Alcoholism is a serious problem which affects not only an alcoholic but also others. It directly affects his wife, parents, children, siblings, close friends and workers. Even though several preventive measures have been initiated to minimize/eliminate the problem of alcoholism not much progress has been made either in preventing or minimizing this malady.
The consumption of alcohol is common feature both during occasions of joy and sorrow. The search for pleasure and fun, attempts at driving out pain and displeasure, the illusion of promoting one's self-esteem, peer group interactions are the important factors which lead a persons towards consuming alcohol. The factors associated with alcoholism and the extent to which it affects the life of an individual varies according to his/her social class, sex and region. Alcohol appears to be a greater threat to those of lower economic and social strata, perhaps because these are generally more vulnerable than others. Moreover, the problems encountered by women are seen to be more alarming than those encountered by men.
Concept of Alcoholism
The man of the street considers alcoholism as a weakness of character, the moralist sees it as a vice, the representative of law regards alcoholism as a crime, the psychiatrist as a symptom of underlying personality difficulties, the sociologists as a social problem, the clergymen as a sin and Alcoholics Anonymous approaches it as a disease. Thus, it is regarded as a bad habit or moral problem rooted in dislocations in society.
Alcoholism is defined as a condition in which an individual loses control over his alcohol intake in that he is unable to stop from drinking once he begins. According to Keller and Efron, “Alcoholism is characterized by the repeated drinking of alcoholic beverages to an extent that exceeds customary use or compliance with the social customs of the community that interferes with the drinker's health or his social or economic functioning.
The problem of alcoholism, until a few decades ago was considered as a moral problem and a sign of social irresponsibility. But today, the specialists consider it as a complicated, chronic and immensely costly disease rather than as a type of deviant behaviour. For instance, The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization as well as many other professional groups regarded alcoholism as a disease.
