Alcoholism

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Americans have a personal friend or relative who has had a drinking problem for ten years or longer. Almost two out of three Americans report that they know someone who drinks too much. It is estimated that there are 18 million alcoholic or problem drinkers in the U.S. For every alcoholic there are at least four other people who are affected by the alcoholic. This means that in the U.S. there are at least seventy-two million other people dealing with the disease somehow. Many people believe that alcoholics are people that are the skid row winos and bums. This is a common misconception, actually ninety-four percent of alcoholics live at home, while only six percent are the skid row type. Ninety percent of all alcoholics are employed, and many work for years before their becomes so bad that they cannot perform their job. Federal officials estimate that the abuse of alcohol costs the economy well over one hundred billion dollars every year. Alcohol does this by making people ...

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contract and eventually fail. Alcohol’s action on the brain is what causes people to feel intoxicated. A sudden intake of large amounts of alcohol may result in death; this is because nerve impulses to the brain are dangerously blocked. There are over two hundred deaths a year from this kind of accidental alcohol poisoning. Alcohol also has an increasing effect on our brain chemistry this is what causes are change behavior. This can make people do things that they would not do when they are sober, this a is common sign of an alcoholic. Test have shown that long-term drinking like that of an alcoholic can lead to a measurable loss of thinking ability. Over time heavy drinking can also ...

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