Alcoholism varying definitions
Although the use of the term 'alcoholism' is common, it has varying definitions. It usually refers to any condition which causes a person to keep drinking alcohol despite the evident negative medical and social consequences. The compulsion to drink alcohol, and a lack of awareness of the negative effects of heavy drinking are also referred to as 'alcoholism'. Not all definitions of alcoholism specify that recent or continuous intake of alcohol is a required, and some note the long-term effects of alcoholism such as symptoms of withdrawal.
Patterns of heavy drinking do not necessarily predict a person becoming dependent on alcohol. Although you must drink alcohol to become an alcoholic, how much and how often vary a lot from each individual. The biological progression which leads to alcoholism are still a mystery, although some factors such as psychological health and social environment have been observed.
The term "alcoholism" was first used in 1849 by the physician Magnus Huss to describe the systematic adverse effects of alcohol. In the United States, use of the word "alcoholism" was largely popularized by the inception and growth of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939. Although lacking a specific definition for alcoholism, AA's "Big Book" compares alcoholism to an allergy and an illness.
A 1960 study by E. Morton Jellinek is considered the foundation of the modern disease theory of alcoholism. Jellinek's definition restricted the use of the word "alcoholism" to those showing a particular natural history. The modern medical definition of alcoholism has been revised numerous times since then. The American Medical Association currently uses the word alcoholism to refer to a particular chronic primary disease.A minority within the medical field, notably Herbert Fingarette and Stanton Peele, argue against the existence of this disease. However, critics of the disease model acknowledge that the word "alcoholism" refers to a disease, and use the term "heavy drinking" when discussing the negative effects of alcohol consumption.
Due to alcoholism's unclear definition, the disease is often hard to precisely detect. There is no physiological difference between someone who drinks frequently and an alcoholic. One must assess objectively the negative effects alcohol consumption is having on a person's life and the benefits the drinker believes to be receiving from continuing to abuse alcohol. It is often obvious when an alcoholic's life has been severely damaged by excessive drinking, but identifying the person as an alcoholic can be difficult in more complicated cases.
Alcoholism makes a person consume excessive amounts of alcohol that is dangerous for his health. The disease also can impact others by virtue of the alcoholic's behaviour which lacks judgement or restraint.
It is not unusual for an alcoholic to keep drinking even after his physical health deteriorates. The negative health issues caused by excessive alcohol consumption include alcoholic dementia, heart disease, epilepsy, cirrhosis and in many cases death.
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