Free Essays on Alcohol

Alcohol has long had its mark on the world. It is noted as one of the oldest drugs to man and has long created problems in the way of morality and health. With the negative effects of alcohol on society, the application of its uses should be a concern to all. With the progression of education and technology, one would think that problems become easier to handle and that dilemmas become more manageable through time. As for the scenario of underage drinking, even the best technology and information are useless if the direction of their goals is in the wrong way. As a means to deal with alcohol and adolescents the current movement has been made on the education of facts and the prevention of consumption. The methods that are being used are aimed at the goal of abstinence to alcohol by adolescents. Alcohol use, however, has remained high in adolescent groups. In addition, there are a growing number of health problems related to the misuse of alcohol in adolescents. With our knowl edge about these issues we have the criteria to make an impact. It is my theory, that instead of focusing on the education of facts and the abstinence of alcohol, behavioral modifications can be used to exemplify safe and accepting ways of consuming spirits. This will negate the curiosity and desire for the drug as well as establish some sort of boundaries for this confused group of citizens. The decisions that are being made in the current prevention movement of alcohol use in adolescents, is not satisfying its goals. The current methods that are being practiced are ignorant to the fact that use of alcohol in adolescents is far from any level of abstinence. Since 1975, 93% of high school seniors stated usage at some point in time (Kuehnel). This is a drug that is extremely obtainable and very socially excepted. Each weekend it is estimated that 30-40% of the youth in America use alcohol (Kuenel). The aura surrounding the drug generates its desire. ... Free Essays on Alcohol Free Essays on Alcohol Alcohol can and does kill millions of people each year. It can effect your brain and make you shake, lose all your senses, and kill off your brain cells. It also can cause your liver to deteriorate and not function properly. Liver transplants are hard to come by and do not happen often, if your liver goes out you do not have many chances of living much longer. You could also choke on your puke and die. Drinking too much alcohol can kill you, but millions of people consume mass amounts daily. College students drink and party a great amount. The average student drinks at least three nights a week and that is the weekend. Most sororities and fraternities encourage drinking. The fraternities make their pledges drink and the kids love it. It makes them loosen up and have a good time meeting new people. Drinking is also a good way for students who do not know anybody to meet new people and feel more comfortable when they go into an unfamiliar place with a lot of strangers around. When someone is drunk they feel more comfortable and able to talk to random people they do not know and have a good time. Once someone becomes familiar with certain people or just being drunk around strangers, it becomes a habit and that is when school work starts to not be important anymore. Students who drink start to stop attending classes because they are hung-over, tired because they did not go to bed, or just do not feel like going because they would like to start drinking again. The! re are tho se who can drink every night of the week and still go to class, do their homework, and keep their grades up. Those who can do that are very rare and end up eventually stop being able to do it anymore and fail out of school. It is not very hard for someone to pick up a beer and drink it instead of picking up a book to read. After sometime of constantly drinking, I have seen and do see kids drinking while they do their homework or study for a test. I do not know how thos... Free Essays on Alcohol Alcohol has long had its mark on the world. It is noted as one of the oldest drugs to man and has long created problems in the way of morality and health. With the negative effects of alcohol on society, the application of its uses should be a concern to all. With the progression of education and technology, one would think that problems become easier to handle and that dilemmas become more manageable through time. As for the scenario of underage drinking, even the best technology and information are useless if the direction of their goals is in the wrong way. As a means to deal with alcohol and adolescents the current movement has been made on the education of facts and the prevention of consumption. The methods that are being used are aimed at the goal of abstinence to alcohol by adolescents. Alcohol use, however, has remained high in adolescent groups. In addition, there are a growing number of health problems related to the misuse of alcohol in adolescents. With our knowl edge about these issues we have the criteria to make an impact. It is my theory, that instead of focusing on the education of facts and the abstinence of alcohol, behavioral modifications can be used to exemplify safe and accepting ways of consuming spirits. This will negate the curiosity and desire for the drug as well as establish some sort of boundaries for this confused group of citizens. The decisions that are being made in the current prevention movement of alcohol use in adolescents, is not satisfying its goals. The current methods that are being practiced are ignorant to the fact that use of alcohol in adolescents is far from any level of abstinence. Since 1975, 93% of high school seniors stated usage at some point in time (Kuehnel). This is a drug that is extremely obtainable and very socially excepted. Each weekend it is estimated that 30-40% of the youth in America use alcohol (Kuenel). The aura surrounding the drug generates its desire. ... Free Essays on Alcohol Alcoholism Alcoholism is a disease of epidemic proportions, affecting 9.3 to 10 million Americans, and many professionals believe the figures are closer to 20 million (Weddle and Wishon). Alcoholism is a "physiological or physiological dependence on alcohol characterized by the alcoholic’s inability to control the start or termination of his drinking"(Encyclopedia Britannica 210). It consists of frequent and recurring consumption of alcohol to an extent that causes continued harm to the drinker and leads to medical and social problems. Alcoholism, however, does not merely cause harm to the alcoholic, but to the entire family as well, affecting an estimated 28 million children in this country (Weddle and Wishon). These children grow up in the unhealthy and abnormal family systems harmed by alcoholism, carrying the negative effects of this environment with them into adulthood. Consequently, adult children of alcoholics are the innocent victims of a disease which has shaped their personalities and behavior as children and will, if not treated, promote their personal disintegration as adults. Most alcoholics don’t fit the stereotype of the lying in the gutter drunk. Alcoholics are likely to be persons of intense, if sometimes brief, enthusiasms. They often try to do too much too fast. They tend to demand perfection in themselves and in others. Frustrated, they may become painfully depressed or overly aggressive. There is a lack of inner stability with which to face life’s problems in a realistic manner (AL-Anon). As the disease of alcoholism sets in, the family is forced to make an unspoken decision- to leave the alcoholic or to stay and adapt to his illness. Because they do not want to disrupt their own lives or leave a love one, they deny the problem and try to adapt to the pressures and problems that alcoholism brings. Typically, as alcoholism takes over, the alcoholic becomes incre... Free Essays on Alcohol Alcohol Millions of people consume alcohol everyday. The chemical formula for alcohol is. Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the United States. It is a depressant, and causes relaxation, pleasure, and stimulation for those who consume the beverage. Alcohol is an addictive substance; however, not everybody becomes addicted. Alcoholics are compulsive drinkers, who can not keep their drinking under control. Frequently alcoholics intend to have only one or two drinks but find it impossible to stop. They end up consuming eight or more drinks at one sitting. Many people drink alcohol, but only a small amount develop drinking problems (World Book, 2000). The exact cause of alcoholism as puzzled many researchers. Alcoholism can be explained as a(Alcohol and Tobacco, p33) chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manisfestations. Alcoholism was recognized as a disease two hundred years ago. Scientists, physicians, and social workers believe that alcoholism is the result of a complex mix of sociological, psychological, and behavioral factors that interact with a person’s genetic makeup, resulting in a complex mix (Alcohol and Tobacco, p. 36). Research shows that heredity plays an important role in alcoholism. Alcoholism is thought to be linked to various genes. Researchers believe that certain families may have a unique mix of genes that make family members more susceptible to alcoholism than others. Studies have proved that people with an alcoholic parent have a g reater risk of developing the disease, than people without alcoholic parents. Alcoholism and the Family states Twenty-eight million Americans grew up in families where one or both parents have alcoholism (p 11). In the 1950s, a twin study was conducted in Sweden. (Alcohol and Tobacco) Researchers first identified male twins, at least one of whom had a problem with alcohol. When they stud...