Parabayong! This is actually a term which is translated to ALCOHOLIC. Yet a lot of young people seem to take pride by being one. They are posting their drinking binges on social media like important events. Of course, we adhere to the understanding that “this is a free country” and “we are responsible for our own body” concepts but ADDICTION is a social malady. It is happening in the society and is slowly eating the morality and values of people.
Alcoholism, according to healthline.com, has been known by a variety of terms, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Today, it is referred to as alcohol use disorder. It occurs when you drink so much that your body eventually becomes dependent on or addicted to alcohol. When this happens, alcohol becomes the most important thing in your life.
People with alcohol use disorder will continue to drink even when drinking causes negative consequences, like losing a job or destroying relationships with people they love. They may know that their alcohol use negatively affects their lives, but it’s often not enough to make them stop drinking.
The symptoms that can lead to a diagnosis include drinking more alcohol than intended, failing to cut back on alcohol use, devoting substantial time and effort to drinking and recovering from drinking, strong cravings for alcohol, failing to fulfill obligations at work, school, or home, disengaging from relationships and activities, and developing tolerance or withdrawal, among others. Experiencing at least two symptoms throughout the course of a year merits a diagnosis, from mild to moderate to severe (Psychology Today).
Just like cigarette smoking or nicotine addiction, the target of alcohol addiction is usually the young people. Alcoholic drinks are lucrative businesses and the manufacturers make it sure that their products must have a set of clients so that business will continue to thrive.
Research shows that many adolescents start to drink at very young ages. In 2003, the average age of first use of alcohol was about 14, compared to about 17 1/2 in 1965. People who reported starting to drink before the age of 15 were four times more likely to also report meeting the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. In fact, new research shows that the serious drinking problems (including what is called alcoholism) typically associated with middle age actually begin to appear much earlier, during young adulthood and even adolescence (Chen, Williams, et al, 2003).
In a survey conducted by the University of the Philippines in 1994, 60 per cent or 5.3 million Filipino youths are said to be drinking alcoholic beverages. About 4.2 million of them are males and 1.1 million are females. On the average, Filipino youths start drinking alcohol at the age of 16 or 17. Alcoholism across the Philippines in 2016, by gender and type is around 8.8 percent of males and 1.8 percent of females had alcohol use disorders.
The teenagers said their family, friends, and the mass media have influenced them to experiment with drinking alcohol. Underscoring the critical role that the family plays in youth behaviors, young people seem to take their cue from their own parents' attitudes and behavior. Thus, a boy who grows up with an alcoholic father is more likely to become one himself.
Mass media and the internet also play a great role in the marketing of alcohol. Beer and liquors in the Philippines are portrayed with positive images. Companies have varied strategies, depending on what market they want to target, focusing on basic Filipino values. For instance, beers and other alcoholic beverages have been associated with thirst quenching, male bonding, friendship and camaraderie, unity, youthfulness and fun among many others. Most common in the advertisements is the use of popular local action and sexy actors and actresses as their image models.
Why is it addictive? Physical addiction to alcohol is caused by the chemical response in the brain to it. Studies show that alcohol interacts with receptors in the brain called gamma-Amino butyric acid (GABA) receptors. These receptors stimulate opioid receptors in the brain, releasing chemicals called endorphins that cause pleasure or euphoria. Addiction to alcohol can also have a psychological cause when someone uses alcohol to cope with a psychological need. For instance, someone who feels unhappy may use alcohol to cope with that unhappiness (Williams, 2020).
Most of the literature on alcoholism suggests that the reasons are genetics, external or peer pressure and personality (those who think that drinking makes them socially-accepted).
What are the risk factors? Jurgen Rehm (2011) mentioned that alcohol is a necessary underlying cause for more than 30 conditions and a contributing factor to many more. The most common disease categories that are entirely or partly caused by alcohol consumption include infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, neuropsychiatric diseases (including alcohol use disorders), cardiovascular disease, liver and pancreas disease, and unintentional and intentional injury.
Many teens do not have the mental capacity to fully understand the consequences of drinking or even be aware of them. Teens can face immediate negative consequences, such as brain damage and delayed puberty. Indirect health issues, such as car crashes and sexual assaults, are also common problems from drinking.
Still, we see an alarming increase of youngsters displaying their “seemingly normal” drinking binges and drunken acts on social media. It takes a lot of good parenting, education and morality development for them to lead a healthier life ahead.
If the parents, schools and religious denominations do not condemn such addiction, the future might be bleak plagued with sick and dysfunctional individuals.
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