lead to such health complication as alcohol hepatitis, leaver cirrhosis, blood failure, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and even increase chances of developing diabetes (Eckardt, 2008). The long-term taking of alcohol may lead to breast cancer, oral cancer, throat cancer and even
liver cancer. According to clinical research studies, 25% to 66% of those taking alcohol for a long time, have been diagnosed with alcohol neuropathy. The study estimated that those suffering from this condition have been estimated to be between the age of 40 and 60 years. Alcohol may result in a change of behavior in that, when it happens that alcohol pass through the brain barrier and reach neurons, the cells touched may change thus resulting in a change in behavior.
There is a general believe that alcohol makes people feel good but in reality alcohol is a depressant it slows down brain functioning this can be seen when a person is drunk, he or she develop hazy thinking, impaired vision, foggy memory, altered speech, weakened muscles and even dulled hearing (Miller, 2005). Alcohol affects the behavior of a person because the first areas in the brain to be affected are those that inhibit behaviors. This may result in a person speaking too much and becoming social, the person may also portray an increase in animation. Taking alcohol as a teenager may result in less guarded behavior this is because the ventral stratum and prefrontal cortex of the brain become affected (Leichter, 2003).
These parts of the brain are responsible for regulating behavior in a person. During the teen years, a person may take alcohol that passes across the brain barrier causing the cells that were still developing to die. This may result in a person behaving irresponsibly. The hippocampus part of the brain that enables memory may be affected when a person takes alcohol.
In the case of a teenager, a small quantity of alcohol may affect
the person’s mental ability to remember even what he or she learnt. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls movement; this is only possible with the help of primary motor cortex. The impaired movement may result because of use of alcohol that affects this part of the brain. A person may not be able to walk upright or in a straight line due to this effect. Frontal lobe controls judgment, emotions and behavior of a person. This may be seen when drunkard person cries, or engage in a fight.
This all come about because of this part of the brain. Alcohol may result in a person passing out; this is so because alcohol may affect reticular activating system that controls sleep and walking (Leichter, 2003). A large amount of alcohol may lead to migraine headaches this is in case that it affects the blood vessels and increase the blood pressure. According to research drinkers average age keep reducing this, mean that young people tend to start taking alcohol at attender age.
In 2003 the average age of young people taking alcohol for the first time was at the age of 14 years. The research also showed these drinkers become alcohol dependent in their lives. Alcohol is said to be highly abused by youths in their twenties followed by teens between the age of 12 and 17 years of age (Eckardt, 2008). According to Dr. Taper Who is a neuroscientist at the University of California that binge drinking has an adverse effect on the brain of the adolescence because this is the time that their brain develops emotionally.
The risk of taking alcohol may be genetically
inherited it may also result from peer pressure among the young people. The problem of addiction and abuse of alcohol may result in nerve damage this may be treated through alcohol abstinence, balance diet, rehabilitation as well supplementation of the B vitamins (Eckardt, 2008). The painful results of excessive use of alcohol may be avoided through the individual stop taking the alcohol. In order for a person to seek for treatment, there must be signs associated to this, it includes a person spending a lot of time drinking, the person experience craving for alcohol, a person giving up to undertake activities, a continued drinking even in situations that made the person to be depressed (Leichter, 2003). After realizing that the person is suffering from these symptoms, the person may seek such treatment as the behavioral treatment that entails changing through counseling on drinking.
The victim may also use medication which may involve counseling lastly the person may engage in a mutual support group that that involves 12 steps in the peer support counseling. In conclusion, alcohol may not only affect a person’s health but have a ripple effect even to the society. That is to say alcohol may affect the user financially; it may also affect the person socially in that a person may spend heavily on alcohol to an extent that he forgets about his role and responsibility in raising a family. In the case of a teenager, alcohol may lead to poor performance that may eventually lead to school dropout. In case of a youth in twenties alcohol may lead to forgetting ones duty and involving in fights and other activities that are not
productive. Alcohol cripples a county’s economy in that if many citizens are involved in taking alcohol then most of them will not engage themselves in working instead they will tend to spend time on drinking.
It is true that excessive use of alcohol is not only harmful to an individual but also to the society as a whole.
References
- Eckardt, M. J., File, S. E., Gessa, G. L., Grant, K. A., Guerri, C., Hoffman, P. L., ... & Tabakoff, B. (2008). Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the central nervous system. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 22(5), 998-1040.
- Leichter, H. M.
(2003). “Evil habits” and “personal choices”: Assigning responsibility for health in the 20th century. Milbank Quarterly, 81(4), 603-626.
- Miller, W. R. (2005). Motivational interviewing: research, practice, and puzzles. Addictive behaviors, 21(6), 835-842.
