Effects of Social Class on Diagnoses of Alcoholism

EFFECTS OF SOCIAL CLASS ON DIAGNOSES OF ALCOHOLISM

In contemporary American society, the "use of certain substances to modify mood or behavior under certain circumstances is generally regarded as normal and appropriate. Such use includes recreational drinking of alcohol, in which a majority of adult Americans participate . . ." (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 165). Problems for most people develop when "maladaptive behavioral changes associated with the more or less regular use of psychoactive substances that affect the central nervous system" appear (p. 165).

Alcohol abuse and dependence, however, frequently is under diagnosed in the United States (Larson, 1991, p. 107). Many factors contribute to the explanation for the under diagnosis of alcoholism, and the combination of factors may vary according to both patient and clinician. One factor that has been associated with variations in diagnosing alcoholism is social class (Barthwell, 1995, p. 387). This research examines the effect that the social class of the patient hay have on a diagnosis of alcoholism.

Most previous research has emphasized the demographic variables associated with problem drinking, as opposed to the actual impact of a patient's social class on a diagnosis of alcoholism (Rush & Brennan, 1990, p. 42). Most "adults in the United States are light drinkers. About 35% abstain, 55% drink fewer that three alcoholic drinks a week, and only 11% consume an av

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rst specie, often referred to as gamma alcoholism, is characteristic of most alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse among persons who are active in Alcoholics Anonymous, and is commonly found in the United States. This type of alcoholism involves problems with control; "once the person with gamma alcoholism begins to drink, he or she is unable to stop until poor health or depleted financial resources prevent further drinking. Once the 'bender' is terminated, however, the person is able to abstain from alcohol for varying lengths of time" (p. 173). The second specie of alcoholism characterizes the alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse frequently found in France. In this specie of alcoholism, a person "with alcoholism is not aware of a lack of control: he or she must drink a given quantity of alcohol every day, but there is no compulsion to exceed that amount. The person may not recognize that he or she has an alcohol problem until, for some reason, he or she has to stop drinking and develops withdrawal symptoms" (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 173). The two species of alcoholism are prevalent. Nevertheless, neither fully describes "the pattern of drinking seen in most people with Alcohol Abuse or Dependence in the U

Category: Psychology - E