Article Search:

Home | Self Improvement


Learning more about drinking, can help

By: David Peters

Although smoking is best known for causing lung cancer, this habit is also among the biggest threats to your skin. Next to sun and chemicals, tobacco is one of the major accelerators of your skin natural aging process, and it is thought to be one of the fastest acting threats. Young people start showing signs of early skin aging after as little as 10 years of smoking. If you think this is a long period of time, you should keep in mind that many young people start smoking in their teen years (16-19 year olds) and are still below 30 when the first signs appear. Smoking causes the narrowing of blood vessels throughout your body, including those that supply the outermost layers of the skin with oxygen and nutrients. Thus, your skin is slowly starved of vital oxygen and other substances, such as immunity-boosting Vitamin A. Alcohol has a similar effect by destroying the body supply of Vitamin A. This will lower the role of skin as the first line of defense against bacteria and infections.



Alcohol is often mentioned in one breath with drugs, especially when the subject is abuse or addiction. More often, alcohol is referred to as a separate substance and in fact, its abuse is often discussed separately from that of drugs. But can alcohol be considered a drug? Drug defined: If a textbook definition is used, a drug may be defined as a substance that has an effect on living cells and their function and is also used for medical purposes for the diagnosis, prevention and cure of disorders and diseases. As such, alcohol may not be considered as a drug since it is not used directly to effect a cure. However, it is also a substance that can have similar effects to drugs to disinfect, act as an analgesic, a tranquilizer or rarely, a stimulant. The link between alcohol and drugs: Alcohol is said to possibly be a contributor to health as some are some drugs, but alcohol, like some drugs can be addictive. When used in moderate amounts, alcohol has been said to improve cardiovascular health. However, health experts discourage non-drinkers to start drinking alcohol for the sole reason of benefiting the heart. They recommend that other methods such as exercising and eating a good diet, should be considered as the first line of defense.



Stress can be seen from two perspectives. There is the subjective feeling of the individual that is experiencing the stress and the underlying physiological and psychological changes that are going on inside that persons body. From a subjective perspective consuming alcohol is often seen as a way to reduce stress but some studies have shown that the stress responses in the body are in fact increased when alcohol is taken. This article will discuss stress and the affect that alcohol has on the body. Most people have 'let off a bit of steam' on Friday night at the end of a long working week. Quite often this involves drinking alcohol. Alcohol is thought to reduce inhibitions and generally allow the person to be themselves. This is seen as a good way to relieve stress and take the persons mind off troubles at work or problems with relationships. But drinking too much alcohol or doing it too frequently is believed to actually increase the bodies responses to stress.



More than 9 out of 10 people in the United Kingdom drink alcohol. It is part of our culture and we feel comfortable with it. Moderate drinking doesn't cause many problems. However, over the last 30 years, society has become wealthier and alcohol has become cheaper. We are starting to drink at a younger age and we are drinking more. More than 1 in 4 men, and about 1 in 7 women are drinking more than is medically safe for them. According to the Department of Health, around 1 in 8 men is physically addicted to alcohol. Alcohol is like many other drugs that act on the brain, such as tranquillisers. If we drink it regularly, we find that it has less effect on us. We need to drink more and more to get the effect we want. This is called 'tolerance' and is a powerful part of becoming addicted to alcohol.



There are ways to recognize people who have alcohol problems. If you are concerned about your drinking habits or those of someone close to you, here are a few ways to determine if alcohol is indeed a problem: If you are a woman who has more than seven drinks a week or more than three drinks at a party, bar or celebration, you may be drinking too much. The same is true for a man who has more than 14 drinks a week or more than four drinks at a party, bar or celebration. For those over 65, more than seven drinks a week or three drinks per occasion could mean you are drinking too much. Think that you or a loved one or friend may be in the drinking heavily category? If you are a woman who is drinking more than three drinks every day or 21 drinks per week, the answer is, "yes." Men who consume more than five drinks a day or thirty-five a week also fit into the drinking heavily category.



Alcoholism is a chronic disease which means it lasts a lifetime. A person who is an alcoholic will keep drinking even though serious family, health and legal problems develop. Two main things put a person at risk for developing alcoholism; a person's genes and his or her lifestyle. It is true that the risk for developing alcoholism tends to run in families. It does not mean that if a person has a father or mother who is an alcoholic they themselves will become an alcoholic. The genes we inherit partly explain the pattern of alcoholism in families but lifestyle also plays a part. Other things that may increase your risk for alcoholism are the people you spend time with, the stresses in your life and the amount of alcohol that is available on a day-to-day basis. There are also people who think that alcoholism can be cured. They find it hard to understand why an alcoholic can't just go the doctor or through treatment, get better and be cured. While there are millions of recovering alcoholics who have not had a drink for weeks, months or years, there is still a chance that a relapse can occur.



While alcoholism can't be cured, the disease can be treated. There are many treatment programs available. Some may work well for certain people and other alcoholics may need a different type of program. There are medications that can help as well as counseling. Most people who are alcoholics need help with recovery. It is a very difficult process. Many alcoholics do best when they have support and treatment. As with any chronic disease there are different levels of success concerning treatment. There are alcoholics who can quit drinking on their own and never have another drink. Other alcoholics may go through treatment and remain sober for the rest of their lives. Some may go for a long time without a drink and then suffer a relapse. Still others have very little success at all. Alcoholism is a tricky disease and one that can cause serious problems for the person who drinks and also for families, friends, coworkers and even total strangers who may be injured at the hands of an alcoholic. There is help available and the longer a person is able to stop drinking the better chance he or she has of staying sober.

Article Source: Free Content Articles Directory

Often lots people find it hard to halt their drinking problem, Begin a new life without drinking just by read this free article that will help you stay sober

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Self Improvement Articles Via RSS!

Powered by Article Dashboard