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Genetic Disease or Compulsive Behavior?
In many families today, there is alcohol involved in some way. Usually, the parents are the ones who drink, but sometimes the children will drink illegally. When you look at it, children are more likely to become alcoholics if their parents are or were addicted to alcohol. Though some argue against it, alcoholism is genetically passed down from parents to their children and it causes domestic and many other types of violence.
Some people do not believe that alcoholism is passed down genetically, but it has been proven that it does. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says, “Since alcoholism does not follow the simple rules of Mendelian inheritance in multi-generational pedigrees, it was clear that alcoholism is a genetically complex disorder, influenced by multiple genes…that interact in an unknown fashion with each other and with similarly unknown environmental factors to produce the disease.” ("Alcoholism Has a Genetic Basis"). This is saying that this disease is not a one hundred percent result of a person’s environment, but that it relies heavily upon the genes that someone inherits from their parents. “It appears…that children’s drinking behavior is influenced primarily by genetic factors and by environmental factors other than their parents’ alcohol abuse.” This is saying that even though your parents might not drink, you could be at risk of becoming an alcoholic if your parents or grandparents had the genes for alcoholism.
Alcoholism can cause domestic violence when someone is under the influence of alcohol because his or her inhibitions will slacken. “Alcoholism has been associated with arguments, fights, brawls, rape, spousal and child abuse and even suicide.” (Youngerman 47). Scientists have several theories about how alcoholism affects the brain. One theory is the disinhibition model that states, “Alcohol chemically blurs or deadens the part of the brain that inhibit, or hold back, one’s first impulsive reactions.” (Youngerman 50). Alcohol can cause normally calm and peaceful people to become angry and violent. Normally, when a child sees a parent committing an act of violence, they think that it is fine or acceptable so when they grow up they think it’s perfectly fine to treat someone like that, and its not. When a child who was brought up in an abusive alcoholic environment they are more likely to treat their family the same way they were treated when they have a family of their own because it is the only thing they know, and he or she would think it is acceptable.
Along with domestic violence, people under the influence of alcohol are capable of causing others a great deal of harm to someone, sometimes even taking someone else’s life. For example, “Young, pretty, 17-year-old Donn’elle McGraw, who was in the back seat of the other car, was killed instantly” when Casey McCary Bloom’s car violently crashed into her friend’s car (“Drunk Driving Brings a Lifetime of Pain”). Because a person decided to drink and drive, a young innocent person’s life ended. Casey is “facing 21 years in prison for one mistake I [he] made and regret—to drink and drive.” (“Drunk Driving Brings a Lifetime of Pain”). Almost every person who kills or injures someone while under the influence of alcohol regrets it when he or she wakes up in a jail cell the next morning as Casey McCary Bloom did. Because of these types of actions, the act of taking ones life without realizing it, I am convinced that alcoholism is a disease.
So, is alcoholism a disease or not? Edward Dreyfus says, “The disease model has been overused and distorted to the extent that many alcoholics and other emotionally disturbed people incorrectly believe that they are physically “sick” and need medical rather than psychological help to overcome their addictions.” Many think that alcoholism is not a disease at all, just someone who needs help overcoming a problem. “I object to the idea that compulsive behavior is a disease. It does not matter whether there is a chemical imbalance that leaves these people vulnerable to … drinking, this disease concept is not appropriate for the compulsive behavior.” Dreyfus says that alcoholism is not a disease, but a compulsive behavior. He says that the desire for alcohol is not a disease, but something that can be controlled by the person suffering from it.
With this information, why do so many consider alcoholism a disease? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a disease as a “condition of the living animal…that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms”. When someone is under the influence of alcohol, there are obvious signs and symptoms. Some of them include loss of control, anti-social behavior, and possibly the most famous of them all: the hangover. Alcoholism may not be a viral, fungal or an infectious disease, but it does alter the state of your mind and your actions. You could find yourself doing things that you would not normally do while you were sober.
Although some could consider social drinking a compulsive behavior, where one can simply stop drinking after one drink, alcoholism is not compulsive. When an alcoholic has a drink, he or she feels that it is necessary to continue drinking until they are under the complete influence of alcohol and are unable to control their actions. Since alcohol affects everyone differently, (some will be a “calm drunk” while others could be a “mean/angry drunk”) there is no way to prevent it other than abstaining from alcohol completely. Having one drink could be deadly for a person who suffers from alcoholism. It could cost them their lives, their families and their life as they once knew it as well as taking the life of an innocent person.
In many families today, there is alcohol involved in some way. Usually, the parents are the ones who drink, but sometimes the children will drink illegally. When you look at it, children are more likely to become alcoholics if their parents are or were addicted to alcohol. Though some argue against it, alcoholism is genetically passed down from parents to their children and it causes domestic and many other types of violence.
Some people do not believe that alcoholism is passed down genetically, but it has been proven that it does. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says, “Since alcoholism does not follow the simple rules of Mendelian inheritance in multi-generational pedigrees, it was clear that alcoholism is a genetically complex disorder, influenced by multiple genes…that interact in an unknown fashion with each other and with similarly unknown environmental factors to produce the disease.” ("Alcoholism Has a Genetic Basis"). This is saying that this disease is not a one hundred percent result of a person’s environment, but that it relies heavily upon the genes that someone inherits from their parents. “It appears…that children’s drinking behavior is influenced primarily by genetic factors and by environmental factors other than their parents’ alcohol abuse.” This is saying that even though your parents might not drink, you could be at risk of becoming an alcoholic if your parents or grandparents had the genes for alcoholism.
Alcoholism can cause domestic violence when someone is under the influence of alcohol because his or her inhibitions will slacken. “Alcoholism has been associated with arguments, fights, brawls, rape, spousal and child abuse and even suicide.” (Youngerman 47). Scientists have several theories about how alcoholism affects the brain. One theory is the disinhibition model that states, “Alcohol chemically blurs or deadens the part of the brain that inhibit, or hold back, one’s first impulsive reactions.” (Youngerman 50). Alcohol can cause normally calm and peaceful people to become angry and violent. Normally, when a child sees a parent committing an act of violence, they think that it is fine or acceptable so when they grow up they think it’s perfectly fine to treat someone like that, and its not. When a child who was brought up in an abusive alcoholic environment they are more likely to treat their family the same way they were treated when they have a family of their own because it is the only thing they know, and he or she would think it is acceptable.
Along with domestic violence, people under the influence of alcohol are capable of causing others a great deal of harm to someone, sometimes even taking someone else’s life. For example, “Young, pretty, 17-year-old Donn’elle McGraw, who was in the back seat of the other car, was killed instantly” when Casey McCary Bloom’s car violently crashed into her friend’s car (“Drunk Driving Brings a Lifetime of Pain”). Because a person decided to drink and drive, a young innocent person’s life ended. Casey is “facing 21 years in prison for one mistake I [he] made and regret—to drink and drive.” (“Drunk Driving Brings a Lifetime of Pain”). Almost every person who kills or injures someone while under the influence of alcohol regrets it when he or she wakes up in a jail cell the next morning as Casey McCary Bloom did. Because of these types of actions, the act of taking ones life without realizing it, I am convinced that alcoholism is a disease.
So, is alcoholism a disease or not? Edward Dreyfus says, “The disease model has been overused and distorted to the extent that many alcoholics and other emotionally disturbed people incorrectly believe that they are physically “sick” and need medical rather than psychological help to overcome their addictions.” Many think that alcoholism is not a disease at all, just someone who needs help overcoming a problem. “I object to the idea that compulsive behavior is a disease. It does not matter whether there is a chemical imbalance that leaves these people vulnerable to … drinking, this disease concept is not appropriate for the compulsive behavior.” Dreyfus says that alcoholism is not a disease, but a compulsive behavior. He says that the desire for alcohol is not a disease, but something that can be controlled by the person suffering from it.
With this information, why do so many consider alcoholism a disease? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a disease as a “condition of the living animal…that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms”. When someone is under the influence of alcohol, there are obvious signs and symptoms. Some of them include loss of control, anti-social behavior, and possibly the most famous of them all: the hangover. Alcoholism may not be a viral, fungal or an infectious disease, but it does alter the state of your mind and your actions. You could find yourself doing things that you would not normally do while you were sober.
Although some could consider social drinking a compulsive behavior, where one can simply stop drinking after one drink, alcoholism is not compulsive. When an alcoholic has a drink, he or she feels that it is necessary to continue drinking until they are under the complete influence of alcohol and are unable to control their actions. Since alcohol affects everyone differently, (some will be a “calm drunk” while others could be a “mean/angry drunk”) there is no way to prevent it other than abstaining from alcohol completely. Having one drink could be deadly for a person who suffers from alcoholism. It could cost them their lives, their families and their life as they once knew it as well as taking the life of an innocent person.
crushed
contemplative
cranky
tired
irritated