For more information
Call 1-800-351-0222

ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE.
  Term Paper ID:30721 		Get This Paper Free! or
Essay Subject:
Discusses alcohol use in the U.S.... More...
6 Pages / 1350 Words
10 sources, 16 Citations, APA Format
$24.00

More Papers on This Topic


Paper Abstract:
Discusses alcohol use in the U.S. Identification of alcohol as an addictive agent. Drinking problems. Teenage use of alcohol; peer pressure and social pressure. Physiologic and psychological effects of alcohol consumption. Long-term effects of alcohol abuse. Definition of alcoholism, and its four components. Groups and agencies that provide alcohol counseling.

Paper Introduction:
The drug to be considered in this report is alcohol. The alcohol which is commonly consumed is ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol (Lender, High on ethanol, 2001). Common names for alcohol include booze, hooch, moonshine, grog. Ethanol has the chemical formula C2H5OH and is a clear liquid which is readily soluble in water but only slightly soluble in fat. Alcohol for consumption is produced by yeast fermentation of sugar in corn, molasses, grain or fruit. Beverages containing ethanol include beer, wine and spirits such as gin, vodka, rum, brandy and whiskey. A 12-ounce can of beer contains between 13 grams and 17 grams of ethyl alcohol, a four ounce glass of wine contains between 14 grams and 17 grams of alcohol and a one to one and a half ounce shot of spirits (e.g. 86 proof whiskey) contains betwe

Text of the Paper:
The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper.


The programs try to promotehealthy, accurate messages which will bring about responsible decisionsabout drug and alcohol abuse. 6. 6. Brown U. (2 1). Setting and social situation influence how much a teenagerdrinks, according to a study from the University of Maryland (Socialsituations, 1998). Excessive alcohol intake overtaxesthe enzyme system. (2 1). Thisstatistic included the 35 percent of Americans who don't drink, soindividuals who do drink actually drink much more than this on average. Alcoholism and itstreatment. (1997). Beveragescontaining ethanol include beer, wine and spirits such as gin, vodka, rum,brandy and whiskey. Increased aggressiveness can lead toarguments and fights. Theresearchers note that this study may not represent teens all over thecountry, but showed patterns consistent with those found among adults. Social marketing program slows binge drinking on college campuses.(1998). Vitamindeficiencies cause a number of neurological syndromes in alcoholics.Anxiety, depression, muscle spasms, tremors and chronic pain result frommagnesium deficiencies. (1998). In the nineteenthcentury, many writers noted that alcohol problems seemed to run infamilies. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, pp. (Lender, 2 1).As long ago as the 178 s, some physicians considered alcoholism a disease.In 1784, Benjamin Rush, America's foremost physician of the time, calledchronic drunkenness a disease that led drinkers through an addictiveprocess and identified alcohol as the addictive agent. Alcoholism & DrugAbuse Weekly, 13, p. MADD. It was founded in 1935,though it had forerunners in the early 18 s, such as dry fraternal lodgeslike the Sons of Temperance and the Washington Temperance Society (Lender,2 1). (2 1).Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 13, p. Twelfth graders weremore likely to drink in exclusively underage groups. Many agencies are available to try and help those with alcoholproblems and to provide educational and counseling services. The average American consumed a six-pack of beer, twoglasses of wine,, and three or four mixed drinks every week in 1997. Ethanol has the chemicalformula C2H5OH and is a clear liquid which is readily soluble in water butonly slightly soluble in fat. Many business managers became temperance advocates after seeingalcohol impact the safety of workers in industrial plants. SAMHSA guide focuses on underage drinking. The National Association of Governors=Highway Safety Representatives and the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHSTA) have created a series of booklets based on theexperiences of five communities in establishing comprehensive underagedrinking prevention programs (National groups, 2 1). Age determines how much, when and with whom teenagersdrink, according to this study, which involved a survey of the drinkinghabits of 9th and 12th graders from 15 communities in Minnesota andWisconsin. Ninth graders weretwice as likely as 12th graders to drink in their own home. Alcohol is broken down in the body by enzymes toform acetaldehyde, which is very toxic. 86 proofwhiskey) contains between 13 grams and 19 grams of alcohol (Lender, High onethanol, 2 1). Early or mild withdrawal symptoms include behavioralchanges such as irritability, agitation and restlessness; impairedcognitive functions, making the person easily distracted, unable toconcentrate and have memory problems; sleep disturbances such as restlesssleep, insomnia and nightmares; gastrointestinal disturbances includingloss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention; autonomicirregularities which include tachycardia, systolic hypertension, shakiness,fever and sweating; and muscular symptoms such as cramps, weakness ortrembling (Sahley and Birkner, 2 1). M. Depression can lead to withdrawal and socialisolation. (2 1, July). 1. The long-term effects of alcohol abuse are often due to majornutritional deficiencies caused by chronic drinking, and which cause manymajor health problems (Sahley and Birkner, 2 1). AlcoholicsAnonymous is probably the best known of these. Digest of Addiction Theory & Application, 17, p. It can also cost individuals theirfamilies, relationships and careers. In 199 , the FTC testified before Congress that there was no conclusiveevidence of a causal relationship between advertising and overall alcoholconsumption, and in 1995, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse andAlcoholism reached the same conclusion. A 12-ounce can of beer contains between 13 grams and 17 grams of ethylalcohol, a four ounce glass of wine contains between 14 grams and 17 gramsof alcohol and a one to one and a half ounce shot of spirits (e.g. It is sometimes criticized today because of its strong spiritualemphasis and its stress on anonymity, which some believe prevents peoplefrom serving as role models for recovery because they are not publiclyvisible. Social situations strongly linked to teen drinking. SADD. They address suchtopics as coalition-building, needs assessment, underage drinkingenforcement, prevention and education, public policy advocacy, mediarelations, evaluation, self-sufficiency, and available resources. Lender, M. There are laws governing the sale of alcohol to minors (under 21 yearsof age) and there is a legal limit of . Most teens drank ingroups of 1 or more, usually at "someone else's" home. J., & Birkner, K. http://www.MADD.org National groups have guides for youth drinking prevention. World and I, 16, p. The >acceptable= dangerous drug. Peerpressure is when a friend urges a student to go and party, whereas socialpressure is when everyone else is drinking, so the student believes that inorder to be an adult, he/she must do the same. Alcohol has been around as long as recorded history, and today themajority of Americans use alcohol in their daily lives. The physical cost of alcoholism to the individual is one of a loss ofhealth and possibly even loss of life. Social marketing works best on campuseswhere there are low rates of binge drinking. (2 1). (2 1). http://www.SADD,org Sahley, B. Broadcasting & Cable,127, p. Later in the withdrawal process, or in severe withdrawal states, thesesymptoms may intensify and be accompanied by a marked startle response,delusions, hallucinations (visual, auditory or tactile), delirium andseizures. 54-59. Alcohol is toxic to thepancreas, causing acute pancreatitis and hypoglycemia. World and I.16, pp. 62-75. (2 1). A build up of acetaldehyde and its free radicalbyproducts results and this causes damage to the brain, cardiovascularsystem and liver, and causes premature aging and a lowered resistance todisease. The physiologic and psychological effects of alcohol consumption aremany: a sense of euphoria, reduction of anxiety, impaired judgment andmotor coordination, aggression, depression, drowsiness, blurred vision,loss of balance, memory impairment, dizziness, vomiting, loss ofconsciousness, depressed respiration and heart rate, coma and even death(Lender, High on ethanol, 2 1). Seizures are usually generalized, occur within 48 hours ofcessation of drinking, are self-limiting, and always precede severedelirium, agitation and hallucinations. The inability to control the need foralcohol is the key factor in defining alcoholism today. In many colleges across the country, a Asocial marketing@ approach,also known as a "normative media campaign" approach, to discourage bingedrinking is underway (Social marketing, 1998). Both were most likelyto drink with groups of friends, but 9th graders often drank at home withparents or family members, but 12th graders did not. 54. The modern definition of alcoholism, which is a dependence on alcohol,has four components: physical dependence characterized by withdrawalsymptoms such as the shakes, nausea, agitation, sweating or a combinationof these symptoms following episodes of heavy drinking; the compulsion todrink (craving); the inability to stop drinking once started; andtolerance, which is the need for larger and larger amounts of alcohol tofeel its effects (Lender, 2 1). 3-4. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) offers an Underage DrinkingProtection Guide and Planner designed as a monthly planner with a differenttheme or issue for each month, which includes facts about alcohol abuse andsuggests activities for communities and businesses, social events, media,parents and youths (SAMHSA, 2 1). 15. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) is another well known group,whose main focuses are to prevent drunk driving and underage drinking(MADD, 2 1). The cost to society is lost worktime, increased insurance costs for cars and health insurance, and the lossof productive human beings and what their talents could contribute tosociety. Withdrawal from alcohol, as from any other addictive drug, causes arange of symptoms. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed limitedconcern about the effect of television liquor commercials on children, anddoes not feel it is necessary to regulate such advertising (Fleming, 1997). Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) also providesstudents with information to help them make the right decisions regardingalcohol and drug use (SADD, 2 1). The premise is thatstudents drink because of social pressure rather than peer pressure. Common names foralcohol include booze, hooch, moonshine, grog. It is estimated that as many as 14 million Americans have some degreeof a drinking problem and that around 8 million are actually alcoholics(Lender, 2 1). Higher proof needed to regulate liquor ads: FTCsays it=s tough to link ads to increased consumption. The study found that 4 .1 percent of 9th graders and 54.1percent of 12th graders were heavy drinkers, consuming five or more drinkson a single occasion within two weeks of the survey. Alcohol for consumption is produced by yeastfermentation of sugar in corn, molasses, grain or fruit. Lender, M. References Fleming, H. Drinking is widespread in American society and is promoted heavily intelevision ads. 8 for the amount of alcohol in thebloodstream considered the upper limit of safety for driving. The drug to be considered in this report is alcohol.The alcohol which is commonly consumed is ethanol, also known as ethylalcohol or grain alcohol (Lender, High on ethanol, 2 1). Brown UDigest of Addiction Theory & Application, 17, pp. However,many teenagers thwart the age limit laws by having adults or older friendsbuy the alcohol for them, or getting it from home, and hundreds of peopledrive daily with excessive amounts of alcohol in their blood. The >acceptable= dangerous drug: High on ethanol.

If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again:

Search for:

or

We can write a Custom Essay just for you.


Browse Essays by Subject