Moderate Drinking

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Moderate Drinking

Alcoholism is a serious subject that relates to everyone in our society. The question of whether alcoholism should be allowed or not, forms an argument whether alcohol if drank in moderation is good for recovery or not. Many people drink in moderation to control their drinking problems, but the counter argument says it's addictive. Not only are they destroying their liver, but they are also taking a risk of getting in trouble by the law. There are a lot of issues that come up about drinking, but maybe these people can not stop one day to the next. It doesn't make them bad people if they are trying to quit by drinking in moderation.

It seems that in our society, a person is either a "social" drinker or an "alcoholic." Sometimes people drink to relieve anxiety over relationships, work, and money. There are a lot of risk factors that go with drinking alcohol such as anxiety, tension, erosion, vomiting, liver disease, and cessation of menses in women, but that is why there is such a thing as drinking in moderation. Drinking in moderation consists of no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men.

What is one drink?

· 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (80 proof)

· 5 ounces of wine

· 12 ounces of regular beer

As long as alcohol is consumed moderately, some of the disorders that are caused by drinking will be least likely to occur.

When people seek help from traditional alcohol abuse treatment systems, they are immediately labeled as an "alcoholic" and told they must quit alcohol altogether. It is no wonder that many people continue to over drink. They are stuck between a treatment system that says, "we are powerless victims of disease and incapable of changi...

... middle of paper ...

... to drink champagne on her wedding day. The reasons behind this was the fear based A.A. message of "If you drink again, you'll die"(Gilliam 263) was repeating constantly in her mind. The twelve-step program that the A.A. provides seemed to put fear in people's minds instead of hope. This lead Gilliam to depend on moderation to help stop her drinking problem.

Making "alcoholics" feel that they are different from other people by disease is not the answer to the end of alcoholism. Drinking alcohol in moderation will slowly prevent the alcoholic from alcoholism. If we allow alcohol to be drank in moderation it will prevent drinkers from becoming what society calls a disease "alcoholism."

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Bender, David L. Alcoholism. San Diego: Wekessor, 1994.

Gillian, Marianne. How Alcoholics Anonymous Failed Me. New York: Morrow, 1998.

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