Concept and Treatment of Alcohol Abuse

Background Alcoholism is a behavior arising from physical addiction to alcohol by an individual. A victim of alcoholism will continue to drink despite experiencing health problems that may be physical, social or mental. Alcoholism is different from alcohol abuse since alcohol abuse describes a situation where drinking may result from problems emanating from the act of alcoholism, it is more behavioral than physical addiction (PubMed Health, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Concept and Treatment of Alcohol Abuse specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Alcoholism is a disorder in which an individual takes alcohol despite being aware that it will ruin their lives. Alcoholics cause several problems with the people who are close to them, and they demonstrate some sense of irresponsible behaviors, for instance, by abandoning school or jobs. Alcoholism results from several years of alcohol drinking and it worsen s further with more drinking. When alcoholism is not treated, it will likely destroy the emotional and physical well being of an individual; extreme alcoholism might even lead to death. Alcoholism is a family disease since it hurts and directly and indirectly affects the lives of victim’s family members and the people who are close to the alcoholic person (Cleveland Clinic, 2010). People drinking alcohol do not always have knowledge of when alcohol drinking gets out of hand. The problems of alcoholism may be mind as well as life threatening, and they affect the individual, family and the society. Alcoholism is the taking of alcoholic beverages to an extent that it can interfere with the physical behavior and activities of the alcoholic person (Gifford, 2009). Thesis Alcohol is a widely used and an accepted psychoactive drug that disrupts the neurochemistry in the brain causing emotional, social, behavioral, spiritual and vocational problems. Alcohol.  Definition Alcohol is as a central nervous system depressant that when taken in limited quantities, it can have a small and mild stimulant effect. Alcohol is a legal drug accepted by societal and cultural norms of particular jurisdictions. Consistent consumption of alcohol may lead to the body adapting to its persistent presence. Neurochemistry.  Absorption, Distribution Metabolism Since alcohol is a beverage and hence it dissolves in water, it has the potential to diffuse easily into the body tissues, body fluids, and to the brain as well.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Classification.  Depressant As a depressant, alcohol as the ability to slow down the functioning of a neural system of an individual; it achieves this by blocking messages from reaching the brain. Effects of Alcohol Short Term Physical Effects Unconsciousness In the context of alcohol, this unconsciousness is a form of a bl ackout. This is a situation where a patient loses his/her senses and thus appearing as if they are in a dreamless sleep, but they will try their best to appear as though they are conscious, which may not be possible. Alcohol poisoning Alcohol poisoning is an illness caused by excessive intake of alcohol. Alcohol poisoning can cause damage to the lung, and it might as well lead to cases of heart attack. Hangover When alcoholics drink late into the night, they may suffer from hangovers in the following morning. This is because alcohol has the effect of irritating the stomach. Furthermore, heavy drinking can cause sickness and nausea. Hangover is because of the dehydrating effect of alcohol (Wekesser, 1994). Sleep disturbance Irritability and anxiousness Alcohol is a depressant substance, which has a stimulating effect. Due to this effect, it can slow down the brain and the entire central nervous system hence resulting to loss of sleep. Death Intoxication, which results from alcohol co nsumption, may lead to death. When people drive under the influence of alcohol they can easily lose control and cause a fatal accident. Physiological Central Nervous System (CNS) Alcoholism undermines an individual’s mental judgment resulting to low inhabitation and alteration in the thoughts and the emotions of the alcoholic person. Persistent drinking can lead to the inability of the victim to coordinate body muscles (Gifford, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Concept and Treatment of Alcohol Abuse specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Brain and chemical imbalance Alcohol affects the brain and the entire neural system and brain cells. An individual who has been dependent on alcohol, in the event stops drinking, he/she will experience a chemical reaction which will excite the nervous system and can agitate the level of body chemicals which in turn can prevent stress and impulsivity. Consequently , the drinking of alcohol can trigger the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin that produce euphoric feelings and reward sensation (National Institute of Heath, 2003). For a particular period, excessive consumption of alcohol can deplete the stores of serotonin, also consistent drinking may result in loss of mood. Fatty Liver Too much consumption of alcohol may result in fat deposits in the liver. Continuous drinking of alcohol can lead to the inflammation of the liver, which may in turn result, into hepatitis. Hepatitis can cause the liver to fail leading to death. Alcohol Abuse and Dependency Alcohol Use Alcohol use is like a disease. This is due to the reason that alcohol use characterized by a maladaptive drinking pattern of alcohol may lead to adverse effects. Factors of Intoxication Intoxication is the primary cause of all alcohol problems. Intoxication may lead to injuries and in extreme circumstances death. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) T his is the universal standard used by mental health practitioners in the United States of America for classifying metal disorders. It has three components namely: diagnostic classification, diagnostic criteria sets and the descriptive text.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Progression of the disease Alcoholism is a progressing disease in the sense that an individual continues drinking even if he/she is already drunk to the capacity. Continued drinking may result in the individual being irresponsible. Alcoholism is a situation where an individual develops persistent culture of drinking even after experiencing the problems due to drinking. The loss of control is progressive and the victim can spend most of his time drinking (Manzardo Goodwin, 2006). An alcoholic person may drink more and he/she will be accustomed and more reliant on alcohol; the alcoholic becomes obsessed with alcohol. Consequences Associated with alcohol Abuse and Dependency Behavioral The behaviors emanating from alcoholism can be particularly risky. Alcoholism exposes the victim into risky behaviors that may result from their impulse actions. Risk takers and sensationally oriented behaviors are because of the use of alcohol. High consumption of alcohol may result to high susceptibil ity to risk taking behaviors (National Institute of Health, 2003). Social Alcoholism has an adverse economic impact on the entire society. Alcoholism may result in low productivity, massive expenditure in health care, diseases and illness and premature deaths. Much of the costs resulting from alcohol abuse are borne by those who do not take it. Alcoholism may also result in the commission of crimes. Emotional Alcohol suppresses emotional pain; it is a loyal friend in the event of relationships failing. Alcoholics are often, tempted by the negative feelings that might force them to return after a long period of withdrawal (New York Times, 2011). Vocational Employment Assistance Program Alcohol can affect every aspect of a patient’s life. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, most of the people that are addicted are in employment hence leading to hazards in workplace and development of an unproductive workforce. Treatment and Recovery Background on the organization Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) is a self-help group of both men and women who are recovering from alcoholism. This group involves individuals who share similar hope, aspirations, strengths and experiences. It is interested in proving emotional assistance to people with the problem of alcohol dependence. They have braches in several countries on the globe. The group utilizes a 12-step approach to achieve its mission and objectives. The group has a common agenda of assisting others to recover from alcohol dependency (Grapevine, 1958). Founding principles The addicts should meet one and the only demand of stopping to drink before joining the group, and there are no charges or subscription fee. AA is a non- governmental organization and not affiliated to any religious or political group; twelve steps to realize its objectives guide the group members. Problems and resistance Aexperiences a lot of problems and resistance in its desire to achieve the desired goals. This resistance and problems are: Its stressing on absolute abstinences: for many alcoholics, total abstinence is a difficult task; various alcoholics would prefer treatment that will permit them into taking alcohol again than abstinence. Stigmatization: stigmatization of alcoholics is a reality in every society, alcoholics therefore avoid joining AA due to the fear of stigmatization and they instead opt to remain alcoholic. Fear of being noticed by friends or acquaintances: there is the fear by the victims that in the course of AA meetings, they risk noticed by their friends or business associates. Medication therapy and other philosophies Naltrexone The patient is injected with a version of a Naltrexone which can be administered to the patient once in month. There are, however, some circumstance where the patient can take a pill, recommended that the patient take the injectable drug since it is preferable for people who are highly dependent on alcohol. Injected drug also has the advantage of cons istency. The drugs aid in blocking the brain hence reducing the demand and the craving for alcohol by the patient. Rehabilitation After the victim undergoes detoxification, rehabilitation can enable him/her to stay away from alcohol. In the rehabilitation, the patient is counseled, provided with psychological help, nursing service and medical attention to prevent cases of lapse. Behavioral therapy This is a crucial part of alcohol dependency treatment. It is acknowledged that alcoholism can have a deep psychological roots and therefore a perfect therapy program is necessary to assist the victim understand what has caused his/her behavior as an alcoholic and this will enable him/her to make some amendments into his/her life (Maltzman, 2008). New treatment and research Very many drugs that if taken can assist in suppressing the withdrawal symptoms. Some medications can be effective in blocking part of the brain that is responsible for producing sensations when there is intake of alcoh ol. There are two main kinds of treatment: long-term and short-term while others may be in in-patient and outpatient. Longer duration of treatment can be effective and can produce better results. These treatment facilities can be private or public. Sober living and independence According to many alcoholics, overcoming or avoiding intake of alcohol is a difficult task. Stopping to drink alcohol is the best remedy. Abstinence does not depend on the duration within which the alcoholic has been drinking alcohol neither does it depend on the degree of addiction but it takes individual decision (Siclair Escapa, 2008). Conclusion Alcohol is a socially accepted drug that can devastate all areas of one’s life. It disrupts the neurochemistry in the brain and gets progressively worse if not treated. Although there is still much to learn about alcohol and addiction, today research offers promising hope for those addicted to alcohol. Alcohol is progressive disease and if not arrested at its early stages, it may lead to health, physical and emotional problems, and at the extreme case, it may lead to death. Alcoholism may be because of addiction, compulsion and obsession. References Cleveland Clinic. (2010). Alcoholism. Cleveland Clinic. Web. Gifford, M. (2009). Alcoholism. New York, NY: ABC-CLIO. Grapevine, A. (1958). AA: other problems than alcohol. Alcoholics Anonymous. Web. Maltzman, I. (2008). Alcoholism: its treatments and mistreatments. New York, NY: World Scientific. Manzardo, A., Goodwin, D. (2006). Alcoholism (4th ed). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. National Institute of Health. (2003). Understanding Alcohol: investigations into Biology and behavior. Science Education. Web. New York Times. (2011, October 28). Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. New York Times. Web. PubMed. (2011). Alcoholism and alcohol abuse. PubMed Health. Web. Siclair, D. Escapa, R. (2008). The Cure for Alcoholism: Drink Your Way Sober Without Willpower, Abstinence Or Discomfort. New Y ork, NY: BenBella Books. Wekesser, C. (1994). Alcoholism. New York, NY: Greenhaven. This research paper on Concept and Treatment of Alcohol Abuse was written and submitted by user Darth Maul to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Three Things You Can Do to Help Your Child Do Better in School

Three Things You Can Do to Help Your Child Do Better in School Importance of education The place of education cannot be overestimated in the modern world. Elder people understand that knowledge is one of the main ways for success in the future. Those who have profound knowledge in different spheres and specialize in one specific field can achieve high results in their careers.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Three Things You Can Do to Help Your Child Do Better in School specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More But, this information is available and understood by parents, children are not so conversant with this issue. Thus, it is possible to conclude that parents are those who should encourage and help their children study. There are a lot of different strategies which may be helpful for parents in this question, but there are three main things each parent should do to help a child to do better at school. Children’s success depends on their parents One cannot reject that each c hild has a right to attend public school and succeed there. All parents want their children to be prosperous and they are to help them. School education is the process which should be guided by parents. Much research has been provided in the sphere of the connection between school and home. Scientists have proved that school-home collaboration in the questions of a child’s studying is useful. Close connection between school and home enhance students’ desire to study as they see that parents support them in this difficult but really interesting initiative.[1] The research conducted by Jan Hughes and Oi-man Kwok[2] shows that children study better when they see collaboration between parents and school. Thus, if children’s success also depends on the actions of their parents, they should act. We would like to offer a list of three main things parents should do to help their children do better at school. First of all, parents should make sure that their children use modern textbooks, up-to-date sources and innovative technologies, like computers and the Internet. Second, parents should motivate their children to study and explain that school is not the only place where they can learn. It is necessary to deliver the idea that learning is an interesting and exciting process which does not finish with leaving school. Third, parents should create special room for studying and set particular hours for this process. These actions help parents influence their children’s psychological needs and make those interested in studying on unconscious level.[3] Up-to-date information and innovative technologies Innovative technologies have entered human life so strong that it is impossible to imagine a house without a computer and the Internet. The Internet allows students get new information as soon as possible. Moreover, fast change of the information becomes available for students.Advertising Looking for article on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In comparison with the time when the Internet was not created, students had to buy books and use those for many years. Nowadays, many books and other sources are republished almost every year. Parents should check the books their children use and do all possible to get the most recent editions. Parents should follow this process. Furthermore, parents have an opportunity to sign for journals with the necessary information. At the same time, it is important to check what information children read. Having too much available data, parents should set control on the sites children visit and the sources they download. Thus, having personal computers children should provide their parents with free access. The use of the innovative technologies in the educational process should be supported. Parents are to consider children’s curriculum and try to get additional programs and software aimed at increasing student s’ knowledge in the form of games. There are also a lot of tests which may be used as additional source of knowledge.[4] But, using this kind of software parents should not go too far. Children should use the Internet as the source of entertainment as well, otherwise, they will lose the interest and the studying will become a torture for them, even with the use of the innovative technologies.[5] So, the first thing parents should do to help their children is to provide those with the most recent information and direct the use of the computers and the Internet to the learning purposes. Strong motivation Parents play important part in students’ motivation. There are a lot of different ways how they can influence their children. Personal experience, school recollections, reasonable arguments and other means of motivation may be used for encouraging children study better. Motivation is a strong factor in education. Parents should remember that they are to encourage their c hildren for studying constantly reminding them that their success depends on knowledge they are able to get at school. Motivation is the basis for any action and students should be reminded the main purpose of their school attendance.[6] Parents are free to motivate their children in different ways. They should remind that school is not the final stage of education and the whole life will bring children new lessons to study. Children should feel that education is not only obligatory, it is the thing they like and are ready to accept as nothing is made without the desire.[7] Parents, who were successful in school, have managed to get good education and now remain successful in their careers and social life positively influenced their children.[8] The difference between vocational and academic education dos not play crucial role in the motivational reasoning. It is important that parents should have positive recollections and great achievements in the present time. Children in this ca se will desire to repeat the success their children have.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Three Things You Can Do to Help Your Child Do Better in School specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is like the behavior on the basis of the personal experience, but deeper. Children not only try to copy the behavior of their parents relaying on parental guarantees that it is useful, they have an opportunity to see that success at school gave them an opportunity to achieve high results in their careers. The ability to observe the connection is a good motivator for children. Thus, appropriate motivation is the second way for improving children’s success in school and parental role in this process. Special room and particular time It is natural that each individual should have its personal space. Looking deeper at the problem it may be stated that each person should also have space for particular activities. If students have specific place where they make their homework and parents control time children spend on this process, the results are going to be great. Parents should help their children create successful environment at home. The atmosphere of studying may encourage children for better ideas, the general mood of studying should be present. Parents are responsible for this. It is appropriate if parents have an opportunity to connect this place with school it would be better as students will feel as it at classes and at the same time at home. Time scheduling is also important. When parents set specific time for homework, children know that they should spend it with profit. When this time is over, children will have time to do all they want. Three aspects of parental success When parents try o help their children with studying, they should remember that they must not be too insistent. To make the process of parental intrusion into children’s learning natural, parents should follow these steps. First, parents should provide their children with the information about how strategies and sources should be used. It is important not to teach but to offer the suggestive ideas about the use of the received information, not the information itself. The second stage of parental intrusion is an attempt to deliver the necessary information by means of trying to check children’s level of understanding and speciation of the information parents want to provide to their children. The final stage of parental intrusion is emotional one. Parents should show that they care about their children and about their emotional condition. It is important to make children understand that self regulation is one of the best ways to remain in good mood and be able to cope with the tasks.[9] Therefore, it may be concluded that the role of parents in the learning of their children is great, but parents should not insist on direct participation in it. It is important to supply children with nec essary information, provide those with required tools and follow the conditions they study in without forgetting about constant motivation and encouraging. Endnotes Anthony Feiler, et al, The Home School Knowledge Exchange Project: linking home and school to improve childrens literacy (Support for Learning, 23(1), 2008) 17. Jan Hughes Oi-man Kwok, Influence of student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships on lower achieving readers engagement and achievement in the primary grades (Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 2007) 46. C. McBryde, J. Ziviani, M. Cuskelly, School readiness and factors that influence decision making (Occupational Therapy International, 11(4), 2004) 194. Kathleen Vail, School technology grows up (American School Board Journal, 190(9), 2003) 36. Teklu AbateBekele, Motivation and Satisfaction in Internet-Supported Learning Environments: A Review (Journal of Educational Technology Society, 13(2), 2010) 124. Abrudan Caciora Simona Veronica, Motivation i n language learning (Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 17(1), 2008) 558. Carin Neitzel, Anne Dopkins Stright, Mothers scaffolding of childrens problem solving: Establishing a foundation of academic self-regulatory competence (Journal of Family Psychology, 17(1), 2003) 156. Hannu Rty, Parents own school recollections influence their perception of the functioning of their childs school (European Journal of Psychology of Education EJPE (Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada), 22(3), 2007) 395. Anne Dopkins Stright, Carin Neitzel, Kathy Garza Sears, Linds Hoke-Sinex, Instruction begins in the home: Relations between parental instruction and childrens self-regulation in the classroom (Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 2001) 457. Reference List Bekele, T. (2010). Motivation and Satisfaction in Internet-Supported Learning Environments: A Review. Journal of Educational Technology Society, 13(2), 116-127.Advertising Looking for article on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Feiler, A., Andrews, J., Greenhough, P., Hughes, M., Johnson, D., Scanlan, M., Yee, C. W. (2008). The Home School Knowledge Exchange Project: linking home and school to improve childrens literacy. Support for Learning, 23(1), 12-18. Hughes, J., Kwok, O. (2007). Influence of student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships on lower achieving readers engagement and achievement in the primary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 39-51. McBryde, C., Ziviani, J., Cuskelly, M. (2004). School readiness and factors that influence decision making. Occupational Therapy International, 11(4), 193-208. Neitzel, C., Stright, A. (2003). Mothers scaffolding of childrens problem solving: Establishing a foundation of academic self-regulatory competence. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(1), 147-159. Rty, H. (2007). Parents own school recollections influence their perception of the functioning of their childs school. European Journal of Psychology of Education EJPE (Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada), 22(3), 387-398. Stright, A., Neitzel, C., Sears, K., Hoke-Sinex, L. (2001). Instruction begins in the home: Relations between parental instruction and childrens self-regulation in the classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 456-466. Vail, K. (2003). School technology grows up. American School Board Journal, 190(9), 34-37. Veronica, A. (2008). Motivation in language learning. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 17(1), 557-562.