Alcohol Addiction Is A Commonly Ignored Problem

 

There are people all over the world that do not take alcoholism seriously. While drugs are fought against at every turn, many people dismiss alcoholism as something that is not too serious. This is not the case at all. In fact, there are millions of cases of alcohol-related illnesses reported each year. Even so, many people fail to see the gravity of the situation.

If you have ever watched television, you would notice that alcoholism was constantly displayed on the screen without being intentional. For example, Archie Bunker, the character from the television show All in the Family was laughed at when he began to drink and acted more surly than normal. This is a great example of the way that people see alcoholism. Despite things like liver failure, death and kidney failure, people think that this is something to sit and laugh about.

It seems like alcoholism is only taken seriously when people who drink are underage. To show what I am talking about, let's discuss the comedy show The Facts of Life. When the character Tootie got drunk and was nearly expelled from school, it was billed as a "very special episode." Does this mean that alcohol is only a danger and a threat if the person imbibing is doing it illegally? Of course this is not true at all, but that is what people are led to believe.

Alcoholics in reality often ignore the fact that they need to seek treatment since they don't see this as a problem. The day that people stop laughing at this disease and start showcasing the extreme nature of it will be the day that some of these people go and get the help they need. Since it is hard for them to see through their alcoholic haze, it is our responsibility to help them see how bad this really is.