the United States alcohol use is involved in the majority of social activities and is glamorized through media on a daily basis. What is less glamorized is the consequences of long term alcohol abuse. Last year an estimated 115,000 people were diagnosed with a chronic liver disease from alcohol abuse. There is a fine line between alcohol abuse and use but a lifetime of problems that can occur from not knowing the difference.
Alcohol abuse occurs when drinking becomes patterned and is followed by an increased inability to maintain daily obligations, increased risk of engaging in dangerous behavior, and the development of problems in a relationship that are a result of the substance use. When alcohol is abused it can impact the physical body by limiting digestion, conversion, and absorption of essential nutrients to the cells. Overtime this creates organ malfunction leading to liver disease, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and/or pancreatitis. The ultimate physical health problem resulting from alcohol abuse is death, which for most would be a more plausible consequence than living with the pain of organ shut down for unknown periods of time.
Alcohol abuse can lead to cognitive deficits such as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This syndrome attacks the brain and leads to memory loss, story confabulation, hallucinations, and confusion due to the lack of thiamine required by the body to function. Depression, sexual dysfunction, and in some cases attempts at suicide are psychological problems that can ensue from long term alcohol abuse. Relationships often deteriorate due to alcohol abuse and in many cases the alcohol abusing partner can become violent toward the household. For further reading about long term effects of alcohol abuse check out http://www.aamft.org/families/Consumer_Updates/SubstanceAbuseandIntimateRelationships.asp , http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/wernicke_korsakoff/wernicke-korsakoff.htm .
If you have questions about alcohol abuse or think you have an alcohol abuse problem there is local help available. Contact http://www.kc-aa.org/ to find an anonymous support group or to talk with a local specialist about options for help.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Body Image
http://www.examiner.com/x-38895-Kansas-City-Mental-Health-Examiner~y2010m2d18-Kansas-City-supports-healthy-body-image
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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