Alcoholism Socioecological Perspective of Health

Question: Discuss about theAlcoholismfor Socioecological Perspective of Health. Answer: Alcoholism The health (risk) behavior that I would like to change in myself is alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disorder with regards to alcohol use. Alcoholism refers to usage of alcohol to an extent that a person finds it difficult to control the amount of alcohol they take, drinking more to attain the same happy feeling and having withdrawal symptoms if one tries stopping or reducing the amount of alcohol they take. A medic can assess whether a person is an alcoholic by looking at the following; if a person finds it difficult to reduce the amount of alcohol they take or if they put a lot of effort and time in acquiring and taking alcohol (Ewing, 2014). If a person fulfills any two if these assessing points, a medical practitioner can assume that a person is an alcoholic. I started taking alcohol because both my father and mother were alcoholics. They would leave their bottles all over the place. I had a feeling of curiosity and started taking alcohol in small bits. With time, I became an alcoholi c. Alcoholism has a lot of effects on an individuals health. I can apply behavioral change theory in my fight against my alcoholism. Mostly, people who become alcoholics are influenced by health determinants. The main purpose of this article is to identify the effects of alcoholism and how I can try managing my behavior. Socioecological Perspective of Health Socio ecological perspectives such as mental health problems influence alcoholism a great deal. When a person feels overwhelmed by their mental issues, they will tend to drown themselves into alcoholism in order to forget about their issues. People with mental health problems are more likely to engage in alcoholism (McKeown, 2015).Determinants of health also affect alcoholism. First, policies in a state can influence whether a person becomes an alcoholic or not. The government could charge high taxes on alcoholic drinks in order to reduce the number of alcoholics. Second, Social determinants such as exposure to alcoholism is also likely to determine if a person adopts alcoholism or not. People exposed to alcoholism are more likely to become alcoholics. Third, individual behavior is closely linked to alcoholism. It is possible to change an individual behavior. For example, medical practitioners can change an individuals behavior on alcoholism by letting one know that if he/she reduces alcohol intake, then one reduces chances of having a heart attack. Determinants of Health Alcoholism has a lot of effects on a persons health. It affects almost all major organs of a person such as the liver, brain, pancreas, heart or even the immune system. Alcoholism endangers a persons life greatly. These effects can be broken down as follows; first, alcoholism can lead to pancreatitis. This is because, due to alcoholism, the body produces toxic substances which eventually interfere with the normal body process. With the excess toxins from the body, the pancreas becomes inflamed, hence destroying the pancreas (Sarles, 2011). Second, Alcoholism also interferes with liver functioning. Normally, the liver breaks down harmful substances. The body considers alcohol as a harmful substance. With excessive alcoholism, the liver is destroyed by a scarring condition known as liver cirrhosis. As a result, the body fails to break down harmful substances, hence leaving the toxins in a persons body (Adami, et al, 2012). Third, alcoholism also causes an imbalance in the Central Nervo us System. Alcohol reaches a persons brain in a very short duration after taking alcohol. That is why when a person drinks too much, they fail to coordinate, and they find it hard to talk, walk or maintain balance. Too much alcohol interferes with a persons ability to think clearly and ability to develop memories (Diamond Messing, 2014). Fourth, alcoholism destroys a persons digestive system. It damages the digestive tract from the mouth to the colon. Alcohol irritates the mouth and tongue, it leads to ulcers and heartburn in the esophagus, stomach ulcers and gastritis and inflammation of the pancreas. As a result, an alcoholic may experience a lot of internal bleeding (Bunout, 2009). Fifth, alcoholism affects the circulatory system. An alcoholic has increased chances of cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, stroke, heart failure or heart attack (Regan,2010). Lastly, alcoholism also tampers with a persons sexual and reproductive life. In men, it can cause erectile dysfun ction and eventually lead to infertility. In women, it causes infertility, miscarriage, still birth or even premature delivery. Women also have an increased risk of having breast cancer with continuous use of alcohol (MullaySindelar, 2011). Behavior Change Theory Behavior change theory can have an impact on this behavior of alcoholism a great deal. The theory that I can apply is the theory of reasoned action. This is where I should consider consequences of my alcoholic behavior. I am expected to focus my intention in order to determine reasons for my alcoholism and how I can change it (FishbeinManfredo, 2012). My personal attitude and pressure from the social environment enables me to readjust my behavior, hence behavioral change. This theory can be used to help me as an alcoholic. I can be subjected to a situation where I think about the effects of alcoholism. I can also try to figure out the reason why I take alcohol. It could be out of stress, peer pressure or as a way of having fun. I can also identify my attitude towards alcoholism. My family and friends can also act as social pressure on me so that I see the need to stop alcoholism. As a result, I might be able to readjust my behavior of alcoholism (Finnegan Viswanath, 2012). Ottawa Charter Ottawa Charter for health promotion can also be used to assist in managing my alcoholism. The charter acknowledges five areas that need to be acted on. These five areas are creating supportive environment, building healthy public policy, developing personal skills, strengthening action of the community and re-orienting health services for prevention of diseases. First, the charter identifies the need to create supportive environments. This can be used to ensure that as I try to quit my behavior, I have supportive people around me so that I do not have relapses. Secondly, the charter acknowledges the building of a healthy public policy. Through the personal skills, I can focus on the need to stop taking alcohol, regardless of how I started the behavior. Secondly, the charter sees the need to build a healthy public policy. These include aspects such as increasing the minimum age that a person is allowed to take alcohol, reducing the access of young people to alcohol socially and commer cially, and even reducing the availability of alcohol economically by increasing its price. Thirdly, another area is developing personal skills. I can use this to stop alcoholism by making decisions that are wiser by getting information that is provided concerning alcoholism and having access to it. I can attend campaigns held by the media on alcoholism, accessing information websites on alcoholism and going to information classes about alcoholism. Getting more information on alcoholism will enable me take control of my problem because I will learn more about how to prevent binge drinking. Fourthly, there is the aspect of strengthening action of the community. In this, the charter tries to ensure that the community supports actions that are beneficial to other members who have health related issues such as alcoholism. This can help reduce the number of people who are binge drinkers. Lastly, there is the aspect of re-orienting health services. This ensures that health is promoted amo ng all categories of people in the society, be it community groups, the government or individuals and other medical practitioners. As a result, there are more facilities which can assist alcoholics like me through increased access. Behavior Change Theory to Change Behavior in the Future In application of behavior change theory to describe how I might change this behavior in the future, I can use the self-efficacy theory. This theory refers to a persons ability to perform a demanding task. An individuals belief in this ability comes about because of an individuals present psychological state external sources that persuade a person to change his behavior. The theory will guide me in identifying my ability to perform a demanding task, which is stopping alcoholism. My present psychological state will determine my ability. I can reduce my physical dependence on alcohol then eventually stop taking alcohol completely. External sources such as my family and friends can also assist me in developing my ability, hence persuading me to change my behavior. Conclusion Alcoholism is the leading cause of road accidents, homicides and suicides. Those patients who show that their lives are at risk because of alcoholism should be hospitalized in a rehabilitation center until they get well. Medical practitioners could do this through the patients family members or after consulting a psychiatrist. In a rehabilitation center it is much easier to control the behavior of an alcoholic. Besides, the patients are given medications such as; acamprosate which reduces alcohol craving and disulfiram which has negative effects if a person consumes any amount of alcohol. As a result, a person is likely to reduce alcohol intake tremendously. In rehabilitation centers there are less distractions from work or from other responsibilities hence its efficiency. It normally lasts from 30 days to six months. The medical practitioners can use behavioral change theories, socio ecological perspectives and determinants of health. After rehabilitation, a person still needs furth er support. Family and friends can play a great role at this stage, with the assistance of a qualified medical practitioner. References Adami, H. et al (2012). Alcoholism and liver cirrhosis in the etiology of primary liver cancer. International journal of cancer. Bunout, D. (2009). Nutritional and metabolic effects of alcoholism: their relationship with alcoholic liver disease. Nutrition. 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