Effects of Alcohol Abuse
Understanding Alcohol Abuse
Enjoying alcohol in moderation is not just "not bad" for you, but it may have health benefits that could prolong your life. It is when people use alcohol as an escape route for social, personal or career pressures that abuse or alcoholism can result. Abuse of alcohol, or consumption of more alcohol than the body can handle, can lead to liver damage and other debilitating conditions.
Alcohol abuse can also lead to alcoholism--diagnosed as alcohol use disorder in the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5)--or alcohol addiction, in which a person becomes physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol to the point that he or she cannot function without it. Alcohol abuse and addiction can also lead to destructive behavior such as driving under the influence of alcohol and domestic violence.
According to the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2013, 18.0 million people age 12 years or older in the US needed treatment for alcohol use (6.9% of Americans age 12 or older).
Discuss, Alcohol Abuse in about 1500 words
