A Study on Alcoholism among Chronic Alcoholics

Alcohol addiction is among the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in India and elsewhere in the world. It is estimated that approximately 30% of adults consume alcohol at harmful or hazardous levels. Of these, 25% meet the criteria for an alcohol abuse disorder, such as the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. It is well established that persistent heavy alcohol use and acute episodes of heavy drinking are linked to a wide range of adverse health, social, economic, and legal consequences. Individuals who consume alcohol to excess have elevated risk for physical, mental, and social problems, such as motor vehicle and other accidents, violence and vandalism, unwanted sexual experiences, liver and cardiovascular diseases, cancers, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, depression, panic attacks and suicide. The objective of the present study is to assess the adverse consequences of alcohol abuse across five dimensions, namely Social Responsibility, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Physical Health and Impulse Control. For this study I have taken 20 subjects diagnosed as chronic Alcoholics as my sample. The scale, “The Short Index of Problems” (SIP) was used to assess the adverse consequences of alcohol. It was found that the adverse consequences of alcohol represent themselves in all dimensions equally without any significant variation. The negative effects of alcoholism are seen in all aspects of an individual's life.