effects of drinking alcohol essay

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How Does Alcohol Affect Society?

Financial Cost
Aggression and Violence
Impact on the Family

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among U.S. adults. Alcohol use is associated with a wide range of health risks and other problems for individuals. But the costs of alcohol don't just affect the person drinking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use costs the U.S. almost a quarter trillion dollars a year. Economic costs are one part of the toll, but there are also other societal issues that are tied to alcohol use.

At a Glance

The real-world impact of alcohol abuse reaches far beyond the financial costs. When a loved one has a problem with alcohol, it can affect their marriage and their extended family. There's also a larger impact on the community, schools, the workplace, the healthcare system, and society as a whole.

How Alcohol Affects Society

Alcohol use can affect society in terms of:

Economic costs linked to increased healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and legal costs
Health consequences caused by health problems caused by alcohol as well as accidents, injuries, and violence connected to alcohol use
Legal consequences , including increased crime, drunk driving accidents, and other issues related to law enforcement and criminal justice
Family effects , including child abuse, neglect, intimate partner violence, and substance use problems in children
Educational costs associated with worse academic performance and achievement

Such costs are often linked to those who have alcohol use disorders. According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 29.5 million people over the age of 12 (10.6% of the population) had an alcohol use disorder in the past year. Estimates suggest that approximately 13.9% of people in the United States will meet the criteria for severe alcohol use disorder in their lifetimes.

However, it's not necessarily people with alcohol addiction having the biggest impact on these figures. It's estimated that 77% of the cost of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S. is due to binge drinking , and most binge drinkers are not alcohol dependent.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that 140,000 people die each year due to alcohol-related causes. Alcohol is the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

Financial Costs of Alcoholism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cost of excessive alcohol use in the U.S. alone reaches $249 billion annually. Around 77% of that is attributed to binge drinking , defined as four or more alcoholic beverages per occasion for women or five or more drinks per occasion for men.

The CDC estimates that 40% of the cost of binge drinking is paid by federal, state, and local governments.

The CDC suggests that the most significant economic costs of alcohol use are due to the following:

Lost workplace productivity (72% of the total cost)
Healthcare expenses (11% of the total cost)
Criminal justice expenses (10% of the total cost)
Motor vehicle crash expenses (5% of the total cost)

The CDC estimates that these figures are all underestimated because alcohol's involvement in sickness, injury, and death is not always available or reported. These figures also do not include some medical and mental health conditions that are the result of alcohol abuse.

Also not included in these figures are the work days that family members miss due to the alcohol problems of a loved one.

Healthcare Expense of Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor in numerous chronic diseases and conditions, and alcohol plays a significant role in certain cancers, psychiatric conditions, and numerous cardiovascular and digestive diseases. Additionally, alcohol consumption can increase the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

An estimated $28 billion is spent each year on alcohol-related health care.

Alcohol-Related Aggression and Violence

Along with unintentional injury, alcohol plays a significant role in intentional injuries as a result of aggression and violence. Alcohol has been linked to physical violence by a variety of research studies.

On top of the healthcare cost of alcohol-related intentional violence in the United States, the estimated annual cost to the criminal justice system is another $25 billion.

Impact of Alcoholism on the Family

The social impact of alcohol abuse is a separate issue from the financial costs involved, and that impact begins in the home, extends into the community, and often affects society as a whole, much like the financial impact does.

Research on the effects of alcohol abuse on families shows that alcohol abuse and addiction play a role in intimate partner violence, cause families' financial problems, impair decision-making skills, and play a role in child neglect and abuse.

Long-term alcohol use leads to changes in the brain that affect decision-making, emotional processing, and self-control, making people who drink more susceptible to aggression and violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, alcohol makes intimate partner violence more frequent and severe.

As with the financial costs of alcohol abuse, studies have found occasional binge drinking can also affect families. Research suggests that the risk of intimate partner violence rises not only in the context of frequent drinking but also when a partner has consumed a large volume of drinks in one sitting.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database .

Alcohol Abuse and Children

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are one of the most common direct consequences of parental alcohol use in the United States, caused by alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy. Children with FAS display various symptoms, many of which are lifelong and permanent.

Children who grow up in a home with a loved one dealing with alcohol addiction may be affected as well; they are at significant risk of developing alcohol use disorders themselves.

Growing up in a home where at least one parent has a severe alcohol use disorder can increase a child's chances of developing psychological and emotional problems.

The Bottom Line

Alcohol's effects go beyond it's effects on individual health and well-being; it also has steep economic and societal costs. The excess use of alcohol leads to billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs. It also has a heavy strain on families, communities, and society as a whole. Increased violence, injuries, accidents, child abuse, and intimate partner violence are all linked to alcohol use.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Excessive drinking is draining the U.S. economy .

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the United States: Age groups and demographic characteristics .

Grant BF, Goldstein RB, Saha TD, et al. Epidemiology of DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III . JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(8):757-766. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.0584

Esser MB, Hedden SL, Kanny D, Brewer RD, Gfroerer JC, Naimi TS. Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 2009-2011 . Prev Chronic Dis. 2014;11:E206. doi:10.5888/pcd11.140329

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol-related emergencies and deaths in the United States .

Rehm J. The Risks Associated With Alcohol Use and Alcoholism . Alcohol Res Health . 2011;34(2):135-143.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cost of excessive alcohol use .

Wilson IM, Graham K, Taft A. Alcohol interventions, alcohol policy and intimate partner violence: a systematic review . BMC Public Health. 2014;14:881. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-881

Lander L, Howsare J, Byrne M. The impact of substance use disorders on families and children: From theory to practice . Soc Work Public Health . 2013;28(3-4):194-205. doi:10.1080/19371918.2013.759005

Sontate KV, Rahim Kamaluddin M, Naina Mohamed I, et al. Alcohol, aggression, and violence: From public health to neuroscience . Front Psychol . 2021;12:699726. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.699726

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Who facts on: Intimate partner violence and alcohol .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basics about FASDS .

Moss HB. The impact of alcohol on society: A brief overview . Soc Work Public Health. 2013;28(3-4):175-177. doi:10.1080/19371918.2013.758987

Sacks JJ, Gonzales KR, Bouchery EE, Tomedi LE, Brewer RD. 2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption . Am J Prev Med . 2015;49(5):e73-e79. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2015.05.031

By Buddy T Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

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The Cause and Effects of Drinking Alcohol, Essay Example

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Alcohol is widely abused across the world and the effects of excessive alcohol intake can be devastating. When not taken in moderation, alcohol can be harmful to the health and social life of the individual, as well as harmful to the individual’s family. These devastating effects can result in alcohol related disease, outcast from social circles and loss of friends and a breakdown in the family.

Excessive alcohol consumption is extremely harmful to the health of a person. Alcohol abuse can lead to heart disease, liver failure and rapid aging. Many deaths are caused by alcoholism. Excessive drinking also increases the decision to take risky actions, including drinking and driving. Drinking and driving causes many deaths every year and is a major problem among those of all ages. Excessive alcohol consumption can also cause memory loss and other psychological issues.

Consuming alcohol at a high rate can also cause social problems. This can include loss of friends and being outcast from your community. This happens because of the bad choices that come with alcoholism and most people do not want to associate with those who drink excessively. It is not just harmful to the drinker, but harmful to their friends and family.

In relation to loss of friends, it is likely that excessive drinking can cause a breakdown in family. Alcoholism is devastating for families. Many times an excessive drinker will not keep up with their responsibilities within the family. This means that they are likely to not finish school or college, lose their jobs and not participate in taking care of their children. This can lead to financial problems and the inability to take care of the themselves of the family.

There are many reasons why excessively consuming alcohol is dangerous and harmful. Drinking in moderation or abstaining from alcohol altogether is important to live a happy and healthy life. Among the effects of drinking alcohol, the most obvious are major health problems, loss of friends and social status and a breakdown in the family unit.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Alcohol Abuse — The Impact of Alcohol Abuse: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

The Impact of Alcohol Abuse: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

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Alcohol Res Health
v.24(1); 2000

Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption has consequences for the health and well-being of those who drink and, by extension, the lives of those around them. The research reviewed here represents a wide spectrum of approaches to understanding the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption. These research findings can help shape the efforts of communities to reduce the negative consequences of alcohol consumption, assist health practitioners in advising consumers, and help individuals make informed decisions about drinking.

Forty-four percent of the adult U.S. population (age 18 and over) are current drinkers who have consumed at least 12 drinks in the preceding year ( Dawson et al. 1995 ). Although most people who drink do so safely, the minority who consume alcohol heavily produce an impact that ripples outward to encompass their families, friends, and communities. The following statistics give a glimpse of the magnitude of problem drinking:

Approximately 14 million Americans—7.4 percent of the population—meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism ( Grant et al. 1994 ).
More than one-half of American adults have a close family member who has or has had alcoholism ( Dawson and Grant 1998 ).
Approximately one in four children younger than 18 years old in the United States is exposed to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence in the family ( Grant 2000 ).

Measuring the Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol

Over the years, scientists have documented the effects of alcohol on many of the body’s organ systems and its role in the development of a variety of medical problems, including cardiovascular diseases, liver cirrhosis, and fetal abnormalities. Alcohol use and abuse also contribute to injuries, automobile collisions, and violence. Alcohol can markedly affect worker productivity and absenteeism, family interactions, and school performance, and it can kill, directly or indirectly. On the strength of this evidence, the United States and other countries have expended considerable effort throughout this century to develop and refine effective strategies to limit the negative impact of alcohol ( Bruun et al. 1975 ; Edwards et al. 1994 ).

In the past two decades, however, a growing number of epidemiologic studies have documented an association between alcohol consumption and lower risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading cause of death in many developed countries ( Chadwick and Goode 1998 ; Criqui 1996 a , b ; Zakhari 1997 ). Much remains to be learned about this association, the extent to which it is due specifically to alcohol and not to other associated lifestyle factors, and what the biological mechanisms of such an effect might be.

Effects on Physical Health

Cardiovascular diseases account for more deaths among Americans than any other group of diseases. Several large prospective studies have reported a reduced risk of death from CHD across a wide range of alcohol consumption levels. These include studies among men in the United Kingdom ( Doll et al. 1994 ), Germany ( Keil et al. 1997 ), Japan ( Kitamura et al. 1998 ), and more than 85,000 U.S. women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study ( Fuchs et al. 1995 ). In research studies, definitions of moderate drinking vary. However, in these studies, most, if not all, of the apparent protective effect against CHD was realized at low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption.

Follow-up of another large U.S. survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I ( Rehm et al. 1997 ), found that after an average of nearly 15 years of follow-up, the incidence of CHD in men who drank was lower across all levels of consumption than in nondrinkers. Incidence also was reduced among women, but only in those consuming low to moderate levels of alcohol. In fact, an increased risk was observed in women consuming more than 28 drinks per week.

An association between moderate drinking and lower risk for CHD does not necessarily mean that alcohol itself is the cause of the lower risk. For example, a review of population studies indicates that the higher mortality risk among abstainers may be attributable to socioeconomic and employment status, mental health, overall health, and health habits such as smoking, rather than participants’ nonuse of alcohol ( Fillmore 1998 ).

It is also important to note that the apparent benefits of moderate drinking on CHD mortality are offset at higher drinking levels by increased risk of death from other types of heart disease, cancer, liver cirrhosis, and trauma. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, have defined moderate drinking as one drink per day or less for women and two or fewer drinks per day for men ( USDA 1995 ). In addition, the NIAAA further recommends that people aged 65 and older limit their consumption of alcohol to one drink per day.

Cerebrovascular disease, in which arteries in the brain are blocked or narrowed, can lead to a sudden, severe disruption of blood supply to the brain, called a stroke. Ischemic stroke, which is by far the predominant type of stroke, results from a blockage of a blood vessel; hemorrhagic stroke is due to rupture of a blood vessel. Alcohol-related hypertension, or high blood pressure, may increase the risk of both forms of stroke. Yet, in people with normal blood pressure, the risk of ischemic stroke may be decreased due to the apparent ability of alcohol to lessen damage to blood vessels due to lipid deposits and to reduce blood clotting. Alcohol’s anticlotting effects, while perhaps decreasing the risk of ischemic stroke, may increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke ( Hillbom and Juvela 1996 ). These studies are coming closer to providing a clear picture of the relationship between alcohol and risk of stroke.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and stroke risk has been examined in two recent overviews. In a meta-analysis, researchers compared the relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes ( English et al. 1995 ). They detected no differences in the risk patterns for the two types of stroke, but found clear evidence that heavy drinking was associated with increased stroke risk, particularly in women.

In contrast, the Cancer Prevention Study II found that, in men, all levels of drinking were associated with a significant decrease in the risk of stroke death, but in women, the decreased risk was significant only among those consuming one drink or less daily ( Thun et al. 1997 ). A recent study reported that among male physicians in the Physicians’ Health Study, those who consumed more than one drink a week had a reduced overall risk of stroke compared with participants who had less than one drink per week ( Berger et al. 1999 ).

Among young people, long-term heavy alcohol consumption has been identified as an important risk factor for stroke ( You et al. 1997 ). Very recent alcohol drinking, particularly drinking to intoxication, has been found to be associated with a significant increase in the risk of ischemic stroke in both men and women aged 16 through 40 years ( Hillbom et al. 1995 ).

The relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure is noteworthy because hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke as well as for CHD. A national consensus panel in Canada recently conducted an extensive review of the evidence concerning this relationship ( Campbell et al. 1999 ), concluding that studies have consistently observed an association between heavy alcohol consumption and increased blood pressure in both men and women. However, in many studies comparing lower levels of alcohol use with abstention, findings are mixed. Some studies have found low alcohol consumption to have no effect on blood pressure or to result in a small reduction, while in other studies blood pressure levels increased as alcohol consumption increased.

The possibility that alcohol may protect against CHD has led researchers to hypothesize that alcohol may protect against peripheral vascular disease, a condition in which blood flow to the extremities is impaired due to narrowing of the blood vessels. In a 1985 analysis of data from the Framingham Heart Study, alcohol was not found to have a significant relationship, either harmful or protective, with peripheral vascular disease ( Kannel and McGee 1985 ). However, an important recent study produced different results. In an analysis of the 11-year follow-up data from more than 22,000 men enrolled in the Physicians’ Health Study, researchers found that daily drinkers who consumed seven or more drinks per week had a 26-percent reduction in risk of peripheral vascular disease ( Camargo et al. 1997 ).

Two other studies found inconsistent results with regard to gender. One study of middle-aged and older men and women in Scotland showed that as alcohol consumption increased, the prevalence of peripheral vascular disease declined in men but not in women ( Jepson et al. 1995 ). In contrast, among people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes, alcohol was associated with a lower prevalence of peripheral vascular disease in women but not in men ( Mingardi et al. 1997 ).

There is no question that alcohol abuse contributes significantly to liver-related morbidity (illness) and mortality in the United States. The effects of alcohol on the liver include inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis) and cirrhosis (progressive liver scarring). The risk for liver disease is related to how much a person drinks: the risk is low at low levels of alcohol consumption but increases steeply with higher levels of consumption ( Edwards et al. 1994 ). Gender also may play a role in the development of alcohol-induced liver damage. Some evidence indicates that women are more susceptible than men to the cumulative effects of alcohol on the liver ( Becker et al. 1996 ; Gavaler and Arria 1995 ; Hisatomi et al. 1997 ; Naveau et al. 1997 ).

Definitions Related to Drinking

Studies investigating the health effects of alcohol vary in their definitions of “low,” “moderate,” and “heavy” drinking. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans , issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), moderate drinking is no more than two standard drinks per day for men and no more than one per day for women ( USDA and USDHHS 1995 ). The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism further recommends that people aged 65 and older limit their consumption of alcohol to one drink per day. Information on drinking levels as they are defined in the individual studies cited in this issue can be found in the original references.

How Much Is a Drink?

In the United States, a drink is considered to be 0.5 ounces (oz) or 15 grams of alcohol, which is equivalent to 12 oz (355 milliliters [mL]) of beer, 5 oz (148 mL) of wine, or 1.5 oz (44 mL) of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Does Abstaining Increase Risk?

Epidemiologic evidence has shown that people who drink alcohol heavily are at increased risk for a number of health problems. But some studies described in this section suggest that individuals who abstain from using alcohol also may be at greater risk for a variety of conditions or outcomes, particularly coronary heart disease, than persons who consume small to moderate amounts of alcohol.

This type of relationship may be expressed as a J-shaped or U-shaped curve, which means that the risk of a disease outcome from low to moderate drinking is less than the risk for either abstinence or heavier drinking, producing a curve in the shape of the letter J or U (see figure ).

By examining the lifestyle characteristics of people who consume either no alcohol or varying amounts of alcohol, researchers may uncover other factors that might account for different health outcomes. For example, gender, age, education, physical fitness, diet, and social involvement are among the factors that may be taken into account in determining relative risk of disease.

Similarly, people may quit drinking because of health problems, or even if that is not the case, former drinkers may have characteristics that contribute to their higher mortality risk, such as smoking, drug use, and lower socioeconomic status. If former drinkers are included in the abstainers group, they may make alcohol appear to be more beneficial than it is. Therefore the best research studies will distinguish between former drinkers and those who have never used alcohol.

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Rates of death from all causes, all cardiovascular diseases, and alcohol-augmented conditions from 1982 to 1991, according to base-line alcohol consumption.

SOURCE: Thun et al. 1997 . Reprinted with permission from New England Journal of Medicine , Vol. 337, pp. 1705–1714, 1997. Copyright 1997, Massachusetts Medical Society. Waltham, MA. All rights reserved.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Home and Garden Bulletin No. 232. 4th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture; 1995. [ Google Scholar ]

Alcohol has been linked to a number of cancers, including cancers of the head and neck (mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus), digestive tract (stomach, colon, and rectum) and breast ( World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research [WCRF/AICR] 1997 ; Doll et al. 1993 ; International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC] 1988 ).

Alcohol is clearly established as a cause of cancer of various tissues in the airway and digestive tract, including the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus ( Doll et al. 1993 ; IARC 1988 ; La Vecchia and Negri 1989 ; Seitz and Pöschl 1997 ; WCRF/AICR 1997 ). An increased risk of gastric or stomach cancer among alcohol drinkers has been identified in several, but not the majority, of case-control or cohort studies. The link between alcohol use and chronic gastritis (stomach inflammation) is clear, although progression from chronic gastritis to neoplasia is less well understood and probably involves other factors in addition to alcohol ( Bode and Bode 1992 , 1997 ).

In addition, a link between alcohol and breast cancer has been suspected for two decades but the nature of this association remains unclear. (For a more detailed discussion of the role of alcohol in breast cancer, see the article in this issue on medical consequences pp 27–31.)

Psychosocial Consequences and Cognitive Effects

Alcohol use plays a role in many social activities, from the “business lunch” and parties to special occasions. The benefits to those who drink during social occasions are greatly influenced by culture, the setting in which drinking occurs, and expectations about alcohol’s effects ( Goldman et al. 1987 ; Heath 1987 ; Leigh 1989 ; Leigh and Stacy 1991 ). Stress reduction, mood elevation, increased sociability, and relaxation are the most commonly reported psychosocial benefits of drinking alcohol ( Baum-Baicker 1985 ; Hauge and Irgens-Jensen 1990 ; Leigh and Stacy 1991 ; Mäkelä and Mustonen 1988 ).

There is extensive evidence indicating that people who suffer psychological distress and rely on alcohol to relieve their stress are more likely to develop alcohol abuse and dependence ( Castaneda and Cushman 1989 ; Kessler et al. 1996 , 1997 ). Because vulnerability to alcohol dependence varies greatly among individuals, it is difficult to assess the risk of dependence in relation to how much a person drinks. Two persons exposed to alcohol in exactly the same way may or may not have the same outcome for many reasons, including genetic differences, personality, behavioral features, and environment.

Most mental disorders occur much more often than expected by chance among people who are abusing alcohol or are alcohol dependent ( Kessler et al. 1996 ). Of these individuals, those who are alcohol dependent are more likely than alcohol abusers to have mental disorders. In fact, alcohol dependence elevates the risk for all types of affective and anxiety disorders ( Kessler et al. 1996 ).

Although the relationship between heavy alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment is well established, the effects of moderate drinking on the ability to perform cognitive tasks, including remembering, reasoning, and thinking, are largely unexplored.

Most studies of the relationship between alcohol consumption and other forms of dementia, notably Alzheimer’s disease ( Tyas 1996 ), have failed to find statistically significant associations. However, several recent studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may have a positive effect on cognitive function. In an analysis of baseline data (data collected at the beginning of a study) for persons aged 59 through 71 who were enrolled in the Epidemiology of Vascular Aging Study in France, moderate alcohol consumption was associated with higher cognitive functioning among women but not men after a number of possible confounding variables were controlled for ( Dufouil et al. 1997 ). Another study, which followed 3,777 community residents in France who drank primarily wine, found a markedly reduced risk of the incidence of dementia among moderate drinkers relative to abstainers ( Orgogozo et al. 1997 ).

Effects on Society

Researchers have identified and classified a wide variety of adverse consequences for people who drink and their families, friends, co-workers, and others they encounter ( Edwards et al. 1994 ; Harford et al. 1991 ; Hilton 1991 a , b ). Alcohol-related problems include economic losses resulting from time off work owing to alcohol-related illness and injury, disruption of family and social relationships, emotional problems, impact on perceived health, violence and aggression, and legal problems.

The risk of such consequences for the individual varies widely and depends on the situation. However, researchers have found a general trend toward an increased risk of adverse effects on society as the average alcohol intake among individuals increases ( Mäkelä and Mustonen 1988 ; Mäkelä and Simpura 1985 ).

Alcohol use is associated with increased risk of injury in a wide variety of circumstances, including automobile crashes, falls, and fires ( Cherpitel 1992 ; Freedland et al. 1993 ; Hingson and Howland 1993 ; Hurst et al. 1994 ). Research shows that as people drink increasing quantities of alcohol, their risk of injury increases steadily and the risk begins to rise at relatively low levels of consumption ( Cherpitel et al. 1995 ). An analysis of risk in relation to alcohol use in the hours leading up to an injury has suggested that the amount of alcohol consumed during the 6 hours prior to injury is related directly to the likelihood of injury occurrence ( Vinson et al. 1995 ). The evidence showed a dose-response relationship between intake and injury risk and found no level of drinking to be without risk.

Patterns of alcohol consumption also increase the risk of violence and the likelihood that aggressive behavior will escalate ( Cherpitel 1994 ; Martin 1992 ; Martin and Bachman 1997 ; Norton and Morgan 1989 ; Zhang et al. 1997 ). Alcohol appears to interact with personality characteristics, such as impulsiveness and other factors related to a personal propensity for violence ( Lang 1993 ; Zhang et al. 1997 ). Violence-related trauma also appears to be more closely linked to alcohol dependence symptoms than to other types of alcohol-related injury ( Cherpitel 1997 ).

Patterns of moderate drinking, on the other hand, have been associated with a key health benefit—that is, a lower CHD risk. Research is now in progress to clarify the extent to which alcohol itself, or other factors or surrogates such as lifestyle, diet, exercise, or additives to alcoholic beverages, may be responsible for the lower risk. Broader means of quantifying the relationships between relative risks and specific consumption levels and patterns are needed to describe epidemiologic findings more clearly and simply, and translate them into improved public health strategies.

The Overall Impact

The overall impact of alcohol consumption on mortality can be assessed in two ways ( Rehm and Bondy 1998 ): (1) by conducting meta-analyses using epidemiologic studies that examine all factors contributing to mortality, or (2) by combining risk for various alcohol-caused diseases with a weighted prevalence or incidence of each respective disease.

The meta-analysis approach to assessing overall mortality was used by researchers to examine the results of 16 studies, 10 of which were conducted in the United States ( English et al. 1995 ). In this overview, researchers found the relationship between alcohol intake and mortality for both men and women to be J-shaped curves: the lowest observed risk for overall mortality was associated with an average of 10 grams of alcohol (less than one drink) per day for men and less for women. An average intake of 20 grams (between one and two drinks) per day for women was associated with a significantly increased risk of death compared with abstainers. The risk for women continued to rise with increased consumption and was 50 percent higher among those consuming an average of 40 grams of alcohol (between three and four drinks) per day than among abstainers. Men who averaged 30 grams of alcohol (two drinks) per day had the same mortality as abstainers, whereas a significant increase in mortality was found for those consuming at least 40 grams of alcohol per day.

The proposed J-shaped relationship between alcohol intake and mortality does not apply in all cases, however. For example, because most of the physiologic benefit of moderate drinking is confined to ischemic cardiovascular conditions, such as CHD, in areas of the world where there is little mortality from cardiovascular diseases, alcohol provides little or no reduction in overall mortality. Rather, the relationship between intake and all-cause mortality assumes more of a direct, linear shape ( Murray and Lopez 1996 c ), with increasing consumption associated with higher overall mortality. The same holds true for people under age 45, who have little ischemic cardiovascular mortality ( Andréasson et al. 1988 , 1991; Rehm and Sempos 1995 ).

Quantifying the level of disability and morbidity related to alcohol can be difficult, in large part because few standardized measures exist. One way to quantify the relationship between alcohol and health-related consequences is to use a measure called the disability-adjusted life year (DALY), which may prove useful in summarizing the effects of alcohol on the full spectrum of health outcomes.

In the Global Burden of Disease Study ( Murray and Lopez, 1996 , 1997 b ), the researchers combined years of life lost and years lived with disability into a single indicator, DALY, in which each year lived with a disability was adjusted according to the severity of the disability ( Murray and Lopez 1997 b , c ). The study found tremendous differences in alcohol’s impact on disability across different regions of the world. The most pronounced overall effect was observed in established market economies. The researchers found the smallest effect of alcohol in the Middle Eastern crescent, which is not surprising given the region’s high proportion of abstinent Islamic populations ( Murray and Lopez 1997 a ).

Epidemiologic studies have long provided evidence of the harm alcohol can cause to individual health and to society as a whole. Newer studies have identified an association between low to moderate alcohol consumption and reduced CHD risk and overall mortality. The most significant association with lower CHD risk is largely confined to middle-aged and older individuals in industrialized countries with high rates of cardiovascular diseases. Elucidation of the mechanisms by which alcohol affects CHD risk will clarify the relationship and may enable scientists to develop pharmacologic agents that could mimic or facilitate the positive effect of alcohol on health ( Hennekens 1996 ; UK Inter-Departmental Working Group 1995 ; USDA 1995 ). At this point, research clearly indicates that no pattern of drinking is without risks. However, for individuals who continue to consume alcohol, certain drinking patterns may help reduce these risks considerably.

Among teenagers and young adults in particular, the risks of alcohol use outweigh any benefits that may accrue later in life, since alcohol abuse and dependence and alcohol-related violent behavior and injuries are all too common in young people and are not easily predicted. To determine the likely net outcome of alcohol consumption, the probable risks and benefits for each drinker must be carefully weighed.

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The Truth About the Health Benefits of Alcohol

New research challenges long-held beliefs about the perks of drinking..

Posted August 10, 2024 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley

What Is Alcoholism?
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Scientists and clinicians have long debated about the health benefits conferred by alcohol use.
A worldwide study sheds light on the relationship between drinking and chronic diseases.
The findings challenge the notion of health benefits of drinking for those under 40.

Although it has been widely believed for decades that there are health benefits linked with moderate amounts of alcohol consumption, not everyone who drinks experiences health benefits from it. According to the largest study evaluating the relationship between alcohol use and chronic disease, which included over 1 billion people across the world, the safety and potential benefits of drinking alcohol depend largely on your age. Specifically, this groundbreaking study found that there are no health benefits of drinking among those who are under the age of 40 . This younger group is not only susceptible to the health risks and harms related to alcohol use (including motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and suicides related to drinking), but alcohol consumption did not benefit their health or reduce their risk of chronic diseases.

What about those who are over the age of 40?

People who are over 40 may see health benefits from alcohol use, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Reduced risks of these chronic diseases were observed among people without underlying health conditions.
These benefits are linked with the use of a limited quantity of alcohol (i.e., no more than one to two standa rd drinks per day).

What should people who drink keep in mind to stay in the “healthy” zone?

The potential health benefits of drinking small to moderate quantities of alcohol for certain people not only vanish if a person who is drinking moderately transitions to heavy drinking, but they are replaced with various potential health risks.
Health risks for those who drink heavily can include high blood pressure, liver disease, and the development of addiction .
The limited quantities of alcohol use that may be linked to health benefits for certain people over 40 are “daily” guidelines and do not apply cumulatively (i.e., “saving up” four days’ worth of daily drinks and having them all on one day is considered heavy drinking—with potential health risks rather than benefits).

If you or someone you know drinks alcohol, it is important to bring intention to the quantity that you consume, with knowledge of what is considered heavy or risky alcohol use.

How much is too much?

Consuming more than three drinks in one day for women, or more than four for men, is considered heavy drinking.
Problematic drinking is defined not only by the quantity of alcohol a person consumes, but also by one’s ability to control their use of alcohol.
When a person is losing control over their drinking, they may frequently drink more than they planned to; make rules for themselves about how much or how often they will drink but have trouble keeping them; experience withdrawal symptoms when the effects of alcohol wear off; have problems in important relationships or in meeting responsibilities because of their drinking; experience cravings; and/or find themselves continuing to drink despite some of these problems.

If you or someone you care about has trouble controlling their alcohol use, consult a professional. I cover this topic in more depth in my book, Addiction: What Everyone Needs to Know , and on my podcast .

GBD 2020 Alcohol Collaborators (2022). Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020. Lancet (London, England) , 400 (10347), 185–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00847-9

Suzette Glasner, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.

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Essay on Drinking Alcohol

Students are often asked to write an essay on Drinking Alcohol in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Drinking Alcohol

What is alcohol.

Alcohol is a drink made from fermented fruits, grains, or other sources of sugar. It’s found in beer, wine, and spirits. When people drink alcohol, it can change the way they feel and act. Many adults enjoy it in small amounts.

Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol and the law.

In many places, it’s against the law for people under a certain age, often 18 or 21, to drink alcohol. This rule helps protect young people from the risks of drinking too early.

Being Responsible

If adults choose to drink, it’s important to do so responsibly. This means not drinking too much and never driving after drinking. It’s always best to follow the rules and know your limits.

250 Words Essay on Drinking Alcohol

When someone drinks alcohol, it goes into their blood and travels to different parts of the body. It can slow down the brain, making it harder to think, move, and speak properly. This is why people who drink too much might stumble or have trouble talking. Drinking a lot of alcohol can also make someone feel sick or even pass out.

Alcohol Can Be Dangerous

Drinking too much alcohol is very dangerous. It can hurt the liver, which is a part of your body that helps clean your blood. It can also lead to accidents because it’s hard to make good choices or move safely when you’ve had too much to drink. This is why driving after drinking alcohol is against the law.

Alcohol is Not for Kids

In many places, there are rules that say people must be a certain age, usually 18 or 21, to drink alcohol. This is because alcohol can be even more harmful to young people whose bodies are still growing. It’s best for kids and teenagers to avoid alcohol to stay healthy and safe.

Remember, drinking alcohol is a serious choice that adults make, and it’s okay to say no to alcohol to take care of your health and well-being.

500 Words Essay on Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol is a liquid that can change the way our body and mind work. It is found in drinks like beer, wine, and whiskey. People drink it at parties, dinners, and sometimes to relax. It is very common around the world, but it is not for everyone. You must be a certain age to drink alcohol in most places, usually when you are an adult.

Why Do People Drink Alcohol?

The good side of drinking alcohol.

In small amounts, alcohol can make people feel happy and relaxed. Some studies say that a little bit of alcohol, like a small glass of wine each day, might be good for your heart. But this does not mean it is good for everyone. It is still important to be very careful with alcohol.

The Bad Side of Drinking Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol is not good. It can make you sick, cause headaches, and lead to bad decisions. When people drink a lot, they can become addicted, which means their body feels like it needs alcohol to feel normal. This is very dangerous and can harm their health, jobs, and families.

Alcohol and Health

For young people, alcohol is even more risky. Their bodies are still growing, and alcohol can cause problems with this growth. This is why there are laws about how old you must be to drink.

Alcohol and Society

Making choices about alcohol.

Remember, drinking alcohol is not necessary to have fun or to be part of a group. There are many ways to enjoy yourself without it. Being informed and making smart choices is the best way to take care of yourself and the people around you.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Alcohol and the brain: an overview.

Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes. Long-term heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in their size. Below are a few key topics related to alcohol and the brain.

The Adolescent Brain

Adolescent brains are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol than adult brains. Misuse of alcohol during adolescence can alter brain development, potentially resulting in long-lasting changes in brain structure and function.

Alcohol-Induced Blackouts

Alcohol misuse can cause alcohol-induced blackouts . Blackouts are gaps in a person’s memory of events that occurred while they were intoxicated. These gaps happen when a person drinks enough alcohol that it temporarily blocks the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage—known as memory consolidation—in a brain area called the hippocampus.

Alcohol Overdose

Continuing to drink despite clear signs of significant impairments can result in an alcohol overdose . An alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. Symptoms of alcohol overdose include mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizure, trouble breathing, slow heart rate, clammy skin, dulled responses (such as no gag reflex, which prevents choking), and extremely low body temperature. Alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

Alcohol Use Disorder

As individuals continue to drink alcohol over time, progressive changes can occur in the structure and function of their brains. These changes can compromise brain function and drive the transition from controlled, occasional use to chronic misuse, which can be difficult to control and lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD). Individuals with moderate to severe AUD may enter a cycle of alcohol addiction . The extent of the brain’s ability to return to normal following long-term sobriety is not fully understood, but a growing number of studies indicate that at least some AUD-induced brain changes—and the changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that accompany them—can improve and possibly reverse with months of abstinence from drinking. (More detail about the neuroscience of AUD is provided in the Neuroscience: The Brain in Addiction and Recovery section of The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol .)

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause brain damage, leading to a range of developmental, cognitive, and behavioral problems, which can appear at any time during childhood. Alcohol can disrupt fetal development at any stage during a pregnancy—including at the earliest stages and before a woman knows she is pregnant.

For more information about alcohol and brain health , please visit the Alcohol and the Brain topic page.

niaaa.nih.gov

An official website of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

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Alcoholism: Causes, Risk Factors, and Symptoms

Introduction, causes of alcoholism, effects of alcoholism, works cited.

The term alcoholism may be used to refer to a wide range of issues associated with alcohol. Simply put, it is a situation whereby an individual cannot stay without alcohol. An alcoholic usually drinks alcohol uncontrollably and persistently.

Alcoholism usually leads to ill health, and it affects relationships between the individual and the people around him. It may also be considered as a disease and may be referred to as an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol abuse may also cause damage to vital organs in the human body, including the brain and heart (Mukamal et al. 1965). Therefore, it may lead to psychiatric and medical issues. Psychiatric disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia, may occur.

Others include phobias, dysthymia, mania, and depression. Alcoholism may also cause neurologic deficits. These deficits may be manifested through certain impairments such as brain damage and memory loss. Such individuals also have difficulty executing certain functions and may experience issues with body balance and gait.

The brain might be affected as certain changes occur in its structure and chemistry. With time, a person develops physical dependence and tolerance. This causes the inability to stop drinking and causes complications as one tries to stop the habit.

This is particularly referred to as alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Identifying alcoholics for the purpose of treatment may be difficult since such individuals may avoid seeking help due to stigmatization. However, certain factors influence the risk for the condition.

These factors include mental health, depression, age, gender, ethnicity, and family history (Mukamal et al. 1965). This paper will discuss the genetic and environmental factors that cause alcoholism and highlight the complications, conditions, and diseases associated with the disorder.

The main causes of this disorder may be categorized into two. These include genetic and environmental factors. The genetic material that determines the metabolism of the drink also influences the risk of the disorder. Persons with a family history of the disorder may also develop it.

A particular study argued that the expression of genes was influenced if an individual started using alcoholic beverages at an early stage in life (Agrawal et al. 69). This increased the risk of alcohol dependence among such individuals.

Persons with a genetic disposition to the disorder would most probably start drinking at an early stage. Individuals who start drinking at an early stage are also more likely to develop alcoholism. It is also argued that 40% of alcoholics misuse alcohol by the time they are in their late adolescent stage. However, certain researchers disagree with this idea (Schwandt et al., 74).

Individuals who do not receive support from family and friends are highly likely to develop alcoholism. Therefore, some social and emotional factors may cause an ex-drinker to start drinking again. For example, mental and emotional stress can contribute to alcoholism.

An individual under the influence of alcohol may not be able to feel the pain associated with stress. With the normal alcohol intake, an individual’s brain might be at some equilibrium. When the individual tries to quit, the brain responds. This response may come in terms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

These feelings cause chemical imbalances that force an alcoholic to go back to drinking in order to feel better. Social and cultural pressures from media and other sources may also affect the drinking habits of an individual. The media’s portrayal of alcohol as a pleasurable and beneficial drink may encourage individuals to start drinking or cause ex-drinkers to return to their old habits (Bierut et al. 237).

The damaging effect of alcohol on the nervous system is more profound among adolescents and those with a genetic disposition to the disorder. These effects may cause the degeneration of the cerebral cortex. Consequently, this increases impulse behavior that may lead to alcoholism.

Despite the severe damages to the central nervous system due to alcoholism, it is possible to reverse some of the damages through withdrawal from the drug. Another risk factor is the availability of alcohol. This drug is most commonly abused. In terms of popularity, beer may come next after water and tea.

The difference in genetic characteristics also determines the risk of developing the disorder. This is mainly because different races have certain different genetic characteristics.

Therefore, they differ in terms of alcohol metabolism. The difference in genetic makeup may explain the difference in the rate of alcohol dependence among the different races.

The genetic component that determines the rate at which alcohol metabolizes is referred to as the alcohol dehydrogenase allele. The Native Americans and African Americans are said to have an allele that is not highly associated with alcohol dependence. The Native Americans, on the other hand, are more likely to develop alcohol dependence.

The effects of alcohol abuse are diverse. Consumption of excess alcohol may lead to several diseases and complications. For example, it may lead to the inflammation of the pancreas, liver disease, and cancers. Alcohol-related cancers are believed to form as the elements in the alcoholic drink are converted into acetaldehyde. This is a potent carcinogen.

Different parts of the body may host the cancerous cells. These areas include the liver, breast, and mouth. The larynx and the throat are also likely to be affected. Alcoholics who take tobacco have an increased risk of cancers (Bierut et al. 237).

Liver cirrhosis is another condition that may occur as a result of excessive drinking of alcohol. This is manifested through the scarring of the organ to such an extent that it cannot perform its functions. However, some individuals who drink moderately have also been shown to suffer from the disease (Mukamal et al. 1965).

Pregnant alcoholic mothers may also cause problems for the unborn. Fetal alcohol syndrome may result from such habits. Excessive use of alcohol may cause impaired brain development and brain shrinkage. Although the brain normally shrinks in old age, excessive use of alcohol increases this rate. With the increased rate, such individuals are likely to develop dementia and have memory issues.

Alcoholism also increases the risk of cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. Excessive use of the beverage may cause an increase in the level of toxic amino acid in the plasma. This may be the reason why some individuals suffer from withdrawal seizures.

Alcohol abuse may also cause issues with memory and may impair learning. Alcoholism may also greatly affect the brain. For example, brain lesions are likely to occur. Alcohol-related brain damage comes about due to a combination of several factors.

Alcoholism may also cause heart attacks and strokes. Abuse of alcohol increases the risks of a heart attack. Some studies have shown that drinking alcohol in moderation may offer some level of protection to individuals against heart attack (Mukamal et al. 1965).

This applies specifically to individuals who had suffered a heart attack before. Prolonged use of alcohol in large quantities also causes alcohol cardiomyopathy. This disease affects the muscles of the heart. As the heart muscles fail, this may lead to heart failure.

Alcoholism is also associated with alcohol-related death. Many deaths worldwide have been attributed to the excessive use of alcohol (Doll et al. 199). Individuals who use alcohol excessively are at a higher risk of death than those who take alcohol moderately. Individuals with diseases that may be augmented by the excessive use of alcohol are also at great risk of alcohol-related death. Such diseases include oral cancers and liver disease.

Another effect of alcoholism is anemia. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages causes a reduction in the number of erythrocytes. This condition is referred to as anemia. Since red blood cells are used to transport oxygen around the body, the low level of oxygen due to low numbers of the cells leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

Alcoholism may either be caused by genetic or environmental factors. Persons with a genetic disposition to the disorder are likely to start drinking and become alcoholics. Genetic variations may determine the difference in alcohol metabolism.

The environmental factors that may cause alcoholism include the availability of alcohol and sociocultural pressures. Certain environmental factors lead to depression that may encourage alcoholism. The effects of alcoholism are diverse. Alcoholism may lead to diseases such as liver disease, heart disease, and cancers. Excessive use of alcohol may affect almost all vital organs of the body and may eventually lead to death.

Agrawal, Arpana, et al. “Evidence for an interaction between age at 1 st drink and genetic influences on DSM-IV alcohol dependence symptoms.” Alcoholism Clinical & Experimental Research 33.12 (2010): 67-80. Print.

Bierut, Laura, et al. “Co-occurring risk factors for alcohol dependence and habitual smoking.” Alcohol Research & Health 24.4 (2000): 233-241. Print.

Doll, Richard, et al . “Mortality in relation to alcohol consumption: A prospective study among male British doctors.” International Journal of Epidemiology 34.1 (2005): 199-204. Print.

Mukamal, Kenneth, et al. “Prior alcohol consumption and mortality following acute myocardial infarction.” JAMA 285.15 (2001): 1965-1970. Print.

Schwandt, Melanie, et al. “Alcohol response and consumption in adolescent rhesus macaques: Life history and genetic influences.” International Biomedical Journal 44.1 (2010): 67-80. Print.

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Alcoholism: Its Causes and Effects Essay

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Introduction

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Alcoholism, 2000), alcohol is among the three largest causes of preventable mortality in the United States. Contributing to approximately 100,000 deaths annually, only tobacco and diet/activity patterns contribute to greater death tolls. The Council also estimates that, despite laws against underage drinking, approximately 13.8 million Americans over the age of 18, representing about seven percent of the population, have experienced difficulty controlling their alcohol consumption, including 8.1 million people who are alcoholics. It is particularly disturbing to note that the prevalence of drinking problems is among those individuals within the 18 to 29 age group with a greater number of men experiencing problems than women by a factor of almost three to one. Despite laws against underage drinking, more than half of all high school seniors in this country have reported being drunk at least once and a third of them have reported have three or more drinks in a row in the weeks prior to the survey while another 76 million people, almost half of all Americans, have reported being exposed to alcoholism within the home (Alcoholism, 2000). These numbers are particularly alarming as studies continue to show that individuals who have started drinking before age 15 are up to four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who started at age 21 and there is a greater tendency for alcoholism to run within family lines. Alcohol can affect not only the physical health of the individual but can have long-term repercussions on their psychology and social life as well, strongly affecting the way they relate to the world and those around them and only controllable through life-long voluntary measures such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Physically, alcohol can have a dramatic impact upon an individual’s body particularly as it affects the liver. According to Dennis Koop (2007), alcohol damages the body in numerous ways thanks to the way in which it processes the substance when it is introduced. As alcohol enters the liver, it is metabolized by an enzyme called CYP2E1. In this process, toxicity levels are increased in the production of compounds Koop calls reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are formed when oxygen gains an electron, thus reducing the levels of oxygen in the body and functioning to damage other cellular molecules. Animals who have been treated with this compound have proven that the presence of CYP2E1 does indeed increase the level of chemical damage in the body by free radicals, particularly as they affect the lipid components of cell membranes in the liver cells (Dey & Cederbaum, 2006). This is because when the levels of CYP2E1 are high, there is a greater level of lipid peroxidation within the liver, thus a lower ability of the liver to fight against the toxins that have been introduced (Koop, 2007). Thus, the liver damage widely suspected to be directly caused by alcohol consumption is proven and unavoidable. With this knowledge in hand, it becomes a concern regarding why individuals might continue to choose to drink to the point of it becoming an uncontrollable habit.

According to reports by Psych Central, alcoholism does appear to have some hereditary connections. Those individuals who learn they have a high tolerance for alcohol should also be alerted to the fact that they may also have a greater tendency to fall victim to alcoholism while those who have a low tolerance generally do not develop alcoholic tendencies (Psych Central, 2006). This concept is supported by studies conducted with identical twins. According to Hicks et al (2004), “identical twins have a higher concordance for drinking behavior and possibly alcoholism than fraternal twins”, who do not share the same genetic record. In a twin study involving 542 families, there was a trait found for conduct disorder and alcohol dependence that was determined to be highly heritable regardless of gender. At the same time, it was also determined that a father’s alcohol intake could predict children’s alcohol dependence later in life (Hicks et al, 2004). While this did not indicate that all children of heavy-drinking fathers would grow up to become alcoholic, the combination of poor environment caused by the father’s heavy drinking (i.e. – lack of solid parent-child relationships and poor peer groups) with these hereditary danger signs created a difficult scenario for these children to escape.

Alcoholism is not always the result of hereditary factors, however. For example, while addictive personality can also contribute to the development of alcoholism, there has not been a single type of addictive personality positively identified with alcoholism and these personality types are not considered to be hereditary (Gold, 2006). Nevertheless, there are many addictive personality types who also become alcoholics despite the absence of the illness within the family line. Instead, it is presumed that these personalities turn to alcohol as a result of anti-social behavior within the home, perhaps as the result of poor home life or abusive parent or sibling. It is also not believed that alcoholism is the cause of aggressive behavior in individuals as not everyone who drinks becomes aggressive with the introduction of alcohol. “In trying to elucidate the relationship between alcohol consumption and aggression, researchers have suggested that people with a psychiatric condition called antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may be particularly susceptible to alcohol-related aggression” (Moeller & Dougherty, 2001). Given that the illness is so complex, involving so many factors including heredity, environment, childhood influences, personality characteristics, and disorders, finding a cure for alcoholism has been impossible. However, there has been some support for self-help groups in maintaining control over the disease for those willing to put in the effort.

The most well-known of these groups is known throughout the world as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This organization was founded in 1935 as a means of providing a supportive peer group to individuals battling their own issues concerning alcohol consumption. The program is centered upon the concept of total abstinence from alcohol consumption and provides a series of 12 steps that participants are expected to work through as a means of breaking their addiction to alcohol (Mayo Clinic, 2006). Analyzing the quality of life issues, research suggests that participation in these programs does indeed have a positive effect on recovering alcoholics. Referring to Alcoholics Anonymous and similar programs as Mutual Help programs, a study conducted by Ritsher, McKellar et al (2002) indicated participation in the program during the first and second year of sobriety had “a robust relationship with year 5 … remission for both groups.” It was hypothesized that this was due to the increased peer support with like-minded people. An earlier study on the same subject indicated “previous research suggests the relationship between mutual help and positive (Substance Use Disorder) outcomes is mediated by such factors as increased active coping, improved social support for abstinence and improved self-efficacy” (Finney, 1995). Another study followed several men who were first interviewed at their admission to treatment and six months later. According to this study, of the 80 percent of individuals who were re-interviewed, significant improvements were seen regarding drinking behaviors in terms of frequency, quantity, and reported problems. “Frequent AA attendees had superior drinking outcomes to non-AA attendees and infrequent attendees (Gossop, M. et al, 2003). In a Harvard mental health letter (In Brief, 2003), men who had at least four drinks a day were interviewed yearly for a period of two years after hospital release. “At the time they were hospitalized, only 9 percent of the men had attended more than 10 AA meetings in the previous three months. After one year, that figure had risen to 56 percent, and after two years, it was 49 percent.” These men were also reported to have fewer alcohol-related problems and were drinking less.

Not all the research supports the idea that quality of life without alcohol is directly correlated to Alcohol Anonymous meeting attendance, though. Taking a more objective approach, Watson et al (1997) compared four groups of men on issues such as alcohol consumption, number of times jailed, hospitalization, detoxifications, lost jobs, and other related factors during the period of one year. Because they were grouped by the number of Alcoholic Anonymous meetings they attended during their first month after discharge, it was possible to compare whether active participation in the program had any effect on the quality of life following treatment. “Attending meetings frequently did not make a difference among the groups on the average amount of alcohol drank daily,” however, those who attended meetings drank less alcohol daily on average than those who did not attend meetings. Although those who attended meetings were jailed fewer times than non-attenders, other quality of life measures that were compared did not show any significant differences.

There is a personal testimony that Alcoholics Anonymous or similar programs have brought about significant quality of life changes. For many, the changes in lifestyle can be profound. According to one man who had known the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous and achieved his own lifetime sobriety in 1934, it was through the precursor to the 12-step program that he was able to save his marriage. “Houck lost his wife to cancer in 1988, but believes the lessons learned from the Oxford Group gave him a life he had not been sure was possible. ‘A marriage that wasn’t supposed to last one year lasted 57 years.’” (August 2004). These types of changes are thought to be the result of significant changes in personal worldview.

Hoffman (2003) describes the mental progression, or moral career, of entry and participation in these programs as a series of states that were first outlined in a study on psychiatric patients. “Light’s (1980) study of the moral career of psychiatric residents proposes a singular model of residents’ socialization, consisting of five stages: feeling discredited, moral confusion, numbness and exhaustion, moral transition, and self-affirmation.” The first stage is the point at which Hoffman suggests the alcoholic is brought into treatment, whether by self-volition or court, or another mandate. They are discredited by the community at large, by themselves, and then by the members of the meetings as they learn their thinking has been completely false all along. This leads to a state of moral confusion, in which the participant is struggling to identify which beliefs are incorrect and which are acceptable moral behavior. Acceptance of the 12 steps of the program leads to a highly optimistic “pink cloud period of recovery” that “contrasts sharply with the period of isolation and alienation that characterized the member’s life before entering AA.” This is followed by a period of exhaustion that, if successfully navigated, leads to a “moral transition” that allows the participant to “relieve the anxiety and guilt stemming from her past deviance” (Hoffman, 2003). Through this type of experience, another member of Alcoholics Anonymous explains “you’re no better and you’re no worse than the person sitting next to you, but you’re all better for being there and for trying” (Orange, 2004). This interaction enables participants to remain open to change and explore new behaviors in a relatively ‘safe’ setting. “A 51-year-old African American male AA member said that his recovery program made it possible for the first time to get along with other people and to learn necessary social skills, such as being able to tolerate criticism, put up with frustration and accept the viewpoints of others” (Kurtz & Fisher, 2003).

Most research suggests the reason for these significant changes in quality of life is thanks to the inherent nature of such groups to provide an empowering setting in which these individuals can redefine and relearn necessary living skills. “Researchers who investigated empowering settings identified the contextual characteristics as critical to the formation of psychological empowerment” (Maton & Salem, 1995) which “leads to organizational empowerment by providing strengths and competencies needed for social action” (Rappaport, 1984; Zimmerman, 1995). Organizers of successful programs say “our mission is not just to get people to stop drinking. It’s all about living a better quality of life. … This is a chronic illness, and we’ve learned that people need a continuum of aftercare services. We don’t send people home cured. We empower them to understand their addiction and make changes in their lives” (Newhouse, 1999).

That this empowerment does happen can be seen in the various individuals who have proceeded from their participation in Alcoholics Anonymous to affect change in their greater communities as these experiences with others helped them reshape their ideas and their methods of communicating with others as they redefined what was important to them and changed their perspective to include others. One man described his awakening to the value of “knowing oneself and one’s culture. NA led me to go on a quest to meet my family in Cuba. I took the program with me to Cuba and would never have done that in a million years if it wasn’t for NA. Coming back and working with the community, I saw how I am representing my Hispanic side in terms of the frustrations, substance abuse and poverty. I look at the numbers of who’s dropping [out of school], and its Latino young men and women. … NA has taught me how to be strong and how to take on a fight and make a change” (Kurtz & Fisher, 2003). Another individual reported the recovery process, which included attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, gave her the self-confidence and ability to challenge herself. “I’m the type of person who just can’t be happy with the status quo. I’ve never been that way. Sometimes you accept the status quo because it’s bigger than you in a sense, but I don’t have to believe in it … So I constantly try to keep my values and ideals up front. Recovery has given me the strength and the wherewithal to do that” (Kurtz & Fisher, 2003). Although these people have elected to go into community service with their newfound abilities, these cases provide tangible evidence of the boost in quality of life afforded those who have such secure places in which to correct misguided thinking and gain support for an alcohol-free lifestyle.

It can and has been argued that a large degree of the success of the Alcoholics Anonymous program is due to the spiritual path upon which it sets its members’ feet. Although the 12 steps as outlined specifically outline a spiritual path, it particularly steps 2 and 3 that address the issue directly, calling on members to “believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity” and to make “a decision to turn our lives over to the care of God as we understand him.” It is important to note that this is phrased as a completely non-denominational, non-religious context, allowing members to believe in the ocean if that was what it took to find a power they could not stop and therefore greater than themselves. By introducing members to a world that exists beyond themselves and providing the space necessary for individuals to absolve themselves of guilt and obtain forgiveness for past deeds as well as a way of making up for past wrongs by encouraging active participation in some form, Alcoholics Anonymous provides a doorway into a new life.

This process is begun within the first three steps of the program and is reinforced throughout the 12 steps and the cycle of continuation outlined within the program. It is also essential to its members’ success within the program. “AA’s world view asserts that self-centeredness lies at the heart of alcoholics’ suffering; hence, overcoming alcoholism requires overcoming self-centeredness by committing to helping others and by surrendering to a higher power” (Humphreys & Kaskutas, 1995). In one study regarding spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous, one member of the group said “AA makes you aware of other people. I think the major problem with most of us is that we were always too concerned about ourselves. Now, it’s different. You have to realize that alcoholism is a physical, mental, and spiritual affliction and that AA is more than just not drinking – it’s a way of life, a spiritual philosophy” (Rudy & Greil, 1987, p. 54).

For many alcoholics, the deeds they have done in neglecting their families and supporting their habits may have proven too much to bear, driving them to further drink as a means of forgetting about them. To bring these individuals out of this cycle, the spiritual journey of Alcoholics Anonymous includes the confession of past wrongs and a direct atonement where applicable or indirect atonement in the form of community involvement (within the Alcoholics Anonymous group at least) for those cases in which direct interaction would cause more harm than good. It is by going through this process that these individuals are able to both face the wrongs they have done and receive encouragement to continue on the path of recovery. One man, “After he decided on Dec. 12, 1934, that he would never drink alcohol again, he made restitution with his wife and others he had harmed. ‘I started telling my wife what kind of a fellow I was,’ he says. ‘I did this for three nights to get all of the garbage out. I wanted to be honest about everything in my life.’ He says his wife was grateful for the talk and then understood his behavior. ‘Now we could start our family and raise the children with the same guidelines. We had family quiet time every day. That’s the way we raised the whole family.’” (August 2004).

Through the increased or introduced spirituality offered through 12 step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or any of the many other programs that have developed for various other disordered behavior/addictions, participants in these programs are able to find a path to a better quality of life and a more complete way of interacting with other people. Both research and personal testimony have demonstrated that this seems to be the case, with varying degrees of agreement regarding the impact on quality of life. Yet even the most pessimistic of research studies have indicated that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous leads to a reduction in alcohol usage, which subsequently leads to a reduction in alcohol-related problems including imprisonment. Meanwhile, connections have been made between the level of spiritual involvement and the length of time spent actively within the program, showing a cyclical relationship in which spirituality feeds recovery and recovery feeds spirituality. Although it is apparent that alcoholism isn’t curable thanks to a variety of mitigating circumstances, it can be controlled when those affected by it are willing to put in the necessary work and find a positive and supportive group to join.

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Work as a Reflective Practitioner: Personal Experience
Critical Issues in Education: Drug Abuse and Alcoholism
Alcoholics Anonymous Program Evaluation
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BREAKING: Arrest made in connection with accidental overdose death of Matthew Perry

Just how bad is alcohol? Eight experts weigh in on the risks and supposed benefits of drinking

Hand of young man holding red wine glass

Although it’s common knowledge that drinking too much is unhealthy, research sometimes conflicts about where the dividing line is between permissible and risky alcohol consumption — and whether drinking a small amount could come with any health benefits.

In the last few months alone, two large studies have further complicated the picture: A March analysis found that moderate drinkers do not have a lower risk of death than lifetime nondrinkers, while a June study found that heart health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption could be linked to the way it can reduce stress activity in the brain.

Meanwhile, a study published last month showed that deaths related to excessive drinking are rising in the United States, especially among women .

So how harmful is a weekly or even nightly glass of wine? NBC News spoke to eight nutritionists and doctors about the risks and supposed benefits of alcohol. They generally agreed that abstaining is healthiest, but that for most people, a modest level of drinking doesn’t carry significant risk.

The notion that drinking may somehow improve health, they said, is misguided.

“There’s no absolute safe level of drinking,” said Tim Stockwell, former director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. “We usually underestimate the risks from alcohol because we’re so familiar with it.”

What to make of studies suggesting health benefits of drinking

Perhaps the most common myth about the benefits of alcohol is the idea that an occasional glass of red wine boosts heart health.

Over the last few decades, several studies have found a link between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of heart disease. However, experts said such research does not necessarily account for the possibility that light drinking can be associated with other healthy lifestyle factors, like being active and eating a balanced diet, or that participants who don’t drink may have experienced negative health effects of alcohol before deciding to go sober.

Dr. Krishna Aragam, a cardiologist and researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, said some past research has found that light to moderate drinkers may be more likely to have lower body mass index, eat more vegetables and engage in more physical activity than people who do not drink at all.

“There is a general theory that maybe people who can impose moderation with regards to how much alcohol they consume are also more able to impose moderation broadly in other aspects of their life,” Aragam said.

Aragam co-authored a 2022 study that also found a trend of healthy lifestyle habits among light to moderate drinkers, but concluded nonetheless that any level of alcohol consumption increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk increased exponentially with heavier drinking, defined as more than eight drinks per week.

When it comes to the red wine myth, Dr. Zhaoping Li, division chief of clinical nutrition at UCLA Health, pointed out that the antioxidant thought to benefit the heart is also found in the skins of red grapes.

“I never would recommend to someone, ‘Go ahead and drink wine, even if you don’t like it, because you’re going to be less likely to have a heart attack,’” Li said.

How much alcohol is unhealthy?

The long-term health risks of drinking include liver and heart disease, a weakened immune system and several types of cancer. Studies have also shown that drinking large quantities of alcohol in one sitting or even a single drink a day can raise blood pressure.

U.S. dietary guidelines define a moderate, low-health-risk alcohol intake as one drink or less per day for women and two or less for men. (That does not apply, however, to people who are pregnant, have medical conditions that can be worsened by drinking or take medications that interact with alcohol.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides a screening tool to help people assess their level of alcohol consumption based on individual health factors.

But Canada’s revised guidelines on alcohol , released in January, advise far less drinking: They list two drinks per week as a moderate, low-risk level.

Li said she generally tells people not to drink more than two or three times per week.

“Let’s say I’m going to drink alcohol, I know it’s going to come with calories and energy,” Li said. “So for dinner, I will drink the wine, I’ll have vegetables and fish, but I’m not going to have bread and other things that come with energy.”

When should you cut down on drinking?

Estimates suggest that more than 140,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol-related deaths have climbed nationally in the past few years: The U.S. saw a 25% spike in deaths during the first year of the pandemic, a trend that particularly affected middle-aged adults .

Katherine Keyes, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said her research has shown that adolescents drink less than they did a few decades ago, while drinking rates have risen among young and middle-aged adults.

For people who drink several times a week and do not have alcohol dependency, even slightly reducing intake can have significant health benefits, Keyes added.

“It’s not that ‘OK, you think you’re drinking too much, now you can’t drink at all’ — that health advice turns a lot of people off,” Keyes said. “Thinking about drinking as a continuum, not a binary, is an approach that we think will be really useful for improving population health.”

Emma Laing, director of dietetics at the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences, said she decided to be sober in 2020, after considering the health consequences of alcohol and a history of breast cancer in her family.

For people trying to cut down on drinking, Laing said she recommends balancing alcohol with nonalcoholic drinks, drinking slowly and consuming a meal before drinking. She often brings her own nonalcoholic beer or wine to social gatherings, Laing said, and most bartenders are happy to make a mocktail.

“Sometimes the toughest part about living a sober life or taking an alcohol break comes from peer pressure among those around you — even strangers — who question why you are abstaining from alcohol,” Laing said. “I have found that having a nonalcoholic alternative in my hand will reduce this type of societal pressure.”

Maia Pandey is an intern at NBC News.

Negative Effects of Alcohol Essay, with Outline

Published by gudwriter on January 4, 2021 January 4, 2021

Effects of Alcoholism Essay Outline

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Thesis: Although praised by many as a way to pass time and relax, alcohol can affect an individually financially, socially, and psychologically.

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Financial Impact

Alcohol drinkers may suffer other economic consequences such as low wages, loss of employment, increased medical expenses, and legal expenses.
In some countries, alcoholics lose their eligibility for loans.
In Cameroon, the cost of a single beer is more than the minimum daily wage of most individuals.
In India and Malaysia, alcoholics are faced with challenges such as debt, illnesses, and injuries.
Alcohol is closely related to poverty.

Social Impact

The people that are most affected by alcoholism are the immediate family members.
Impairment of an individual’s performance as a parent, partner and how he or she contributes to the normal functioning of a household.
Heavy drinkers are known to have impaired judgement that can lead to one becoming violent.
The social impact of alcoholism can be related to its physical effects.
For example, for a heavily drinking mother, an unborn child may suffer from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Read on essays examples on topics such as abortion .
Parental drinking may lead to child abuse among other negative consequences on a child .

Psychological Impact

One of the most significant psychological impact is an increase in suicidal tendencies.
Alcohol has a negative impact on the brain explained through a form of liver damage referred to as hepatic encephalopathy.
The effects of hepatic encephalopathy includes; altered sleep pattern, changes in mood and personality, depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions.
There are also cognitive effects such as a reduction in attention and issues with coordination.

Effects of Drinking Alcohol

Alcoholism is a common problem in many communities. It is persistent in many societies since alcohol consumption is considered as an attractive leisure activity by many. While this may be and actually is the case, alcohol has a negative impact on health. Its effects also often spill over to people who do not consume it when it gets to a level of addiction whereby many have to turn to relatives and loved ones to source for money with which to sustain their wasteful spending on alcoholism. Although praised by many as a way to pass time and relax, alcohol can affect an individual financially, socially, and psychologically.

The financial impact of alcohol is significant especially to the poor. In any session of alcohol consumption, heavy drinkers tend to spend a lot. Sometimes, alcohol drinkers may suffer other economic consequences such as low wages, loss of employment, increased medical expenses, and legal expenses. In some countries, alcoholics lose their eligibility for loans. In Sri Lanka for instance, a report revealed that at least 7% of men spent much on alcohol than they actually earned. In Cameroon, the cost of a single beer is more than the minimum daily wage of most individuals (Tamfuh, 2016). In India and Malaysia, alcoholics are faced with such serious challenges as debt, illnesses, and injuries (Armitage et al., 2015). Exacerbation of poverty and burden on women is another common occurrence facing most alcoholics. A majority of alcoholic men are faced with the constant need to source for extra income through such activities as stealing to sustain their behavior of alcoholism. In the long-run, their families end up in unimaginable debts and suffering.

Here, the people that are most affected by alcoholism are the immediate family members. It is proven that drinking too much alcohol impairs an individual’s performance as a parent and partner, and how he or she contributes to the normal functioning of a household. The situation can have a long lasting impact on children and partners, and is therefore a very serious one. For instance, heavy drinkers are known to have impaired judgment that can lead to them becoming violent (Kaufmann et al., 2014). Such an individual might turn against their partner or children and when this happens, it could have far-reaching effects on the lives of spouses and children.

The social impact of alcoholism can also be related to its physical effects. For example, for a heavily drinking mother, an unborn child may suffer from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder . After birth, parental drinking may lead to child abuse among other negative consequences on a child. The child may end up suffering socially, psychologically, and economically.

There are numerous psychological effects of alcoholism . One of the most significant effect in this respect is an increase in suicidal tendencies whereby studies have shown that at least 15% of alcoholics end up committing suicide. In the same breadth, alcohol has a negative impact on the brain, explained through a form of liver damage referred to as hepatic encephalopathy. It is a disease that affects the normal functioning of the brain when the liver cannot perform its functions well. There are several psychological effects associated with this disease. Some of these effects include altered sleep patterns, changes in mood and personality, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions (Vilstrup et al., 2014). There are also cognitive effects such as a reduction in attention and issues with coordination.

Undoubtedly, alcoholism has an adverse impact on the financial, social, and psychological environment of the victim. The worst scenario is that alcoholism tends to affect others such as the immediate family members. It is a problem that has the potential to destroy families if not well checked. It can destroy the lives of children and as well interfere with the wellbeing of spouses of alcoholics. It is especially concerning that it is a problem that affects both men and women. In this respect, there is need to find ways through which the problem of alcoholism may be comprehensively addressed.

Armitage, C. J., Panagioti, M., Rahim, W. A., Rowe, R., & O’Connor, R. C. (2015). Completed suicides and self-harm in Malaysia: a systematic review. General hospital psychiatry , 37 (2), 153-165.

Kaufmann, V. G., O’farrell, T. J., Murphy, C. M., Murphy, M. M., & Muchowski, P. (2014). Alcohol consumption and partner violence among women entering substance use disorder treatment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors , 28 (2), 313.

Tamfuh, W. Y. (2016). Drugs and drug control in Cameroon. Pan-African Issues in Drugs and Drug Control: An International Perspective , 17.

Vilstrup, H., Amodio, P., Bajaj, J., Cordoba, J., Ferenci, P., Mullen, K. D., … & Wong, P. (2014). Hepatic encephalopathy in chronic liver disease: 2014 practice guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Hepatology , 60 (2), 715-735.

Undoubtedly, alcoholism has an adverse impact on the financial, social and psychological environment of the victim. The worst scenario is that alcoholism tends to affect others such as the immediate family members.

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Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds

Virtually any amount increased the risk for cancer, and there were no heart benefits, the researchers reported.

A view from over a person’s shoulder. The person is lifting up a full glass of wine with their right hand in a softly-lit wine bar.

By Roni Caryn Rabin

Even light drinking was associated with an increase in cancer deaths among older adults in Britain, researchers reported on Monday in a large study. But the risk was accentuated primarily in those who had existing health problems or who lived in low-income areas.

The study, which tracked 135,103 adults aged 60 and older for 12 years, also punctures the long-held belief that light or moderate alcohol consumption is good for the heart.

The researchers found no reduction in heart disease deaths among light or moderate drinkers, regardless of this health or socioeconomic status, when compared with occasional drinkers.

The study defined light drinking as a mean alcohol intake of up to 20 grams a day for men and up to 10 grams daily for women. (In the United States, a standard drink is 14 grams of alcohol .)

“We did not find evidence of a beneficial association between low drinking and mortality,” said Dr. Rosario Ortolá, an assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the lead author of the paper, which was published in JAMA Network Open.

On the other hand, she added, alcohol probably raises the risk of cancer “from the first drop.”

The findings add to a mounting body of evidence that is shifting the paradigm in alcohol research. Scientists are turning to new methodologies to analyze the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption in an attempt to correct what some believe were serious flaws in earlier research, which appeared to show that there were benefits to drinking.

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Association of lifestyle behaviors with quality of life in patients with copd: a cross-sectional study in primary care.

1. Introduction

2. materials and methods, 2.1. design and sample, 2.2. data collection, 2.3. study tools, 2.3.1. the healthy lifestyle index, 2.3.2. copd assessment test (cat) questionnaire, 2.4. statistical analysis, 3.1. healthy lifestyle behaviors and copd-specific quality of life, 3.2. subgroup and separate analyses, 4. discussion, limitations, 5. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

Demographic Characteristics	Overall N = 236	Poor HLI Group (HLI = 2 or Lower) N = 113	Optimal HLI Group (HLI = 3 or Higher) N = 123	p-Value
Age (years)	68 ± 9	67 ± 8	69 ± 9	0.029
Age group ≥ 60 years	191 (81)	87 (77)	104 (85)	0.140
				0.462
Male	158 (67)	73 (65)	85 (69)
Female	78 (33)	40 (35)	38 (1)
				0.423
Rural	94 (40)	42 (37)	52 (42)
Urban	142 (60)	71 (63)	71 (58)
				0.333
Primary level	112 (47)	50 (45)	62 (50)
Secondary level	90 (38)	49 (43)	41 (33)
Higher level	34 (15)	14 (12)	20 (17)
				0.292
No	42 (18)	23 (20)	19 (15)
Yes	194 (82)	90 (80)	104 (85)

Healthy Lifestyle Factors	Overall N = 236	Poor HLI Group (HLI = 2 or Lower) N = 113	Optimal HLI Group (HLI = 3 or Higher) N = 123	p-Value

Non-/former smokers	119 (50)	32 (28)	87 (71)	<0.001

At least 150 min/week	75 (32)	8 (7)	67 (55)	<0.001

Less than 14 units/week	218 (92)	98 (87)	120 (98)	0.002

Less than 30 kg/m	133 (56)	43 (38)	90 (73)	<0.001

Adequate sleep (7–9 h)	60 (25%)	12 (11%)	48 (39%)
	2.6 (0.9)	1.7 ± 0.5	3.3 ±0.6	<0.001

CAT score	12.4 ±5.9	14.2 ± 5.9	10.7 ±5.5	<0.001
CAT score ≥ 10	155 (66)	89 (79)	66 (54)	<0.001
Exacerbations ≥ 2	34 (14)	19 (17)	15 (12)	0.313

Hypertension	130 (55)	64 (57)	66 (54)	0.646
Coronary artery disease (CAD)	53 (23)	22 (20)	31 (25)	0.292
Atrial Fibrillation	20 (9)	8 (7)	12 (10)	0.461
Other type of arrhythmia	13 (6)	7 (6)	6 (5)	0.658
Heart failure	13 (6)	8 7)	5 (4)	0.311
Cerebrovascular accident	5 (2)	3 (3)	2 (2)	0.583
Transient ischemic attack	2 (1)	1 (1)	1 (1)	0.952
Gastroesophageal reflux	34 (14)	18 (16)	16 (13)	0.523
Cancer	26 (11)	12 (11)	14 (11)	0.980
Diabetes type 2	73 (31)	41 (36)	32 (26)	0.088
Dyslipidemia	138 (59)	66 (58)	72 (59)	0.984
Osteoporosis	31 (13)	13 (12)	18 (15)	0.477
Asthma	41 (17)	20 (18)	21 (17)	0.945
Anxiety Disorder	14 (6)	7 (6)	7 (6)	0.870
Depression	30 (13)	18 (16)	12 (10)	0.155
Obstructive Sleep apnea	32 (14)	17 (15)	15 (12)	0.523
Rheumatic disease	16 (7)	11 (10)	5 (4)	0.084

	Non-Adjusted OR (95% CI) p-Value	Model I OR (95% CI) p-Value	Model II OR (95% CI) p-Value
Healthy lifestyle index score	0.490 (0.358–0.669), p < 0.001	0.433 (0.303–0.619), p < 0.001	0.424 (0.294–0.612), p < 0.001
HLI = 2 or lower	Ref	Ref	Ref
HLI = 3 or higher	0.312 (0.176–0.554), p < 0.001	0.317 (0.172–0.582), p < 0.001	0.310 (0.167–0.575), p < 0.001

Healthy Lifestyle Factors	OR (95% CI)	p-Value
Non-/former smoking	0.543 (0.282, 1.049)	0.039
Active physical activity (at least 150 min/week)	0.238 (0.122, 0.463)	<0.001
Alcohol less than 14 units/week	0.827 (0.239, 2.860)	0.764
BMI less than 30 kg/m	0.664 (0.327, 1.349)	0.257
Adequate sleep (7–9 h)	0.337 (0.160–0.710	0.004

Demographic Characteristics	OR (95% CI)	p-Value

Age group 40–59 years	0.051 (0.006–0.426)	0.006
Age group 60–69 years	0.476 (0.268–0.846)	0.011
Age group ≥ 70 years	0.495 (0.274–0,895)	0.020

Male	0.438 (0.283–0.678)	<0.001
Female	0.440 (0.232–0.835)	0.012
p-value	0.821

Rural	0.327 (0.179–0.597)	<0.001
Urban	0.500 (0.312–0.801)	0.004

Primary level	0.404 (0.235–0.695)	0.001
Secondary level	0.532 (0.312–0.908)	0.021
Higher level	0.171 (0.037–0.796)	0.024

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Share and Cite

Bouloukaki, I.; Christodoulakis, A.; Margetaki, K.; Tsiligianni, I. Association of Lifestyle Behaviors with Quality of Life in Patients with COPD: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care. J. Clin. Med. 2024 , 13 , 4793. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13164793

Bouloukaki I, Christodoulakis A, Margetaki K, Tsiligianni I. Association of Lifestyle Behaviors with Quality of Life in Patients with COPD: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care. Journal of Clinical Medicine . 2024; 13(16):4793. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13164793

Bouloukaki, Izolde, Antonios Christodoulakis, Katerina Margetaki, and Ioanna Tsiligianni. 2024. "Association of Lifestyle Behaviors with Quality of Life in Patients with COPD: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care" Journal of Clinical Medicine 13, no. 16: 4793. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13164793

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The Benefits of Ozempic Are Multiplying

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You’ve heard the dramatic weight loss stories. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy , can help people lose 15 percent of their body weight. Tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound , may be even more effective at shedding pounds.

Known as GLP-1 agonists, these drugs were originally developed to help control diabetes. But there’s increasing evidence that they have other health benefits, beyond controlling weight. They seem to boost heart health, protect the kidneys, improve sleep apnea , and lower the risk of certain obesity-related cancers . Recent studies have also hinted at their potential to treat addiction and even slow the cognitive decline that comes with dementia. As researchers test these drugs for various conditions, they’re trying to untangle the mysteries behind how exactly they’re working in the body—and they have a few theories.

“Many of us in the medical community are really beginning to think about these drugs as health promotion drugs, not just weight loss drugs or even anti-obesity drugs,” says Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and professor at Yale University School of Medicine.

In March, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy became the first weight loss medication to also gain approval to help prevent serious heart problems in people with cardiovascular disease. In an international trial of more than 17,600 people with excess weight, weekly injections of Wegovy significantly reduced the risk of a major cardiac event . Researchers followed participants for an average of three years and found that those who took Wegovy were 20 percent less likely to die of a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular cause.

Eli Lilly, which makes tirzepatide, is also looking to expand Zepbound’s uses. The company announced this month that its weight-loss drug improved symptoms in heart failure patients with obesity and led to a 38 percent reduction in hospitalizations.

One in every four deaths each year in the United States is due to heart disease, and obesity is increasingly a factor . Excess weight can cause high blood pressure and cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Weight gain can also affect how the heart muscle functions, increasing the risk of failure. It’s perhaps no wonder then that a drug that helps people lose weight would also improve heart health. But there are reasons to think there are other factors at play beyond weight loss.

“When we first saw the results, we wondered, is this simply about weight loss?” Krumholz says. “But what we’re seeing is that having more weight loss doesn't necessarily translate into more benefit.”

In the trial of people with heart disease, Wegovy lowered blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart rate, and heart inflammation before participants reached their maximum weight loss. What’s more, the drug seemed to reduce major cardiac events regardless of how much weight they lost . The same was true for heart failure patients. This all suggests to Krumholz that the drug is, at least in part, working on the cardiovascular system in some other way. “This is the big question,” he says. “What is the exact mechanism of benefit?”

Semaglutide and tirzepatide work by mimicking the action of GLP-1, a hormone found naturally in the body. These drugs act on GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas to trigger the release of insulin after eating, which helps control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. They also bind to GLP-1 receptors in the brain to make people feel full, leading them to eat less.

Does Jewelry and Big Hair Slow Down Olympic Runners?

Scientists are still trying to understand the other knock-on effects of these drugs, including the cardiovascular benefits. One explanation is that GLP-1 receptors also exist on cells in the heart, blood vessels, liver, and kidney, so these drugs may act directly on these organs. “It turns out that these receptors are present in many parts of the body,” says Katherine Tuttle, a clinical professor of nephrology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

A recent trial led by Tuttle was stopped early due to overwhelming evidence that semaglutide has protective effects on the kidney. The study included more than 3,500 people with both type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. About half of the participants took a weekly injection of semaglutide while the other half got a placebo shot. After an average of three and a half years, the semaglutide group had a 24 percent lower likelihood of having a major kidney disease event—such as needing dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Clinical trials aren’t usually designed to determine the mechanism of a drug—and in fact, the mechanisms of many drugs on the market aren’t entirely known. But Tuttle has her own theory for how semaglutide is protecting the kidney: by shutting down inflammation.

GLP-1 drugs may even calm inflammation in the brain, raising hope that they could be used to treat conditions like dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Inflammation is thought to play a role in the development of both conditions.

In a UK trial of 200 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease, an older GLP-1 drug called liraglutide appeared to slow shrinking of the parts of the brain that control memory, learning, language, and decisionmaking by as much as 50 percent. Those who received weekly injections of liraglutide over 52 weeks also had an 18 percent slower decline in cognitive function after a year compared to those who got the placebo. Obesity is a known risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease, but the study didn’t specifically include people with obesity, which suggests that the drug is helping through another means.

The authors, who presented the findings last month at the Alzheimer’s Association annual conference, think liraglutide could be working in a few different ways—including reducing inflammation in the brain and lowering insulin resistance.

Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association, says the results are exciting, although larger trials will be needed to confirm this protective effect. “This is really the first study where we’ve seen a hint of this benefit for individuals,” she says.

And the neuroprotective effects may extend to Parkinson’s disease as well. An older diabetes drug in the GLP-1 family, lixisenatide, seemed to slow the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms in a small study of 156 patients in France. In results published in April , participants with early-stage Parkinson’s who took the drug for a year saw no worsening of motor symptoms such as tremors, balance problems, slowness, and stiffness. Those who received a placebo, meanwhile, experienced a decline over the same period.

Because GLP-1 drugs interact with the brain and seem to curb food cravings, scientists wonder if these medications could also curb cravings for addictive substances. Parts of the brain involved in eating behaviors are also involved in the use of alcohol and drugs. In mice, semaglutide has been shown to reduce alcohol consumption and binge-like drinking , and some people who have taken semaglutide and other GLP-1 drugs have self-reported less drinking and smoking.

In 2019, researchers at Penn State wanted to see if this class of drugs could help reduce cravings in people with opioid use disorder. In experiments with rats, they showed that GLP-1 drugs could reduce fentanyl-seeking behavior and relapse to heroin. The group launched a pilot study of 20 participants who were living at a residential treatment facility. Half were given the GLP-1 drug liraglutide, and the other half received a placebo. Measuring cravings can be tricky, so researchers used a smartphone app that pinged people four times a day to ask about their craving as well as their mood and stress levels.

When the three-week study ended, researchers found that those who received the GLP-1 drug reported a 40 percent reduction in opioid craving compared to those who got the placebo. The study didn’t follow participants after they left the residential facility, so it’s not known whether the drug actually curbed their opioid use. That, of course, is the important outcome, since many people who initially recover from addiction experience a relapse.

Patricia Grigson, a professor of neural and behavioral sciences at Penn State College of Medicine who led the study, says GLP-1 drugs seem to block the signal in the brain that gets released after eating or taking an addictive substance. “It would appear that they're just knocking down that reward signal,” she says. Grigson presented the findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference earlier this year. Her group will test semaglutide next in 200 people getting treatment for opioid addiction, and they plan to start recruiting participants for that study this fall.

With so many people turning to GLP-1 drugs to lose weight, their other health benefits may soon become clearer—and so could the answers about how exactly they’re working. Grigson says newer drugs like tirzepatide, as well as ones still in development , may work even better than previous GLP-1 medications. “If they look safe, they need to be tested,” she says. “And the sooner, the better.”

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U.S. dietary guidelines define a moderate, low-health-risk alcohol intake as one drink or less per day for women and two or less for men. (That does not apply, however, to people who are pregnant ...
Negative Effects of Alcohol Essay, with Outline
There are also cognitive effects such as a reduction in attention and issues with coordination. Effects of Drinking Alcohol Introduction. Alcoholism is a common problem in many communities. It is persistent in many societies since alcohol consumption is considered as an attractive leisure activity by many. While this may be and actually is the ...
Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds
The study defined light drinking as a mean alcohol intake of up to 20 grams a day for men and up to 10 grams daily for women. (In the United States, a standard drink is 14 grams of alcohol .)
Scientists Just Debunked Decades of Research About Alcohol ...
The article, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, reviewed 107 previous studies on drinking habits and longevity and came to a few key conclusions.
How to drink Alcohol to minimize its side effects
Drinking too quickly can overwhelm your liver and lead to higher blood alcohol levels and more pronounced side effects. Limit your intake to one standard drink per hour and avoid binge drinking.
JCM
Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. ... Research exploring the role of nondrinking or moderate drinking on COPD health status is limited to one ... Ekström, M. Adverse effects, smoking, alcohol consumption, and quality of life during long-term oxygen therapy: A nationwide ...
The Benefits of Ozempic Are Multiplying
There's mounting evidence that GLP-1 drugs have health benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss, for conditions ranging from addiction to Parkinson's—and scientists are evolving theories of why.