tanyapmc

This is the paper I wrote for my class. All input is appreciated.

My instructions were: Explain the "Disease concept of Alcoholism: to an individual who has just been arrested for DUI and who does not think they have a problem with alcohol. Include: disease concept, how medicine defines a disease. THIQ.

Alcoholism as a Disease

I understand that you recently received a DUI and do not think you have a problem with alcohol. I am not here to tell you if you are alcoholic or not. I am here to educate you on the disease of alcoholism. Over 50% of all fatal accidents involving two or more cars are alcohol related. Some of the drivers are alcoholic, some are non alcoholic. Many look at alcoholism with a judgmental and moralistic view. In 1956 the American Medical Association stated that alcoholism was a disease. It met the five criteria needed in order to be considered a disease: pattern of symptoms, chronicity, progression, subject to relapse and treatability. Alcoholism is an illness that crosses all social classes. Anyone could get it, regardless of age, sex, education, class, ethnicity or religion. Those with a family history of drinking are at a higher risk, even if they once swore they would never drink like their mother or father.

Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease that manifests itself with symptoms that affect one physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. Denial is its number one symptom, and the alcoholic is usually the last one to believe he or she has it.
This disease is often described as cunning, baffling and powerful. The alcoholic is often just as puzzled as those around him or her, because no matter how he or she attempts to modify drinking, nothing seems to work. The individual just can't seem to get a "grip" on the problem. Denial is the biggest symptom of this illness, and not just for the alcoholic. Those around the alcoholic are also often in denial, believing the person just needs to stop drinking or cut down. It is only after treatment that this confusing problem begins to make sense. The alcoholic learns that he or she has a chemical reaction to alcohol and that it is the first drink that causes the trouble. That is, it's the first drink that sets the obsession to drink in motion.
The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems.
Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism does indeed run in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Currently, researchers are working to discover the actual genes that put people at risk for alcoholism. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism.

But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn't mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.

Now I want to teach you about Tetrahydroisiquinoline. Otherwise known as THIQ. THIQ was discovered in brains of alcoholics in Houston, Texas by a scientist named Virginia Davis who was doing cancer research. For her study she needed fresh human brains and used bodies of homeless winos who had died during the night and were picked up by Houston police in the morning. She discovered in the brains of those chronic alcoholics a substance that is closely related to Heroin. When a person shoots heroin into their body, some of it breaks down and turns into THIQ. The Alcoholics studied had not been using heroin so how did the THIQ get there? When the normal adult drinker takes in alcohol, it is very rapidly eliminated at the rate of about one drink per hour. The body first converts the alcohol into something called Acetaldehyde. This chemical is very toxic and if it were to build up inside us, we would get violently sick and could die. But Mother Nature helps us to get rid of acetaldehyde very quickly. She efficiently changes it a couple of more times - into carbon dioxide and water - which is eliminated through kidneys and lungs. That's what happens to normal drinkers. It also happens with alcoholic drinkers, but with alcoholic drinkers something additional happens. In alcoholic drinkers, a very small amount of poisonous acetaldehyde is not eliminated. Instead it goes to the brain. There through a very complicated biochemical process, it winds up as THIQ. Research shows that THIQ is manufactured in the brain and only occurs in the brain of the alcoholic drinker. It is not manufactured in the brain of the normal social drinker of alcohol. Once the THIQ is in the alcoholic brain it never goes away. This explains the chronicity of alcoholism.

Now for the good news. And there is good news. Alcoholism is treatable, but successful recovery from alcoholism requires active participation of the individual. It is critical that the alcoholic accepts the illness and be willing to manage his or her recovery process, much like anyone with any other chronic illness has to do. Education is essential. Recovering alcoholics must be well informed about their illness and the need for good self-care. To avoid relapse, the individual needs to learn skills in treatment to maintain and enhance his or her ability to continue in recovery. Many people are able to live and enjoy life after dealing with their alcoholism.
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