Alcoholism: A Case Study

Alcoholism is a huge problem and a common lived experienced by many people. I recently had the opportunity to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous support group in Ashland, Oregon. If you are not familiar with this type of support group it may consist of people currently struggling with alcohol dependence or in a recovery/sobriety phase. This prevalent disease, depending on someone 's alcohol intake level , can cause psychological and physical harm. However, for some people, "social drinking" often is the beginning stage of what might lead to an increase in alcohol consumption and possibly serious health risks. This chronic disease causes the body to become dependent on consumption of alcoholic beverages beyond a safe capacity of control. The …show more content…
I found that newly sober members described that they had balance problems, vision and speech impairment along with confusion, dizziness and sometimes vomiting during the last days of their dependence. I found that through alcoholism, there are not only risks for the development of other substance abuses, but also the development of psychological problems like depression. I would say the biggest risk (in their opinion) was depression. Even though it is a depressant, alcohol can have the effect of making people feel good (e.g. stress and anxiety relief). I think that everyone is different (as noted in AA) and should be analyzed …show more content…
The majority of these stigmas make negative assumptions (I too am at fault). I think of times working in a hospital unit and a patient is admitted to the floor. The nurses and I look at the admission report that says, "MVA, patient is here for alcohol abuse with ETOH." The immediate response was, "Oh great this will be an interesting day." Unfortunately anyone with a chronic illness or sickness is not openly welcomed by other people, even in the medical field. It 's surprising, but true. I know that alcoholics are typically deviants and don’t engage in society like the rest of the population and I learned from AA that a lot of people hide their addiction. A big stigma associated with this chronic disease could also be an employer believing that a person suffering from alcoholism is untrustworthy and unreliable and fire them from their job. I believe that the stigma behind alcoholism doesn 't identify with just one culture, but that all cultures can fall short of this chronic illness because it is a level of self