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.
