Causes of Alcoholism| Etiology of Alcoholism| Factors leading to Alcoholism
Causes of alcoholism:
Etiology or Causes of alcoholism:
There are several factors that have been pointed out.
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Genetic factors
- In this cases of alcoholism the exact mode of inheritance is not known.
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Biochemical factors
- Deficiency of or abnormalities in alcohol dehydrogenase has been implicated as a possible etiological mechanism for alcoholism.
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Learning factors
- E.g. Relief of withdrawal symptoms by ingestion of a drug may act as a re-inforcer for further dependence on the drug.
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Personality factors
- Many alcohol and drug users appear to have some degree of an underlying personality disorder. A number of them possess self-indulgent tendencies or sense of inferiority which makes them incapable to face stresses of daily life.
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Psychiatric disorder
- Many alcoholics or drug users report symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is seldom clear that these are the causes or consequences of drug dependence.
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Social factors:
- Many alcohol abusers come from disorganized backgrounds. A history of unhappy or traumatic experiences during childhood is common.
- Pressures from friends to take alcohol so as to gain acceptance by a peer group is common.
- Risk of alcohol and drug dependence is greater in societies with ambiguous or ambivalent attitude towards these substances.
One may resort to alcohol consumption due to any one or a combination of the parameters mentioned above.
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