Alcoholism - Your Life Held To Ransom!
Posted by: Martin Speight in Health, tags: HealthFrom weddings to boardroom conferences there is barely a social gathering that doesn’t warrant the casual drink or two, as a means of rejuvenation or social bonding. Consumption of alcohol is widely accepted, if not encouraged, by many societies all over the world. But this seemingly harmless drink, which is often a pleasant addition to a great evening of relaxation, does have a dark and vicious side to it. Enslaved by the temporary ‘high’ that alcohol grants them, many individuals begin to rely on alcohol as a means to handle stress and unwind after a long, hard day. And with every drink that he reaches out for, either as a habit he is accustomed to, or as an escape from his tensions, he draws closer and closer to falling prey to the vicious disease of alcoholism.
This disease is very difficult to unmask as the individual himself does not see anything abnormal with his drinking habit and people around him discard the problem as just a mere indulgence, which the person can bring an end to anytime he wants. And this cycle of deception continues, until the ill-effects of alcohol become so severe that only drastic measures have to be called upon. Alcohol is a slow poison one that works itself up into your body, destroying it over the course of time and gradually enveloping your family and social interactions in its cloud of gloom which further spreads to encompass the society and even the economy and development of the country as a whole with the spate of delinquent behaviors and loss of productivity it causes.
Excessive consumption of alcohol claims its stake on the victim’s body, inflicting him with a multitude of physical illnesses like heart and liver disorders. Needless to say, his performance at work is affected which, over time impairs the functioning of the organization and thus hindering the progress of the economy which the organization is a part of.
In addition to the diminished amounts of income that an alcoholic earns, his expenditure only increases as he spends more and more of his earnings on alcohol. Needless to say, this behavior takes a toll on the physical and emotional health of his immediate family, causing relationships to be estranged and burdening the victim with financial woes. To escape these worries, he tends to drink more and more, without realizing the fact that alcohol is only further adding to his depression, as the inherent trait of alcohol is that of a depressant. This pattern of drinking has no end to it, as he continues to drink to evade the depression that his drinking itself is causing him.
Alcoholics are also known to suffer from low self-esteem, as his addiction is viewed as something he has brought on to himself, as he is too weak in spirit to ‘resist’ the temptation and he more often than not receives very little sympathy, if at all. Alcohol also directly hinders the functioning of the brain and the nervous system, causing severe psychological ailments which begin with chronic depression and may even progress to schizophrenia and paranoia. Alcoholics are also at a heightened risk of developing other substance abuse patterns, which combined with the drastic impact alcohol itself has on the victim, destroy his physical and mental well-being.
Children who come from alcoholism-wrecked homes are also more likely to suffer from depression, which sets in right from early childhood in the form of uncontrollable crying, bedwetting and nightmares. Older children tend to exhibit extreme behavioral patterns where some of them are overtly rebellious, irregular in their study habits and destructive in their behavior, while those at the other end of the scale tend to be extremely docile, excessively meek and eager to please and compulsive about their grades. These children also cut themselves off social activities, with no one to speak their hearts out to, and despite their valiant efforts, are convinced that they are failures.
The mounting pressures of the modern day world and the relentless pace of life lead to larger numbers of people trying to drink away their fears and worries with every passing day. But if you think that these are reasons enough for you to loosen up with ‘just another tin drink’ think again. Your excesses can not only jeopardize your life and well-being, but also that of your family and those you are close to. Take a minute to consider if the gamble, though a seemingly harmless one, is a wise choice to make, given all the disastrous effects it can lead to. Take that first step today and pull yourself out of the reaches of alcoholism and you’ll soon realize all the wonders of life you had shut your doors to.
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