Alcoholism - Your Life Held To Ransom!
Alcohol enjoys a long tradition of being an inseparable part of celebrations and social gatherings in almost every society. Be it the customary flute of champagne at weddings, or the officious glass of scotch which has become mandatory at almost every social do it is not uncommon to find the occasional drink being accepted, and even encouraged, at numerous occasions in the course of an individual’s adult life. But it is when this occasional drink becomes a way to escape or deal with stress, or when an individual gets accustomed to his round of drinks every evening, that without realizing it, he succumbs to the deep dark void of alcoholism.
Alcoholism as a disease is very deceptive as often the victim himself is prone to shrug away his excessive drinking habits as something he can ‘deal with’. The perception of those who are in his vicinity is also apt to be skewed as society by and large believes that this is a phase the alcoholic himself can pull out of, with just a little determination and will power. But not many are aware of the disastrous effects alcoholism has, both on the victim and those he interacts with, until it is indeed to late. Apart from the physical havoc that alcohol wreaks on the individual’s body, this disease also has several far-reaching consequences on society as a whole, both in terms of the huge dent it causes to economies all over the world, and also the delinquent behaviors it can lead to.
Excessive consumption of alcohol claims its stake on the victim’s body, inflicting him with a multitude of physical illnesses like heart and liver disorders. Needless to say, his performance at work is affected which, over time impairs the functioning of the organization and thus hindering the progress of the economy which the organization is a part of.
The loss on income on account of impaired performance at the workplace is further compounded by the expenditure the individual incurs on fueling his addiction which in turn affects the well-being of his family. The stress that the individual is looking to escape is aggravated by marital discord and feelings of financial insecurity, which in most cases, lead him to drink even more to block out these factors. And alcohol being a depressant itself, the individual is drawn deeper into the vicious cycle that his addiction creates, where he drinks more and more to deal with the depression that alcohol is causing him.
Society is not very sympathetic in their outlook towards alcoholics as most people scorn victims of alcohol abuse as too weak to control their excesses. This takes its toll on the victim’s self esteem a condition that is compounded by the psychological disorders that alcohol is responsible for. The chronic depression that the alcoholic suffers from matures into more terrifying diseases like paranoia and even schizophrenia in the long run. Alcoholics are also more inclined to other forms of substance abuse which complicate the problems alcohol is already causing them.
Children, whose parents are victims of alcohol abuse, are also more susceptible to depression, which exhibits itself in the form of uncontrollable crying, bed wetting and nightmares, when they are younger and acting-out behaviors as they grow older. This means that they may either be very rebellious, failing classes and engaging in destructive behavior, or they may be overly compliant and obsessive about their grades, extremely self-conscious and suffer from phobias. These children often isolate themselves as they have no one to confide in about their fears and often believing that they are destined to be failures, no matter how hard they try.
With the harried pace at which we live life today, in the modern world and the increasing pressures we have to deal with, both at the workplace and in our social interactions, it is not uncommon to find more and more people resorting to alcohol to alleviate their woes. But before surrendering to the bottle and all the promise it holds, first stop to think about whether the gamut of evils that this seemingly innocuous beverage causes is worth the momentary feeling of satisfaction it brings you and whether you are willing to take that risk and toe the line when the security and happiness of your family is at stake. The choice, though not difficult to make, may be a hard one to live up to but once you do take that first step, you’ll soon see the world of difference it brings about.
