Content
Currently, alcohol abuse is an important problem in Russia. According to statistics, as of 2019, the number of patients with alcoholism exceeded 5 million people, or 3.7% of the total population. Complications of alcoholism have become one of the leading causes of premature death. In addition, the largest number of all crimes were committed while intoxicated. Frequent use of alcohol inevitably leads to dependence; alcoholism and its consequences destroy not only health, but also life.
Alcoholism is a mental disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of drinks containing ethyl alcohol. As a result of a state of constant intoxication, a person's health deteriorates, his ability to work, well-being and moral character decrease. A person becomes dependent on alcohol at the physiological and mental levels. Alcoholism is incompatible with normal social, personal life. With prolonged use of high doses of alcohol, irreversible mental disorders inevitably occur.
There are many causes, conditions that can lead to chronic alcoholism. As a rule, this is stress as a result of an emotional conflict, domestic, domestic problems, the loss of a loved one, difficulties at work. Alcohol abuse is promoted by a depressive personality type with low self-esteem, dissatisfaction with one's actions, deeds and achievements.
The hereditary factor matters (father, mother or other blood relatives suffer from alcoholism), as well as various negative factors of the environment and culture, upbringing, and the availability of alcoholic beverages for minors. In addition, the low standard of living of the population, the lack of good work, and the opportunity to get an education contribute to the use of alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholism is a disease that develops over years and even decades. Clinically, there are three main stages in the development of this mental disorder:
Some narcologists distinguish the final, fourth stage, which is characterized by a severe mental disorder (alcoholic psychosis), withdrawal syndromes and nervous complications (seizures, dementia). A chronic alcoholic is not able to think independently, speak normally and establish social contacts, is indifferent to the outside world.
A person at this stage drinks often, in small portions, is constantly intoxicated. During this period, the patient loses his family, often a house, lives on the street. Alcoholism of the fourth stage is not amenable to any therapy, tk. all organs, body systems are destroyed by the action of ethyl alcohol, chronic intoxication with its metabolites. A person who has reached this stage does not live long, dies from a coma that occurs from prolonged drinking.
AT initial stage the development of alcoholism, the consequences of alcohol poisoning are manifested ( headache, nausea). Over time, the symptoms of regular drinking become apparent: the mood changes frequently, changes dramatically, and depends on the use of alcohol. Without drinking, the patient becomes aggressive and inadequate, memory lapses appear. An alcoholic thinks only about drinking, there are no other joys, hobbies and needs for him, and even the need to eat fades into the background.
The second stage of the development of dependence is characterized not only by the psychological, but also by the physical need for alcohol. The body requires new, higher doses of alcohol; without it, it ceases to function normally. At this stage, a person often quits work, becomes apathetic, depressive. The patient can no longer stop drinking on his own.
At the third stage of the disease, a person quickly degrades as a person, the psyche is disturbed. Morphological destruction in the central nervous system, the work of organs and systems of the body lead to a partial loss of movement and speech, there is a sudden paralysis of the whole body. develop in liver cells malignant neoplasms, there are severe diseases of the kidneys, blood vessels. In addition, frequent intoxication leads to alcoholic delirium, often fatal.
Despite the fact that beer is a low-alcohol drink, it poses no less danger to life and health. Such alcoholism has a direct negative impact on all body systems. Among the most unpleasant consequences of beer addiction is the damage that the drink causes to the heart. Large doses of "foamy" will affect the general well-being and the state of its vessels.
In the history of medicine, the term "Bavarian beer heart" is known, which was designated by a German physician for patients whose hearts had time to pathologically change as a result of the daily consumption of large amounts of beer. This condition is characterized by the following features:
Over time, excessive alcohol consumption negatively affects all aspects of a person's life: from health to social status. Ethyl alcohol has ruined the lives of many thousands of people, because of it families break up and children are born with deformities and disabilities. The consequences of alcohol intoxication, social problems and much more - this is the result of uncontrolled drinking.
The negative consequences of binge drinking and alcohol intoxication can be irreversible for human health. Often there is a fatal outcome when drinking critical doses of alcohol in conjunction with sedatives, narcotic substances. Detox symptoms:
The reproductive system is one of the first to suffer from the uncontrolled use of alcohol-containing drinks, so healthy children are rarely born from chronic alcoholics. A child who was conceived by drinking people often has genetic mutations (Down's disease, Turner's syndrome, phenylketonuria). Anatomical disorders often occur during intrauterine development: heart defects, underdevelopment of organs, anencephaly, hydrocephalus, etc., an alcohol syndrome develops.
If alcoholics have a daughter with rice, give birth to offspring with pathologies. This is due to the fact that the precursors of the eggs are born during intrauterine development and are not renewed in the future, but simply mature, therefore, unhealthy children are born in a girl who was systematically exposed to ethyl alcohol even in the womb. As a result, attention is paid to the prevention, elimination of female alcoholism.
Alcohol is often an impetus for criminal behavior, as it it relaxes the human mind, gives a feeling of impunity. The social consequences of alcoholism include:
One of the methods of prevention, treatment and prevention of alcoholism is coding, i.e. a set of measures aimed at developing a reflex rejection of alcohol or emotional disgust. In modern narcology, there are several types of such a procedure:
Coding is considered successful, after which a person physically cannot drink any alcohol, even if he wants to. When alcohol is taken, such patients immediately experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headache. The most common method of coding patients with alcoholism is medication.
Attention! The information provided in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give recommendations for treatment, based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.
Did you find an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!Discuss
Alcoholism and its consequences for human health - harm from regular drinking
Narcologists and psychiatrists all over the world are well aware of the consequences of the harm of alcohol for the body. Complications for the female and teenage organism can be especially dangerous, since the problem of alcoholism affects different age groups and gender.
Today it has become customary in companies to appear with a bottle of beer in their hands or a slight smell of fumes. Some people feel its presence after a short time, others can drink alcohol for years, not paying attention to the appearance of the first alarming symptoms. Doctors say that many people would be able to give up alcohol if they had an idea about the dangers of alcohol.
When alcohol is consumed, all organs and systems of the body suffer. Ethanol - good solvent. When it is used, part of the alcohol enters the blood, the other - into the stomach. At the same time, erythrocytes, which supply oxygen to organs and tissues, lose their fatty lubricant, since it dissolves in ethanol. Therefore, blood cells begin to stick together.
When six red blood cells stick together, they resemble a bunch of grapes, which makes it difficult for them to pass through the capillaries to the neurons in the brain. The capillary begins to clog, as a result of which the neuron cannot receive oxygen and dies. With the death of a huge number of nerve cells, a person begins to experience relaxation, a feeling of pleasure appears. Thus, it becomes clear the main harm of alcohol on the human body.
Also, alcohol negatively affects the rest of the body. As a result of alcohol abuse for a long time, a person often develops cirrhosis of the liver. An estimated 600,000 people die every year from alcohol-related complications. For the rest, the average life expectancy is reduced by ten or even fifteen years.
Why is alcohol dangerous? It provokes the development of the following pathologies:
Alcoholism is classified as one of the addictions of a person, in some states it is classified with a mental illness. With prolonged alcohol consumption, irreversible changes occur in the body:
With timely access to a doctor and undergoing therapy in a hospital, a person has a chance for a full recovery.
The harm of alcohol on the body of a teenager is enormous, since at this age the body is still fragile, it is most vulnerable. In adolescence, the liver is characterized by high throughput, fragile structure. Therefore, pathologies of this organ can develop even with the use of a small amount of alcoholic beverages.
Ethanol has a detrimental effect on the entire body of the child. In adolescents, addiction develops faster, which is difficult to cure.
What is harmful alcohol is already known. But how does it affect women? Ethyl alcohol has an even more terrible effect on the female body. Women become addicted to alcohol faster. In addition, it increases the risk of infertility or the birth of children with serious defects that lead to disability.
When it enters the female body, ethanol is distributed to all organs and tissues. It has a detrimental effect on the hormonal system, it contributes to the death of most of the eggs, the other part can be seriously affected, which often leads to mutations.
As a result, the risk of having a sick child increases. Every woman who wants to become a mother in the future should know about the dangers of alcohol.
According to the results of many studies, it has been established that the use of ethanol during pregnancy leads to underdevelopment of the fetus or its organs, which leads to deformity in the future. In some cases, the fetus may die in the womb.
Ethanol, which enters the body of a child with breast milk, provokes a disorder of the nervous system, mental disorders, pathologies of the digestive tract and of cardio-vascular system.
According to the results of a study by the French doctor Demme, it was found that 50% of the children of alcoholics died in early childhood, 10% had epilepsy and dropsy of the head, 12% suffered from idiocy, the rest were healthy.
Alcohol is injurious to health. Doctors identify seven main reasons why it is necessary to refuse it:
Many are wondering how to reduce or even eliminate the harm from alcohol. The answer is tritely simple - you do not need to drink. But some people can't do it, some people can't imagine themselves, for example, without a bottle of beer on a day off. In fact, there are millions of people around the world who lead a healthy lifestyle. At the same time, they live long and quite happily.
For a deep understanding of the problem of alcoholism, doctors suggest that you familiarize yourself with the numbers:
The harm of alcoholism is undeniable. At the same time, beer alcoholism is also dangerous.
This drink contains hops, which contain the female hormone estrogen. This threatens men with the fact that they gradually lose willpower, their stomach grows, potency develops, libido decreases.
The most common complications of alcoholism include:
Alcoholism is one of the most complex problems of modern society. Alcohol and its effect on the body is the subject of discussion by scientists of various specialties who are trying to establish the causes of the rapid increase in the incidence, ways to get people out of this condition, as well as risk factors for the development of a tendency to regularly drink alcohol. The harmful effect of alcohol on the body begins to manifest itself after the first few days of the systematic intake of a toxic substance.
At first, alcohol-induced changes in the internal organs are not characterized by a sharp violation of their functionality. But over time, the effect of alcohol on a person increases, leading to acute disorders in the activity of the vital systems of the body and breaking the chain of complex mechanisms of its neurohumoral regulation.
How does alcohol affect the body? Once in the human stomach, alcohol is almost instantly absorbed into the bloodstream. Few people know, but alcoholic beverages begin to decompose even in oral cavity, so the blood is saturated with alcohol from the first minute of its contact with the body. From this moment begins the harmful effects of alcohol on human organs. About 20% of alcohol is neutralized by the liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which deactivates substances containing alcohol toxins.
The bulk of alcohol continues to act in the small intestine. It is from here that alcohol penetrates into all water areas of the body, in order to be partially excreted with sweat, urine, saliva and the like, and partially oxidized and accumulate in most organs for several days. During this period, alcohol works like a poison, slowly poisoning all the cells of the body, affecting the development of a person, the state of his psyche and the functionality of internal structures.
The human brain is one of the most important organs of the body, which is constantly exposed to destructive external factors especially alcohol. When drinking alcoholic beverages, few people think about the serious damage it causes to the nervous system. Each glass of alcohol is a kind of blow to the head, which leads to mental disorders, partial memory loss, far-fetched anxiety, hallucinations and much more.
Alcoholic encephalopathy is one of the most severe brain diseases caused by the effects of alcohol on the body. This pathological condition is the most complex psychosis of a complex nature, which is expressed in numerous mental disorders, accompanied by neurological and somatic symptoms classic for alcoholism. Alcoholic encephalopathy is manifested by the following set of symptoms:
In addition, alcoholic encephalopathy, which progresses rapidly against the background of regular abuse of strong alcoholic beverages, sooner or later ends in a deep cerebral coma. It is extremely difficult to get a sick person out of this state, so most often he dies. In surviving patients after such a pathological condition, persistent mental, motor function and sensitivity disorders remain, which do not allow them to return to a full life.
It is important to understand that damage to the tissues of the central nervous system by an active toxin begins already from the first glass, regardless of what kind of drinks a person consumes: strong or low alcohol. According to studies, severe forms of encephalopathy develop within 3-5 years of systematic use of alcoholic beverages. The influence of alcohol on the body is often the cause of the development of life-threatening conditions, including special attention deserve a stroke.
Alcoholism is the first doctor of the liver. A glandular organ that performs an antitoxic function in the human body, under harmful influence alcohol begins to be reborn, while changing its structure. Depending on the duration of alcohol consumption and the severity of liver disorders, doctors distinguish three main stages of alcoholic degeneration of the gland:
Reversible changes are typical only for the first stage of alcoholic liver damage, while hepatitis and cirrhosis have an irreversible detrimental effect on the gland, resistant to all types of modern therapeutic methods. And if patients with hepatitis have a chance for a partial recovery with a long-term remission, then people with cirrhosis are simply doomed, since they have already experienced liver degeneration with a violation of the organ's architectonics. Cirrhosis is characterized by a high mortality rate already in the first three years after the diagnosis.
The harmful effects of alcohol on the human body is expressed not only in violation of the function of the brain and liver. Alcoholism has a negative impact on all organs and systems of the human body. In short, the regular use of alcoholic beverages completely destroys the model normal functioning the patient's body, have a detrimental effect on his full-fledged life and are one of the main causes of mortality among people of working age.
The detrimental effect of alcohol on the human body is largely related to its effect on the cardiovascular sphere. In systemic alcoholics, the risk of developing deadly forms of acute myocardial ischemia, strokes, and also a hypertensive crisis increases significantly. Doctors have proven that even small concentrations of alcohol provoke the appearance of arrhythmic activity of the heart, an increase in blood pressure and a strong expansion of blood vessels, followed by their reflex spasm. Similar Effects over time, they can negatively affect the myocardium, as they are able to develop myocardial dystrophy and hypertrophy of the heart chambers.
Answering the question of how alcohol affects the human body, one cannot ignore the problem of respiratory disorders. Alcoholics are more likely than other people to be diagnosed with tuberculosis, bronchial obstruction, inflammation of the lung tissue and emphysema. From the negative effects of alcohol suffers and gastrointestinal tract. In particular, the gastric mucosa is exposed to the aggressive action of toxins that provoke the development of gastritis, enteritis, peptic ulcer, and the like. The pancreas and kidneys are very sensitive to alcoholic poisons. Under their influence, these organs become inflamed and cease to function normally.
Alcohol affects the function of the immune system and contributes to the development of allergic reactions. In patients who drink alcohol, a number of disorders of the endocrine glands, a deterioration in the condition of the skin, and weakening of the muscles are determined. Patients suffering from alcoholism, from time to time complain of sexual disorders, note sexual impotence, decreased libido, and infertility.
Probably, each of us knows how alcohol affects the human psyche. Heavy drinkers may experience hallucinations, overwhelming feelings of anxiety, apathy, and prolonged depression. Alcoholics completely lose their own "I". These people become asocial, pay little attention to their appearance, they are no longer worried about everyday human chores, family care, and the like.
It is important to note that the harmful effects of alcohol are expressed in its systemic effects on the human body and triggering the mechanisms of its premature aging. The life expectancy of individuals who consume alcoholic beverages is reduced by about 15 years compared to the average. All this means that if it is possible to drink a glass of alcohol, a person should think about his health and replace alcohol. useful juice or a glass of milk.
Content
For many people, alcoholic beverages are essential attribute any holiday or party. Often, drinking another glass of wine or a glass of strong liquor, a person does not think that in addition to pleasant sensations, the heady liquid is harmful. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to irreversible consequences: at certain stages alcohol addiction severe pathologies of the nervous and other systems of the body are detected.
From a scientific point of view, alcohol is directly ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is a colorless liquid with a specific taste and smell. This type of alcohol is obtained by fermentation or artificially. The substance is used as a disinfectant, fuel, solvent. In everyday life, alcohol is called drinks, which include ethanol in different concentrations.
Once in the human body, alcohol acts as a solvent, destroying the fatty membrane of red blood cells. As a result, the blood cells stick together. Such formations can block blood flow in small capillaries. The process leads to the fact that the brain receives insufficient oxygen and nutrients its cells are dying. Malfunctions of the central nervous system contribute to the disruption of the functioning of other organs. A large number of alcohol causes chronic, irreversible pathologies.
The consequences of drinking alcohol are associated with the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on the body of men and women. The severity of the side effects of drinks is related to their strength, quantity and frequency of drinking. Drinking small amounts of alcohol at important events may not be harmful. Excessive consumption threatens the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of dependence, disruption of the internal organs, social degradation and other negative consequences.
According to some experts, moderate drinking in quantities permitted by the WHO does not cause much harm to the body, does not form dependence, and does not lead to a state of intoxication. Alcohol in small doses can be useful for disease prevention, as it makes the defense systems work. It should be remembered that this method of preventing ailments is very dangerous, especially for people who have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
Representatives of the World Health Organization warn that the use of ethanol on a daily basis is strictly prohibited. Drinking every day, a person runs the risk of gradually becoming addictive. There is a risk of loss of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose - this is a direct path to alcoholism, the acquisition of mental and physical health disorders. It is recommended to take breaks of several days so that toxins are eliminated from the body.
The body perceives increased doses of strong alcohol as poison, so you harm yourself, even if you get drunk very rarely. A large amount of alcohol negatively affects the brain, liver, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Constant abuse of alcohol can cause persistent dependence, which leads to irreversible consequences.
Once inside the body, elevated concentrations of alcohol can cause persistent dependence. This is explained by the toxic properties of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease that is characterized by constant, uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, a pathological attraction to the state of intoxication, a change in tolerance to alcohol. Experts distinguish the following signs of the disease:
Experts recommend to distinguish between domestic drunkenness and alcoholism. In the first case, a person can afford to drink systematically, however, stopping the use of alcohol-containing drinks does not bring serious consequences, aggression, occurs at will. This condition is not classified as a disease. An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism. He is not able to control his desire to drink, the amount of alcohol consumed, he is prone to binges.
Every person can get addicted to alcohol if they stop controlling themselves, since some cultural characteristics provoke people to use intoxicating drinks during hours of joy, sadness, and on holidays. There are 2 groups of citizens who are especially prone to addiction to ethanol. Experts identify the following causes of alcoholism:
A dangerous factor in the development of alcoholism is that persistent addiction can occur unnoticed by the patient. A person begins to drink alcohol in companies on holidays or periodically drink to calm his nerves. At this stage, ethanol may not cause adverse reactions. The feeling of relaxation and fun leads to the fact that drinking becomes more frequent. As a result, a person becomes addicted, he begins to show symptoms of alcoholism. Gradually, there is a decomposition of the personality, there comes a physical craving for alcohol.
Experts distinguish 3 degrees of alcoholism. Each stage is characterized by the following factors:
The question of how long alcoholics live cannot be given an unequivocal answer, since the body of each person individually reacts to ethyl alcohol. An important factor is the quality of drinks and the quantity of their use. Drinking a good glass of wine with dinner can help you live a long life. happy life. According to many scientists, some people may even benefit from it.
The use of cheap drinks, a surrogate, can cause not only damage to internal organs, but also acute intoxication. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48-55 years. However, the period may be shorter for women, heavy drinkers and people who started drinking alcoholic beverages as teenagers. Patients in the 3rd stage of addiction have the highest risk of mortality. They die from severe organ pathologies, living 6-7 years after such a diagnosis.
Excessive alcohol consumption at any age causes an increased risk of diseases of the body systems, disrupts the activity of the human brain. The consequences of such processes are irreversible changes in the psyche, a decrease in social activity, and physical harm to the patient. With regular use, a person experiences constant poisoning, which causes deposits of harmful substances inside the body.
Alcohol addiction directly affects not only the patient himself, but also his family, circle of friends, and career. The patient faces economic difficulties, since a lot of money is spent on the purchase of alcohol. In addition, addiction can cause problems at work, because the alcoholic is unable to perform their functions properly, misses working days because of a hangover.
Constant drunkenness also has a devastating effect on the patient's family. This happens because conflicts become more frequent, the patient becomes aggressive. The life of the alcoholic and those around him is threatened by drunk driving. When driving after drinking alcohol, the likelihood of an accident increases significantly. People who are under the influence of alcohol are more at risk of committing a crime.
Alcohol dependence has a significant impact on the patient's physical and mental health. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause the following effects of alcoholism:
Alcoholism is rightfully considered one of the most serious problems of modern society, as the rate of spread of this disease is increasing every year. The constant advertising of alcoholic beverages and the availability of alcohol play a negative role, because it contributes to the spread of alcohol addiction among the population. “Advertising” has a particularly negative effect on teenagers, since everything that is forbidden always attracts. Youth alcoholism is a common phenomenon. In order to get rid of an irresistible desire to take alcohol, a person needs to make a huge effort.
It is generally accepted that alcoholism is a disease caused by frequent use alcoholic beverages and characterized by the appearance of a strong addiction to alcohol. It is classified as one of the types of drug addiction due to the fact that alcohol acts like a drug on the central nervous system. Due to prolonged and intense alcohol abuse, characteristic changes in internal organs Therefore, this fact is also attributed to the symptoms of alcoholism.
Any disease should be treated by a specialist. In this case, you should contact a psychiatrist-narcologist, since alcoholism is a serious problem that causes psychiatric and physical changes in the body. Most often, it is impossible to cope with this disease on your own, especially when it comes to the second and third stages of alcoholism. As a result, a timely visit to a doctor will help restore health and eliminate addiction.
AT recent times All causes of alcohol addiction are divided into three large groups:
One of the most important points is the presence of a genetic predisposition to alcoholism, which occurs due to the occurrence of a mutation in the genes. As a result, a person with such changes in chromosomes becomes an alcoholic much faster than others. Since over the past decades, a huge number of people have begun to suffer from alcoholism, the likelihood of having children with an existing predisposition is very high. But the presence of such a cause of alcoholism is not necessary for its occurrence, since great importance provide education and social status.
In addition to genetic predisposition, physiological factors include the state of human health. In some diseases related to the nervous system, metabolism or liver problems, alcoholism occurs more quickly. Psychological changes in an alcoholic are most often present from the onset of the disease. A person who abuses alcohol often experiences depression and anxiety, has manic personality changes. Alcoholism and its consequences are psychologically terrible, as a person's personality is greatly degraded. Many people begin to "take a drink" from hopelessness, others believe that alcohol gives them the opportunity to relax after a day's work. Together, this causes regular alcohol consumption, which in the future will lead to addiction.
The socio-economic factor is the conditions in which a person exists. Depending on the environment, a person is either inclined to drink alcohol or not. Upbringing, traditions and family values affect how a person relaxes and solves problems. If there was a negative example before his eyes, that is alcoholism in the family, the likelihood of dependence is significantly increased. This is due to the fact that the fear of drinking alcohol disappears. If it was possible for parents, then it is possible for me too - this is what most of the youth think when it comes to alcohol and cigarettes.
There are two forms of addiction - psychological and physical. The first arises due to the influence of alcohol on the central nervous system, the second - due to the inclusion of ethanol in the metabolism. Alcoholism develops gradually, depending on the frequency of drinking and the amount of alcohol consumed. In order to diagnose a pathological addiction to alcohol, the doctor evaluates four signs:
In order to understand the severity of the condition, the addiction psychiatrist always evaluates the signs of alcoholism. The most important thing remains addiction to alcohol, that is, an irresistible desire to use it regardless of the situation. Doctors also distinguish three stages of alcoholism:
The main point in the treatment of alcoholism is the complete rejection of alcohol for life, since even a single use of alcohol returns the alcoholic to the same path. At the beginning of treatment, a special role is given to the elimination of the withdrawal syndrome and the mitigation of alcohol dependence. To stop alcohol intoxication, drugs are used that increase metabolism and remove ethanol from the body. Alcoholism and its consequences lead to the fact that only drug treatment extremely difficult to limit. Alcoholics need intensive psychotherapy, since a stable remission is possible only with a full treatment.
In order to appreciate the seriousness of such a problem as chronic alcoholism, it is necessary to realize the social damage. Because of the addiction to alcohol, families break up, sick children are born, who in the future can also become alcoholics. The number of crimes committed due to intoxication or in order to obtain alcohol is steadily increasing. Due to the prevalence of alcoholism, there is a decrease in the general intellectual level of society, which leads to the degradation and disappearance of cultural values. Due to health problems, the number of able-bodied population is decreasing. The consequences of alcoholism are terrible not only for the person himself. They affect society and degrade the genotype of the entire nation. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the prevention of this terrible disease, and not on its treatment.