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` The medical definition of alcoholism is ´a primary,
chronic disease characterized by impaired control
over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol,
use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and
distortions in thinking.µ
` In common and historic usage, alcoholism is any
condition that results in the continued consumption
of alcoholic beverages, despite health problems and
negative social consequences.
 J 
` ae need to first ask a basic question: what gets
people into alcoholism?
` The age of onset of drinking as well as genetic
factors are associated with an increased risk of the
development of alcoholism. A complex mixture of
genetic factors as well as environmental factors like
stressful childhood events influence the risk of the
development of alcoholism. Good peer and family
support reduce the risk of alcoholism developing.
 ]
  


` The world we live in today is filled with the legal
drug. The question is how much is the world
filled up by it?
` Since 1987, 3 million Russians have died due to
alcohol consumption. Tens of thousands of people
die in The United States of America annually;
300,000 people get treated for it annually.
` In fact the region with the highest rate of
consumption of alcohol is our God·s Own
Country. And especially in the small town of
Chalakudy. Surprised? Don·t be.
 @  

` Alcoholism is a menace to society in multiple
aspects.
` First, biologically, alcohol has dire consequences
on the health of individuals that consume it.
` Second, socially, alcoholism causes a myriad of
issues; the consequences are almost exclusively
negative.
` Third, politically, alcohol consumption in general
affects a country·s development, sometimes even
adversely.
 Biological consequences
 The short-term effect of alcohol consumption is intoxication,
which affects the brain, causing slurred speech, clumsiness,
and delayed reflexes; severe alcohol poisoning over a short
period of time can also be lethal.
 Long-term moderate or short-term excessive (binge)
drinking has been linked to dementia.
 Consuming large amounts of alcohol over a period of time
can impair normal brain development in humans. Chronic use
of alcohol use to induce sleep can lead to insomnia.
The relation between medical disorders and alcohol
consumption is shown in the graph below:
 Biological consequences
 ]igh rates of major depressive disorder occur in heavy drinkers
and those who abuse alcohol. A study of people hospitalized for
suicide attempts found that those who were alcoholics were 75
times more likely to go on to successfully commit suicide than
non-alcoholic suicide attempters.
 Alcoholic liver disease is a major public health problem. Chronic
alcohol abuse can cause fatty liver cirrhosis and alcoholic
hepatitis.
 Chronic excessive intake of alcohol can cause destruction of the
pancreas resulting in severe chronic pain, which may progress
to pancreatic cancer.
 Biological consequences ² an overview
 The biological effects caused due to alcoholism are numerous.
 The basic effects are drowsiness, lack of memory, liver damage
etc.
 From a public health perspective, the global burden related to
alcohol is considerable in most parts of the world.
 According to W] , alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total)
every year.
 In the year 1999 in Europe alcohol consumption led to the death of
55,000 people who were aged between 15 and 29. And this is only
for this particular age category.
 ocial consequences
D ]itherto we have been concerned with those consequences of
alcoholism that affect health or are directly measurable or
quantifiable. ]owever, many consequences, harmful as well as
beneficial, can be characterized as ´socialµ and in no way
medical. The social consequences of alcoholism are the most
severe.
D ´The social consequences of alcohol are changes, subjectively
or objectively attributed or attributable to alcohol, occurring in
individual social behaviour, in social interaction or in the social
environment.µ
 ocial consequences
D clcohol induces considerable emotional instability, however,
and this is reflected in the interaction within social friendship
groups formed in an alcoholic environment.
D In Western countries, a large proportion of unwanted sexual
advances are mediated by alcohol.
D Initiation into certain groups, such as military units or college
fraternities, sometimes includes drinking very large amounts of
alcohol, so called ´binge drinkingµ. This pattern of drinking
entails high risks of accidental injury, violence and acute
alcohol-poisoning.
 ocial consequences
D [any research reports attest to the significant impact of
drinking on accidents, suicide and violence.
D [any of those involved in accidents, self-inflicted injury or
violence had been drinking.
D clso, some 20 ²50% of people who commit suicide or
attempted suicide were intoxicated at the time or known to be
heavy drinkers.
D Particularly with regard to violence involving two or more
parties, in 40-80% of cases the offender had been drinking.
The next slide will show you a graph of the
percentage of respondents while being intoxicated,
being injured by an intoxicated and being injured
from other causes, in the past 12 months as
related to frequency of visits to public drinking
places during the same period. It clearly reveals
the truth on how you can get hurt being drunk and
how you can be hurt by a drunkard even though
you may be sober.
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 The most common and cheapest argument for
alcohol consumption is ´ahy can·t I drink? I·m
not harming anyone!µ
 She begs to differ .
 ahat happened to her was that she was a victim
of drunk driving.
 The only thing is that she wasn·t
drunk.
BEFORE: AFTER:

After seeing this, isn·t it obvious that

alcoholism is not justifiable??