...Alcoholism and Genetics Alcoholism has an affect everyone one way or another. It is a complex disease that not only affects the alcoholic but it also affects their families and loved ones. Alcoholism is considered an addition, which can be contributed to a range of genetic, social, and environmental influences. Historically, alcoholism was blamed on one’s character; it was seen as a flaw and/or weakness (Perry). “Alcoholism affected approximately 4.65 percent of the U.S. population in 2001–2002, producing severe economic, social, and medical ramifications” (Sloan, Sayarath and Moore). As many know, genetics plays a strong role in the component of alcoholism. As more genes are linked to the development of an alcohol addition, the finding will be proven useful in developing the necessary tools to better identify those who are at risk (Perry). For the last 25 years, a variety of human studies have supported the “theory of a genetic component in the susceptibility to alcoholism” (Begleiter). Researchers now estimated that between 50 and 60 percent of alcoholism risk is determined by genetics (Sloan, Sayarath and Moore). “It has sparked numerous linkage and association studies to include, investigating the roles of chromosomal regions and genetic variants in determining alcoholism susceptibility” (Sloan, Sayarath and Moore). There have been multiple studies to identify the gene that could potentially lead to a higher risk for alcoholism. For example, family studies...
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...Socioeconomic Effects of Alcoholism Philip Malavenda Socioeconomic Effects of Alcoholism There are no shortage of well documented physical and mental related studies and research done on alcoholism. The physical and mental effects, both short and long-term, can render someone with debilitating health issues ending in death. While there has been significant research and investment into identifying symptoms and factors of alcoholism, it is equally important to understand how the dynamics of socioeconomics impacts the awareness and education of alcoholism prevention. Introduction According to the National Council on Alcoholism, “Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States- 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence along with several million more who engage in risky, binge drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems” (NCADD, 2013). Alcoholism has been defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as “continued excessive or compulsive use of alcoholic drinks”. More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than 7 million children live in a household where at least one parent is dependent on or has abused alcohol. There is growing sediment that alcoholism is hereditary. Studies, including the one done by George Washington University Assistant Professor of Statistics, Taityana Apanasovich, notes that “40 to 60% of alcohol dependence is believed...
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...multitude of references to alcohol. Hemingway once described it as a “book about a few drunks” (qtd. in Dardis 163). Matt Djos, author of “Alcoholism in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises: A Wine and Roses Perspective on the Lost Generation” and English professor at Mesa State College in Colorado, goes as far as to describe the novel as a “description of the alcoholic mentality” (64). The copious amounts of alcohol consumed by the characters of the novel can presumably be attributed to boredom. As the official biographer of Hemingway Carlos Baker puts it, the characters are “floundering in an emulsion of ennui and alcohol” (Baker 90); he suggests that the characters actions are fueled merely by boredom and an unhealthy consumption of alcohol. However, the hedonistic over-consumption of alcohol by Hemingway’s characters cannot be blamed on boredom alone; there are millions of people on this planet that suffer from boredom every so often, and yet they do not all keep themselves occupied by drinking to excess. Regardless of the reasons, “the drinking behavior in The Sun Also Rises was pronounced and addictive” (Djos 65). As the characters develop, it becomes clear that Hemingway designed the characters of The Sun Also Rises with past lives and personality traits that predispose them to alcoholism. Before determining the reasons behind the alcoholism of Hemingway’s characters, the characters must first be proven as alcoholics. It would be foolish to try to figure out why they are alcoholics...
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...The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian: a Journey of Hope “There is another world, but it is in this one” (W.B Yeats), this is how Sherman Alexie managed to begin the journey of his eye-opening novel, The Absolutely True Dairy of Part-time Indian. It is a magnificent story of overcoming the obstacles of being an Indian teenager while stepping outside of the reservation world and striving for better opportunities in the world. Junior, who carries the Native American blood in his roots, gives an insight into Native American culture, encompassing all of its sacred and astonishing details. Through Junior’s experience and between the storylines, various aspects of the Spokane Indians community are revealed, such as poverty, alcoholism, and kinship that make the novel stand as an unique Indian literature piece....
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...Alcoholism-Nature Or Nurture? Alcoholism can affect anyone. It has enormous costs as it pertains to societies, families, and individuals. It is not prejudicial towards any race, color, sex, religion, or economic level. Although we do have ideas as to what alcoholism is, what we do not know is the exact cause(s) of this problem. Researchers are continually seeking answers to the long-standing nature versus nurture debate. Different views are split between a biological paradigm and a psychological paradigm. No one explanation seems to be better than another is. I will present views of the effects alcoholism has on society and an insight to the factors that serve to fuel the nature or nurture debate concerning alcohol abuse and alcoholism. STATISTICS: The abuse of alcohol alone is estimated at $144.1 billion dollars annually. Every man, woman and child in America pays nearly $1,000 a year to cover the costs of unnecessary health care, auto accidents, crime and loss of productivity resulting from alcohol abuse. Alcohol deaths account for approximately five percent of all deaths occurring in the United States. Alcohol is considered to be one of the most widely used drugs as it attacks the central nervous system. Two-thirds of all adults drink alcohol; one-third of those are under the age of eighteen. The term alcoholic is commonly used to refer to a person who is severely dependent on alcohol as a result of their drinking pattern. Not everyone with an alcohol problem becomes an...
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...adulthood, they lifestyle changes, development transition, such as puberty and increasing independent, have been associated with alcohol use. So in a sense, just being an adolescent maybe a key risk factor not only for starting to drink but for drinking dangerously. Drinking at an early age has been associated with later alcoholism and drinking problems in several countries. This has led some people to believe that delaying the age at which young people first drink alcohol might reduce the later incidence of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. That might work if drinking at age actually causes subsequent alcohol problems. ¹ __________________________ ¹ Wikipedia free encyclopedia, internet ------------------------------------------------- However, there is growing evidence that early ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- drinking, in societies not permitting it, is not the cause, but ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- only a symptom of an underlying predisposition to alcoholism and ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- other behavioral problems. Now another research study has found ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- evidence suggesting that early onset of drinking is not a cause...
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...Alcoholism is a disease that affects more than the alcoholics themselves. Alcoholism impacts family members, people who live with them, and especially their children (Steinglass, 1987). In fact, the offspring of alcoholics represent the largest number of people affected by the disease alcoholism (Woititz, 1983). Moreover, the population of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) often display specific traits. ACOAs often guess at what normal behaviour is, have difficulty completing projects, lie when it is just as easy to tell the truth, judge themselves without mercy, have difficulty with intimate relationships, overreact to changes they cannot control, constantly seek approval and affirmation, feel that they are different from others, are...
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...because they circumvent the psychological, environmental, and social nexus of which drug use is a part. One branch of conditioning theory, social-learning theory (Bandura 1977), has opened itself to the subjective elements of reinforcement. For example, Bandura described how a psychotic who continued his delusional behavior in order to ward off invisible terrors was acting in line with a reinforcement schedule that was efficacious despite its existing solely in the individual's mind. The essential insight that reinforcers gain meaning only from a given human context enables us to understand (1) why different people react differently to the same drugs, (2) how people can modify these reactions through their own efforts, and (3) how people's relationships with their environments determine drug reactions rather than vice versa. Social-learning theorists have been especially active in alcoholism, where they have analyzed how alcoholics' expectations and beliefs about what alcohol will do for them influence the rewards and behaviors associated with drinking (Marlatt 1978; Wilson 1981). Yet it has also been social-learning theorists who have launched the alcohol-dependence syndrome and who seem to feel subjective interpretation is far less important than the pharmacological effects of alcohol in causing drinking problems (Hodgson et al. 1978, 1979). This lacuna in their theorizing is most noticeable in the inability of modem social-learning theorists to make sense out of cultural variations...
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...understand the community’s perspective of the health status, the services used or required, and concerns. Data collection is needed directly from the aggregate, which can be more insightful and accurate. The survey tool that is specifically created for the teenage aggregate population contains demographics data to help the researchers to determine if there is a gap in services that are needed. The tool created would be used in focus groups according to Nies and McEwen (2011), “these can be very effective in gathering community views, particularly for remote and vulnerable segments of a community and for those with underdeveloped opinions. Focus groups can produce greater interaction and expression of ideas than surveys and may provide more insight into an aggregate’s opinions. In addition to encouraging community participation in the identification of assets and needs, focus groups may lay the groundwork for community involvement in planning the solutions to identified problems” (p.100). Data Collection Tool The purpose of this survey is to identify the past and current...
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...George Rudé’s 1959 “’Mother Gin’ and the London Riots of 1736” reiterates George’s conclusions without additional development. In 1966, more than forty years after George’s initial publication on the subject, T.G. Coffey’s “Beer Street: Gin Lane” strives and achieves nothing more than a parroting of George without the addition of further insight, simply transferring the errors of historiography into medical...
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...TAGBAR Literature Problems Encountered by Irregular College Students Background of the Study Academic performance really means three things: this means the ability to study and remember facts, it also means being able to think in relation to facts and thirdly, it further means being able to communicate one’s knowledge verbally or practically (www.google.com). A marching band is a company of instrumental musicians performing outdoors for the purpose of entertainment and sometimes in competition. Instrumentations typically include brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments (en.wikipedia.com). The marching band at Partido State University was one of the competing units among the marching bands. They joined military parades, concerts, street parades and many more. It means that joining in marching bands had a lot of trainings and practices to be done. In this regards the academic performance of the band members maybe sacrifice because of double priorities. In addition, the society may have different expectations of the performance of the band members according to their own perspectives. It was observed that there are band members who had incomplete or failing grades. It all depends on how they personally addressed problems as a student and as a band members who got failing grades and incomplete grades faced a consequence of termination as a band scholar. http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Problems-Encountered-By-Irregular-College-Students/134394 Factors...
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...Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING Introduction Alcoholism is a disease in which an individual continues to crave for alcohol despite of repeated alcohol-related problems. The signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse are very similar, and are often just a question of degree or intensity. Typically, the last person to be aware that he/she has a serious drinking problem is the alcoholic himself/herself - they are in denial. Some signs and symptoms of alcoholism as well as alcohol abuse include, drinking alone, not being able to limit how much alcohol is consumed, dropping hobbies and activities the person used to enjoy; losing interest in them, feeling an urge to drink, having relationship problems, having problems with the law, having money problems, and requiring a larger quantity of alcohol to feel its effect (Videbeck, 2007). Alcoholism does not only affect the adults. According to Sociological theory, alcoholism is a learned response. This often happens at a young age. A child may see things around them or on TV of people drinking and they tend to believe that is the right thing to do. This addiction is primarily believed to be because of society's influences. This often will affect persons who mostly drink in groups. This theory is based more on the peer pressure a person might receive, so they often turn to alcohol drinking problems during college years. Moreover, it has become a public health concern because of its effect on the future of a child. The goal of the...
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...Foundations of Psychology PSY/300 Nov. 2, 2015 University of Phoenix Foundations of Psychology What is psychology? Simply speaking it is the study of behavior and mind. Psychology is the exploration into the understanding of behaviors, thoughts and emotions. The word psychology is of Greek origin meaning ‘psyche’, or “the soul, mind, or personality of a person or group” ("Psyche." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015). Psychology has many different fields of study that include social behavior, human development, and cognitive procedures, just to name a few. One name that often comes to mind when the word psychology is mentioned is Sigmund Freud. Freud is often thought of as the most influential, as well as controversial, figure in the study of psychology. His theories and views set the standard for the understanding of the human mind and its functions. There are six major schools of thoughts in psychology; functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanistic psychology, cognitivism and Gestalt psychology. This paper will identify three of those schools and examine the basis of each. Functionalism The first psychological school of thought I want to explore is Functionalism. Functionalism is “a late 19th century to early 20th century American school of psychology concerned especially with how the mind functions to adapt the individual to the environment” ("Functionalism." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 27 Oct...
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...care as free world citizens. This ranges from everyday healthcare needs to the treatment of complex medical conditions and illnesses (Smyer & Burbank, 2009). The costs involved to care for an older offender can be up to three times more than that of a younger, which is a worrying factor when the population is constantly on the increase (Smyer & Burbank, 2009). As accommodating for older offenders is not cheap, if there were a way through research and theoretical developments to gain an understanding into the reasoning behind why older people do in fact commit crime, it could potentially reduce further increases to the criminal population. This report will predominantly discuss this. It will discuss that, the importance in gaining research insights into older offenders is, to be able to gain an understanding behind the reasoning as to why crimes by older people are committed, and by understanding the reasoning behind it, there are potentially ways to reduce crime rate by older offenders in the future. Research gathered from 1980-2004 by Felmeyer and Steffensmeier (Felmeyer & Steffensmeier, 2007), identifies a stable pattern in the trends of...
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...Staples, 2014, p.25). This essay will give further insight into some of the differences that are present on City Road, Cardiff today. City Road accommodates people of varied socio-economic positions. By looking at people’s occupations and levels of income, it is possible to establish an understanding of the social scale that exists here. Their lifestyles are shaped by the choices that are available to them i.e. their sense of style, but also some constraints e.g. the amount that they can afford to spend on clothing. (Havard, 2014, p.38). Considering the grand design of the Mackintosh Centre and the fact that the families owned the land, it is reasonable to conclude that the owners were wealthy. Therefore, they had more options in terms of how they could control their expenditure in comparison to other members of the community. John Arthur is a homeless man, who has never experienced a day of work in his life. His level of income is very low as he begs for spare change - shown in ‘The life and times of the street: Part 1’ video (Open University, 2014). Moreover, John’s sociocultural background is one of alcoholism, consequently this places him at the lower end of this scale. Due to his lack of financial income, John will experience significantly higher amount of constraints in comparison to the Mackintosh’s. Another notable difference on City road, is the division of opinions on social order. Theoretically, a society that is in...
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