The Pros And Cons Of Alcohol

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Introduction
Rum, vodka, wine and beer all conjure up an image to most people in the United States. Alcohol is shown on television, showcased in commercial and normalized in movies. Even though it is dramatized in the social setting alcohol negatively impacts men and women worldwide. The commonality and legality of alcohol create a sense of safety in the consumption and overindulgence of the substance, but it is just as addictive and harmful of other psychoactive drugs (Inaba & Cohen, 2014). In 2012, there were approximately 2 million members in Alcoholics Anonymous (Sifers & Peltz, 2013), with millions of others in voluntary and mandated recovery groups. The purpose of this paper is to explore alcohol consumption and how it relates to AA by attending a …show more content…

Some individuals binge drink by consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Binge drinking for men is 5 drinks in one setting, and for females, it is 4 drinks (Inaba & Cohen, 2014). Other people consume alcohol on a daily basis demonstrating escalating patterns of use. Both examples of consumption can impact an individual facilitating the need for some type of intervention. One type of program is Alcoholics Anonymous, a 12 step program that incorporates a spiritual element to aid alcoholics in battling their addiction (Greenfield & Tonigan, 2013)(Sifers & Peltz, 2013). The program is formatted to aid addicts in achieving lifelong sobriety. The program views alcoholism through a disease lens and teaches that the individual will always be an alcoholic regardless of the time spent not drinking (Greenfield & Tonigan, 2013). Abstinence and spirituality mobilize the beneficial change model in AA. Research suggest that AA participation is associated with maintaining long-term abstinence. The 12 steps of the program promote self-exploration and provide new coping mechanisms for the individual to learn (Greenfeild & Tonigan,

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