• Press Center
  • Recent News
  • Archives
  • Hot Topics
• Corporate Culture
  • Devon Cares
  • Devon Scholars
  • Devon Health Success Stories
  • Careers »
    • Careers Overview
    • Current Opportunities
    • Careers FAQs
• Company Background
  • History & Affiliates
  • Executive Biographies
  • Mission & Vision

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a disease involving a dependency on alcohol, the inability to limit drinking, numerous withdrawal symptoms, and the need to drink more as time passes. According to the American Council on Alcoholism, it is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychological, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. Because alcoholism is chronic, it lasts a person’s lifetime.

The Facts

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimates that 16.6 million Americans 12 or older (7.3% of the U.S. population) are dependent upon or abuse either alcohol or illicit drugs. Currently, nearly 14 million Americans – one in every 13 adults – abuse alcohol or are alcoholics.

Though the exact cause of alcoholism is unknown, scientists have found that alcoholism can be genetic. Studies have also shown that risks of developing alcoholism can increase based on environmental factors, including where and how a person lives, relationships with family and friends, culture, and peer pressure.

Alcoholism includes four symptoms:

• Craving: A strong need to drink
• Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking
• Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking
• Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to “get high”

Consequences and Effects

The consequences of alcohol abuse are serious and can be life threatening, as the physical effects are widespread. Large doses of alcohol invade the body’s fluids and interfere with metabolism. Alcohol damages the liver, the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the heart. Alcoholics who do not quit drinking decrease life expectancy by 10 to 15 years.

Other harmful effects caused by alcohol abuse include:

• Accidents: Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 30 minutes and injure someone every two minutes. 41% of all traffic-related deaths are alcohol related
• Violence: Perpetrators of family violence are often alcohol abusers
• Increase in birth defects: Alcohol may have harmful effects on babies, including mental retardation and learning and behavioral problems
• Depression, other mental health disorders: 37% of those who are dependent upon alcohol have a co-occurring mental disorder
• Reduced quality of life: inability to meet work, school, or family responsibilities
• Drinking-related medical conditions: Alcohol can also impair sexual function, slow blood circulation, cause malnutrition, lead to pancreatitis and skin disorders, weaken the bones and muscles, and decrease immunity

Withdrawal Symptoms

Three to six days after a heavy drinker completely stops drinking, acute and life-threatening effects may occur. Withdrawal phenomena include sleep disorders, visual and auditory hallucinations, disorientation, alcoholic convulsions, epileptic seizures, and delirium tremens accompanied by acute anxiety and fear, agitation, fast pulse, fever, and extreme perspiration. Consequently, alcoholics who decide to quit drinking should do so under medical supervision.

Treatment

Research has found that willpower alone can rarely beat alcoholism. Cutting down on alcohol is not enough. Individuals who are determined to stay sober may suffer one or several “slips,” or relapses, before achieving long-term sobriety. Although relapses are common, it does not mean alcoholics cannot recover. Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to successfully help a person stop drinking. With professional treatment and support from family and friends, many people are able to stop drinking and re-establish their lives.

The following organizations help alcoholics and their families of alcoholics:

• Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) World Services
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• National Clearinghouse for Drug and Alcohol Information (NCADI)

Devon Health Services Inc., the Northeast’s most extensive Preferred Provider Organization and National Healthcare Cost Management Company, recognizes the urgency in treating alcoholism. Devon Health offers its members access to numerous qualified and skilled healthcare providers that can provide effective treatment to help alcoholics recover successfully.