The use of Alcohol is thought to have been around as early as the Neolithci period (cir. 10,000
BC.) Its use is common in many cultures and is often related to ones cultural and religious beliefs. Our
society has estabished a way of living that is surrounded by the use of such beverages. With its use on
the rise, no wonder alcohol addiction is becoming more of an issue then ever before.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse’s website reports that 55.9 percent of adults ages 26 and
older have consumed an alcoholic beverage. The most at risk age bracket was individuals between 18
and 25, topping out at 59.6 percent in the past month. There are many negative factors to the abuse of
alcohol including the affects that it can cause to every organ in the body. It can also impair one’s brain
and motor functions as well as damage a developing fetus in pregnant women. Even more frightening
are the potential diseases that can occur after heavy use like, certain cancers, stroke and liver disease. It
also has a close correlation to domestic violence. In cases of domestic partner or child violence, 35%
of offenders were under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is associated with 2 out of 3 instances of
intimate partner violence. It is also a leading cause of child mistreatment and neglect parents.
The frequent use of alcohol can rapidly decline into full-blown alcoholism. Binge drinking is
also on the rise. Binge drinking is defined as for women, 4 or more
There is no doubt that there is a prevalence of substance abuse throughout several age groups. To a certain extent, a society is faced with the reality of controlling substance abuse. Or allow it run rampant throughout the community. Often times, we hear and read about the level of substance abuse among teen, young adults and mid-aged
A recent US study revealed that more than 15 million people, 18 years of age and older, have Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Broken down by gender, this includes 9.8 million men and 5.3 million women. Even more disturbing is the fact that roughly 623,000 adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age have AUD. Of those, 298,000 were male and 325,000 were female.
Underage drinking is very common in the United States. Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug in the United States, even more so than illicit drugs (Marijuana, Cocaine, etc…) and tobacco. “In 2012 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 24% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 15% reported binge drinking. In 2013, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 28% of 8th graders and 68%
Alcohol use has spanned history. In fact, there is speculation that alcohol use actually preceded the formation of societies (Doweiko, 2015, p. 30). Thus, alcohol has long been a part of mankind’s life. The function of alcohol has unarguably changed throughout the course of history, as it was first used for nutritional purposes and then later on for religious purposes (Doweiko, 2015, p. 32). Today, alcohol serves a social purpose. In the United States, the prevalence of use is quite high, with just over 50% of the population partaking monthly (Doweiko, 2015, p. 34). This statistic is somewhat alarming considering alcohol use comes with a number of potential adverse consequences. Case in point, even
2. In 2011, 85 percent of all alcohol imapired driving arrests or accidents involved people who also reported binge drinking
and delinquent behaviour (Jones and Donovan 2001). Among young people aged 16 to 24 years, alcohol related harm is one of the leading causes of disease and
Alcohol has been the lifeblood of civilization dating thousands of years back in time, and it is clear to see the culture impact it has made throughout history. People perceive alcohol in many different ways; depending on gender, age, religious background, or social upbringing. Throughout history alcohol has affected different cultures and various demographics. It has been a source of pleasure and aesthetic in many cultures, along with being one of the oldest rites of passage, especially in modern day American society. Alcohol and drinking were also an integral part of religious observances throughout history and culture. The use of alcohol can be seen as a social lubricant, and besides being a thirst quencher, it can play a pivotal role
memory loss, brain damage, breathing problems, reduced blood flow to the brain as well as a
age of 18 living in alcoholic households, and an additional number of children living in
Alcohol use in the U.S. has been fluctuating over the years. Current surveys say that in 2014 “87.6% of people 18 an older reported that they drink
in large quantities and/or over a long period of time can in effect ‘poison’ the person.
In Jill Dombrauckas’s (2015) report, she discussed that the Pennsylvania DUI Association made a large amount of researches about alcohol’s effect on body systems. In one research, alcohol affects the central nervous system which means when the individual drink alcohol, the messages that are carried to and from the brain and the body’s muscles can be slowed delivery. For example, the incoming signals from the brain, like the painful sensory that will decrease the injury’s awareness. Also the signals from the brain to the muscles will lead the motor skills becoming insensitive.
The abuse of alcohol over long periods of time may also cause diseases such as cirrhosis, acute alcohol hepatitis, and the most severe liver disease. Cirrhosis is a disease in which the liver becomes so scarred that the patient lacks sufficient healthy tissue to perform the organ?s functions. Once you?ve got it, you are stuck with it. (Gross, 6) The worst thing about these diseases is that you will not know you have them unless you are medically examined on a regular basis. Alcohol consumption is a large contributor to the development of several types of cancer- mostly dealing with the neck and brain. We know that cancer kills and therefore it is safe to say that in some cases, alcohol can be deadly. It is important to realize that alcoholism is a disease. A heavy drinker will experience the effects of withdrawal syndrome (which include hypertension, anxiety, disorientation, hallucinations, and seizures) if he decides to stop drinking. Being addicted to alcohol is similar to being addicted to any other drug in that once one starts using, it is tough to live without. It is also a ?gateway drug? just as marijuana and other sedatives. (Bennett, Woolf, 13-23)
Alcohol is one of many dangerous substances that effects our bodies. The effects of this drug can be very harmful. Alcohol is a potent non-prescription drug sold to anyone over the national legal drinking age, 21. Unlike other deadly drugs it is easy to access. This makes it easy to over-consume and create a tragic accident, even death. It can damage a person not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Many people each year become more and more addicted to alcohol and soon experience all of it?s dangerous effects. Even if alcohol use is discontinued, some of these damages can not be cured, because the scars have been left on those that drink and those that surround them. The only hope
There are so many impacts that alcohol has on your body-acute effects, short-term effects, and long-term effects. A person’s brain is affected extremely from alcohol. While you are under the influence, cognitive abilities are affected even with the smallest measures of alcohol. Memory cells and those