Alcoholism - further leading the harmful habit of the 21st century

Ovisnost je psihičko i/ili fizičko stanje naviknutosti na neke psihoaktivne supstance, ponašanja ili situacije. Mogu biti različite, a svaka od njih ima svoj značaj, stupanj intenziteta, psihološke, socijalne i ekonomske dimenzije. Alkohol se smatra najčešćom zloupotrebljavanom supstancom u Europi pa tako i u Hrvatskoj. Nijedna proslava od doba starih Grka i Rimljana pa sve do danas nije prolazila bez konzumacije alkohol. Također, alkohol se smatra prvom psihoaktivnom tvari sa kojima se osobe susreću, točnije mladi u dobi od 14 godina. Alkoholizam je ovisnost o alkoholu, dok je alkoholičar prema definiciji Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije osoba koja je dugotrajnim pijenjem postala ovisna o alkoholu, psihički, fizički ili na oba načina i u nje su se uslijed toga razvila zdravstvena psihička ili fizička oštećenja i socijalne poteškoće pristupačne klasičnim medicinskim i socijalnim dijagnostičkim postupcima. Klinička slika alkoholizma najprije se očituje u samom izgledu alkoholičara, a zatim i u njegovoj promjeni ličnosti što posljedično dovodi do narušavanja vlastitog zdravlja, odnosa u obitelji i u društvu, gubitka radnog mjesta. Sve prethodno navedene komponente mogu doprinjeti pogoršanju stanja. Dijagnoza alkoholizma postavlja se na temelju anamnestičkih podataka simptoma bolesti, liječničkoga pregleda, heteroanamnestičkih podataka, koje najčešće daju članovi obitelji, laboratorijskih pretraga te raznih upitnika. Liječenje alkoholizma sastoji se od tretmana koji uključuje strogu apstinenciju i promjenu životnog stila, zatim ambulantnog liječenja i uključivanja u skupine samopomoći i uzajamne pomoći poput klubova liječenih alkoholičara te udruţenja anonimnih alkoholičara. Ovaj rad sastojat će se od dva dijela. U prvom dijelu definirat ću pojam alkoholizma, pojasniti epidemiologiju i etiologiju alkoholizma, zatim djelovanje alkohola na organizam, kliničku sliku alkoholizma, dijagnostiku, liječenje, posljedice alkoholizma te ulogu medicinske sestre kod osoba ovisnih o alkoholu. Drugi dio sastoji se od anketnog upitnika koji je proveden putem interneta pomoću Google Docs aplikacije. Glavni cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi je li alkoholizam i dalje vodeća štetna navika u 21. stoljeću.Addiction is a mental and / or physical state of addiction to certain psychoactive substances, behaviors or situations. They can be different, and each has its own significance, degree of intensity, psychological, social and economic dimensions. Alcohol is considered to be the most commonly abused substance in Europe, including Croatia. No celebration from the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans until today has passed without the consumption of alcohol. Also, alcohol is considered to be the first psychoactive substance that people encounter, specifically young people aged 14 years. Alcoholism is an addiction to alcohol, while an alcoholic according to the definition of the World Health Organization is a person who has become addicted to alcohol through long-term drinking, mentally, physically or in both ways and has developed mental or physical impairments and social difficulties accessible to traditional medical and social diagnostic procedures. The clinical picture of alcoholism is first manifested in the very appearance of the alcoholic, and then in his change of personality, which in turn leads to the deterioration of their own health, relationships in the family and in society, job loss. All of the above components can contribute to the worsening of the condition. The diagnosis of alcoholism is made on the basis of anamnestic data of disease symptoms, medical examination, heteroanamnestic data, which are most often given by family members, laboratory tests and various questionnaires. Alcoholism treatment consists of treatment that includes strict abstinence and lifestyle changes, then outpatient treatment and inclusion in self-help and mutual aid groups such as Alcoholics Clubs and Alcoholics Anonymous. This paper will consist of two parts. In the first part I will define the concept of alcoholism, explain the epidemiology and etiology of alcoholism, then the effects of alcohol on the body, the clinical picture of alcoholism, diagnosis, treatment, consequences of alcoholism and the role of the nurse in people addicted to alcohol. The second part consists of a survey questionnaire conducted online using the Google Docs application. The main goal of the research was to determine whether alcoholism is still the leading harmful habit in the 21st century