Alcohol

640 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A conclusion on how does alcohol affect one's brain

Alcohol Alcohol has been around for ages, but only relatively recently has become a recognized problem in society. Its negative effects on the body and its impact on the mind has caused the drug to be associated with such crimes as rape, murder, and other violence. Concerns with alcoholism and drunk driving are on the rise, and underage drinking rates are soaring. Whether for the better or for the worse, alcohol is a driving factor in America's economy and society, which makes it very important that everyone is educated about this drug. Since alcohol is a legal drug, it is one of the most widely used and most accepted drugs available. Whether used for social reasons, as an answer to problems, or as a casual everyday drink, its use is prevalent all over the US. Decisions about drinking begin at a very young age, as one-third of 4th graders and more than half of 6th graders say they have been pressured by friends to drink alcohol. On average, young people begin drinking at about age 13, but some start even younger. By the time they are high school seniors, more than 80 percent have used alcohol and approximately 64 percent have been drunk. When adolescents move on to college, they bring their drinking habits with them: more than 40 percent of college students are binge drinkers. In 1998, 10.4 million current drinkers were under legal age (age 12-20). Of these, 5.1 million were binge drinkers, including 2.3 million heavy drinkers. Some teens, especially on college campuses, find drinking to be just something fun and acceptable to do with their friends, and spend weekend nights at parties where binge drinking is the norm. These teens find that alcohol is not only the "cool thing to do," but also that after drinking they begin to ... ... middle of paper ... ...result in fatal accidents or other serious consequences. The legal drinking age in the US today is 21, and although laws exist to persecute underage drinkers, they are, for the most part, unsuccessful in halting the trend. Prosecution for underage drinking and drunk driving vary greatly, ranging from tickets and fines to loss of driving priveledges and jail time. The sentences depend on the BAC, or blood alcohol level, the speed and safety of the driver, and whether or not anyone else got hurt. To today's society, both legal and illegal drinking are widely accepted and practiced. While so many negative consequences exist, heavy drinking remains high on many Americans' lists. Perhaps one day this trend will blunder and cause America to be more healthy and happy. But until that day, there is little hope for altogether bringing an end to irresponsible drinking.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Getting Serious On Eradicating Binge Drinking

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States of America the drinking age is 21 which was instituted with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed on July 17, 1984. Before 1984 the national drinking age was 18. This is the age when U.S citizens are considered legal adults at the age of eighteen I could hypothetically go out vote, get married, join the army and buy a lottery ticket all in one day. On this same day I could also get caught driving while intoxicated, and then be arrested and tried as an adult in the court of

    Read More

  • College Students and Their Lives of Drinking

    3787 Words  | 8 Pages

    “80 percent of teen-agers have tried alcohol, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in the top three causes of death among teens: accidents, homicide and suicide” (Underage, CNN.com pg 3). Students may use drinking as a form of socializing, but is it really as good as it seems? The tradition of drinking has developed into a kind of “culture” fixed in every level of the college student environment. Customs handed down through generations of college drinkers reinforce students' expectation that alcohol is a necessary ingredient for social success. These perceptions of drinking are the going to ruin the lives of the students because it will lead to the development alcoholism. College students who drink a lot, while in a college environment, will damage themselves mentally, physically, and socially later in life, because alcohol adversely affects the brain, the liver, and the drinkers behavior.

    Read More

  • College Students and Alcohol

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    College student drunkenness is far from new and neither are college and university efforts to control it. What is new, however, is the potential to make real progress on this age-old problem based on scientific research results. New research-based information about the consequences of high-risk college drinking and how to reduce it can empower colleges and universities, communities, and other interested organizations to take effective action. Hazardous drinking among college students is a widespread problem that occurs on campuses of all sizes and geographic locations. A recent survey of college students conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health reported that 44 percent of respondents had drunk more than five drinks (four for women) consecutively in the previous two weeks. About 23 percent had had three or more such episodes during that time. The causes of this problem are the fact that students are living by themselves no longer with parents or guardians; they earn their own money; students need to be a part of a group, be accepted; and they have the wrong idea that to feel drunk is “cool.”

    Read More

  • Lowering the Drinking Age to 18

    2613 Words  | 6 Pages

    were drinking to get drunk than their counterparts a decade earlier, and one recent study reported an increase, just since 1994, in the number of students who drink deliberately to get drunk? (Smith 1). I interviewed my friend Shelly Mitchell who recently turned twenty-one and asked her how she felt about finally being legal to drink. She quoted, ?It is not as exciting to drink anymore, I mean I still like to go out with my friends to bars, but the fun is all over, in high school and college it was so exciting trying to get alcohol by using a fake ID.? All of these factors could be changed by lowering the drinking age to eighteen. In a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health, binge drinking is defined as five drinks in a row for boys and four drinks for girls. And when they did a survey they found that 44% of the students attending Harvard binge drink (Jeffrey Kluger 1).

    Read More

  • Reconsidering the National Minimum Age Drinking Act

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    Now it is simply an opinion that tightening restrictions and increasing visibility enforcement will lower the number of drunk driving accidents and deaths. The legal age to consume alcohol in our nation, the United States of America, is 21 years of age; although, it was previously allowed at the age of 18, when one is accepted into adulthood. The National Minimum Drinking Age is imposed in every state that allows persons under 21 years of age to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages.

    Read More

  • The Use of Alcohol in Society

    2051 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout history, society has engaged in taking substances such as alcohol, that alter our physical being or our psychological state of mind. There are many experiences and pressures that force people to feel like they have to drink in order to cope with life, but for many alcohol is a part of everyday life, just like any other beverage. Alcohol is introduced to us in many ways, through our family, television, movies, and friends’. These “sociocultural variants are at least as important as physiological and psychological variants when we are trying to understand the interrelations of alcohol and human behavior”#. How we perceive drinking and continue drinking can be determined by the drinking habits we see, either by who we drink with, or the attitudes about drinking we learn over the years. The chances of people drinking in ways that can harm others and ultimately themselves can be seen by the correlation of educational lessons, cultural beliefs and the usage of alcohol. Looking at all the possibilities, the complex question we must ask is why do people drink? Is it through their defiance of law, the accessibility of alcohol, teachings of others or the values set in place in their society?

    Read More

  • Binge Drinking Among College Students

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    We all know what it is like to wake up in the morning, with our head aching, and our body feeling like it was just hit by a train. College students world wide know this feeling. These are the results of binge drinking. The question of why college students continue to submit themselves to alcohol is unknown. While many reasons are given, the cause generally falls into one of three categories, peer pressure, insecurity, or to help solve there problems. But the one thing students don’t realize are the consequences and effects that binge drinking can have, health and social problems are just a few.

    Read More

  • Binge Drinking Culture

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to a national survey conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “almost 60 percent of college students ages 18–22 drank alcohol in the past month, 1 and almost 2 out of 3 of them engaged in binge drinking during that same timeframe” (NIH). Binge drinking culture refers to the recent rise and normalization of college age students drinking excessively. The CDC describes binge drinking as “a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol level to 0.08grams within two hours” (CDC). For many young adults, college is one of the first times they will experience complete freedom. This freedom often leads to partying, which goes hand in hand with the consumption of alcohol. However, since the age at which

    Read More

  • Alcohol and Drinking - Alcoholism

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    When people hear the word "drug," they usually think of an illegal substance such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other drug that can be found on the street. Most people never consider the fact that consuming alcohol can be just as harmful as illegal drugs, not only on the body, but on the mind and spirit as well (#1). If constantly abused, alcohol can be even worse for one than taking illegal drugs (#5) Irresponsible drinking can destroy a person's life as well as the lives of those around them. When people become both physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol, they become an alcoholic and suffer from a disease called alcoholism. One denotation of this term is "a diseased condition of the system, brought about by the continued use of alcoholic liquors" (Webster's Dictionary, 37). Another definition of this term, given to me by my English professor, Janet Gould who is in fact, a recovering alcoholic, is that alcoholism is a mental dependence and a physical allergy (#3). Alcoholism somehow affects us all through a parent, sibling, friend, or even personal encounters with a stranger. In fact "alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, quiet and withdrawn, or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more" (Gitlow 175).

    Read More

  • Legal Drinking Age Essay

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    Legal drinking age varies by many countries. In U.S.A, There has been a lot of debate when it comes to the legal drinking age here in US. When it comes to law. There is always an opinion, some are for it and some are against. When it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 we are totally against it. Many people still say the government should prohibit using alcoholic drinks at the age of 18. Legal adults deserve to be treated as such it is time the arbitrary drinking age of 21 Was lowered to 18, because there is no evidence that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is effective or protects the people it is intended to protect . The Notional Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 in an attempt to decrease the number of drunk driving related accidents. The act threatens to decrease a state’s budget for high way construction and maintenance if it sets its drinking age under 21. According to Cuccoli , “ Keeping the drinking age at such a low age is leading to more cases of binge drinking,” (Cuccoli). Mothers against drunk driving reports that the number of alcohol related fatalities involving a vehicle decreased from 26, 173 to 16, 885 between 1982 and 2005.

    Read More

  • Alcoholism Essay

    1984 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over 49% of the college students within America do not consume alcohol on a regular basis (Lankford, 2007). However, a significant percentage of these students lack the control to abuse alcohol when they start consuming it. The annual Health College Alcohol Study indicates that the social interaction within a majority of the societal settings has significantly been affected by the increased amount of alcoholic consumption. This has seen the rise of fights and disorderly communities, especially within those areas where colleges are set up. ...

    Read More

  • The Dangers of Alcohol and Alcoholism

    3315 Words  | 7 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Alcohol Abuse Among College Students and Possible Solutions

    2195 Words  | 5 Pages

    Binge or excessive drinking is the most serious problem affecting social life, health, and education on college campuses today. Binge or excessive drinking by college students has become a social phenomena in which college students do not acknowledge the health risks that are involved with their excessive drinking habits. Furthermore college students do not know enough about alcohol in general and what exactly it does to the body or they do not pay attention to the information given to them. There needs to be a complete saturation on the campus and surrounding areas, including businesses and the media, expressing how excessive drinking is not attractive and not socially accepted.

    Read More

  • Pros and Cons of Drinking Alcohol

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alcohol abuse is the most common problem, nowadays. In fact, majority of people drink alcohol repeatedly to the point where they have difficulty to stop. Statistics show that, as much as, “40% of college students report drinking five or more drinks in one episode” (Walters & Baer, 2006). Alcohol has become more popular over the years as advertisements, simultaneously with commercials of it, filled the media. It also is easily accessible and cheap in comparison to other psychoactive substances. On the other hand, alcohol safety awareness programs are barely noticeable. My research will present how alcohol and its abuse gets into people’s lives and how it influences their physical and mental health, as well as, social existence.

    Read More

  • Drugs and Alcohol

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, drug and alcohol abuse and misuse is a major part of American society. The battle to reduce the rampant use of drugs and alcohol is being fought everyday by America?s schools, families, and politicians. Their goal is simply stated but perhaps impossible to accomplish: to create a ?drug free? society(Duke and Gross 200).However, with the increased help of psychologists, sociologists, and medical officials, perhaps Americans will finally learn the evils which arise from the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Lives are ruined, dreams are shattered, and society loses many important people to alcoholism and drug abuse. Maybe if we are smart it will all stop.

    Read More

More about Alcohol

Open Document