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'''Alcoholism''' refers to [[addiction]] to [[Alcoholic Drinks|alcoholic beverages]]. The medical term used to refer to alcoholism is ''alcohol dependence''. A person can be diagnosed with alcohol dependence if at least three of these criteria occur during the same 12-month span: (a) tolerance (i.e., more alcohol is needed to produce the same effect); (b) alcohol withdrawal; (c) alcohol is used in larger amounts or over longer periods than intended (i.e., loss of control); (d) chronic desire or unsuccessful attempts to reduce drinking; (e) a great deal of time is spent obtaining or using alcohol; (f) other activities are reduced in order to use or recover from using alcohol; (g) drinking continues despite persistent problems that it either causes or makes worse<ref>American Psychiatric Association (1994). ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', Fourth Edition. APA, Washington, D.C.</ref>.
{{See also|Addiction}}
[[File:1-15-26.PNG|right|300px|thumb|[[European Union]] foreign minister [[Kaja Kallas]] recommended drinking to excess as an escape from world woes.<ref>[https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-chief-diplomat-kaja-kallas-state-world-means-time-start-drinking/ EU chief diplomat Kallas: World’s woes mean it’s time to start drinking], By Max Griera, ''[[Politico]]'', January 14, 2026. www.politico.eu</ref>]]
'''Alcoholism''' -- euphemistically called "alcohol use disorder"<ref name="CNN">https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/19/health/heavy-drinkers-handle-liquor-wellness/index.html</ref> today -- refers to [[addiction]] to [[Alcoholic Drinks|alcoholic beverages]]. The medical term used to refer to alcoholism is ''alcohol dependence''. This is a deadly [[addiction]] and alcoholics cannot really "hold their liquor" as some claim.<ref name="CNN"/> '''''One study showed a shortening in lifespan of nearly 7 years for those who drank more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day'''''.<ref>https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11427-x</ref> Alcoholism has also limited the careers of famous athletes such as [[Mickey Mantle]], who "explained how his drinking likely cut his career short and led to memory loss."<ref>https://www.gatewayfoundation.org/addiction-blog/athletes-who-drank-too-much/#Mickey-Mantle</ref> Alcoholism is also expensive: many spend thousands annually on alcoholic drinks, totaling $89.8 billion overall in the [[U.S.]] in 2023.<ref>https://www.moneydigest.com/1571020/how-much-money-american-spends-beer-alcohol/</ref> Roughly 90% of alcohol sales in [[America]] is to one-fifth of adults, while 36% of Americans abstain completely.<ref>https://news.gallup.com/poll/467507/percentage-americans-drink-alcohol.aspx</ref>
The more one is educated by [[liberal]] [[college]]s, the more [[opposition to Trump|anti-Trump]] they are and the more [[alcohol]] they drink:
{{cquote|college graduates (76%) and postgraduates (75%) [are] the most likely to report they drink. This is followed by nearly two-thirds of those with some college education (65%) and about half of those who haven’t attended college (51%).<ref>https://news.gallup.com/poll/467507/percentage-americans-drink-alcohol.aspx#:~:text=Line%20graph%20showing%20what%20alcoholic,%25%20wine%20and%2030%25%20liquor.</ref>}}
A person can be diagnosed with alcohol dependence if at least three of these criteria occur during the same 12-month span: (a) tolerance (i.e., more alcohol is needed to produce the same effect); (b) alcohol withdrawal; (c) alcohol is used in larger amounts or over longer periods than intended (i.e., loss of control); (d) chronic desire or unsuccessful attempts to reduce drinking; (e) a great deal of time is spent obtaining or using alcohol; (f) other activities are reduced in order to use or recover from using alcohol; (g) drinking continues despite persistent problems that it either causes or makes worse.<ref>American Psychiatric Association (1994). ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', Fourth Edition. APA, Washington, D.C.</ref>
"Alcohol contributes to approximately 88,000 deaths annually in the US, making it the third leading preventable cause of death," and years are subtracted from life expectancy due to alcoholism.<ref>https://www.hvrc.com/end-stage-alcoholism-life-expectancy/</ref> '''''Alcoholism often ages the appearance of people far worse than their calendar years'''''.
As with any [[addiction]], both affirmative and defensive approaches can be helpful to overcome it. Developing healthy hobbies, particularly ones that actively use the mind such as writing, [[chess]]-playing, [[Bible]]-reading, and debate, can drive out the unhealthy habit of drinking alcohol.
==Causes==
==Causes==
==Treatment==
==Treatment==
A number of methods to solve alcoholism are available for alcoholism, including faith in God, detoxification, [[psychotherapy]], self-help groups, and medications.
A number of methods to solve alcoholism are available for alcoholism, including faith in God, detoxification, [[psychotherapy]], self-help groups, and medications.
'''Faith based'''
[[Image:St Paul Preaching.jpg|right|thumb|300px|St. [[Paul]] defends his preaching (Giovanni Ricco)]]
The [[Saint Paul|Apostle Paul]] wrote concerning drunkards and becoming free of enslavement to a drunken lifestyle:
{{cquote|Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. - I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NASB)}}
The Bible teaches that excess alcohol use is a [[sin]].<ref name="m.blogs.christianpost.com">[http://m.blogs.christianpost.com/biblical-spirituality/is-alcohol-a-sin-or-a-disease-11125/ Is alcohol abuse a sin or a disease?]</ref> Bible believing Christians commonly assert that the root cause of alcoholism is often spiritual/character issues and through the power of God these can be addressed.<ref name="m.blogs.christianpost.com"/>
Many troubled people turn to alcohol as a means to escape their personal problems rather than rely on the power of God.
Christian author Sue Earl wrote:
{{cquote|Is [[God]] absent in heaven? Has God become indifferent and cold like some men, who have totally destroyed their sense of feel, or is God suffering with the sufferers? Mankind tries to deaden pain with drugs, alcohol, escapism, but if we attempt to deaden the pain we become indifferent and lose the ability to [[love]]. God is not an arbitrary force or blind fate of destiny who has no feelings. God is love. Love has a cost — suffering. God cared so much about people's sufferings that He sent [[Jesus]] to suffer and die for mankind. Not only did Jesus suffer when He died, God suffered. Christ's suffering reveals a passionate and loving God. For God to be man's redeemer, He had to be involved in Jesus' death. God made [[atonement]] and took away sin.<ref>Empowered for Life Success: Living in God's Grace, Truth, and Love, By Sue Earl. page 70-71</ref>}}
Australian online opinion writer and lecturer in ethics and philosophy at several Melbourne theological colleges, Bill Muehlenberg, in his essay ''The Unbearable Heaviness of Being (In a World Without God)'' wrote:
{{cquote|Announcing, and believing, that God is dead has consequences. And it is we who suffer the most for it. We cannot bear the whole universe on our shoulders. We were not meant to. We must let God be God. Only then can men be men. Only then can we find the way forward to be possible, and the burdens not insurmountable.<ref>http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/05/26/the-unbearable-heaviness-of-being-in-a-world-without-god/</ref>}}
'''Detoxification''' is an abrupt cessation of drinking, often accompanied by medications such as [[benzodiazepine]]s to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification helps a person to cope with the physiological effects of chronic heavy drinking, but does not help with issues such as urges to drink or underlying reasons for alcohol dependence. Consequently, additional treatment is usually required for a successful outcome.
'''Detoxification''' is an abrupt cessation of drinking, often accompanied by medications such as [[benzodiazepine]]s to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification helps a person to cope with the physiological effects of chronic heavy drinking, but does not help with issues such as urges to drink or underlying reasons for alcohol dependence. Consequently, additional treatment is usually required for a successful outcome.
'''Self-help groups''' are commonly used by those suffering from alcoholism. The best known is [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], in which members acknowledge their problems with alcohol and provide support for other members.
'''Self-help groups''' are commonly used by those suffering from alcoholism. The best known is [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], in which members acknowledge their problems with alcohol and provide support for other members.
'''Medications''' are often used to discourage alcohol use. ''Antabuse'' (disulfiram) interrupts the metabolization of alcohol, increasing the amount of acetaldehyde in the body and leading to substantial hangover symptoms shortly after drinking and discouraging those who have taken the medication from drinking. ''Naltrexone'' is a medication that binds to opioid receptors in the brain, decreasing alcohol cravings and promoting abstinence.
'''Medications''' are often used to discourage alcohol use. ''Antabuse'' (disulfiram) interrupts the metabolization of alcohol, increasing the amount of [[acetaldehyde]] in the body and leading to substantial hangover symptoms shortly after drinking and discouraging those who have taken the medication from drinking. ''Naltrexone'' is a medication that binds to opioid receptors in the brain, decreasing alcohol cravings and promoting abstinence.
== The negative effects of excess alcohol use on an individual’s personality ==
[[File:Alcohol abuse.jpg|right|251px|thumbnail||Alterations in four of the “Big Five” personality traits are linked to problematic alcohol use.<ref name="jwatch.org">[https://www.jwatch.org/na46402/2018/04/02/alcohol-use-adults-may-lead-detrimental-personality ''Alcohol Use in Adults May Lead to Detrimental Personality Changes''] by Claire Wilcox, MD</ref>]]
The article ''Alcohol Use in Adults May Lead to Detrimental Personality Changes'' by Claire Wilcox, MD states:
{{Cquote|Alterations in four of the “Big Five” personality traits are linked to problematic alcohol use.
Personality traits have been shown to contribute to problematic drinking; in some studies, higher extraversion, lower conscientiousness, lower agreeableness, and lower openness have predicted later greater alcohol use. However, the opposite is possible, as higher alcohol consumption in adolescents and young adults has been shown to predict higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness. To learn whether alcohol use in adults predicts later changes in personality traits, researchers pooled data on 39,722 respondents from six longitudinal surveys conducted in Germany, Australia, and the U.S. (mean age, 52; 54% women).
Analyses adjusted for baseline personality trait score, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and the length of follow-up time. The four self-reported alcohol use variables at baseline (high average alcohol consumption, binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and risky alcohol use [i.e., any of the other three variables]) predicted lower agreeableness and conscientiousness at follow-up (mean, 5.6 years). In addition, all baseline variables except alcohol consumption predicted lower emotional stability. Baseline risky drinking and high consumption predicted higher extraversion.
These results highlight the possibility of a vicious cycle, in which alcohol contributes to harmful personality change, which then contributes to greater drinking.<ref name="jwatch.org">[https://www.jwatch.org/na46402/2018/04/02/alcohol-use-adults-may-lead-detrimental-personality ''Alcohol Use in Adults May Lead to Detrimental Personality Changes''] by Claire Wilcox, MD</ref>}}
Northbound Treatment, which offers alcohol and drug treatment, has multiple locations throughout California. Northbound Treatment has an article entitled [https://www.northboundtreatment.com/blog/common-alcoholic-personality-traits-changes/ Common Alcoholic Personality Traits & Changes] which discusses the short and long terms effects of excessive drinking effects on an individuals personality.
Psych Central features an article [https://psychcentral.com/addictions/what-happens-to-your-specific-personality-when-drinking#impact-on-personality Does Drinking Alcohol Change Your Personality?] which offers information on how alcohol affects brain function.
The journal article ''Are Changes in Personality Traits and Alcohol Use Associated? A Cohort Study Among Young Swiss Men'' published in the journal ''Frontiers in Psychiatry'' noted:
{{Cquote|Results: Aggression–hostility, sensation seeking, and sociability were significantly and positively cross-sectionally associated with both alcohol use variables. Drinking volume and these three personality traits bidirectionally predicted each other. Binge drinking was bidirectionally associated with sensation-seeking only, whereas aggression–hostility and sociability only predicted binge drinking, but not vice versa. Changes in alcohol use were significantly positively associated with changes in aggression–hostility, sensation seeking, and sociability. Associations reached small Cohen's effect sizes for sociability and sensation seeking, but not for aggression–hostility. Associations with neuroticism–anxiety were mostly not significant.
Conclusion: The direction of effects confirmed findings from other studies, and the association between changes in personality and alcohol use support the idea that prevention programs should simultaneously target both.<ref>[https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.591003/full ''Are Changes in Personality Traits and Alcohol Use Associated? A Cohort Study Among Young Swiss Men''] by Gerhard Gmel1, Simon Marmet1, Joseph Studer and Matthias Wicki, ''Frontiers in Psychiatry'', 23 December 2020, Sec. Addictive Disorders, Volume 11 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.591003</ref>}}
According to the journal article ''Alcohol use and personality change in middle and older adulthood'' published in the journal the ''Journal of Personalized Medicine'': "Findings from the Health and Retirement Study Latent difference score models indicated decreases in extraversion to be attenuated for individuals categorized as light-to-moderate drinkers at baseline, while decreases in conscientiousness were accentuated by having experienced alcohol dependence symptoms. Moreover, personality difference scores correlated with changes in the amount of alcohol consumed at follow-up."<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6054906/ ''Alcohol use and personality change in middle and older adulthood''], ''Journal of Personalized Medicine'', 2018 Dec; 86(6): 1003–1016. Published online 2018 Feb 14. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12371</ref>
== Atheism and alcoholism ==
== Atheism and alcoholism ==
[[File:Europe pol 2004.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|According to the [[World Health Organization]]'s (WHO) regional office in [[Europe]], "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.<ref>[http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/data-and-statistics World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe - Alcohol usage of Europe]</ref>]]
[[File:Europe pol 2004.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|According to the [[World Health Organization]]'s (WHO) regional office in [[Europe]], "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.<ref name="euro.who.int">[http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/data-and-statistics World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe - Alcohol usage of Europe]</ref>]]
''See also:'' [[Atheism and alcoholism]]
''See also:'' [[Atheism and alcoholism]]
=== Secular countries/regions and alcoholism ===
=== Secular countries/regions and alcoholism ===
Europe:
'''Secular Europe:'''
According to the [[World Health Organization]]'s (WHO) regional office in [[Europe]], "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.<ref name="euro.who.int"/>
*[[Secular Europe and alcoholism]]
*[[Secular Europe and alcoholism]]
*[[Godless Britain and alcoholism]]
*[[Britain and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic France and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic France and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Czech Republic and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Czech Republic and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Estonia and alcoholism]]
*[[Irreligious Finland and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Denmark and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Denmark and alcoholism]]
Australia:
'''Australia:'''
An Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) report indicated that 20% of Australians drink at levels putting them at risk of lifetime harm.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-20/alcohol-to-blame-for-one-in-eight-deaths---report/5102594 One in eight deaths of young Australians attributable to alcohol: National Council on Drugs report] By Jane Mower, Updated 19 Nov 2013, 7:28pm</ref>
*[[Irreligious Australia and alcoholism]]
[[File:04656 market in Sanok.JPG|thumbnail|250px|right|[[Alcoholism]] was a serious social problem in the former atheistic [[Soviet Union]].<ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18245818</ref> Between 1940 and 1980, this [[atheist state]] had the largest increase of the amount of alcohol usage in the developed world.<ref>[http://isw.sagepub.com/content/35/4/441.extract Alcoholism in the Soviet Union]</ref>]]
Asian countries:
[[File:04656 market in Sanok.JPG|thumbnail|250px|right|Alcoholism was a serious social problem in the former atheistic [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="ncbi.nlm.nih.gov">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18245818</ref> Between 1940 and 1980, this [[atheist state]] had the largest increase of the amount of alcohol usage in the developed world.<ref name="Alcoholism in the Soviet Union">[http://isw.sagepub.com/content/35/4/441.extract Alcoholism in the Soviet Union]</ref>]]
'''Asian countries:'''
*[[Atheistic China and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic China and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Japan and alcoholism]]
*[[North Korea and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Thailand and alcoholism]]
*[[Nontheistic Thailand and alcoholism]]
'''History of communism:'''
Alcoholism was a serious social problem in the former atheistic [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="ncbi.nlm.nih.gov"/> Between 1940 and 1980, this [[atheist state]] had the largest increase of the amount of alcohol usage in the developed world.<ref name="Alcoholism in the Soviet Union"/>
*[[Soviet Union and alcoholism]]
*[[Soviet Union and alcoholism]]
*[[Communist East Germany and alcoholism]]
*[[Communist East Germany and alcoholism]]
=== Atheism, alcoholism and anger ===
[[Atheism, alcoholism and anger]]
=== Irreligion, alcoholism and various generations in the United States ===
=== Irreligion, alcoholism and various generations in the United States ===
=== Binge drinking and brain damage ===
=== Binge drinking and brain damage ===
''See also:'' [[Atheism and the brain]]
A 2012 study suggests that a habit of binge drink risks serious brain damage including increasing memory loss later in adulthood.<ref>http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/binge/a/aa000818a.htm</ref><ref>http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20121022/koob.html</ref>
A 2012 study suggests that a habit of binge drink risks serious brain damage including increasing memory loss later in adulthood.<ref>http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/binge/a/aa000818a.htm</ref><ref>http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20121022/koob.html</ref>
==See also==
==See also==
*Genesis 9:21: "Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. When he drank wine made from his grapes, he became drunk and lay naked in his tent."
*[[Alcohol abuse]]
*[[Alcohol abuse]]
*[[American Medical Association]]
*[[American Medical Association]]
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[[Category: Alcoholism]]
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