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Social Effects of Alcohol Abuse

The social effects of alcohol abuse, or alcoholism, according to the Centers for Disease Control, can impact the workplace, the home and endanger lives beyond the person who suffers from the condition. The toll it takes on a person's health and the emotional damage inflicted on others can be devastating.

  1. The condition

    • The agency describes drinking excessively as having more than two drinks per day on average for men or, for women, having more than one drink per day. Binge drinking is, also an abuse of alcohol, is described as drinking five or more drinks during a single occasion for men or women.

    At work

    • According to med8.com, a person being drunk or hung over during work hours leads to a drop in productivity, the loss of a job, financial woes, and even the loss of one's home.

    The law

    • Alcohol abuse can lead to legal troubles, such as driving-while-intoxicated convictions and charges of public disorder, the CDC reports.

    The home

    • Alcohol abuse has far-reaching effects on family and can result in domestic violence and divorce. An alcoholic's children can suffer emotional damage well into adulthood, according to med8.com

    A national problem

    • The CDC reports 5 percent of the U.S. population drinks heavily and 15 percent binge drinks. Alcoholism is the third-leading lifestyle-related cause of death for people in the United States each year.

    Treatments

    • The CDC reports that because medical, psychological and social experts see alcoholism in a wide variety of ways, treatments of the condition also vary widely. Most treatments focus on the discontinued use of alcohol through the reinforcement of life-changing habits either through therapy or a variety of 12-step programs.

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