...The minimum age for drinking is a very controversial issue. The issue of underage drinking effects many young Americans and their families. Many laws have forbidden the drinking if you are under the age of 21. The arguing has been going on for years. When deciding if you are with or against the change of the minimum age to drink alcohol, there are many factors that should be taken into consideration health factors, laws, and many other factors. When it comes to health factors of drinking alcohol many believe that drinking alcohol is not beneficial in any way. Alcohol can help our body in many ways. Drinking alcohol on an occasion or controlled way can reduce the chance of getting a cardiovascular disease, it can lengthen your life by about...
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...As midnight struck on November 4, 1998, the eve of Brad's 21st birthday, he went with a group of friends to Rick's American Caf� to celebrate his birthday. He began to play a game of “drink your age.” ;When he had finished 21 shots and knowing that the record among his friends was 23, he drank 3 more for a total of 24 shots of liquor. He drank them in about 1-� hours. The Media's Effect on Underage Alcohol Abuse The Media’s Effects on Underage Drinking The use of alcohol is a major aspect of our society. It is used in religious ceremonies, during socialization, and its presence ...His friends took him home and put him to bed as he passed out. His BAC continued to climb to a lethal level of .44 g/100ml, as the depressant did its work. His breathing stopped and the coroner estimates that he died at approximately 4:30 AM. He died on his 21st birthday, November 5, 1998. Tragedies similar to this one happen too often. People say that the age of 21 is an age of responsibility, and one is now responsible The Media's Effect On Underage Alcohol Abuse The Media’s Effects on Underage Drinking The use of alcohol is a major aspect of our society. It is used in religious ceremonies, during socialization, and its presence is seen ...to drink. Well in this particular case, responsibility was not there. Having an age limit for alcohol use does nothing if individuals are not educated to use alcohol properly. Lowering the age limit to 18 will not cause any more problems that are significantly...
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...Effects of College Drinking/ Underage Drinking Excessive consumption of alcohol is currently common among underage teenagers and young adults. Unfortunately, the abuse has led to many effects that are ignored in the onset of alcohol drinking. Many underage individuals view alcohol drinking as cool or edgy, therefore making them feel like adults while consuming. They also feel that immersing themselves in alcohol will make their problems a less of a concern. They forget that it could lead to addiction, family separation, irresponsibility and other possible effects. The context of this paper will focus on the effect of addiction among the underage individuals and how to handle the problem. It will also concentrate on the costs of the change to...
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...Institution Course Tutor Date Gender abuse and addiction proposal Before, drinking of alcohol and abuse of other drugs was related to boys. Nowadays, girls are also caught in the statistics of drug abuse and alcoholism. The major problem is that the behaviour starts during the most sensitive stages of individual development and should be given a serious look. There are very many factors that influence alcoholism and drug abuse in both boys and girls. The factors include overall stress, peer influence, less supervision from the parents and even access to more spending money than usual and previous generations. However, the most crucial objective is to tackle the rapidly increasing rate of consumption and abuse. The best way to reduce such issues starts with self-awareness. This is because most people voluntarily start the behaviour and so they can voluntarily stop. If the appropriate approaches are implemented, it is possible to end gender abuse and addictions to drugs and alcohol (Green, 2006). Methodology The best way to tackle the challenge is to convince the victims to self-control and addition of several back up factors to ensure effectiveness. For boys and girls, the family has a great impact on substance use. Through supervision and parental attitudes, both genders find a link to drug abuse. Hence, the family plays a major role and should play a big role in monitoring the life of their children. This shows why there are fewer girls influenced because girls have an overall...
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...Alcoholism Hereditary Gene or Social Disease Pamela L. Guerino COM/156 June 30, 2013 Sharron Blezard Alcoholism Hereditary Gene or Social Disease Introduction This question is not complicated whether alcoholism is inherited. A recognized component in alcoholism is the heredity component, but for sure this does not confirm the fact that if there is an alcoholic in the family then it is bound to affect the whole family to be alcoholics. Neither does it mean that the habit will come in another member as well. The full influence genetics stays not yet known, but scientists have sufficient knowledge to suggest that grandchildren, children as well as siblings of alcoholics need to be conscious. They are known to be at a greater risk of developing the habit themselves. A few researches have recognized that family members of an alcoholic are about three-to-four fold have more of chance to develop the addiction in comparison with the people who are not alcoholics. One aspect behind the link between hereditary and alcoholism might be the tendency to take pleasure in alcohol more than the rest of the people. People who are closely linked to an alcoholic, inclusive of brothers, sisters as well as children, do not have a negative reaction to drinking alcohol. This is possible because of them carrying the gene that makes alcohol utilize more agreeable, which could make the habit more possible (Moore, Smith & Catford, 1994). Dopamine and Alcoholism The dopamine system...
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...it is also a growing problem in Americas teenagers. I will be discussing several point in this paper from various studies to what exactly alcoholism is and the different dangers of this disease. This is a very personal topic to me so I hope you enjoy my research paper. The first point being addressed is what exactly alcoholism is. According to The Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, alcoholism “is a diseased condition resulting from the excessive use or persistent use of alcoholic beverages.” Alcoholism has divided into two major forms--alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence (Goodwin 1998). Alcohol abuse is the excessive consumption of alcohol which has detrimental effects on the people and situations surrounding an individual; whereas, alcohol dependence is a physical attachment to the alcohol. Alcohol abuse leads to hazardous behavior, such as drunken driving and continued drinking despite negative consequences on family, work, or social functioning. Alcohol dependence involves withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not used, and lack of control over drinking despite serious social and medical problems (Goodwin 1998). Various studies have been performed to show the relationship between alcoholism and genetics. New research on male twins show that genes play a critical role in the development of milder forms of alcoholism, such as, occasional abuse that can land the drinker in dangerous circumstances, particularly while driving (Goodwin 1998). The genetic similarity...
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...can also lead to risky behaviors or even death. Nearly 88,000 people die annually due to alcohol-related causes in the United States. Additionally, alcohol consumption can lead to binge drinking, which is typically about 4 drinks for women or 5 drinks for men in a two-hour span. The minimum age to consume alcohol in the United States is 21, but that doesn't stop underage people from drinking. This is extremely relevant in South Dakota where Brookings and Clay County have...
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...is exactly 17years and 3 months old and a senior high school student. According the law, Darren can only take his first legal bottle of beer when he is in his senior year of college (at least at 21). But he is not the only underage American who drinks. In deed, an estimated 63 percent of underage high school and college students drink for at least one night per week. This prevalence, of course, comes with an array of harms, both to the individual and society at large. Adults are not spared either. Adolescents and teenagers grow up witnessing their parents and other adult relatives make toasts of champagne and wine at special occasions. Adults also casually enjoy several beers, say, at picnics. As it is, today, alcoholic drinks are as regular at business lunches in the same way they are at college fraternity parties. However, in spite of the fun and prestige associated with alcohol, and forceful arguments to the contrary, both underage and legal drinking have devastating ramifications on the person of the individual involved and society at large.(Langdana 2009) Alcohol is the most common drug among youth, and the consequences of overdrinking have been dire. In deed, each year, an estimated 5, 000 youngsters below the 21-years age bracket perish from underage-related activities; 1,900 from automobile crashes as they drive...
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...Underage Drinking Introduction Underage drinking has long been, and continues to be, a serious public health concern. “Teen alcohol use kills more than 4700 people each year and high school students who use alcohol or other drugs are five times more likely to drop out of school” (MADD, 2014) than kids who do not. There have been years of underage drinking prevention programs to curtail the use of alcohol by those under 21 years of age and yet alcohol is the most widely used drug by adolescents in the United States (Wagoner et al. 2012). Underage drinking is a real problem in all 50 states, even though there are laws in place to prohibit anyone under 21 years of age from drinking alcohol. Parental involvement might be the missing link to decrease underage drinking for good. Statement of the Problem This study proposes that if parents are involved in prevention and intervention programs too, underage drinking will significantly decrease, in addition, age of onset will increase and more adolescents and young adults will abstain from alcohol use until legal age. Access to alcohol for underage drinkers comes from various sources. Many students are aware of local stores that sell alcohol to underage customers, know people who will purchase alcohol for them, and many utilize fake identification cards to purchase alcohol (Phipps, 2013). Surprisingly and sadly, a large provider of alcohol to underage partakers are parents themselves. When individuals become parents...
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...more problems in someone’s life. Underage drinking is also one of the biggest concerns in modern day culture because of how prevalent the topic is the American society. Alcohol messes with the human as a whole in negative ways, while becoming more popular and accepted in society to start drinking the horrible substance at an early age. The facts are proven...
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...Community Health Advocacy Project: Teenage Substance Abuse NUR 544 October 1, 2012 Community Health Advocacy Project: Teenage Substance Abuse The aggregates teenagers/ adolescent and substance abuse the prevalence of alcohol use among teens mixing the effects of alcohol shifts teenagers toward risky and violent behaviors. Alcohol and any substance can cause impaired judgment and slow reaction time which provides more of a detailed explanation on why major factors have teen motor vehicles crashers, homocides, suicides, and drowning’s include some type of substance. Substance abuse among teenagers has been linked to early sexual intercourse, date and acquaintance rapes, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, fights and community property damage (Nissen, L. (2007). To understand the community’s perspective of the health status, the services used or required, and concerns. Data collection is needed directly from the aggregate, which can be more insightful and accurate. The survey tool that is specifically created for the teenage aggregate population contains demographics data to help the researchers to determine if there is a gap in services that are needed. The tool created would be used in focus groups according to Nies and McEwen (2011), “these can be very effective in gathering community views, particularly for remote and vulnerable segments of a community and for those with underdeveloped opinions. Focus groups can produce greater interaction and expression...
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...Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 2006). It is prevalent, enduring, and rampant across the majority of the different realms worldwide. Underage drinking is when anyone under the minimum legal drinking age drinks alcohol. Aside from being illegal, it is a widespread public health problem that poses much risk attracting many developing adolescents and teens. The use of alcohol is a worldwide concern resulting to millions of death, including hundreds of thousands of young lives lost. Indicators revealed that underage drinking seem to be on the rise among the adolescents. Statistics showed the assessment of the five-year trend of under-age drinking where out of 73 responding countries, 71 percent indicated an increase, 4 percent a decrease, 8 percent were stable and 16 percent showed inconclusive trends (World Health Organization [WHO] Global Survey on Alcohol and Health, 2011). According to the World Health Report (2002) alcohol is responsible for 4 percent of total diseases burden and 3.2 percent of all premature deaths. It is associated with more than 60 types of diseases and other health conditions, including mental disorders and suicide, several types of cancer, and other non- communicable diseases such as cirrhosis, as well as intentional and unintentional injuries. It is very dangerous and harmful for the health and well-being of people especially the young ones who are considered the future nation-builders. Though progress and movements have been being made, underage drinking...
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...Davis | Political Science 101 | July 18, 2015 Drinking Age Should Be Reduced to 18 in the United States by laurie rose Drinking Age Should Be Reduced to 18 in the United States by laurie rose The law states that you can start drinking legally at 21 in the United States. Some people think that a federal law should be passed that reduces the drinking age to 18 in all states. I agree with this side of the argument. It is not just young people who are for lowering the drinking age but some legislators as well. Representative Bob Lynn who is in the state legislature of Alaska also argues that the drinking age should be lowered for 18 year olds in the military. “Why do we consider 18-year-olds old enough to join the military, to fight and die for our country, but not to have a drink with their friends before they ship out or while they are home or on leave?” (Minton) Phyllis Kahn who is a state representative of Minnesota has fought for years to lower the drinking age in her home state. She proposed two bills this year on this topic in her state. One bill would lower the drinking age in bars and restaurants to 18. The other bill would allow underage teenagers who are accompanied by a parent or a spouse who is of legal age. She feels that if teenagers want to drink, they need to do it socially instead of getting alcohol from an older friend or relative and then binge drink. It would also eliminate the need for fake IDs. (Belden) In the 1970s the drinking age in many states used to be 18...
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...What Is An Alcoholic? What Is Alcoholism? An alcoholic is a man or a woman who suffers from alcoholism - they have a distinct physical desire to consume alcohol beyond their capacity to control it, regardless of all rules of common sense. According to Alcoholics Anonymous UK, who say they have no unique definition for alcoholism, it may be described as a physical compulsion, together with a mental obsession. Apart from having an enormous craving for alcohol, an alcoholic often yields to that craving at the worst possible times. The alcoholic knows neither when nor how to stop drinking. Definition - an alcoholic is a person, while alcoholism is the illness. An alcoholic suffers from alcoholism. Alcoholism is a long-term (chronic) disease. Alcoholics are obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems at home, work, and financially. Alcohol abuse generally refers to people who do not display the characteristics of alcoholism, but still have a problem with it - they are not as dependent on alcohol as an alcoholic is; they have not yet completely lost their control over its consumption. Moderate alcohol consumption will not generally cause any psychological or physical harm. However, for some individuals, social drinking eventually leads to heavier and heavier alcohol consumption, which does cause serious health and psychological problems. Alcoholism in the UK - one in every 13 people in the United Kingdom is...
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...The Effects of Raising or Lowering the Legal Drinking Age The debate about whether the legal drinking age should be raised or lowered is a common debate in the public domain. The decision on what age one begins drinking is determined by various factors which involve the gene combination of the person and the immediate environment around the person (Vingilis and Smart 415). For instance, the changes that adolescents go through in their biology and physiology can influence the age at which they start drinking alcohol. The behavior of a child influences his environment as the child gets to make friends and these influence the age at which the child can start to experiment with alcohol. Raising or lowering the legal drinking age is bound to raise major concerns. This will be a major concern for parents whose children are directly affected by the issue. Likewise, adolescents and youth are bound to get affected thus they are likely to engage in this debate too (Vingilis and Smart 415). Raising the legal drinking age lowers death rate. According to Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Congress members who met to mark the 20th anniversary of passing of a federal law that rose the minimum legal drinking age to 21, about 20,000 lives were saved through the passing of the law (MADD). The law signed in July 17, 1984 by the then President Reagan set the minimum drinking age as 21. An estimate by MADD approximates that underage drinking kills 6,000 people every year through traffic...
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