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In recent years alcoholism has become one of the major public health problems of North American society. According to certain estimate, nearly US$170 billion have been expended on treating and rehabilitating the individuals affected by alcoholism. There is a socially defined limit of alcohol consumption, which is rarely crossed by normal people. But those addicted to alcohol have an abnormal craving for alcohol despite suffering from alcohol related disorders or being subject of social ridicule or legal reprimand.

Alcoholism is more like a psychological disorder that is described by two separate terms: alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse. It is a chronic and progressive disease having a predictable course. The causes for alcoholism is often found in one's genes and aggravated by several social and environmental factors.

The common symptoms of alcoholism are:

' A feeling of compulsion for drinking more.

' Lack of mental power to refrain from drinking or limit the consumption.

' Development of a physical dependence on alcohol and occurrences of such symptoms as nausea, unsteadiness, sweating, or nervousness as a result of withdrawal from drinking after a prolonged heavy drinking habit.

' The increase in body's alcohol tolerance level, in which body needs more alcohol to sense the effects of alcohol.

If heavy alcohol consumption continues for an extended period of time without being properly addressed, it may even cause death in the long run. The major organs that get affected by excessive dependence on alcohol are liver, pancreas and kidney, cirrhosis of the liver being the commonest and most infamous consequence of alcoholism. Heart disease in form of dilated cardiomyopathy is also a common effect of alcoholism. The advanced researches have also found connection between various types of cancer and alcoholism.

Not only has the physical health, prolonged alcoholism miserably affect one's mental and emotional health as well as tarnishes social image. Prolonged alcohol dependency leads to brain deterioration that manifests in insomnia, depression and anxiety, which lead some of the patients to commit even suicide. The addicted person often acquires an alcoholic personality which is replete with contradictions like passivity when sober and aggressive when drunk.

In spite of severe social stigma attached to alcoholism, the patients continue in their dependency on alcohol. This severely affects their professional as well as personal lives leading to loss of job or breaking up of the marriage. The alcoholic person is a menace to public life, causing road accidents or storming up unnecessary squabbles. As a whole they lack social respect, nobody seem to trust them and they even find problems to find any decent accommodation. Thus they not only spoil their own life, the entire family has to bear the plight of alcoholism. Especially, the impact on the children of the family is extremely harmful and has a long term psychological effect.

Today the outlook towards the people suffering from alcoholism has changed. The experienced practitioners are more and more emphasizing on the responsibility of the family members who should patiently and sympathetically handle the matter and help the patient to return to the mainstream of life. With adequate support from family and society, even the patients in an advanced stage of alcoholism can come out of the curse of alcohol.