Transcript Addiction & Alcoholism

Addiction & Alcoholism
I. Addiction and its Two Key Forms
A. Addiction: a condition in which an individual requires the
use of a drug or the participation in an activity in order to
function without physical or psychological reactions to its
absence. Often the condition will interfere with normal
everyday functioning as it worsens.
B. Process Addiction: an addiction to an activity or process,
such as eating, spending money, gambling, working, playing
video games, sexual activities, etc.
C. Substance Addiction: an addiction to a drug, such as
depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, etc.
D. Enabling: when family, friends, and associates promote
addiction in another individual or simply allow an addict to
continue their addiction.
II. Chronic Drug Effects
A. Withdrawal: an unpleasant effect, the opposite of how
a drug made the user feel initially.
B. Tolerance: a decrease in effect develops as the user
continues to take the drug.
C. Physical Dependence: when the user feels compelled to
use a drug chiefly to reduce the unpleasant withdrawal
symptoms.
D. Psychological Dependence: a craving to use a drug not
motivated by the physical symptoms of withdrawal.
III. Alcohol: a depressant found in liquor, wine
and beer.
A. Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics of Intoxicated
Individuals
IV. Alcoholism: the addiction to or dependency
upon drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
A. Denial: refusal to acknowledge a problem or believe any
information that causes anxiety.
B. Delirium Tremens: symptoms associated with the abrupt
discontinuation of alcohol consumption among alcoholics.
1) muscle convulsions (shaky hands)
2) confusion
3) diarrhea
4) insomnia
5) disorientation
6) extreme agitation
7) heart arrhythmias
8) hallucinations (often of insects, snakes, or rats)
C. Risk Factors for Alcoholism…
1) new found freedoms in college
2) stress in life
3) family history (genetics & environment)
4) addictive personality
5) mental illness
6) cultural influences
D. Long Term Medical Consequences of Alcoholism
1) Alcoholic Liver Disease: arises from the excessive
ingestion of alcohol. When excessive alcohol is consumed
chronically, it can eventually result in liver scarring or what is
known as cirrhosis or end-stage alcoholic liver disease.
2) Korsakoff’s Syndrome: a form of dementia leading to
memory loss that results from a deficiency of vitamin B1,
typically brought on by chronic alcoholism.
E. Treatment for Alcoholism
1) Detoxification: a program of supervised recovery
provided in a hospital setting.
2) Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): a self-help group
comprised of people who abstain from alcohol use and offer
help and support to each other.
3) Controlled Drinking: reducing consumption of alcohol
from dependent/abusive levels to moderate levels.
4) Antabuse: a pill alcoholics can take daily that causes
them to become physically ill when they drink alcohol.
5) Benzodiazepines: sedatives that operate similarly to
alcohol by enhancing the effectiveness of GABA
(a neurotransmitter) transmission in the central nervous
system.