causes of alcoholism

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Understanding the Causes of Alcoholism

The formal definition of alcoholism varies depending of the point of view of the definer . It can be simply defined as a disease caused by chronic and maladjusted drinking habit . It is also a form of drug addiction that involves consumption of increasing doses of alcohol to produce desired effects However , alcoholics , need not need a regular increasing doses of alcohol . The usual misconception about causes of alcoholism is that it is often confused

with association . Alcoholism is closely associated with growing up with people living together in a single home who are also alcoholic . It is also related to depression self-indulgence , poverty , or even neglect in childhood (Encyclopzhdia Britannica . Psychiatric condition of an individual such as those with schizophrenia , depression , or anxiety diss may also play an important role in alcoholism . Social isolation , and shyness can be also considered as risk factors . The dependence on alcohol consumption of alcoholics is increased by these factors up to the point that their functions are already harmfully affected as well as the people around them . A study done by Stewart , Gurstell , and Sigelman (1992 ) explored the case of drinking . Sixth graders to college students perceived biological disease , bad environment , normal motives as causes of adolescent alcohol abuse

In teens , family is one of the risk factors of alcoholism . Ineffectual supervision of parents to their children or communication , conflicts within the family , alcoholism in parents and harsh dicipline are some of the situations within a family that could give rise to alcoholism in teens . Emotional instability and mismanagement of impulses by thrill-seekers may also lead to alcoholism in teens (MedicineNet .com Children of alcoholic parents also present a high risk of developing alcoholism due to heredity . A Study on the amygdala , the organ responsible for craving which can further lead to addiction , showed that the amygdala is smaller in those that have family history of alcoholism This finding simply implies that inherited features in the structure of the brain can lead to an increased risk and cause of alcoholism (Alcoholism . Studies done on twins and adoptees have shown that alcoholism can be taken from parents to offspring . Though the exact gene is not adamant , but suggests a tendency that allows some people to be significantly more susceptible to alcoholism than others . The genetic risk is said to be due to high resistance to the offensive side effects of heavy alcoholism . As an example , homozygous Asians for this kind of defect often flush in response even to a modicum of alcohol . This makes them less vulnerable to alcoholism (Encyclopzhdia Britannica . 2007

Furthermore , reactivity towards the alcohol of an individual also affects the risk of aquiring alcohol dependence . Research has shown that with people who are highly tolerant of alcohol in their body is more likely to develop addiction to alcohol (Encyclopzhdia Britannica . Since they can no longer feel the effect of alcohol in their mind and body they drink...