How Alcoholism Affects Our Society Today As a society everyone of us often feels the need to fit in with others and fall into a common group. Often everybody falls into peer pressure because we see it as if there doing it I should to. Or the feel of need to forget about our problems sometimes we make irresponsible choices. That is why in today’s society alcohol plays such a big role part in our life’s. Alcohol is a drug which we use at any age and any ethnic backgrounds, and that has serious effects on our family’s but not many of us realize this.
Alcoholism is often considered as a medical disease, but its better treated as a psychological dysfunction. Alcohol today is America’s number-one drug problem. According to authors Dale B. Hahn, Wayne A. Payne, Ellen B. Lucas, “alcohol remains the preferred drug most American adults, including college students, but as a society we are increasingly uncomfortable with the ease with which alcohol can be misused” (171). Moreover alcohol has been known to be taken advantage of a lot; and to feel or be recognized by a certain way of our peers. Why do so many people drink or feel the need to fall into a certain category of our surroundings?
As a 2008 study research was made by web4health. info indicates, “A lot of research has been done to find and explore the reason why people drink alcohol…. the following answers came up, sociability (71%), like the taste (51%) , feel at ease (12%), get intoxicated (6%), get drunk (2%), because everybody does it (6%), to forget problems (0%)” (Moelker N. pg). Drinking alcohol has always been a social activity to many, but it has also been a huge addiction to the society. Its more of a bad habit to me. In addition it becomes the need to drink alcohol to function normally.
Because alcoholism makes people feel at ease with there socializing lifestyles. Not everyone drinks to fit in, the research proves 51% of the majority drink because of the taste enjoyment (Moelker N. pg). Just like we all have our favorite taste/cravings of particular foods or drinks. We often tend to fall into certain temptations, but we must learn when to stop those temptations. It feels good to be doing what everybody else is doing. But drinking just because everybody else is following into peer pressure. Which then leads to problems in our lives. Alcohol is classified as a CNS depressant (Hahn et. l 172). Factors that cause the influence of absorption in alcohol are very risky but yet can be taken care of by the individual. The term absorption is defined in Focus On Health the book as, “the passage of nutrients or alcohol through the walls of the stomach or the intestinal tract into the bloodstream” (Hahn et. al 173). As an individual we all have the right to say YES or No. Nobody can tell us what we CAN and CANT do. We take care of ourselves and our loved ones, but to what point do we stop caring for everyone because of an addiction such as alcohol?
The absorption of alcohol factors are proven by authors Dale Hahn, Wayne Payne, Ellen Lucas, “alcohol concentration, number of drinks consumed, speed of consumption, presence of food, degree of hydration, body chemistry, race/ethnicity, gender” (173). As we all can see it is in our hands to make the right choice. How can a alcohol addiction affect our families and society? I believe, alcohol addiction can begin at any time in someone’s life! Especially if your young and hang out with the wrong crowd. I have experienced this myself, I graduated in the year of 09.
As a young high school teenager, there was always and still is the peer pressure of drinking alcohol to look cool. Temptation is a huge part of high school. Teenagers want to experience what they see on TV, movies, advertisements or what they see there friends doing. As a teenager you don’t think of your actions until you get in trouble. Its apart of life we all go through that phase. They don’t realize the consequences. In a recent chart I found in Focus On Health the book it shows the percents of consequences people have experienced, “did something you later regretted 35. 7%, forgot where you were or what you did 29. %, physically injured yourself 18. 2%, had unprotected sex 13. 9%, became involved in a fight 6. 1%, physically injured another person 4. 1%, someone used force or threat of force to have sex with you 1. 3%” (Hahn et. al 176). So many parents don’t realize the high percents there child/teenager could be having from a possible alcohol addiction. How much do people drink you may ask? Well research has proven in the book Focus On Health how much people drink, “current use is defined as at least one drink in the past 30 days……over half of Americans ages 12 and over 126 million people reported being current drinkers in the 2007 survey” (Hahn et. l 176). As we all can see drinking can start at a very innocent young age. That is why I think more parents today have to be more involved with their child’s/teenagers surroundings. If we prevent more children/teenagers from drinking at a young age we will have less social issues; and they are probably less likely to get an addiction to alcoholism. How much damage can alcohol cause such as car accidents, crimes, violence, and suicides ? Well according to Focus On Health they have proven, “the four leading causes of accidental deaths in the U.
S are motor vehicle collisions, falls, drowning, and fires and burns, these have the significant statistical connections to alcohol use” (Hahn et. al 180). Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations proves the different percents of deaths caused by alcohol such as, “presently in the U. S, alcohol-related car crash occurs every 31 minutes, every 2 minutes a car injury happens, an estimated 275,000 people injured in crashes, approximately 1. million drivers arrested for drunk driving, alcohol is involved in between 21% and 77% of deadly falls and 18 to 53% of nonfatal falls, 21% to 47% were caused by drowning, estimated 5,000 deaths a year by fires and burns, reported 53 to 66% of crime and violence, 30% of suicide” (Hahn et. al 180). We have such high percents in many areas of social-related problems because of alcoholism. The zero-tolerance law should be strictly enforced today with the high percents we are currently dealing with the society. Therefore maybe were not spending enough time doing effective things in our life’s.
Why not set goals for our futures instead of throwing them away with the use of intoxication. I understand we might have points in our life’s were it seems like it’s the end of the world; but we must stay strong and keep our heads held up high enjoying life. Many of us tend to go into depressions, which can lead us to alcohol taking a huge advantage of our downfall with its addiction. Alcohol is the gateway drug for many who fall into it. To what stage in life does alcohol-related family problems start to affect us and our family’s? Well it starts with the “violence, illnesses, unemployment’s…” (Hahn et. l 180). Why do families tend to put up with it for so long ? In Focus On Health it explains, “family members often begin to adopt a variety of dysfunctional roles that allow them to cope with the presence of the alcoholic in the family” (Hahn et. al 181). Usually that’s when we start to think the dysfunctional lifestyle is okay. Unless the family members have received counseling for there unhealthy roles, we might be able to make a change before its to late for their loved one. The good news is alcohol problems can be helped and treated.
According to an article from alcoholtreatmentclinics. com these are the different types of treatments alcoholics receive, “inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient care, self-help groups, medical and mental health professions. ” Therefore once the alcoholic begins treatment the family members encouraged to participate to help the recovery advance. The participation will help the alcoholic feel better about themselves. It will make them feel that they are not alone and loved by their family. It will also help them understand that it is a very serious situation.
Maybe becoming affiliated with the patients support groups will help them feel more supported giving them that extra push for the hard work they have been putting forward. Anyone can make a change it just takes a dedicated person to accomplish it. How does the media present alcohol to its audience? Well the media most defiantly lies to all of us just to get us to buy there products. In a article study found by Tween Market it explains, how teens are most affected by the media of alcoholism, “marketing industry is forcing tweens to grow up quickly.
Industry research reveals that children 11 and older don’t consider themselves children anymore. Marketers know there’s lots of money to be made by children/teenagers meaning the “Tweens. ” Hollywood today is one of the biggest advertisements of alcohol among young children/teenagers under the age, sending unhealthy messages of troubled celebrities drinking. Influencing them to think its glamorous to drink. The majority of these children do not see the reality of alcoholism and its TRUE affects. These innocent young children are looking at there favorite celebrities thinking that its okay to drink that it looks “cool”.
As said in the Tween Market article, “the entertainment companies….. look at the teen market as part of this massive empire they’re colonizing. ” (Mcchesney) The media visualizes the young generation as a huge profit. As well as becoming recognized worldwide for their alcohol products to sell. As I stated earlier often when parents are alcoholics, it affects there children because they are more likely to become just like their parents. In the essay “Under the Influence” by Scott Russell Sanders. Sanders is the son of an alcoholic father.
Roethke’s poem relates to Sanders father experience of alcoholism by quoting, “The whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death, such waltzing was not easy. ” He struggles as a child seeing his father throwing away his life with alcohol. Sanders uses metaphors and comparisons to describe his fathers drinking. Sanders daughter feels her father is a “workaholic”. She feels as if the story is repeating with her like when her grandpa lived as an alcoholic. Sanders father lost sight of life’s true meaning and spent his time being intoxicated.
Instead of being a good father he set a bad example for his son Sander. This comparison shows how ugly addiction is, and how it can best make the readers realize that no addiction is healthy, besides the fact that they both have long term effects on family life. Sanders mother had to worry more about her husband, than she did about her own young son. Loss of control is the role that plays in this whole essay. Alcoholics usually tend to recover from intervention. Intervention treatment, “has convinced people with drug problem to enter treatment programs” (Hahn et. l 180). An intervention is usually put together by family and friends, and the mental health professionals. The first step would be confrontation just like any other problem, we must admit to the problem issue. Alcohol as I explained throughout the essay is a substance that people can feel they have the need to, and it can take over your life. The goal of intervention is to motivate the person with the alcohol problem to be willing to let someone professional help them. Loss of control can take over your entire life within a second, and blink of an eye. Zuniga Jimenez
