Drinking Problem and Alcohol Abuse and Assessment Options

People drink alcoholic beverages to celebrate special occasions with friends or loved ones. They drink to enhance enjoyment of social activities, to complement certain meals, and to participate in religious ceremonies. In broader terms, people often drink to relax and reduce the stress of daily responsibilities.

Despite its association with happiness, alcohol is classified a depressant in the medical community because it slows down the central nervous system. Shortly after consuming alcohol, depressed nerves can cause slurring of speech, inferior motor coordination, involuntary eye movements, unsteady walking, and impaired attention. Alcohol is lethal in high doses because it depresses nerve functioning in the brain to the point where breathing stops and cardiac arrest ensues.

Contrary to common belief, alcohol dependent people are not individuals who are continuously intoxicated. Rather, they depend on drinking to cope with stressful situations and negative emotions on a consistent basis. This is called alcohol abuse. Today an estimated 90 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse, making it the number one health problem today -- both in the United States and in more than forty countries around the world.

Heavy drinking and public drunkenness are not the only signs of alcohol abuse. When you observe someone with a drinking problem, he or she may appear to be fully functional, going to work and living life. Such a person may seemingly have nothing wrong with them, and by all measures will appear normal.

This is typically the case with alcohol-dependent individuals. Most fly under the radar, unnoticed. Yet, they are everywhere in our society. These people are your family members, close friends, professional co-workers, and even spiritual advisors. Perhaps someone close to you right now is abusing alcohol, and you do not even know it. Surprisingly, only a small percentage of problem drinkers are in such an advanced stage where bystanders can clearly recognize their abuse.

Some who abuse alcohol may not drink all week, yet drink heavily on the weekends. This is referred to as binge drinking. Other abusers may require several drinks at a specific time of the day, such as immediately after work. Some alcohol abusers try to control the addiction by consuming steady, controlled doses throughout the day yet never overdrinking. This is called "maintenance drinking" whereby people learn ways to avoid a sudden drop in their blood alcohol level. Yet, over time, tolerance to alcohol increases, and the individual has no choice but to increase consumption in order to achieve intoxication or a blood alcohol level that makes them feel comfortable.

Regardless of the level of consumption, all of these drinking patterns are signs of alcohol abuse and perhaps even dependence. To determine if you or someone you know is abusing alcohol, there are several standardized screening questionnaires to identify the severity of the problem. For instance, there is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the CAGE, and the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). Laboratory tests are often used to screen for alcohol dependence, and they are, by and large, liver function tests. The MCV, or Mean Corpuscular Volume, measures the size of red blood cells. For instance, when red blood cells are enlarged, the causes are generally chronic drinking.

The most sensitive liver enzyme test is the GGT, or Gamma Glutamyl Transferase, which detects alcoholic drinking at the earliest stage. In this test, liver enzyme levels seem to go up earlier, remain up longer, and come down slower than in other liver function tests. AST or Aspartate Aminotransferase (formerly SGOT) is also helpful as is the alkaline phosphatase test.

All of these tests can be valuable tools to assess a drinking problem. In conjunction with testing, it is wise to consult with your physician for a complete health assessment. Then, one can determine the precise severity of the problem as it affects one's behavior and health as well as the negative impact it may be having on family members and loved ones.

To prevent the alcohol abuse, the bars and the drinkers are given special alcohol licenses for sale and purchase of the beverages. Hospitals and medical centers offer alcohol treatment for the alcoholic patients.

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