J Korean Med Assoc.  2004 Mar;47(3):214-225. 10.5124/jkma.2004.47.3.214.

Alcoholic Drinking

• Yang JM

• KMID: 1723794
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2004.47.3.214

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is one of the most significant healthrelated drug problems in many countries. Although cocaine and other illegal drugs receive much more attention from governments and news media, these drugs affect far fewer people and cause far less health problems than alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumptionis also associated with many social and family problems. In addition, alcohol abuse is linked to a long list of medical, psychological, and social problems. Long-term heavy drinking can affect the immune, endocrine, digestive, and reproductive functions and can cause various neurological problems, including dementia, blackouts, seizures, hallucinations, and peripheral neuropathy. Alcoholism can severely disrupt marital and family relationships. One family member's drinking problem can put stress on all the other members, imposing them of mental and emotional suffering sand sometimes financial hardships. According to WHO, our country ranked the second in the total amount of alcohol consumption over the last 35 years. So alcohol abuse is apparently the major drug problem in Korea. In developed countries, the goal of alcoholic policy is the regulation of the total alcohol consumption, improving the alcohol quality and regulation of social advertisements of alcohol. However, our country's regulation of alcohol is limited to drunk driving and alcohol consumption by adolescents. Rather, we should be more concerned about public health problems of alcohol.

Keyword

Alcoholism; Metabolism; Nutrition; Alcoholic related disorder; Social control; Public health

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Alcohol Drinking
Alcoholics*
Alcoholism
Cocaine
Dementia
Developed Countries
Drinking*
Family Relations
Hallucinations
Humans
Korea
Metabolism
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Public Health
Seizures
Silicon Dioxide
Social Control, Formal
Social Problems
Cocaine
Silicon Dioxide

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