Dhruv has been consuming alcohol for many years. Recently he has joined an alcohol rehabilitation center. During his group therapy session, Dhruv shared the amount of alcohol he could drink to feel 'high'. He started with a peg and to get the same effect now he has to take greater amount. Identify the reason for this change:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Tolerance
Option (1) Withdrawal — Incorrect. Withdrawal responses are what people who abuse alcohol experience when they stop drinking. Dhruv is describing what happens while he keeps drinking: he needs more to feel the same.
Option (2) Tolerance — Correct. People who abuse alcohol drink large amounts regularly; their bodies then build up a tolerance for alcohol and they need to drink even greater amounts to feel its effects. Dhruv once felt ‘high’ on one peg and now needs more for the same effect.
Option (3) Poor quality of alcohol — Incorrect. The change lies in Dhruv’s body, which has got used to alcohol over many years, not in the drink he takes.
Option (4) Fixation — Incorrect. Fixation is Freud’s term for a child getting stuck at a stage of psychosexual development because of excessive stress or over-indulgence at that stage. It has nothing to do with needing larger amounts of a substance.
NCERT (2025-26): “Alcohol … People who abuse alcohol drink large amounts regularly and rely on it to help them face difficult situations. Eventually the drinking interferes with their social behaviour and ability to think and work. Their bodies then build up a tolerance for alcohol and they need to drink even greater amounts to feel its effects. They also experience withdrawal responses when they stop drinking. Alcoholism destroys millions of families, social relationships and careers.…” |