Alcoholic Addiction: A Case Study

Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors (Definition of Addiction). My family has had their fair share of being addicted to alcohol. To this day, my grandfather talks about how he overcame an alcoholic addiction that changed his life for the better. My grandfather had a problem with drinking, and when drinking was involved, so was gambling. He would spend their money hoping that when they leave the casino, more money would be in their pockets then before. …show more content…
They play a large role in what can happen in the future to help the one with the addiction to overcome the roadblock. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) also play a large role in helping with this difficult drug. The NIAAA are constantly researching programs dealing with prevention and treatment. According to Failures in Prevention by Peter E. Nathan, a Psychologist from Rutgers, 584.1 million dollars in federal funds was sent on alcohol related actions including research, intervention, treatment and rehabilitation, and prevention (459). The Federal government had provided more money than state and local governments to help further knowledge. Children of alcoholics (COA’s) are approximately four to six times as likely as the general population to develop alcohol problems. Furthermore, anxiety, depression, and externalizing behavior disorders are more common among COA’s than among children of non-alcoholics (Ellis et al. 218). Hedy Marks, a heath writer and editor from Emory University 's Rollins School of Public Health, reminds us that “People who have alcoholism or drug addiction are not "weak" or "immoral." They have a real disease that 's caused by a combination of factors, including genetics, environmental influences, and behavior”(par.3). She also said that once you understand the risk factors, you could take the steps to reduce …show more content…
“Laboratory data suggest that male children with multigenerational family histories of alcoholism are hyperactive to stress and derive greater stress response-dampening benefits from alcohol” (Psychosocial Factors in 187). There was a three-year study that observed more than 1,000 people that looked at their relationship between financial stress and drinking (187). The study showed that people that did not have to worry financially were less likely to have drinking problems unlike others that were unstable. People with high stress, that lack stress reduction skills, are more vulnerable to addiction (Horvath et. al par.3). Someone normally drinks to be able to clear their mind and not think about everything they have going on. They use drinking alcohol as their coping method instead of going to a therapist or getting help from someone else. Alcohol is a temporary relieve of stress for some and before you know it, the buzz has worn off and the problem is still there. Through studying the risk factors of an alcoholic addiction, I was able to find ways to help out my family with this rapid spreading problem. All of the risk factors can affect anyone at any time. The main way to overcome this is by not letting the past of someone define you. You are not destined to be like your family’s