Alcoholism Essays - Alcohol Abuse, Psychiatric Diagnosis

Alcoholism CUNNING, BAFFLING, POWERFUL, PATIENT AND DEADLY Alcoholism: Today's substance abuse, whether alcohol or drugs, continues to be a major social problem. Common patterns occur in all forms of substance abuse. While some types of substance abuse problems are slightly different in terms of causes and cures, experts agree that there are some do's and don'ts which relate to kicking the abuse habit. If you or a loved one have a substance abuse problem, this article can give you sound advice on understanding what substance abuse is, and what to do about it. In this article, we will refer to alcohol, although the word drug may be used synonymously in place of alcohol. What is Alcoholism? Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic: impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. The rational for continued use of alcohol is centered on, Common addiction distortions. MENTAL FILTER:Magnify the negative details and eliminate the positive.E.g. - using alcohol is so incredible. It is the most pleasurable thing I know. (filter out the negative effects) POLARIZED THINKING: Things are black and white, good or bad. You are perfect or a complete failure.E.g. - My life would be void of pleasure with out alcohol. OVERGENERAL- ZATIONTo come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence.E.g. - Alcohol has made for some great times with friends. I must have alcohol in order to capitalize on the potential for fun. MIND READINGYou think you are able to define how people are thinking about you.E.g. - People will not like me if I give up alcohol. There is a side that come out that is very attractive. CATASTROPHIC EXAGGERATIONYou expect disaster, and disaster means the end of the world. E.g. - I won't be able to tolerate the discomfort of sobriety I AM CONTROLLEDYou feel externally controlled, you see yourself as helpless and a victim of fate. E.g. - The alcohol makes my days tolerable, without it, I'll not be able to function. I MUST CONTROLYou feel that control is an all or nothing thing. Any ease on the reins will result in a fall so disastrous you will never regain control.E.g. - Without alcohol I may get depressed, and I will never be able to come out of it. BLAMINGYou hold other people responsible for your pain.E.g. - If I give up my drinking, I will be a bare wire, forced to face my abuse riddled past. These are common patterns of substance addiction, keeping in mind that most alcoholics are unwilling to admit they are real alcoholics and fit into one or more of these categories. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from other people. Therefore, it is not surprising that their drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove they could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday they will control and enjoy their drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. The John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore uses the following questions as a test for alcoholism. #YesNo 1Do you loose time from work due to drinking? 2Is drinking making your home life unhappy? 3Do you drink because you are shy with other people? 4Is drinking affecting you reputation? 5Have you ever felt remorse after drinking? 6Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking? 7Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking? 8Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare? 9Has your ambition decreased since drinking? 10Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily? 11Do you want a drink the next morning? 12Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? 13Has your efficiency decreased since drinking? 14Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business? 15Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles? 16Do you drink alone? 17Have you ever had a complete loss of memory because of drinking? 18Has your physician ever treated you for drinking? 19Do you drink to build your self-confidence? 20Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking? If you have answered yes to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning you may be alcoholic. For those of you that answered with more than

s Mistakes

Saul’s Failures Although Saul was the chosen king, he did have his share of significant failures. In 1st Samuel 13:8-14 it describes how Saul impatiently intruded the office of a priest, yielding to the pressure of the moment. Samuel reprimands Saul saying, â€Å"Thou has done foolishly, thou has not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which occurs in 8:13. Saul exhibited extremism in his actions. His pendulum swung from complete inactivity and failure to lead an army against the attacking Philistines, to uttering a rash vow that insisted no one eat anything until all the Philistine army was vanquished. This not only brought Jonathon into danger, but caused the people to break the law and eat the meat with the blood. Saul was even deceitful with God. He claimed that he completely obeyed Gods instructions regarding the Amalekites when in reality he only partially obeyed the Lord. He spent his time chasing David around the wilderness, and finally consulted with a which in Endor. Saul flipped from inactivity to hyperactivity, disqualifying himself for leadership.... 's Mistakes Free Essays on Saul\'s Mistakes Saul’s Failures Although Saul was the chosen king, he did have his share of significant failures. In 1st Samuel 13:8-14 it describes how Saul impatiently intruded the office of a priest, yielding to the pressure of the moment. Samuel reprimands Saul saying, â€Å"Thou has done foolishly, thou has not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which occurs in 8:13. Saul exhibited extremism in his actions. His pendulum swung from complete inactivity and failure to lead an army against the attacking Philistines, to uttering a rash vow that insisted no one eat anything until all the Philistine army was vanquished. This not only brought Jonathon into danger, but caused the people to break the law and eat the meat with the blood. Saul was even deceitful with God. He claimed that he completely obeyed Gods instructions regarding the Amalekites when in reality he only partially obeyed the Lord. He spent his time chasing David around the wilderness, and finally consulted with a which in Endor. Saul flipped from inactivity to hyperactivity, disqualifying himself for leadership....

Glycosylated Haemoglobin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Glycosylated Haemoglobin - Essay Example In case blood glucose level is well within control and gives stable results, the test is performed every six months intervals. The long-term or chronic complications of diabetes are those that characteristically occur after years of high blood sugar levels. These are diabetic macrovascular and microvascular diseases. The long term complications correlate well with A1c levels.(Web ref 2). Wild and Bains (2004) cautioned clinical laboratories and point-of-care testing to be careful of the interferences produced in assays by variant Hbs. The majority arise from point mutations in the , , , or Hb chains. Herman et al (2007) also raised the important question of whether A1c can be used as a diagnostic test for diabetes detection and control in ethnic minorities whose mean A1c concentration vary significantly from whites. In the light of these observations the current project intends to analyse literature particularly on blood glucose tests, long term complications of high blood sugar and applicability of HbA1c test to ethnic diabetics. Studies have shown that glycohaemoglobin values in the "better ranges" correlate with less incidences of diabetic complications later in life (Table 1; Fig 1 b). Type 1 diabetics will typically have hemoglobin A1c levels determined every 3 to 4 months, while Type 2 diabetics will require measurements less often (Web ref 3; Web ref 1). It so because Red blood cells are replaced in about 90 days thus test gives blood glucose levels for that period. Normal blood glucose levels are below 6 percent HbA1c however these vary laboratory to laboratory (McCool and Woodruff 1999; Web ref 1) HbA1c levels compare well with blood glucose levels as shown below: Table 1. Comparison of HbA1c test and Blood glucose levels (from McCool and Woodruff 1999) HbA1c Level of control Blood glucose (mg/dl) 5 % 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 11% 12% Excellent Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Poor Poor Poor 90 mg/dl 120 mg/dl 150 mg/dl 180 mg/dl 210 mg/dl 240 mg/dl 270 mg/dl 300 mg/dl The rapid fluctuations in blood glucose that normally occur are smoothed out and the long-term level of glucose is now available to clinicians as a HbA1c test, because glycosylated hemoglobin has been shown to correlate with the integrated average blood consumption of glucose over the preceding six to eight weeks (Nathan 1990). Moreover, No preparation is necessary. Fig1 b) Controlled and uncontrolled diabetes conditions. (from Web ref 1) Controlled diabetes, less blood glucose results in less glycosylated haemoglobin Uncontrolled diabetes, more blood glucose results in high glycosylated haemoglobin HbA1c is also a reasonably sensitive test for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) which occurs in pregnant women. The test when conducted on pregnant women, it could pick up 87.1 cases of GDM successfully. The study gives a good alternative to OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) which is inconvenient and requires fasting (Aldasouqi et al, 2008). The HbA1c test earlier done in laboratories only is now available in relatively economical home version as well (Web ref 4). The control of HbA1c and avoiding long term diabetic complications are discussed later. Diabetes: An overview The word 'diabetes'