首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Alcoholism In the United States alone, alcoholism affects millions of people and costs the country billions of dollars each
Alcoholism In the United States alone, alcoholism affects millions of people and costs the country billions of dollars each
admin
2010-10-14
43
问题
Alcoholism
In the United States alone, alcoholism affects millions of people and costs the country billions of dollars each year.
What is Alcoholism?
People who drink regularly enough to affect their family or work responsibilities and who drink in a way that puts ~them in dangerous situations are said to abuse alcohol. Although they use alcohol in an unhealthy way, people who suffer from alcohol abuse do not necessarily develop a physical dependence upon alcohol.
Alcoholics, on the other hand, have a chronic disease. They are physically dependent upon alcohol. They feel a need to drink, almost in the same way that most people feel the need to eat. And once alcoholics start drinking, they are unable to stop. They develop a tolerance to alcohol, requiring more and more drinks to feel the same effects. When an alcoholic tries to cut down or stop drinking, he or she experiences the symptoms of withdrawal: sweating, nausea, shakiness, anxiety and delirium tremens.
More than 17 million Americans abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. Alcoholism affects men more than women: About 10 percent of men, compared to 3 to 5 percent of women, become alcoholics over the course of their lifetime. Alcoholism is more prevalent among younger people than among older people.
How Does Someone Become an Alcoholic?
Why is it that some people can drink socially and not become addicted while others become alcoholics? The reason has to do with a combination of genetic, physiological, psychological and social factors.
Genes may be an important factor triggering the development of alcoholism. Research has indicated that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves; and while this statistic is at least partly due to environmental factors, scientists have determined that there is a genetic link.
Physiologically, alcohol alters the balance of chemicals in the brain. It affects chemicals in the brain’s reward center. The body eventually craves alcohol to restore pleasurable feelings and avoid negative feelings. People who already suffer from high stress or psychological problems such as low self esteem and depression are at higher risk for developing alcoholism.
Social factors such as peer pressure, advertising and environment also play an important role in the development of alcoholism. Young people often start drinking because their friends are doing so, Beer and liquor ads on television tend to portray drinking as a glamorous exciting pastime.
What Happens When You Drink
When you take a drink, about 20 percent of the alcohol is absorbed in your stomach; the remaining 80 percent is absorbed in your small intestine. How quickly the alcohol is absorbed depends upon the concentration of the alcohol in the drink and whether you’ve just eaten a big meal. A full stomach will slow down alcohol absorption.
After the alcohol is absorbed, it enters your bloodstream and is carried throughout your body. As the alcohol acts upon the body, the body is simultaneously working to remove it. The kidneys and lungs remove about 10 percent of the alcohol in the urine and the breath. The liver breaks down the rest of the alcohol into acetic acid.
After just a few drinks, the physical effects of alcohol become apparent. These effects are related to the blood alcohol concentration(BAC). The BAC goes up when the body is taking in alcohol faster than it can release it.
Alcohol and the Brain
Alcohol affects brain chemistry by altering levels of neurotransmitters(神经传递素). Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit the signals throughout the body that control thought processes, behavior and emotion.
In the short term, alcohol can cause blackouts -- short-term memory lapses in which people forget what occurred over entire stretches of time. The long-term effects on the brain can be even more damaging.
Long-term drinking can leave permanent damage, causing the brain to shrink and leading to deficiencies in the fibers that carry information between brain cells. Many alcoholics develop a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and experience mental confusion and lack of coordination, and they may also have memory and learning problems.
The body responds to the continual introduction of alcohol by coming to rely on it. This dependence causes long-term, debilitating changes in brain chemistry. The brain accommodates for the regular presence of alcohol by altering neurotransmitter production. But when the per son stops or dramatically reduces his or her drinking, within 24 to 72 hours the brain goes into what is known as withdrawal as it tries to readjust its chemistry. Symptoms of withdrawal include disorientation, hallucinations, delirium tremens(DTs), nausea, sweating and seizures.
Alcohol and the Rest of the Body
Over time, alcohol can inflict serious damage on other body parts as well.
Liver: The liver is particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol because it is the organ in which alcohol and Other toxins are metabolized(broken down into less harmful substances to be removed from the body). Drinking over a long period of time can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver. Symptoms of this condition include nausea, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and jaundice(a yellowing of the skin).
Heart: Because alcohol lowers blood pressure, the heart overcompensates, and the heart muscle can eventually become damaged as a result. Prolonged drinking increases the risks for heart disease, high blood pressure and certain kinds of stroke.
Stomach: Alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach and intestines, causing vomiting, nausea and eventually ulcers.
Cancer: Research indicates that long-term drinking increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx and esophagus.
The effects of alcohol are even more marked in adults over 65, because their bodies don’t metabolize alcohol as well as those of younger adults. Women also have more difficulty metabolizing alcohol than men, because [hey are typically smaller and lighter in weight.
Treatment for Alcoholism
In the United States, approximately 2 million people get help each year for alcoholism. Alcoholism treatment may include:
Detoxification: This involves abstaining from alcohol in order to get alcohol completely out of a person’s system, and it takes anywhere from four to seven days.
Pharmaceuticals: People can take drugs such as disulfiram or naltrexone to prevent a re lapse once they’ve stopped drinking. In 2004, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration also approved the drug acamprosate, which suppresses cravings by targeting the brain chemicals affect ed by alcohol.
Counseling: Individual or group counseling sessions can help a recovering alcoholic identify situations in which they may be tempted to use alcohol and find ways of circumventing the urge to ’drink in those situations. One of the most recognizable alcoholic recovery programs is Alcoholics Anonymous(AA).
Treatments for alcoholism are more effective for younger people than older people.
选项
A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案
C
解析
本题涉及到酒精中毒的治疗,所以要定位到Treatment for Alcoholism这一部分。这一部分提到了美国对酒精中毒治疗的现状以及两种疗法,但并未提及对酒精中毒治疗对什么人更有效。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/2By7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledMyViewonHarmoniousTeacher-StudentRelationship.Yo
StudentswhowanttostudyintheUnitedStatesmayfindthattheirchancesforfinancialaidarelimited.Theyoftenhavetopa
StudentswhowanttostudyintheUnitedStatesmayfindthattheirchancesforfinancialaidarelimited.Theyoftenhavetopa
StudentswhowanttostudyintheUnitedStatesmayfindthattheirchancesforfinancialaidarelimited.Theyoftenhavetopa
StudentswhowanttostudyintheUnitedStatesmayfindthattheirchancesforfinancialaidarelimited.Theyoftenhavetopa
A、Cookingfoodsforthewholefamily.B、Helpingchildrenstudy.C、PayingthebillseverymonthD、Makingalivingforthewholef
Noonelikesbadnews,butforsomepeople,nonewsisworse.Peoplewhoaremildlyneuroticarestressedbyuncertaintyevenmo
A、Toreducehalfofthenumberofpeoplewholacksafedrinkingwaterby2015.B、Toarousepoliticaldesiretomeetfuturewater
Peoplewhosejobsrequirethemtositforlongperiodsoftimesufferasmuchfrombackpainaspeoplewholiftalldaylong.
随机试题
对鉴别心源性哮喘和支气管性哮喘最有价值的症状是
患者,男,7岁。全身浮肿,有血尿,少尿症状4天入院,经肾穿刺检查,发现肾小球内有新月体形成。应诊为
A、 B、 C、 D、 D
甲房地产经纪公司(以下简称甲公司)从事新建商品房代理销售业务,2004年10月,该公司承接了乙房地产开发公司(以下简称乙公司)的一个楼盘的预售业务。2005年6月,王某购买了其中的一套住宅,该住宅合同建筑面积为150m2,单价8000元/m2。但在按照《商
反映证券组合期望收益水平和总风险水平之间均衡关系的方程式是()。
在新股通过网上竞价发行方式发行时,主承销商以自己作为惟一的“卖方”,按照发行人确定的底价将公开发行股票的数量输入其在证券交易所的股票发行专户。()
《旅游投诉处理办法》规定,游客请求保护合法权益的投诉时效为60天。()
2017年2月5日《中共中央、国务院关于深入推进农业供给侧结构性改革加快培育农业农村发展新动能的若干意见》正式发布。《意见》强调要大力培育新型农业经营主体,通过土地经营权流转、股份合作、土地托管等多种方式,加快发展土地流转型、服务带动型等多种形式规模经营。
2,12,36,80,()
Manisbornfreebutiseverywhereindebt.Intherichworld,gettingholdofyourfirstcreditcardisariteofpassagefarm
最新回复
(
0
)