The question “is alcoholism is genetic oriented” has not a definite answer. However there are some evidences that it could be. A genetic study shows that some clusters of genetic variation play an important role in alcohol addiction. Alcoholism and genetics related factors are discussed below:

It is shown that all individuals with a family history of alcoholism have some risk of developing the problem of alcoholism. Family history of alcoholism means that either or both the parents had alcoholic problems. Parental alcoholism will be a factor for children to become alcoholics. The risk increases when the child is a boy having novelty seeking personality and impulsive behavior.

A new research shows that alcoholism and genetics have some relationship. The researchers identified a new gene that may be responsible for excessive drinking habit. The scientists used micro array techniques to study the genes expression in the brain which prompts high or low consumption of alcohol. This study gives new room to deal with alcoholism disorders.

Family history of alcoholism seems to have biological dysfunction in individuals who develop stress even before they get into drinking problems while others develop such problems only after the drinking problem arises. Some other studies show that stress may lead to alcoholism. The relationship between stress and alcohol is however not yet clear. But it is found that stress increases the release of Beta endorphin and high doses of alcohol also increase the Beta endorphin. Therefore family history of alcoholism is risky and will exhibit the dysfunction of stress even before the individual develops drinking problems. Hence individuals with family history of alcoholism must try to cope up with stressful situations by some other ways and should try to avoid consuming alcohols.

The degree of genetic influences on alcoholism risk may be sex specific also. The studies show that males with family history of alcoholism have more chances to develop alcoholism than women. A research in more than 50 families shows that alcoholism runs in families. This study reveals that first degree relatives like parents, children and siblings of treated alcoholics have two or four times higher risk of developing alcoholism.

The scientists in Washington have observed that parental alcoholism and personality leads to higher risk of alcoholism in individuals. The novelty seeking personality trait and parental alcoholism will develop addiction to alcohol. If someone has thrill seeking impulsive behavior then they have chance of becoming alcoholics. The risk is double the time more if they have either or both the parent is alcoholics.

The desire for consuming alcoholic products may be due to environmental signals also. However the genetic factors also play an important role here. Adoption and twin studies show that alcoholic consumption is likely to be inherited from parents. As already stated, sex will also influence the genetic factors leading to alcoholism. The researchers identified that Chromosome 1 is the area related to alcohol consumption. Therefore it is confirmed that genetic factors will increase the risk of alcoholism. However the extent of genetic factor leading to alcoholism requires further studies.

Addictions eventually catch up with you and change your life in such a way that you will have to face the fact that you need help. Recovering from addictions usually happens once you have hit the bottom and finally realize that you need help from outside sources so that you can lead a life that is addiction free. There are many types of addictions that will have a devastating affect on your life.

Addictions, and recovery from them, require that you actively seek help from a source other than yourself. You may want to start by consulting with your family doctor or with an addictions counselor. This is a good place to start since it will be important to access both your emotional and your physical behavior as they are related to your addictions and your substance abuse. You and your doctor will need to decide what is going to work best for you in order that you stop using your drug of choice. It won’t matter what your type of addiction is since all addictions require the same amount of professional help and support.

There are several different types of addictions that you may or may not already be aware of. Addictions include:

• alcohol abuse

• opiates

• food addictions

• marijuana abuse

• relationship addictions

• sex addictions

• gambling addictions

People become addicted to many types of substances. Many people become addicted to medications and other substances. There are some substances that are more addictive than others. For instance, drugs like heroin are so addictive and it can take it only one or two uses before a person is addicted.

A person who is addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that they feel they can’t live without it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.

Physical addiction is when a person has become physically dependent on a substance.

Over time a person will build up a tolerance to that substance, so that they need a larger dose so that they get the same effects. When an addict who is physically addicted to a substance stops using they may experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can be much like having the flu and include symptoms such as the shakes, diarrhea, and weakness.

Believe that Recovery is Possible!

Freedom from addictions is often referred to as “recovery”. There are many temporary solutions for freedom from addictions but there are really only two ways to permanently overcome addictions.

One of the most common methods of overcoming addictions is to be firm with the practice of abstinence. This means that you completely stop using your drug of choice so that you have no way to continue to feed addictions. This means that the alcoholic can never have another drink and that the gambling addict can never again go to a casino or other place where any type of gambling action takes place.

This method of abstinence, however, won’t work with food addictions since you cannot stop eating. Wanting to give up your addictions is one thing, but to actually to follow through with abstinence is usually very difficult for an addict. Many addicts think that they can continue with their addictions but to only use their drug of choice in a moderate manner. For most people with addictions this is only a dream and wishful thinking. Full recovery from addictions for most addicts will mean a lifetime of abstinence from their drug of choice.

For those addicts with addictions that can be controlled by limiting the drug of choice in a moderate manner, there is the realistic goal those addictions can be overcome permanently. These types of addictions include food addictions, shopping addictions, and sexual addictions. The addict will need to decide how much moderation they need to exercise before their addictions take over with addictive behavior once again. This is the path of recovery from addictions.

I am trying to find a psychology book that discusses how addictions are created. Do you know of any?
Thanks for reading.

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I am well aware that there is no problem what-so-ever with a Catholic priest drinking wine for his own enjoyment, but how about other kinds of alcoholic beverages such as gin, brandy, whiskey, rum, etc? Does the Roman Catholic Church have any sanctions concerning certain kinds of liquors?

Thank you.

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I wanna break these chains of addictions and glorify him… And don’t send the sinners prayer… Any advice?

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Addiction is turning into a international concern and “alcohol addiction” is developing into a huge issue because of the wide distribution and legal property of alcoholic beverages.

The word ‘alcoholism’ has several definitions. Generally, alcoholism is the word that refers to the condition that results from the recurrent intake of alcoholic beverages. Medically speaking, alcoholism is referred to as a condition that results from an importunate consumption of alcoholic drinks despite several unpleasant outcomes.

One should not be confused with the mere drinking of alcoholic drinks with the medical descriptions of alcoholism. It is true that the definition of alcoholism is associated with the drinking of alcoholic beverages but the constancy and the quantity of alcohol consumption are the significant determinants that are used to identify whether an individual is encountering alcoholism or not.

The side-effects of alcohol addiction are categorized into two sets: the long-term effects and the short-term effects.

We all know that alcohols, most notably ethyl alcohol, are potential central nervous system (CNS) tranquilizers. The toxicity level relies on several factors. For example, the level of toxicity is lesser when alcohol is consumed after having lunch as compared to the level of toxicity when the alcohol is consumed with an empty stomach. When it comes to hydration, the toxicity level is lesser if the alcohol is added first with water prior to intake.

The side-effects of alcohol in the body are described to be ‘biphasic’. The term biphasic describes the side-effects of alcohol consumption that differs from time to time. Alcohol initially generates happiness and leisure. Too much intake of alcohol may result to blurred vision and coordination problems. Medically, when alcohol is drank, it is released to the bloodstream and is released to all biological tissues in the human body.

(A) HEART DISEASE: The people who take in alcoholic beverages are vulnerable to lots of cardiovascular diseases. Acute myocardial infarction or heart failure may take place if the alcohol addiction goes on.

(B) LIVER DISORDER: Several liver-related diseases may occur because of alcohol addiction. Some of liver diseases that are caused by alcohol intake are steatosis, progressive inflammatory liver injury, liver fibrosis, and liver cirrhosis.

(C) CANCER: Different kinds of cancers like leukemia, malignant melanoma, prostate cancer and papillary carcinoma may develop as a side-effect of alcohol intake.

(D) OTHER EFFECTS: Drinking alcohol may may develop into overweightness and fatal alcohol syndrome that develops to the disintegration of the central nervous system.

Identifying Alcohol Addiction

(1) Screening: The screenings are usually self-reports that are intended to determine the level of alcoholism addiction. The different kinds of essential screening test procedures are CAGE Questionnaire, ADD Questionnaire, MAS Test, AUDIT Questionnaire, and the Paddington Alcohol Test.

(2) Urine and blood tests: By testing the blood and the urine of the subjected person, the status of alcohol addiction may be determined. Alcohol addiction may be examined through different indicators that includes macrocytosis, Gamma-GT elevation, ASAT and ALT ratio, and CDT elevation.

(3) Others: A few procedures including the determination of the genetic predisposition or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are intended to identify the alcohol addiction status and the level of toxicity.

Same as the medical and psychological procedures used for drug addiction, the treatment in this case is also separated into two distinct sections which are alcoholic detoxification and advising. The mentioned treatment processes have to be performed at the same time. By conducting the detox treatments, the body of the person with alcoholic issues is cleansed. By conducting the advising or the intervention methods, the addictive may be persuaded to let go of alcohol addiction.

It is necessary to pass on the necessary information concerning the negative side-effects of drinking alcohol to the physical and mental system of the people to lower the number of people who are considered to be alcoholics.

Most people who are addicted to alcohol will never agree that they need any kind of detoxification program. The strongest barrier in the addiction treatment programs is nothing but this denial phase. These people don’t understand the serious trouble in which they have been caught due to their alcohol addiction.

Alcohol addicts like to believe that they are not an addict of alcohol and having alcohol in moderation so nothing can happen to them. About 90% people stay in the denial phase and the 10% who goes for the treatment have a very few % of people who use alcohol detox treatment. But even people who have come out of their denials through a suitable intervention program will look for other options of treatment and give the detox treatment option a miss.

In addiction treatment centers, alcohol addiction is the most neglected kind of addiction treatment when it comes to detox. But without alcohol detox treatment, it is very difficult to take an addict safely out from the dangers of alcoholism. So, what does the alcohol detox treatment program do? What are its aims and objectives? Let us see this treatment program in detail.

The purpose of the alcohol detox treatment program is the same as in all other kinds of detox treatments, and that is to clean the patient’s body so that not even a single trace of alcohol remains in their body. Even though the alcohol addict may now have controlled their alcohol intake, there is still a major chance that the alcohol that he or she consumed in all the previous years will get accumulated in his or her body. The addicted person’s liver and kidneys may still have alcohol traces in them, which may cause troubles in future life.

Hence the most important thing for the alcohol addict is to remove this accumulated alcohol out of their body system. The alcohol detox treatment program does exactly this. In this treatment the patient is asked to stay completely away from the alcohol. As no alcohol enters the body of the addict, the treatment will focus on removing the residual alcohol in the patient’s body. For this reason, various medications will be given to the patient. This process has no fixed duration. The overall duration of the treatment depends upon the extent of the alcohol that is accumulated in the body of the addict. This time will vary from person to person. But on an average, this treatment programs may last up to one week.

But the main thing here is to deal with the withdrawal symptoms that the patient will start showing within a day or two after the treatment begins. As the body of the patient is used to alcohol and no more alcohol is entering the body, the body will start demanding for alcohol. But if the patient is determined to quit alcohol then within a few days these symptoms will vanish. Hence, this phase of the detox treatment is the toughest one. The withdrawal symptoms are nothing but the signs that the body is getting cleaned and there is no more alcohol present in the body. This will boost the morale of the patient and soon he or she will be able to quit his or her addiction.

As the body gets cleansed and not even a single drop of alcohol remains in the body after the detox program, the chances of the addict getting into health complications also reduces. This way the addict can be sure that they have left the alcohol addiction in their past and now they are free of this dependency and can live their life in peace.

In the treatment centers, the treatment providers always try to educate people that not only staying away from alcohol is enough but cleansing the body internally by undergoing a detox treatment is equally important. There are various examples where even after the addict has left consuming alcohol, health complications arise. There are a great number of people who have cirrhosis of liver due to excessive drinking. This disease can be caused even if the person now stays away from alcohol. So, a better way is to cleanse the body internally through detox.

If the addict wants to be really free from alcohol and lead a tension-free life, he or she should go through the detox treatment program. This assures that there is not even a single trace of alcohol left in the body.

I am addicted to the Internet. I am a busy working parent and still I find the time to check my e-mail, chat with my friends in Yahoo Instant Messenger, read news, forums and on and on.

I need “to know” and I need “to have” more than ever before. I want to get my latest news. I want to spread the news to my on-line and off-line friends, who, I might add, are doing exactly the same. I need to get a new book or … shoes or … gadget just because it is there and easy to buy, no need to drive and look for parking at the mall. Don’t you love these FREE shipping offers? All this is in addition to already being entertained on the Internet watching YouTube, listening to iTunes etc. Do you do the same?

It is not hard to find out if you’re addicted to the Internet. Do you find that when you get online you’re frequently surprised by the amount of time that has passed? Do you find yourself staying home instead of enjoying a beautiful day outside because you’d rather use the Internet?

A recent study from Stanford University School of Medicine found that more than one in eight Americans show signs that they could be suffering from some form of internet addiction.

How do you cure this problem? Google “Internet Addiction” and log on to a bunch of websites? Instant Message other sufferers? Join an Internet support group? Or buy self-help books from our favorite on-line store (after performing an extensive price comparison)? You might as well offer a drink to an alcoholic trying to cure his addiction.

In China, parents send their children as young as 12 to the first officially licensed clinic for Internet addiction at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital. That is after their kids skip school to spend time playing online games and visiting chat rooms. These kids are admitted suffering from depression, nervousness, panic, fear, agitation, unwillingness to interact with others, sleep disorders, the shakes and numbness in their hands. The daily schedule at the center begins at 6 a.m. and includes electric shock treatment and the administration of intravenous drips to “adjust the unbalanced status of brain secretions”.

This sounds a little extreme to me. How about a gentler American way of approaching this problem? How about using a new high-tech device called SnoopStick?

SnoopStick is a very small USB flash drive device that will allow someone to fully monitor and limit your access to the Internet from any other computer on the Internet. Just run the set-up program on your computer then unplug the device and give it to your trusted friend. Your friend will plug Snoop Stick to any Windows-based computer (in her home or office) and at any time will be able to monitor your Internet use and disable your access to the Internet if needed. You can also specify the times when you will be able to access Internet and SnoopStick will enforce this schedule.

Stay aware, alert, and in control of your Internet with Snoop Stick.

A friend of mine has been taking Loram (or otherwise known Lorazepam) to control her stress and restless nights. But now I see her taking it all the time, like it’s the answer to everything. How can I help her?

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When the Soviet Union fell and greater freedoms became available to its citizens, an undesirable side effect of this change was greater access to narcotics. In particular, heroin. And, as in many other countries, along with a heroin epidemic comes HIV infections resulting from the sharing of needles used to inject heroin. Estimates of the number of heroin addicts vary from three million to six million of the country’s 142 million citizens.

Like in America, some Russian doctors propose the use of substitution therapy with methadone. But unlike America, the treatment of heroin addiction with methadone is illegal. In fact, the discussion of the subject is forbidden, as is the promotion of the treatment on a website. Sometimes, even the mentioning it in conversation can bring legal sanctions down on a person.

In 2006, an influential anti-methadone article was published in the Russian Medical Newspaper, then reprinted and distributed to addiction treatment specialists. The article claims that the methadone will be subject to illegal diversion and that heroin addicts are kept addicted while the pharmaceutical companies make a profit. Passions run high as medical and government officials bicker back and forth on risk reduction through substitute drugs that keep people from injecting heroin illegally, and other forms of treatment.

“If harm reduction is one’s only goal, then methadone may be a viable treatment,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “However, if a person’s goal is to live drug-free, then methadone may not be the best option to treat heroin or opiate addiction. Some drug treatment professionals may keep a person on methadone substitution for a long time, meaning that the person does not learn to live drug-free on their own.”

The Narconon program is a fully drug-free program, meaning that every participant goes through a withdrawal step at the beginning of the program, assisted by nutritional support and physical exercises that calm and extrovert the person and relieve the discomfort of withdrawal. This is followed by a sauna program that uses a dry-heat combined with nutrition and an exercise program. This step flushes out old drug residues that may be connected with cravings. With lowered or eliminated cravings, the former addict is now free to take part in the counseling that allows them to leave guilt and depression behind, and learn the life skills that can enable them to make drug-free decisions in the future.

“The Narconon program offers a viable alternative for the person who wishes to experience life without any reliance on drugs,” added Mr. Hallmark. “Our seventy percent success rate means that we are able to return many drug-free individuals to productive lives.”

If you know anyone who needs help to overcome a drug addiction, please contact us at http://www.stopaddiction.com