Impact Of Alcohol Misuse Among Yong Adults With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Impact of Alcohol Misuse among Yong Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder

Introduction

This essay intends to discuss the impact of alcohol abuse among young adults who have

post-traumatic stress disorder. The essay will first explain briefly what post-traumatic

stress disorder entails and how it manifests itself. It will identify alcohol misuse as an issue

in public health and the reason why alcohol misuse is a crucial matter in public health

among adults. The work aims to explicitly explore the size of alcohol misuse problem by

discussing those who are most affected and why, looking at the trends in the area of

incidences and prevalence, examining the impact of alcohol misuse on the population

regarding mortality and morbidity.

Furthermore, the essay will explain the determinants of alcohol misuse for instance by

discussing why it is more likely for young adults to become alcohol misusers. The relevant

health policies concerning alcohol misuse will come out clear. Then the roles played by

nurses in helping victims of alcohol misuse such as offering support to post-traumatic

stressed disorder patients, offering to counsel, doing health promotion and giving advice

will also be discussed. Benefits and challenges related to health promotion will also be

demonstrated and how a nurse can overcome such problems.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a persistent condition of emotional and mental stress

that occurs due to severe psychological stress, injury, vivid recall of past experiences and

sleep disturbance (Barry and Jenkins, 2007). Outwards, others will get dulled responses

from the person living with PTSD. It is often triggered by events that are terrifying, severe

anxiety, nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts on past incidences. People going

through this condition usually get trouble coping and adjusting. Persistent symptoms may,

however, distort daily life operations (Barry and Jenkins, 2007).

The symptoms of the condition may begin after a month past the traumatic event or may

emerge some years past. The symptoms may result in significant problems in work or

social relationships (Cattan and Tilford, 2006).An individual’s ability to carry out daily

tasks gets distorted. These symptoms fall into four main categories: intrusive memories,

adverse alterations in mood or thinking and shifting of emotional and physical reactions

(Earle et al., 2007). These symptoms are not equal or similar in all people but vary in

individuals as well as over time. Those of intrusive memories include distressing

memories on the past events, upsetting nightmares, and dreams on the disturbing

phenomenon, severe emotional, physical reactions to a thing reminding someone of the

frightening previous incident (Gates, 2007).

Signs surrounding avoidance are such as attempting to avoid talking or thinking about the

past traumatic incident, avoiding activities, people or places which remind the individual

of the disturbing incidence (Mafuba, 2009). Further, those involving adverse changes in

mood and thinking include hopelessness concerning the future, harmful thoughts

regarding others, the world or yourself, not being able to remember crucial aspects of the

disturbing event, feeling detached and lack of desire to participate in the previously

enjoyed activities (Moyse, 2009). The last category involves signs that show through

emotional reactions and physical changes. For instance, when the individual gets very

frightened, always on alert or guard, the individual assumes self-destructive characters

such as over-speeding and alcohol misuse (excessive consumption of alcohol) (Peate

and Feans, 2006).

Alcohol misuse as an issue in Public Health

Misuse of alcohol is a crucial problem in public health because it affects the society and

people in general in numerous ways (Lee et al., 2017). There is evidence showing that

alcohol misuse is the cause of a variety of behavioral and mental disorders, such as

alcohol dependence, non-communicable diseases, for instance, liver diseases,

cardiovascular ailments, and some cancer.

It is also apparent as can be seen in many hospital records that many injuries, accidents,

and violence that take place are due to abuse of alcohol. Besides, casual relationships

have become established connecting infectious diseases like pneumonia, Sexual

Transmitted Disease (STD), HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis to harmful alcohol use (Nguyen-

Louie et al., 2017). Moreover, misuse of alcohol develops considerable social and health

harmful consequences to others beside the alcoholic (Lee et al., 2017). Data show that

alcohol misuse causes at least 200 injuries and diseases. 5.1% of the world disease

burden in 2012 was because of alcohol misuse. An approximate 3.3 million individuals in

the same year perished from other factors related to alcohol misuse. Such factors make

alcohol misuse a critical public health affair (Lee et al., 2017).

Mortality and morbidity due to alcohol abuse

There are numerous cases where alcoholism has led to death beside the severe medical

challenges that have already become evidently seen in hospitals. 'World Health

Organization (2014) says, of the number of yearly deaths that occur, 40% is as a result

of alcohol misuse. The number of deaths from traffic accidents due to alcoholism was at

least 11.9%, and violence due to alcoholism resulted in 8.8% while2.7% deaths occurred

as a result of drowning while drunk. Furthermore, the same evidence shows that the

probability of death to alcohol misusers (alcoholics) is higher than non-alcoholics. The

reason is that these individual’s injury and death risks are a little more than average

(Hayes et al., 2011).

Alcohol is poisonous to various critical tissues and organs of the human body. It causes

a health condition known as cardiomyopathy of the heart seen in drooping and stretching

of the organ. Additionally, it slows information transfer between neurotransmitters. Other

side effects include liver cirrhosis and acute pancreatitis (Reuter et al., 2017). Therefore,

alcoholics who consume it in large amounts may develop a line of significant health

challenges including cancer, liver and heart diseases. If anything, liver disease is a typical

health problem as compared to the rest of health challenges caused by alcohol misuse.

Records show that in 2009, Liver Disease alone had claimed at least 15, 183 lives (U.S

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) (Reuter et al., 2017).

Determinants of alcohol misuse in young adults with PTSD

Some studies show that genetic factors can become linked to why some people get into

alcoholism (Nguyen et al., 2017). This theory has been established through animal

studies and by researching on twins. Other studies have used adoptees, and all these

studies illustrated how some genetic factors make some people more susceptible to

alcohol misuse. The human DNA or the biomolecules of inheritance determine behavioral

and physical characteristics. Some of the behavioral features are passed down from an

alcoholic’s parent (Moyse, 2009). Therefore, alcoholic’s children have a higher chance of

becoming alcohol misusers as well as compared to children of non-alcoholics.

Meanwhile, the evidence linking genetics and environmental influences have not become

entirely determined as well as show differences among people (Moyse, 2009). Other

factors consider childhood behavior as a determinant of becoming alcoholic particularly

those grouped of age three, under-controlled, restless, impulsive and distractible. They

have twice the chance of turning out to be alcohol misusers as compared to those children

who are well adjusted or inhibited and may likely become dependent starting at 21 years

old. Moreover, children who show aggressiveness at an early age of between 5-10 have

also been found to determine or predict the chance of alcohol use during adolescence

(Moyse, 2009).

Evidence also indicates that anti-social behavior seen in children gets linked to alcohol

misuse challenges during the age of 24 to 27 years as well as in adulthood. Research

also shows that psychiatric disorders may be causative factors of alcoholism. Some

conduct disorders have been linked to regular alcohol misuse in people between ages 12

to 16.

Studies show that juvenile cases witnessed with alcohol misuse were related to conduct-

disorder. Studies show that 6-17-year-old boys who had ‘attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder’ or (ADHD) and social relationships that were weak showed dependence on

alcohol four years later (Moyse, 2009). These results were in contrast with ADHD boys

who had healthy social relationships and those without ADHD. On the other hand, those

diagnosed with the same condition and had depressive disorder were almost four times

more than those without depressive disorder. Research shows that at least 37% of

females in eighth grade expressly heavy drinkers attempted to commit suicide (Lee et al.,

2017). It is yet to get proven that suicidal behaviors in these individuals are caused by

drinking except for the relationship that exists between them. There are psychological

causative factors such as peers, parenting, and family environment. Studies show that

families where parents drink alcohol the behavior is picked up by children and show up

later during adolescence and in adulthood.

In addition, children who became neglected, rejected and experienced hostility from their

parents and caregivers have been found to show alcohol dependence behaviors later in

life (Nguyen-Louie et al., 2017). Peer influence is also related to alcohol misuse (Nguyen-

Louie et al., 2017). However, the impact that peers and parents have on drinking alcohol

at adolescents have not become established. Trauma is linked to alcohol abuse as well.

Reports show that the recent alcohol misuse cases are common in young adults who

underwent some sexual or physical abuse, witnessed violence or passed through

victimization (Nguyen-Louie et al., 2017). Recent studies show some link between alcohol

misuse and advertising whereby young people become positively predisposed to

substance abuse especially drinking due to the influence of advertising alcohol (Reuter

et al., 2017).

Relevant Health Policies Concerning Alcohol Abuse

Most of the world has established various policies and laws to regulate alcohol

acquisition, production, selling, consumption time or age limit. These policies have been

found to be effective in reducing consumption of the substance among the youth and

adults. Consequently social and health challenges related to alcohol consumption get

curbed as well. Examples of such policies include ‘Price and Tax Policies (Brownson et

al., 2017).’ A good example is the WHO 2009 (impacts on alcohol consumption and

damage: a systematic review)which affirms that with other factors held constant, for

instance, cost or price for different other goods and income, an increase in the rate of

alcohol results to decreased alcohol use. Increased prices for the substance additionally

make it expensive for many young people to buy thereby delaying their drinking.

There are also policies like the UK Government Alcohol Strategy, (2012), which inhibit or

limit availability or access to alcohol such as those limiting alcohol outlet number plus

those that decrease alcohol selling hours per day. Furthermore, other policies strictly

illegalize selling alcohol to underage or children. However, despite the many systems that

have been put in place to regulate selling and consumption of the substance, many of

these policies are not being implemented strictly (Brownson et al., 2017). This policy aim

at decreasing harm related to alcohol.

This policy regulated prices where it stipulates the lowest pricing unit. Another policy is

the changed ‘Licensing Act (2003)’ which illustrates the aggregate impact zones

establishment framework through local licensing by the local government. Moreover,

there is the alcohol guideline report by the 2011 committee of Science and Technology.

The committee provided guidelines regulating alcohol consumption. The UK additionally

has a policy on pub companies. It is known as ‘Business, Innovation and Skills

Committee, 2011’’ which calls for creating legal codes that control how business

enterprises selling alcohol operates (Holmes et al., 2018).

How Nurses supports young adults

A nurse should be able to identify PTSD signs in the young adult in general and start a

comprehensive process of evaluation and screening (Hunting and Gleason, 2012). Their

role in testing can be listening to their ordeal stories, detecting suicidal behaviors. Nurses

need to and inquire about the patient's trauma history and understand how they are

psychological. After a correct diagnosis of the condition and the right treatment, nurses

can follow up with the patient and ease up their minds during the examination (Linsley et

al., 2012). They may inquire about the medications side effects. Reassuring patients can

become achieved by training them on anger management and relaxation techniques.

Nurses should undergo training on mental and medical care to be able to provide

cognitive health counseling in cases such as PTSD (Luker et al., 2012). Nurses are also

engaged in health promotion activities such as immunization and behavioral counseling.

This promotion is vital in tackling some ailments while they are still in the early stages.

They can engage in creating signposts and flyers or brochures which can educate PTSD

patients about their issues and encourage them to seek medical help. However, there are

some hurdles associated with the whole process such as lack of sufficient resources and

high poverty rates in some families or communities. These conditions make promotion

difficult. There are also some policies that have become implemented without evidence

application (Lynsley et al., 2011). These policies have a lot of challenges, especially

concerning implementation. Nurses can, however, overcome some of these challenges

by working hand in hand with their employers in attempting to mitigate these problems

(Lynsley et al., 2011).

Conclusion

This work has discussed what post-traumatic stress disorder is and its manifestations or

symptoms. It has also talked about alcohol abuse and causative factors that lead young

adults to become alcohol misusers. The essay has also illustrated the morbidity and

mortality of alcohol misuse. The policies regulating alcohol consumption has become

demonstrated where they are essential in controlling the amount of alcohol consumed by

limiting selling hours and some alcohol outlets. Finally, the role of a nurse in caring for

PTSD patients has come out concisely and clearly. I recommend that the government

needs to follow up on the set rules for regulating alcohol selling, the number of outlets

and the hours it is sold. These regulations should be strictly adhered to by both alcohol

vendors and consumers. Strict policies which inhibit underage people from purchasing

and consuming alcohol need to be enacted. More nurses need to be trained in

psychological treatment to help in treating people living with PTSD.

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