Alcoholism In America

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Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Each year an estimated 87,000 deaths occur due to alcohol(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013 Alcohol consumption in the United States has continued to remain popular despite all of the negative effects. Alcoholism is defined as A chronic, progressive pathological condition, mainly affecting the nervous and digestive systems, caused by the excessive and habitual consumption of alcohol (The American Heritage Medical Dictionary,N.D.) . “Throughout most of U.S. history 'habitual drunkenness ' was viewed as a problem of moral degeneracy or character flaw inherent in the individual” (Gunzerath, Hewitt, B. G., Li, T., & Warren, K. R., 2011). More recently …show more content…
According to the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, 7.5 million, child live in a single or two parent household who has a problem with alcohol. Of that 7.5 million about 1.6 million lived with a single parent who has an alcohol abuse problem (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2012). Among those individuals who have alcohol abuse disorders, their health was widely affected. Nationally there are over two hundred identified conditions linked to or caused by the excessive consumption of alcohol, according to the World Health Organization’s: Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health (World Health Organization, 2014). Individuals who consume alcohol are more likely to develop certain health issue than individuals who do not consume alcohol. Those who do drink alcohol are more likely to develop certain types of cancers In fact, there are 6 different types of identifying cancers that an individual’s chance are increased of developing just by consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Those six cancers consist of cancer of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver and breast (National Cancer Institute, 2009-2010). The data clearly show that alcohol affects multiple facets of life, intentionally and …show more content…
(National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2014). There is very little in common that males and females have when it comes to alcohol. Not only are the drinking habits of women different from males, the effects on the body are too. This means the risks they are exposed to are different or of different magnitude. When women consume alcohol at a moderate or high level they are instantaneously at risk for a wide range of health issues. A notable difference in men and women is that women feel the effect of alcohol and experience health related issues due to alcohol sooner than men. Meaning that women experience issues faster, requiring a lower level of alcohol use than men (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2014). Another contributing factor that increases the health risks associated with drinking alcohol is weight. In general, women typically weigh less than men. After alcohol has been consumed it occupies the individual’s water in the body. Lower weight indicates a lower level of water. Meaning, women have a higher concentration of alcohol in their body than men. This is the cause of women feeling the effects more quickly. As previously stated men tend to have a larger weight than women, this indicates a larger amount of water, causing a “dilutions” of the alcohol that concentrates in one’s body (National Institute

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