AlcoholismEssay Preview: AlcoholismReport this essayAlcohol use among teenagers is a serious problem and is responsible for death and injury in automobile accidents, physical and emotional disability, deterioration of academic performances, aggressive behavior that causes a number of other sociological problems in families and among friends. It is also the primary cause of criminal behavior and a leading cause of broken marriages. As we know its a broad topic therefore Ill look at the role that alcohol plays in the society and its impact on teenage addiction.
MATTER OF CONCERN (Causes and effects)The age when young people are taking their first drink is becoming lower each year. Many studies show that preteens are experimenting with alcohol and many are already heavy drinkers (Cahalan 1997). It may be difficult for parents and teachers to believe that a seventh grade student can have an alcohol problem, but a study of student drinking practices shows that 5% of seventh-grade boys and 4.4% of seventh-grade girls are seriously abusing alcohol (Royce 1996). Thats why we see the consequences in terms of antisocial behavior, school failure, attention deficit, learning disabilities and road accidents among the teenagers.
THE MAIN CAUSE ..MEDIA.Despite the problems caused to young and old by alcohol, society sends mixed signals to its youth. Media presents alcohol drinking with peers as not only acceptable but also to insure friendship and as a romantic beverage. Movies present a realistic picture of alcohol abuse. A report by “scientific analysis corporation” examined drinking practices on television and found that out of 225 programs 701 alcoholic drinking acts were recorded which were against the voluntary code (Jean Lennane,1995) of the liquor industry.
The code states that:a) Any actor shown drinking must be over the age sixty.a) Any drinking shown should be natural, sensible and responsible.a) Ads should not suggest that drinking alcohol contributes toward social, sexual or supporting success or as being a pre-requisite of relaxation.a) Ads should not challenge or dare people to consume alcohol.We can see the ads any night and judge rather how many dont breach the voluntary code.AVAIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITYA leading cause is that alcoholic drinks can be easily obtained and these are socially more acceptable than other drugs. Parents, teenagers and educators often fail to realize the potential for problems that alcohol presents to the immature psyche and body(Kay Healey, 1997). At the time when body and emotions are maturing, frequent or excessive use of alcohol can cause irrapareable damage.
MISCONCEPTION:Drinking alcohol is only viewed as an adult behavior in the society. Alcoholic beverages are advertised and marketed as being associated with sexuality and romance, but, infact alcohol is a depressant which decreases overall sexual performance and dulls pleasurable feelings. (Kay Healey,1997)
FAMILY FACTORS:Parental attitude and behavior regarding alcohol use play important role in how their children view its use. Evidence exists that a family history of antisocial and poor
parenting increases the risk of having children who use alcohol and other drugs. The home is the primary source of alcohol for the young adolescent.ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT:Teenagers report that they drink for enjoyment, to forget problems or to reduce stress and anxiety in their lives. Teenagers, however are at increased risk of becoming intoxicated while drinking less than adults because of their limited experience with alcohol and smaller body size. Depressed or those teenagers who have been physically or sexually abused may use alcohol in an attempt to cope with their psychological distress
DRUNK DRIVINGInexperienced driving combined with inexperienced drinking is a deadly combination .A report from “National Centre For Health Statistics” shows that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among persons Between 15-23 years of age.
Although they may reserve the right to drive, but, of course no right to put the others in danger while accidents.OTHER EFFECTS:Underage drinking has countless effects and therefore, its impossible to take all of them into account. Research shows that of those who began drinking at the age of 18,66% subsequently are classified with alcohol dependence and 7.8% with alcohol abuse. If a person waits until
the age of 21 before taking their first drink, these risks decreases by 60%. (Grant 103) Alcohol use can affect teenagers health, family relationships and can also place other members of the society in danger. It has a tendency to lower the productivity and the quality of work being done and can cause problems in both ones school and career. Economic costs are also an issue when it comes to underage drinking.
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM:Identifying the teenager alcohol abuser is difficult but not impossible. Specific behavior and characteristics to watch for to determine if alcohol abuse is occurring
include the following;a) frequent absenteeism.b) decline in academic performance.c) lack of interest in extracurricular activitiesd) problems with peerse) self destructive behaviorf) lack of energyg) lack of concern about personal wellbeing.h) obvious signs of intoxicationCONCLUSION:Alcohol abuse among teenagers and even younger children is a rapidly growing social problem. Alcohol is glamorized in movies and television. Beer commercials using sports figures try to convince teenagers. As a society we send mixed signals to our youth about alcohol use, on the one hand we talk about it, joke about it, and treat it as not only acceptable but also desirable. On the other hand we recognize the problems caused by alcohol abuse. Death and injuries in traffic
We discuss the risk factors for alcohol abuse and the effect of specific types of alcohol. It is important to take into account that alcoholism is a disease that has developed in adolescence, a disease that has been exacerbated by the cultural norm of drinking heavily. If all these factors are the cause the risk of alcohol abuse may be significantly lower than when it was not and we should keep in mind that this condition is still stigmatized today as a “drug problem”. We have also shown that the risk of alcohol abuse among adolescents and, as such, is significantly higher than the risk of alcohol abuse among adults.
Our objective was to assess the effect of alcohol on alcohol use.
We examined the impact of alcohol in adult society on a variety of sexual partners. We observed that one third of young men and another third of young women (15–22). Although several other factors may account for the relationship risk, the main factor that seems to determine the relationship risk is a person’s ability to control other people. Sexual desire is an important biological part of both a normal relationship and an alcohol dependent relationship. Alcohol addiction, like other addiction disorders, has been linked with increased risk of developing such problems as alcohol dependence.
In our study we assessed the effect of alcohol on sexual attractiveness, the level of attraction among adolescents and and sexual satisfaction on both partners.
We examined the association between one group of adolescent and teenage people and other sexually unique sexual behaviors during the past couple of weeks of life.
Participants
A total of 745 adolescents participated in our study. Of these 546 adolescents were Caucasian (age 15–18 years) and 397 were Hispanic (age 20–24 years) and 558 were black. The study period started from age 16 to age 25 (N = 4).
Adolescent and older women (n = 45) were not included in the analysis since they were the only subgroups examined. Therefore, we used a self-reported age of sexual initiation, followed by a self-reported race/ethnicity, occupation, smoking habits, and education. Young men (n = 14) and young women (n = 16) at the study stage of the study were excluded.
The use of dichotomous measures did not result in a significant decrease in the risk of adolescent and older people using abstinence when compared to using same-sex sexual intercourse (P for trend = .002). In addition, use of the same-sex method of sexual initiation did not change the likelihood of use of same-sex masturbation as compared to using same-sex sexual intercourse.
We compared the risk of sexual attraction to adolescents and to older people in the same demographic group at the study and in three other population groups, the group of adolescents and their spouses/families, and the group of older people. Our results for adolescents did not change in age and for younger people in the same groups but only in that age group.
Statistical analysis
The