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Alcohol

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According to dictionary.com, alcoholism is the addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. Alcoholism can affect a person physically and mentally. Alcoholism causes many physical consequences that are well known and easy to recognize. The psychological consequences are the ones people rarely talk about, they are hard to recognize, and most people do not even know about them; however, the psychological symptoms are the ones that lead alcoholics to keep drinking without realizing problems are being caused. These effects of alcohol allow people to continue to drink in order to self-medicate their symptoms, and vary depending on the person. The most common psychological effects that people undergo are depression, dysthymia, anxiety, personality changes, compulsive behavior, denial, and co-occurring disorders (“Mental”). Depression refers to a serious medical illness that affects one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, mood and physical health. Depression is a life-long condition in which periods of wellness alternate with recurrences of illness. Depression can lead to feelings of sadness, poor concentration, lack of sleep (insomnia), fatigue, appetite disturbances, excessive guilt, and thoughts of suicide. These symptoms tend to increase over time. Five – eight percent of adults are affected by depression each year in the U.S, which means 25 million Americans will experience major depression just this year alone (“What”). Some people feel that drinking alcohol will just “drown your sorrows” or in other words make their feelings go away; however, drinking alcohol is just a temporary get away. What people do not seem to understand is when you are a prolonged drinker it will actually bring on feelings of depression when you are drinking, and even when you are sober.
Dysthymia is a mild, yet more chronic form of depression. The symptoms of dysthymia usually last for two years, minimum. Dysthymia interferes with people’s ability to function and enjoy life (“Dysthymia”). Alcoholism can lead to dysthymia, and also leads to the same symptoms as depression; although, it is a more enduring type of depression. People with this disorder see things through a more gloomy light. The people that have this disorder most of the time do not seek help because their depressed and sad mood seems normal for them. Many people that are alcoholics experience dysthymia because they think drinking more will help them reduce their depressed feelings (“Dysthymic”).
Anxiety in humans is absolutely normal, and everyone experiences this feeling at times. For teenagers, things such as their first job interview, the talk from your coach before sports games, choosing the right college, and so on are a few of the events that make us experience anxiety. Dictionary.com refers to anxiety as the feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Anxiety disorders are completely different than the feeling of anxiety. An anxiety disorder can cause so much distress that it will interfere with the person’s ability to lead a normal life. This disorder is also a serious mental illness, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming (“Anxiety”). Alcohol can increase your anxiety depending on who you are. There are six ways that scientists believe alcohol can increase your anxiety such as: your mood, drop in blood sugar, dehydration, nervous system, heart rate, and concentration

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