Alcohol Addiction: Biological & Social Perspective

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The problem of chemical dependency is one of the most severe threats to personal and public health. The uncontrollable urge to use endless doses of nicotine, opioids, or alcohol causes critical damage to physical health and adversely affects the psychological well-being of the individual. Among the factors listed, alcohol addiction is subject to special consideration, being one of the most dangerous types of disorders. To be more precise, by 2018, alcohol took the lives of more than 5,698 people, an increase of 7 percent over the exact figure in 2008 (NHS). At the same time, the UK is one of the most drinking countries, as the average number of liters of alcohol per person there was 11.45 in 2018, higher than in other developed countries (Ritchie and Roser, 2018). As a consequence, alcohol addiction is a significant national problem that causes severe health damage. This essay seeks to discuss this problem from a biological and social perspective.

In Jack’s proposed case, alcohol addiction is an obvious problem that threatens the man’s physical and mental health. According to the DSM-5, Jack already exhibits two patterns related to craving and tolerance. Tolerance expresses in ever-increasing amounts of intoxicating drinks, while craving describes a man’s inner desire to participate in parties and fights. Several unrelated factors may be predictors of Jack’s chronic alcoholism. First, although there is no reliable evidence, genetic heredity with a drinking father carries weight. Either epigenetic constructs or an upbringing with a constantly drinking father, or a combination of both, could have caused Jack to develop an alcohol disorder. Second, the man is under constant work stress, and alcohol has been known to allow people to forget and abstract from their problems. In addition, Jack has a rambunctious lifestyle and goes to wild parties, which in itself can become predictors of alcohol use. Finally, the ever-increasing quantity of drinks he ingests causes Jack to develop alcoholism, in which it takes more alcohol to achieve the euphoria of intoxication. Consequently, Jack finds himself in a vicious cycle in which he constantly has to drink more to get drunk. All of these factors can work together, which further aggravates Jack’s situation.

Behind the development of Jack’s alcohol addiction are not only social factors but also biological ones. Ethanol molecules block the ability of glutamate to conduct nerve impulses in the cerebral cortex. It should be said that glutamate, as a salt of glutamic acid, is one of the most important excitatory neurotransmitters. On the postsynaptic neuron, glutamate released from vesicles binds to NMDA receptors and activates them. This, in turn, leads to learning and memory activities. In addition, glutamate has synaptic plasticity, accelerating the transmission of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. As a result of prolonged alcohol consumption, the sensitivity of NMDA receptors is corrected by their increase: the cortex now needs more glutamate molecules. As a result of the receptors’ adaptation to alcohol, a man needs to consume more alcohol, which creates a cycle of alcohol dependence.

Alcohol dependence develops against this background, but this process is much more complex than decreased glutamine activity. The reinforcement system in the brain is linked to dopamine, one of the mediators. It is believed that increased activity of this substance is associated with states of satisfaction and anticipation. Prolonged ingestion of alcohol disrupts the reward system, causing dopaminergic neurons to produce dopamine regardless of the outcome of the procedure.

The consequences of this pathogenesis are not difficult to trace: they add up to physical and social problems. Biologically, as a result of impaired glutamine neurotransmitter activity, the patient has frequent memory lapses and learning problems. Hyperactivity of NMDA receptors during a hangover explains the patient’s irritability and the high risk of stroke. Continuous consumption of the toxin leads to damage of the walls of blood vessels and rapid deterioration of the heart muscle and the blood-filtering liver. As a result, cirrhosis, heart attack, stroke, and cancer are common among alcoholics, as shown in Section 4 in Week 6. Problems also affect the family: The drunken aggressor damages the emotional well-being of loved ones, commits domestic violence and suppresses the harmonious development of relatives. Alcohol also increases the crime rate in the country (AC, 2021). As a consequence, this addiction has a spectrum of detrimental effects on the patient, family, and community.

In conclusion, alcohol addiction is an extreme irritant that exacerbates health and psychological well-being problems. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for alcoholism: some patients seek mental support while others use medication. Working in anonymous groups, mentoring, and working through trauma with a psychologist can help. In addition, taking acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors allows to break the cycle of alcohol addiction and eventually cure the patient completely.