Alcoholism throughout the lifespan

Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on alcoholism throughout the lifespan. Understanding how alcohol influences people across different life stages is important, especially when designing effective approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing alcohol abuse and dependence and their related problems.
Studies are finding that alcoholism is strongly related to impulsive, excitable, and novelty-seeking behavior, and such patterns are established early on, if not inherited. People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition that shares these behaviors, have a higher risk for alcoholism. Children who later become alcoholics or who abuse drugs are more likely to have less fear of new situations than others, even if there is a risk for harm. It was once thought that a family history of passivity and abnormal dependency needs to increase the risk for alcoholism, but studies have not borne out this theory.
Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of birth defects with mental deficiency. Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause a variety of problems known collectively as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The most severe form of the problem resulting from alcohol is FASD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Additionally, people exposed to alcohol prenatally are at higher risk of developing alcohol and other drug use disorder later in life.
Children affected by alcohol in utero may develop mild to severe behavior problems, including disruptive, aggressive, hyperactive, and even ADHD behavior (attention deficit hyperactive disorder). They also exhibit signs of anxiety and emotional problems. Behavior that is classified as self-absorbed, communication disturbed, and antisocial is seen in moderate to severe FAS and mild FAS/FAE (Steinhausen et al., 2003:181). They are also characterized by growth deficiency such as being of low birth weight, failing to thrive, and growing in a disproportionate ratio of weight to height. They also have at least one of the following abnormalities of the central nervous system: small head size, small brain, neurological impairment (such as impaired fine motor skills), hearing loss, or lack of co-ordination (OLeary, 2002).