Unit 8: Reading
Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction
Most people in Taiwan have seen countless cigarette and alcohol advertisements suggesting it's glamorous to smoke or drink. We're probably also aware that there's also a dark side to these substances. On the surface alcohol and tobacco can seem tantalizing. A closer look will show they are not.
A Look at Alcohol
Alcohol is probably the world's oldest mood-altering drug. In many societies, drinking with friends is an accepted way to relax. Yet it's also true that alcohol abuse can damage health and social relations. Moreover, alcoholism - a state of dependency on alcohol - is a problem in many parts of the world.
What is responsible drinking? Basically, it means making sensible choices about if, when, and how you drink. If you're going to drive soon, responsible drinking means not drinking, since even slight amounts of alcohol can impair driving ability. Pregnant women should also avoid alcohol. How much you should drink depends on your body weight, health, and previous drinking experience. A glass of beer may produce little effect on some, yet make others feel dizzy.
Responsible drinking is something most people learn gradually. It is easy to underestimate the effects of alcohol. A glass of wine (which is about 10-15% alcohol) contains as much alcohol as a large can of beer (which is 3-5% alcohol). A tiny glass of whiskey, gin, vodka, or rum (40-60% alcohol) is easy to swallow. However, within minutes these drinks can hit your brain. If your stomach is empty, alcohol will enter your blood stream quickly. For this reason it's often wise to drink slowly, eat other food, and also have non-alcoholic beverages such as soda or juice when drinking.
Alcohol influences the brain in many ways. The chart below summarizes the effects of alcohol at various levels in the blood.
.02 Feel mellow. Slight body warmth. Less inhibited.
.05 More relaxation. Less alert. Some coordination loss.
.08 Definite impairment in coordination and judgment.
.10 Clear behavior changes. Slower reactions.
.15 Impaired balance and movement. Very drunk.
.30 Many people pass out (become unconscious).
.40 Most people are unconscious and some die.
.50 Breathing stops. Many die.
NOTE: These figures are measured in terms of milligrams of alcohol
per 100 milliliters of blood. This is called "blood alcohol level" (BAL).
These figures are mere approximations. Different persons react differently to alcohol at different times.
Though a few dozen people in Taiwan die from drinking too much too fast each year, a far more common problem is drinking and driving. Police estimate 10% of all fatal traffic accidents in Taiwan are alcohol-related (1997).
A Look at Tobacco
About 45% of Taiwanese adult males and 8% of females smoke. Most begin in high school and continue smoking for many years, ruining their lungs and wasting lots of money. The lung cancer rate of smokers is about seven times higher than non-smokers. Smokers tend to die about 12-15 years earlier than non-smokers.
Addictions
Any ongoing compulsive abuse of a substance or process is an addiction. Although people can become addicted to any mood-altering drug, some drugs are more addictive than others. Cocaine is an example of one highly addictive substance. Caffeine and betel nut, both widely-used stimulants, are considered mildly addictive. Even something as common as sugar, when consumed in excess, can produce powerful mood changes and produce addiction in some.
Are behaviors such as gambling, cheating, and having casual sex addictive? Those questions are widely debated. Sometimes the difference between addiction and compulsion seems hard to tell.
Successful treatment of addictions usually involves abstaining from the addicting substance/process and participating in counseling to find other sources of pleasure and new ways of dealing with pain. The table below lists some common addictions and also some common treatments.
Addiction Addicted Addictive Sample Treatment Person Substance/Process Program alcoholism alcoholic beer, wine, whiskey, etc. Alcoholics Anonymous chemical chemically any mood-altering drug Narcotics Anonymous dependency dependent person food overeater usually sweets and foods Overeaters Anonymous dependency with lots of sugar tobacco nicotine cigarettes, cigars, anti-smoking programs addict pipes, etc. sex sexaholic depending on sex Sexaholics Anonymous to change mood
It should be emphasized, recovery involves more than just giving up old habits - it also means adopting a positive new lifestyles.
Several things can help people avoid addictions. Having clear life goals and a sense of self-respect are helpful. So are values such as self-restraint, delayed gratification, and personal health. Finally, discovering ways of dealing with stress in responsible ways is important, too.
- Tim Newfields
Further Reading
Ausubel, David P. What Every Well-Informed Person Should Know About Drug Addiction. Chicago, Il: Nelson Hall Publishers, 1980.
Chung Hua Newspaper. Taipei. Feb. 9, 1998.
Cohen, Irving. Addiction; The High-Low Trap. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Health Press, 1992.
Glasser, William. Positive Addiction. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998.
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information. [Online]. Available at http://www.health.org/. (6 June 1999).
Horvath, Arthur T. Sex, Drugs, Gambling and Chocolate; Workbook for Overcoming Addictions. San Ramon, CA: Impact Pub., 1998.
Turner, Al. Etiology of Ingestive v. Process Addictions. [Online]. Available at http://pw1.netcom.com/~alturner/etiology.html. (24 April 1999).
copyright (c) 1999 by Ming Chuan University
Ver. 3.1 - Updated 26 Oct. 1999
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