“Serious Problem”
Alcoholism affects many people in the United States today. It doesn’t only affect the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co-workers, and sometime even strangers. There are many symptoms, causes and effects. Alcoholism is drinking alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. Yet, they continue to drink.
There are two types of drinkers. The first type, the casual or social drinker, they drink because they want to. They drink with their friends for pleasure and only on occasion. The other type, the compulsive drinker, drinks because they have to, despite the difficult effects that drinking has on their lives. Now, the alcoholic drinks are used to overcome the unpleasant effects of the alcohol rather than attaining the pleasant effects.
The symptoms of alcoholism differ for each person, but the most common are changes in emotions or stability, behavior, and personality. “Alcoholics may become angry and argumentive, or quiet and withdrawn or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more” (Goodwin80). “Because time and amount of drinking are uncontrollable, the alcoholics is likely to engage in such behaviors as [1] breaking family commitments, both major and minor; [2] spending more money than planned; [3] drinking while already intoxicated resulting in getting arrested; [4] making inappropriate remarks to friends, family, and co-workers; [5] arguing, fighting and other anti-social actions. The alcoholic would probably neither do such things, nor approve of them in others unless he was drinking” (Goodwin90). Alcoholism is a combination of biological, psychological, and cultural factors that may contribute to the development of alcoholism in a person. Alcoholism seems to run in families. “Although there is no conclusive indication of how the alcoholism of family members is...