Alcoholism
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Alcoholism
The words, “alcohol addiction,” most likely are referred to as a problem, a weakness, but rarely as disease that affects the daily lives of more than 293,655,405 people in America. However, alcoholism is in fact the number one health problem in the United States. A chronic disease often spurred by genetic, psychological and environmental factors that determine its severity, the disease is very much a progressive one which takes time to develop and grow, in some cases resulting in fatality. There are a vast amount of definitions for this health crisis but it is most commonly defined as an incessant lack of control over use as well as the continued use of the substance despite its negative consequences and distortions of the mind. Among many symptoms of the disease are denial, loss of control, tolerance (the need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol to, “get high,”) craving and physical dependence. Although at times underrated, alcoholism is in fact a chronic problem, indicating that it lasts a person’s entire lifetime. Unfortunately, the disease commonly affects youth, primary college students seeking ways to relax, let loose, boost self esteem and provide romance in their lives. Sadly, alcohol is sometimes used as an escape from depression, fears, anxiety, and other inadequacies real or imagined. These reasons contribute to the ongoing rise in alcoholism, supported by the fact that alcohol-related problems strikes one family in every three. Alcoholism is not only costing the nation an estimated $276 billion a year in lost productivity, health care expenditures, crime and other related costs, but is becoming a problem closely linked to suicide, and a problem that we must force ourselves to open our eyes to and evaluate.
Causes
There are many factors that play a role in the cause of alcoholism. Social factors such as the influence of family, peers, and society, and the availability of alcohol play a large role in the development of alcoholism in the youth. Psychological factors such as elevated levels of stress, inadequate coping mechanisms, and reinforcement of alcohol use from other drinkers can also contribute to alcoholism. High levels of stress, anxiety, or depression can lead some people to turn to alcohol to lessen some of the emotional tension. Having low self-esteem or being around someone who is an alcoholic may also cause certain people to start drinking. The glamorous advertisements portraying drinking in the advertising and entertainment industries sends many people the wrong message that it is necessary to drink in order to have fun. The factors that cause initial alcohol use may later change from those that maintain it once the disease develops.
Alcoholics usually start out with one or two drinks and instead of stopping themselves, they continue on until they reach the point of intoxication. Most situations start with the casual social drinking status, but then it develops and grows into heavy addictive drinking. In addition to social drinking, peer pressure, especially among the youth of society, also plays a huge part in the introduction to and enlargement of alcoholism. This can be seen in today’s society, where many teenagers and young adults are peer pressured into consuming their first drinks. Certain genetic factors may also cause a person to be vulnerable to alcoholism or other addiction. For example, if a person has an imbalance of brain chemicals, they may be more predisposed to alcoholism. There is also a higher chance for a person to develop alcoholism when there is a family history of alcohol abuse. The gene for alcoholism has not yet been identified because presently there is no evidence that alcoholism is caused by single gene. But it is hypothesizes that there are probably a large number of genes, each with rather small individual effects, which contribute to the risk of developing alcoholism.
Biochemistry
Unlike foods and beverages that require digestion before they can be absorbed by the stomach lining, the tiny ethanol molecules of alcohol can diffuse right throught the walls of an empty stomach and travel through the body, affecting the brain in no time. If alcohol is consumed on an empty stomach the speed of intoxicity is almost immediate versus if the stomach is full, the alcohol molecules have less chance of coming in direct contact with the stomach walls and the alcohol affects the brain more slowly. If the alcohol is taken in slowly, it will collect in the liver and be processed after absorption without much effect on the rest of the body, but if the alcohol is taken in rapidly in large amounts, the ethanol molecules will bypass the liver and flow for a while through the rest of the body and the brain.
Alcohol is generally used as a social anestetic to relax and to calm anxiety. Some people think that alcohol is a stimulant, but it is actually a depressant and it works by sedating the inhibitory nerves, or nerves that inhibit secretory acts already in progress, and allows the excitatory nerves to take over.The most common inhibitory transmitters in the human body's central nervous system are GABA and glycine. The brain functions, including addiction, involve communication and interaction between nerve cells or neurons in the brain. The communication between neurons creates electrical activity and groups of neurons with similar functions extend from one brain region to another, forming neural circuits. Circuits interact with one another to integrate the functions of the brain, including complex emotional, cognitive, and motivational processes. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)There are small gaps in the brain called synapses where nerve cells can release GABA or glycine and the communication process requires two neurons, a "sending" neuron and a "receiving neuron", that are able to communicate across them. Chemicals called neurotransmitters can then carry messages across the synapses. Alcohol causes many of its physical effects such as intoxication, a dizziness, and loss of inhibitions by affecting and hindering the communication between neurons.
When a neurotransmitter is released it crossed the synapse and activates a receptor protein in the receiving neuron. Activating a receptor causes the receiving neuron to adapt or change. When the body has prolonged or repeated exposure to alcohol, the alcohol can cause such changes in neurons that in susceptible can lead to and or cause the development of alcoholism.
A study in the November 2005 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research discovered that a gene on chromosome 10, the KCNMA1 gene, could potentially be connected to the level of response to alcohol.
The gene is similar to a receptor that lets Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) move between nerve cells. GABA is the main inhibitory chemical in the central nervous system and there were lines of confirmation from other experiments that suggested that GABA receptors are involved in the mental behavior impairing effects of alcohol. For the experiment, the scientists gathered and examined DNA from 262 families totaling 2,282 people. They isolated three genes on chromosome 15: GABRA5, GABRB3 and GABRG3 that are situated very close together on the same chromosome. Then the examiners used markers called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) to study the differences between the genes of the participants. The results showed that there were small genetic differences on the GABRG3 gene only. It is not exactly known how the GABRG3 gene affects alcoholism but prior studies have suggested that there are chemicals that increase GABA receptor activity. These chemicals can bring out the behavioral effects of alcohol, such as sedation, dizziness, loss of anxiety and problems such impaired judgment. Chemicals that decrease GABA receptor activity can have the opposite effect. Discovering that GABA is related to alcohol abuse and dependence supports a current theory that the inclination to alcoholism may possibly be inherited as part of a general state of brain over activation. People who inherit a variety of genes that cause the over activation have a higher risk of developing an addiction to alcohol. Alcohol sedates that state of excitability, causing people with a hyper excited nervous system to use alcohol more frequently so that they can calm their brain circuits. This results with them being put at greater risk for developing alcohol dependence.(Washington University School of Medicine)
Structure of GABA(A)receptor associated protein
The GABA receptor protein is directly affected by ethanol which is a major component of alcoholic beverages. Acamprosate is a new method of therapy for alcoholism and has a structure almost identical to that of the GABA receptor. It is used to maintain abstinence in patients who have stopped drinking.
1KLV
Structure Details
The structure has three alpha helices and three beta sheets.
Effects
Alcohol has many negative effects on the body and the brain of those who cannot control their alcohol consumption levels. Millions of people everyday feel the negative after effects of drinking alcohol but they remain completely oblivious to the fact that they have a drinking problem. Many signs and symptoms of alcoholism are easy to see, but others are subtler and are more difficult to recognize. Over time, repeated and heavy consumption of alcohol does extensive damage to almost every system in the body. Heavy drinking can increase the risk for certain cancers, such as cancer of the throat, larynx, liver, and of the esophagus. Excessive drinking can also lead to cirrhosis of the liver, brain damage, harm the fetus while the mother is pregnant, problems with the immune system, and chronic alcoholism.
Brain damage is a common and potentially severe consequence of long-term, heavy alcohol consumption. Even mild-to-moderate drinking can negatively affect simple brain functions.
Alcoholism has a huge impact on society and culture. It causes thousands of innocent deaths, many violent crimes, and tears families and friends apart.
Treatment
Like any other diseases, alcoholism can be treated and cured with proper treatment, prevention, and more knowledge. Educating others about the disease and dangers of alcoholism is the first line of defense. It is important that they are informed about and understand the early signs of problem drinking. People need to be able to recognize that alcohol is an addictive drug that can potentially be very harmful to the body if not regulated. Other preventive measures are, abstaining completely from drinking, research your family's history with alcohol, and know your own history with alcohol use. Medications, counseling and self-help groups are among the therapies that can provide ongoing support to help you recover from alcoholism.There are currently only three medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence today:Campral, Naltrexone, Antabuse (American Family Physician)
