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From weddings to boardroom conferences there is barely a social gathering that doesn’t warrant the casual drink or two, as a means of rejuvenation or social bonding. Consumption of alcohol is widely accepted, if not encouraged, by many societies all over the world. But this seemingly harmless drink, which is often a pleasant addition to a great evening of relaxation, does have a dark and vicious side to it. Enslaved by the temporary ‘high’ that alcohol grants them, many individuals begin to rely on alcohol as a means to handle stress and unwind after a long, hard day. And with every drink that he reaches out for, either as a habit he is accustomed to, or as an escape from his tensions, he draws closer and closer to falling prey to the vicious disease of alcoholism.

Alcoholism is one of the most difficult of all diseases to detect and diagnose, as the victim himself is unaware of how grave his addiction is. This is further complicated by the fact that people around him tend to overlook his addiction as a mere indulgence that can easily be dealt with, if he simply makes up his mind to put an end to it. And thus, the victim keeps deceiving himself until his addiction gets the better of him and causes terrifying consequences. Alcohol is directly responsible for a host of physical complications, which, over the course of time, also affect the individual’s social interactions and gradually but steadily, the society and even the economic growth and development of the country.

Excessive consumption of alcohol claims its stake on the victim’s body, inflicting him with a multitude of physical illnesses like heart and liver disorders. Needless to say, his performance at work is affected which, over time impairs the functioning of the organization and thus hindering the progress of the economy which the organization is a part of.

In addition to the diminished amounts of income that an alcoholic earns, his expenditure only increases as he spends more and more of his earnings on alcohol. Needless to say, this behavior takes a toll on the physical and emotional health of his immediate family, causing relationships to be estranged and burdening the victim with financial woes. To escape these worries, he tends to drink more and more, without realizing the fact that alcohol is only further adding to his depression, as the inherent trait of alcohol is that of a depressant. This pattern of drinking has no end to it, as he continues to drink to evade the depression that his drinking itself is causing him.

Alcoholics are also known to suffer from low self-esteem, as his addiction is viewed as something he has brought on to himself, as he is too weak in spirit to ‘resist’ the temptation and he more often than not receives very little sympathy, if at all. Alcohol also directly hinders the functioning of the brain and the nervous system, causing severe psychological ailments which begin with chronic depression and may even progress to schizophrenia and paranoia. Alcoholics are also at a heightened risk of developing other substance abuse patterns, which combined with the drastic impact alcohol itself has on the victim, destroy his physical and mental well-being.

Children, whose parents are victims of alcohol abuse, are also more susceptible to depression, which exhibits itself in the form of uncontrollable crying, bed wetting and nightmares, when they are younger and acting-out behaviors as they grow older. This means that they may either be very rebellious, failing classes and engaging in destructive behavior, or they may be overly compliant and obsessive about their grades, extremely self-conscious and suffer from phobias. These children often isolate themselves as they have no one to confide in about their fears and often believing that they are destined to be failures, no matter how hard they try.

Alcohol abuse has become increasingly prevalent with the changing times and the ever increasing burden of stress it encumbers people with. In such circumstances, taking to the bottle as temporary relief may seem to be a viable solution, but on closer inspection, is it really such a wise decision? Can you afford to sacrifice not only your health and well-being, but also that of your family and those you care about, all for the sake of a few minutes of relief that alcohol grants you? Stop drinking today and open your doors to a world of opportunities that await you, every step of the way.