Alcoholism Essays (1742 words) - Drinking Culture, Alcohol

Alcoholism Introduction Teenage years are filled with uncertainty. Intense pressure to perform and succeed is felt by many teenagers. Perceived failure at home and/or school can lead to the need for escape. Teenagers often see their parents react to stress by drinking, thus providing a bad example for them. They also see their favourite movie actors or actresses getting drunk when they go to a movie so they think that it's OK for them to do it but what they don't know is it really hurts them in the long run. The desire to be accepted and popular among their friends encourages many to begin drinking. The ability to consume a lot of alcohol is associated with being a real man or woman. When teens see adults drink heavily and movie stars on screen getting drunk, the message that gets through is that it's cool to drink which is the wrong one to be sending. What is Alcohol? The critical ingredient common to all alcoholic beverages is ethyl alcohol or ethanol. It is a clear, tasteless liquid formed through the fermentation of sugars by yeast spores. The amount of alcohol produced depends on the type and amount of sugar in the original mixture, the type of yeast used, the temperature maintained during the fermentation process. What is alcoholism? Alcoholism is an illness, it is a condition that people develop when they have lost control over their drinking and are unable to stop themselves. Alcoholism is not contagious. You cannot ?catch' it. This condition is developed over a long period of time, but everyone is susceptible to it. Is there a cure? Sadly, there is no cure for alcoholism. The only solution we have come up with is prevention. Teenagers today have no idea what alcoholism really is. They think that they can never become alcoholics. They think that it could never happen to them, but they are wrong. Stress, Family problems and the desire to be popular are often the cause of teenage alcoholism. Signs that you are becoming an alcoholic: Physical Fatigue, repeated health complaints, red and glazed eyes, and a lasting cough. Emotional Personality change, sudden mood changes, irritability, irresponsible behaviour, low self-esteem, poor judgment, depression, and a general lack of interest. Family Starting arguments, breaking rules, or withdrawing from the family. School Decreased interests, negative attitude, drop in grades, many absences, truancy, and discipline problems. Social New friends who are less interested in standard home and school activities, problems with the law, and changes to less conventional styles in dress and music. Alcohol and Crime In America, crime is inextricably related to alcohol and other drugs. More than 1.1 million annual arrests for illicit drug violations, almost 1.4 million arrests for driving while intoxicated, 480,000 arrests for liquor law violations and 704,000 arrests for drunkenness come to a total of 4.3 million arrests for alcohol and other drug statutory crimes. That total accounts for over one-third of all arrests in this country. The impaired judgment and violence induced by alcohol contribute to alcohol-related crime. Rapes, fights, and assaults leading to injury, manslaughter, and homicide often are linked with alcohol because the perpetrator, the victim, or both were drinking. The economic cost of AOD-related crime is $61.8 billion annually. Many perpetrators of violent crime were also using illicit drugs. Some of these drugs, such as PCP and steroids, may induce violence. These drugs can also be a catalyst for aggressive-prone individuals who exhibit violent behaviour as a result of tak ing them. The need for preventing alcohol and other drug problems is clear when the following statistics are examined: Australian Statistics Alcohol related motor vehicle accidents tend to be highest for drivers in the 21 - 29 age group but is also high for the 17-39 age group. American Statistics Alcohol is a key factor in up to 68 percent of manslaughters, 62 percent of assaults, 54 percent of murders/attempted murders, 48 percent of robberies, and 44 percent of burglaries. Among jail inmates, 42.2 percent of those convicted of rape reported being under the influence of alcohol or alcohol and other drugs at the time of the offence. Over 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women arrested for property crimes (burglary, larceny, and robbery) in 1990, who were voluntarily tested, tested positive for illicit drug