The simple abuse of alcohol by a person is not enough to be labeled alcoholism. Alcoholism is a chronic disease that is progressive and often fatal. People with this disease are known as alcoholics. These people will develop a craving of strong urge to drink alcohol. Once drinking is started they are no longer able to control when they stop. It becomes a very bad addiction and if they stop they will suffer serious withdraw symptoms. These include nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Alcoholics tend to generate higher tolerances for alcohol because of how much they drink. This means that they have to drink way more that the average person to feel the affects and become intoxicated.

Society as a whole has looked down upon alcoholism. Because of this people often recognize that they have a problem. Some can even recover on their own. For those who can not, self help groups have been established to help deal with their problem. Alcoholism is not the same in all people. For this reason some may require longer treatment than others. But because alcoholism is looked down upon some will refuse treatment. They do not want to be labeled as an alcoholic. For these people meetings with health professional will help discourage drinking habits. They make them aware of the health impacts of drinking. There is also the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence that helps to find people an appropriate treatment program. If nothing seems to work, there are even drugs that can be prescribed. Disulfiram is one drug that can be taken. When a person drinks it will cause nausea, dizziness, headache, and heart palpitations. The body will associate this with drinking and want to stop. Another drug taken is Naltrexone. This tends to affect the brain and reduce the craving for alcohol. In Russia, the government has even stepped in. They have closed distilleries, breweries, and bars. However, this has created a widespread black market for liquor and a county that now hides its drinking problem.

The World Health Organization estimates that 62 million people world wide suffer from alcoholism. The United States has 15 million people with alcohol problems itself. There are 8.1 million men and women that are dependant on alcohol. This is roughly 3% of the population. Research has shown that men are three times more likely to become alcoholics than women. People of age 65 and older do have the lowest rates of alcoholism. It has been shown that 40% of people that drink before the age of fifteen will become alcohol dependent.

These treatments have been set forth to help society with

Some topics in this essay:
, Health Organization, Drug Dependence, Ford Center, Betty Ford, Alcoholics Anonymous, Holbrook Smith, Wilson Ohio, people disease, fifteen alcohol dependent, alcohol dangerous drug, alcohol existed, rates alcoholism, people develop, alcohol dangerous, research shown, alcoholism people, dangerous drug, alcohol serious, fifteen alcohol,