Dangerous Patterns Of Alcohol Abuse

Introductory Paragraph: For an individual to be diagnosed with alcohol abuse disorder, they must be in a dangerous pattern of consuming alcohol that will lead to dangerous consequences and impairment with the addition of at least two symptoms within a yearly range (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The individual will also lose control of the amount he/she consumes during the day or the time of consumption. Some of the symptoms are an unsuccessful attempts to quit or reduce the amount of alcohol. The individual has tried to quit multiple times, but he/she failed to restrain themselves from consuming alcohol. The individual also consumes larger amounts of alcohol than planned over long periods of time. The time periods can expand from …show more content…
She owns a small successful business in the city, but due to the economic downfall her business is struggling to stay open. With the stress from her business, she has turned to alcohol as a way to relax her during the nights. She has a history of alcohol abuse since the death of her father, which was 5 years ago. Virginia recently went to her primary physician to discuss about her concerns and her doctor recommended Virginia to keep track of her consumption in a diary. Every night she writes down the number of drinks she had and notices the number of drinks she is taking in is increasing. (Australian Government, Department of Veterans’ Affair) It is important to note that she has multiple family members who abuse alcohol, including her late father. When she drinks, she becomes irritable towards others and goes for car rides as a way to get away from her responsibilities and stress. There were a few times when she almost crashed into gates and trees due to how intoxicated she was. Virginia’s mom noticed her daughter now appears older, and that her health is deteriorating. (Pillon, Reinaldo, 2008) Leia, Virginia’s mom, urged her daughter to go seek help and recommended Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A). After attending AA, she worked hard to drink one less glass of alcohol a day. Currently, she has gone 14 days without drinking and she is working on regaining communication she had with old …show more content…
In today’s culture, alcohol is viewable as a norm, especially in social gatherings or events. Something in common found regardless of time period, is the negative view towards the overuse of alcohol. The Bible is the most popular book in the world and it contains multiple references of alcohol use. In the bible, Jesus turned water into wine for others to enjoy. In Christianity, this was seen as a gift and not as something malevolent. In fact, becoming drunk and addicted to alcohol is what is considered sinful in Christianity. The bible states "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise."(Proverb 20:1) The bible makes it clear the use of alcohol or wine in moderation is acceptable until the point the user becomes dependent and destructive to oneself or