Alcohol And Drinking

It was a rainy Wednesday afternoon and little Tommy was struggling to cross the slippery puddle- filled streets. The crossing guard at the corner felt a tug at her leg and it was Tommy waiting to cross. He waited patiently at the corner until traffic seemed to clear. The crossing guard began to lead Tommy across the street when out of nowhere a car sped around the corner and without acknowledging the crossing pedestrians, ended little TommyÐ"Ñ*s life. TommyÐ"Ñ*s parents were called at work and notified of the horrible accident. Through all the gory details they received the same awful truth that is heard by millions every year, Tommy had been killed by a drunk driver.

Alcoholism is an epidemic in America that affects the lives of many. Alcoholism, as a disease, affects the individual, the family, and society as a whole. Families are torn apart, domestic violence occurs, and innocent bystandersÐ"Ñ* lives can be changed forever, just like little TommyÐ"Ñ*s. Drunk driving is just one of the many issues involving the abuse of alcohol. Alcohol abuse can lead to further drug and substance dependence. On the individual, alcohol damages bodily processes and organs, and affects personality and temperament. An approach to treating this serious illness is group therapy and individual counseling. The severity of the problem and the willingness of the patient will determine the extent of treatment he or she will undergo.

Though there are many aspects of alcoholism, a major issue at hand is whether or not alcoholism is a genetically inherited disease. Through research studies and surveys, it is evident that alcoholism is, in fact, genetically inherited. Genetic makeup is not the only factor, however. Environmental influences can foster genes and motivate a person to drink. Many people drink due to a neurological imbalance (which causes a psychological disorder). Others use alcohol as an outlet to their daily stresses. There is even a group of people who become alcoholics with an unknown motive. Alcoholism is a disease with many dimensions. This disorder begins as early as childhood and elevates throughout adolescence to its prime stage in adulthood. The early years are the crucial determination point. If a child grows up with constant exposure to alcohol, they will most likely pattern their behavior after the role model. This is how the whole cycle continues. It is unfortunate that so many Americans are affected by this disease and they are not even aware of it. Treatments are available for those individuals who are willing to seek help for themselves.

Depression, anxiety, anger, or stress. These are all common unwanted personality traits that we experience at one time or another. However, the likelihood that we experience these traits is nearly doubled when alcohol is involved. Alcohol inhibits not only our daily bodily functions but our mind as well. Alcoholism leads to times of withdrawal and low self esteem. It can take our character and change it without us even knowing it. It manipulates the way we think and the way we react in different situations. Our personality is who we are and who we are known as. Alcoholism takes that personality, corrupts it, and turns us into the person we never thought weÐ"Ñ*d become. As the alcohol becomes more important and necessary in an alcoholicÐ"Ñ*s life he will find himself unable to any longer answer the question of who he is but will rather find himself answering questions such as who has he become.

Peer pressure is a major influence on the consumption of alcohol. Legally a person must be over twenty-one to drink alcohol. Those types of people feel the pressure that should drink, but so do the young adults in high school. The main group that I will research is that of the drinkers under twenty-one. Everybody that grew up in a Ð"Ñ*normal American high schoolÐ"Ñ* knows what itÐ"Ñ*s like to feel the effects of peer pressure. It may not just be on beer and alcohol, it may be in a type of sport, or anything. In my section of this paper I will tell you how adolescents start drinking, and possibly how they obtain it. Drinking has become a normal topic of discussion for people under twenty-one, and I will tell you why young adults drink and what you should do to try to discourage it.

Drunk driving is a very serious problem. It is the leading cause of unintentional injuries deaths, and the number one killer or young people in our country. This is a problem that requires a lot of work and needs immediate attention. Some of the recommended strategies include changing the social norm to make alcohol impaired driving socially unacceptable, limiting alcohol availability among under-aged youth, alcohol service training for those who sell and serve alcohol, early treatment and rehabilitation programs, offering alternative transportation programs for those of legal drinking age, and increasing the perception of risk for arrest for alcohol-impaired driving. Some of these strategies are being carried out and the numbers of drunk drivers has decreased dramatically in the past few years. More work needs to be done though and everybody

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