Alcoholism - Your Life Held To Ransom!
If you like this post, please subscribe to our RSS feed to read our new posts every day.
From weddings to boardroom conferences there is barely a social gathering that doesn’t warrant the casual drink or two, as a means of rejuvenation or social bonding. Consumption of alcohol is widely accepted, if not encouraged, by many societies all over the world. But this seemingly harmless drink, which is often a pleasant addition to a great evening of relaxation, does have a dark and vicious side to it. Enslaved by the temporary ‘high’ that alcohol grants them, many individuals begin to rely on alcohol as a means to handle stress and unwind after a long, hard day. And with every drink that he reaches out for, either as a habit he is accustomed to, or as an escape from his tensions, he draws closer and closer to falling prey to the vicious disease of alcoholism.
Alcoholism as a disease is very deceptive as often the victim himself is prone to shrug away his excessive drinking habits as something he can ‘deal with’. The perception of those who are in his vicinity is also apt to be skewed as society by and large believes that this is a phase the alcoholic himself can pull out of, with just a little determination and will power. But not many are aware of the disastrous effects alcoholism has, both on the victim and those he interacts with, until it is indeed to late. Apart from the physical havoc that alcohol wreaks on the individual’s body, this disease also has several far-reaching consequences on society as a whole, both in terms of the huge dent it causes to economies all over the world, and also the delinquent behaviors it can lead to.
Excessive consumption of alcohol claims its stake on the victim’s body, inflicting him with a multitude of physical illnesses like heart and liver disorders. Needless to say, his performance at work is affected which, over time impairs the functioning of the organization and thus hindering the progress of the economy which the organization is a part of.
The loss on income on account of impaired performance at the workplace is further compounded by the expenditure the individual incurs on fueling his addiction which in turn affects the well-being of his family. The stress that the individual is looking to escape is aggravated by marital discord and feelings of financial insecurity, which in most cases, lead him to drink even more to block out these factors. And alcohol being a depressant itself, the individual is drawn deeper into the vicious cycle that his addiction creates, where he drinks more and more to deal with the depression that alcohol is causing him.
Society is not very sympathetic in their outlook towards alcoholics as most people scorn victims of alcohol abuse as too weak to control their excesses. This takes its toll on the victim’s self esteem a condition that is compounded by the psychological disorders that alcohol is responsible for. The chronic depression that the alcoholic suffers from matures into more terrifying diseases like paranoia and even schizophrenia in the long run. Alcoholics are also more inclined to other forms of substance abuse which complicate the problems alcohol is already causing them.
Children who come from alcoholism-wrecked homes are also more likely to suffer from depression, which sets in right from early childhood in the form of uncontrollable crying, bedwetting and nightmares. Older children tend to exhibit extreme behavioral patterns where some of them are overtly rebellious, irregular in their study habits and destructive in their behavior, while those at the other end of the scale tend to be extremely docile, excessively meek and eager to please and compulsive about their grades. These children also cut themselves off social activities, with no one to speak their hearts out to, and despite their valiant efforts, are convinced that they are failures.
Alcohol abuse has become increasingly prevalent with the changing times and the ever increasing burden of stress it encumbers people with. In such circumstances, taking to the bottle as temporary relief may seem to be a viable solution, but on closer inspection, is it really such a wise decision? Can you afford to sacrifice not only your health and well-being, but also that of your family and those you care about, all for the sake of a few minutes of relief that alcohol grants you? Stop drinking today and open your doors to a world of opportunities that await you, every step of the way.
