Alcohol has affected human lives in their own society every day since its dawning in the stone age, perhaps even earlier. Though alcohol is not illegal, it was when the eighteenth amendment was first ratified because of alcoholism. Alcoholism is entitled to those who abuse alcohol by over consumption to the brink of mental illness and compulsive behavior which then ultimately results in alcohol dependency. It affects many different groups of people, but it is affecting students in high school and college. They should not be affected considering the legal age to consume alcohol is twenty-one, but they are in fact being deterred from their innocence. Society depends on those of us that do not consume alcohol to bring the social, economical, and health related problems throughout society to decrease. When government officials governing alcohol realize that alcohol needs to be more monitored and cautioned, then and only then can this steep slope finally begin to depreciate.
The consumption of alcohol during social events is prevalent in society. When a group of adults have a party or get together there is almost always alcohol present such as at the bowling alley, where they sell multiple bottles of beer in a bucket. Adults tend to invite their other adult friends to a football game party and they drink too much, and due to the adverse effect of alcohol consumption, drunk driving takes a life in the United States every twenty-two minutes. In Christian’s to Recovery, : “The damage caused by alcohol impaired drivers is the same as if a Boeing 747 with over 500 passengers crashed every eight days killing everyone,” (CR, “Impacts”) Children know just how much their parents or parent drinks, and for that very reason alcohol shoul...
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...eir jobs and turn to alcohol, or even worse when an organ starts to fail. Though it seems that alcohol is a frequent occurrence in this world, it really should be less than a second thought.
Works Cited
"Alcohol." KidsHealth - Alcohol. Ed. Steven Dowshen. The Nemours Foundation, 01 June 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Christians in Recovery. "The Impact of Alcohol Abuse on American Society." Official Alcoholics Victorious Headquarters Website. Alcoholics Virtutious, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Cook, Philip J., and Michael J. Moore. "Health Affairs." The Economics Of Alcohol Abuse And Alcohol-Control Policies. Health Affairs, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Alcohol's Effects on the Body." National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that adolescents consume without thinking of the consequences it has on their developing bodies. There has always been a debate on whether it would be appropriate to reduce the drinking age as it was before. After much research, I am opposed to reducing the drinking age. In my opinion, reducing the drinking age would just cause further problems for the youth. Although it is common for people to view drinking alcohol as a fairly typical activity for adolescents and young adults, what many fail to realize is the harsh reality alcohol carries. Unfortunately these realities do not only affect the health, but it ruins lives and careers. All in all, the drinking age should not be reduced because of the effects it has short and long-term on the
Each year, about 5,000 teens are killed or injured in traffic crashes as a result of underage drinking and about 1,900 are due to car accidents. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation) In the newsletter, safety in numbers by National highway traffic administration and U.S department of transportation “Of all the people who died in motor vehicle crashes during 2012, 31 percent died in crashes involving a drunk driver, and this percentage remains unchanged for the past 10 years” (Vol 1, 2013). Crashes involving alcohol include fatal crashes in which a driver had a BAC of .01 g/ ld. or higher (Underage Drinking Statistics)). Deadly crashes involving alcohol are twice as common in teens compared to people 21 and older. This is because teens’ judgment skills are harmed more by alcohol. Teens who drink not only risk hurting themselves, they risk hurting their friends, family, and even strangers when driving intoxicated. Teens and parents both need a strong reminder that underage drinking is illegal and can have disastrous consequences. According to Health Day News, “one study found that in 2011, 36 percent of U.S. college students said they'd gone binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) within the past two weeks, as compared to 43 percent of college students in 1988. Since 2006, the current law has reduced the rate of drunk driving crashes among young Americans” (Preidt, 2014 and DeJong, 2014). This proves that lives have been saved after the legal drinking age increased. According to an article in Time Magazine called “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?”, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would stop infantilizing college students, but it would probably kill mor...
U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services. Opposing Viewpoints: Alcohol. 3 vols. Detriot: Christine Nasso, 2008.
“According to the U.S Surgeon General, about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking—from crashes, homicides, and suicides” (Bellenir 65). Reducing underage drinking can reduce drinking-related harm, and even though there are programs in place to help prevent these suicides, alcoholism continues to ruin the lives of underage drinkers. Alcoholics in general are walking billboards to major companies that advertise their products—especially underage drinkers that in the process make these companies wealthier. Alcohol abuse gives a false sense of security, self confidence, and maturity to underage drinkers that later commit crimes, violence, and are victims of homicides. Underage drinkers not being able to get back on their feet after falling in so deep into alcoholism, eventually hit rock bottom and wake up to a world they no longer belong to. Underage drinkers realizing that the turning point is far from close commit suicide.
There are many people, particularly college age students who drink alcohol. Most people do this socially, but some people over do it and become a danger to themselves and others. Drinking alcohol can also lead to many ailments which include, liver cancer, alcohol poisoning, brain determination. Though most people use it as a social tool, markets should stop selling alcohol after midnight because, drunken driving accidents are five times more likely to happen in early morning hours, people can over drink and get Alcohol poisoning, and alcohol disrupts one’s sleep.
Alcohol is a large part of American culture. All over the United States drinking is not only acceptable but a social norm from teenagers to adults. This is not only the case in the U.S., but all over the world, where some drinking ages are 18 and 19 years of age. In America specifically, alcohol has been around for centuries and is a large part of many social gatherings. Although this is the case now, in the early 1900’s during the prohibition period, all alcohol was banned and deemed illegal to possess. Even though illegal, the task was just too heavy and alcohol was too much a common practice for most Americans. As time went on the prohibition period ended and the laws were revoked, making it legal again to possess alcohol. The drinking related problems that were around during prohibition pale in comparison to the problems alcohol has caused since then.
“Consequences of Underage Drinking.” John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. John University, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
A majority of American citizens can honestly say that they, or a loved one, have been personally victimized by the dangerous side effects of alcohol. Yet alcohol is still considered a recreational beverage, that too many people take for granted. The addiction to alcohol is officially labelled as “Alcoholism.” Alcoholism can affect one’s life in a numerous amount of ways. It is an overlooked danger in the U.S. which can negatively affect the youth of America and the economy, which is why it is an enormous danger to the U.S.
Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. "Alcohol and Teens: Learn the Effects of Teenage Drinking." MedicineNet. Ed. Melissa C. Stopler. Web. 19 May 2014.
Today, an average of 4,358 drinkers under the age of twenty-one are diagnosed with alcohol as a factor of their death. Mother Aleae Pennette never would have guessed that July 10, 2011 would be the day that her daughter would add on to that statistic. Fourteen year old Takeimi Rao was found dead that morning after mixing vodka and soda with her friends during a sleepover (Conley). Though extremely tragic, Takeimi was only one of 8.7 million minors and young adults (ages twelve to twenty) that reported having more than “just a few sips” of alcoholic beverages in the past month. Additionally, her age group is responsible for 11% of the alcohol consumed in The United States (“Underage Drinking”). Although the concept may seem implausible to some, the involvement that children had with alcohol nearly one hundred years ago could be an indirect cause of the millions of underage drinkers in The United States
“For every family that is impacted by drugs, there are another 10 to 15 families impacted by alcohol abuse. It's a pretty big deal. We have a tendency to only look at part of the puzzle.” (Kevin Lewis). As a society we tend to categorize the severity of addiction in a way that drugs are the most dangerous and alcohol being just a problem. Because alcohol addiction can be a slow progressive disease many people don’t see it in the same light as drug addiction. An addiction to drugs is seen as being a more deadly and dangerous issue then that of alcohol because a drug addiction can happen more quickly and can kill more quickly. Alcohol is something that is easy to obtain, something that is found at almost every restaurant. People with an alcohol addiction can not hide from alcohol as easy as a drug addict. Approximately 7 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and another 7 million suffer from alcoholism. (Haisong 6) The dangers of alcohol affect everyone from children with alcoholic parents, to teenagers who abuse alcohol, then to citizens who are terrorized by drunk drivers.
Drinking alcohol is associated with many adverse health problems in the short and long-term. These include cancer, stroke, heart disease, miscarriage, premature birth and unintentional injuries. Despite the fact that alcohol brings many negative impacts, many people still choose to drink and do not overcome their drinking habit. They have been successfully seduced by alcohol until drinking has become their addiction. However, some of them try to quit drinking, but they still cannot break the addiction. Basically, quitting alcohol is difficult and almost impossible for them because of brain-craving, lack of belief and support, and weak willpower.
... Alcoholism is a serious problem in today's society. It is extremely important that the public, including the large groups of users and abusers of alcohol, gain as much knowledge as possible about the symptoms and effects of alcoholism if we ever want to see the reduction of statics involving fatalities, injuries, diseases caused from the use and abuse of alcohol. Education and realization of the effects alcoholism can have on the different aspects of a person's life are the best ways that we can help control the number of alcoholics in the United States.
Alcohol has many terrible effects on a person’s health. Alcohol affects many different parts of the body, but first of all, alcohol affects the brain. A person’s brain is very important, it shows how someone thinks, makes decisions, and controls their body. According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcohol has been linked to several horrible issues. The consequences of these problems include stiff fines, jail time, suspension of privileges and even death. The corollary of drinking alcohol can cause immense guilt, and even rifts in relationships with family and others. With booze being so bad it must be awful to get started drinking young. “…more than half of America’s teenagers have had at least one drink by age 15 and the percentage increases to 70% by age 18.” (Sober Nation) Teen drinking is a definite issue within the U.S.; its effects on an adolescent’s mind is horrendous; however, there is a way to fix this epidemic.