Alcoholism — from a medical point of view, is a chronic disease that occurs as a result of continuous consumption of alcoholic beverages; severe drunkenness. In a broader sense — it is a set of harms caused by drinking alcoholic beverages in amounts exceeding the norm, affecting people's health and work capacity, moral and domestic life, as well as the well-being of society. Alcoholism affects all forms of individual and social life. Under the influence of alcohol, people lose their sense of responsibility to society and the state, and may engage in hooliganism and other law-violating behaviors. Alcoholism harms production, causes violations of labor discipline and decreased productivity, leads to people falling ill and even dying prematurely. In drunkenness, a person cannot maintain balance well, attention is distracted, and they cannot clearly perceive the surrounding situation, which leads to accidents. Alcoholism damages all systems and organs of the human body. A person addicted to alcohol loses track of the amount of alcohol they consume, the activity of the central and peripheral nervous system is disrupted (psychological disorders, neuritis are observed), and the functions of internal organs fail. The toxic effect of alcohol leads to metabolic disorders, especially vitamin metabolism. An alcoholic may experience trembling of fingers, eyelids, and tongue tip, as well as inability to perform daily routine tasks. In heavy drinkers, vision may become blurred, and sometimes hearing may also weaken. Alcohol negatively affects the stomach, disrupting all its functions. Alcohol especially damages the liver, causing cirrhosis. Alcoholism can also lead to pancreatitis, diabetes, angina, and myocardial infarction. Alcohol harms endocrine glands, especially sexual glands, leading to decreased libido and sexual dysfunction. Women under the influence of alcohol age faster, lose facial color, and are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy. Chronic drinking leads to early aging and disability.

When signs of alcoholism appear, the alcoholic should be hospitalized in narcology clinics and undergo long-term treatment under the supervision of a narcologist.

Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on combating chronic alcoholism.

National Encyclopedia of Uzbekistan.

Health Encyclopedia.

“World Health Organization” on combating chronic alcoholism.

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