Free Essay

Alcohol

In:

Submitted By juniper06
Words 2817
Pages 12
Alcohol

Dear Diary,
Today is the day after my 17th birthday. I just woke up and boy, do I have a hangover. I have a headache, I am so thirsty, and my body feels so worn down. I wish I didn’t drink so much last night (“By age of 18 more than 70% of teens have had at least one drink” (US department of Health, 2007)). Hold on…sorry for the interruption but I just vomited. I hope my parents don’t notice, or I will be in big trouble. What time is it??? My parents haven’t even come in my room to see how the rest of my evening was or to make sure that I’m not sleeping too late. Weird!!!! Oh well, maybe they’re just letting me sleep since they know I came in late. Wait a minute…they didn’t even say anything to me about coming in after my curfew. Now that’s really WEIRD!!! (Actually I don’t even remember what time I did come in???? ) Hmmm. Let me go find out from my parents what’s going on??? I hope I’m not in trouble!!! Talk to you later~

Dear Diary,
OMG, something bizarre is going on. I don’t know why my parents are acting like this. When I went downstairs to talk to them, they acted like I wasn’t even there. They pretended they couldn’t see or hear me. They looked very concerned. They kept saying things like “Oh I can’t believe Rachel didn’t come home last night or even call us”, “This is so unlike her”!!! Then the phone rang and within seconds of my mom’s conversation she started hysterically crying. I don’t know what’s going on…because they still acted as if I wasn’t there. I’m going to try again…Talk to you later~

Dear Diary,
I now know what happened...I still can’t believe it myself!!!! I’m DEAD!!!!! How can this BE???? I just don’t understand??? I know I was drinking, but I didn’t drive …so how could this have happened? Heather was the designated driver, she never drank and didn’t last night. WHAT HAPPENED????? OMG… I can’t believe this is happening or should I say “I can’t believe this has HAPPENED!!!” Well I guess this is the last I’ll ever be writing to you diary. I just wish I could remember what happened…And I wish I listened to my parents, and teachers about underage drinking. But I didn’t and NOW all I am is another statistic (“3500 deaths per year are caused by drinkers under the age of 21, 1400 are those are from drunk driving” (www.alcoholnews.org) and a pile of dust!!! Talk to you NEVER~~

Dear Diary,
I can’t believe this is possible but it is I guess. Well I’m not going to think about that now. Now all I’m going to think (ha ha that’s funny) (because I’m dead and all) about the events that brought me to my demise. Here goes… I started drinking alcohol when I was about 12 years old (10% of 12 year olds have used alcohol (US Department of Health, 2007)). Of course my parents had no clue!!! I had older sisters and brothers and would steal whatever I could from their stash. My friends would do the same, when we couldn’t get it from our siblings we would then steal it from our parents’ reserve (for dinner or special occasions). I can’t really pin point what/who was the instigator of this behavior…in a way I felt it was ok to do because my OLDER sisters and brothers drank alcohol…or maybe we (me and my friends) thought we were cool (ACTUALLY WE WERE, or so I believed), or because the even cooler girl invited me over her house and asked if I drank? And did I want a beer? …or because the famous girls such as Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan glamorize the use of alcohol and drugs... or was it because I thought alcohol would make me more loose (which it did in more ways then One…which I’m not happy to say that)…or make me more funny…likable…or just take the stress away from my everyday life. I just don’t really know what the initiation of my drinking was. All is I know is I started!!! I also started smoking cigarettes too. I didn’t realize that drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes would cause me to drink more alcohol. This is because nicotine found in cigarettes can cause the alcohol blood concentration to decrease therefore in order to get the same “high” as if I weren’t smoking cigarettes I needed to drink more alcohol (http://research.medicine.wustl.edu ). This is referred to as cross-tolerance. (Wow I’m much smarter now, than I was before…I wish I could have remembered or thought about these things when I was still alive!!!) I didn’t even know that cross-tolerance existed and now I can tell you all about it. CRAZY isn’t it. But I did know what tolerance was…because when I first started drinking it took me only two beers to feel the effects but the more I partied the more beers it took me “…to get crumped up…” The last night I ever partied I had a half dozen beers, three jello shots, two shots of Jose Cuervo, tequila and smoked about a pack and a half of cigarettes.( I always thought that beer, wine and hard liquor had the same amount of alcohol in it, but now I realize that they don’t. A 12 oz beer has about 5% alcohol, a 5oz glass of wine has about 12% alcohol, and “hard” liquor has about 40% alcohol in a 1.5oz glass(US Department of Health, 2007.) I now realize why I would be more effected by less wine and hard liquor than beer. But I did know that when I didn’t eat I would get “crumped up” quicker. But I guess I surpassed my tolerance level and had alcohol intoxication because I vomited that night and I can’t remember what happened at the end of the night. Well that’s enough for now diary, I’m tired…Talk to you later~

Dear Diary,
It’s time to get back on the subject of how I cut my own life short by misusing and abusing alcohol (“…Almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol” (www.kidshealth.org)). It’s still so hard to believe…but it’s true…I’m no longer living…I miss the days when I was captain of the Varsity Soccer Team, or received awards and recognition for outstanding grades and participation in school clubs and community service…but that all ended. It had been a hard year; I wasn’t performing that well in school, and had gotten kicked off the soccer team for smoking cigarettes. I was so depressed I drank even more. My occasional “parting” on the weekend turned into me drinking before, during, and after school. I started drinking on my walk to school, sometimes I wouldn’t even go to school and go hide out at a friend’s house and drink all day. When “school ended” I would go home and take a nap until it was time for dinner. I didn’t get “messed up” everyday…but I rarely attended a full day of school, because if I ever went to school I would cut classes here and there to go get somewhat buzzed and go back to school(really, if I felt like it!). But I guess being “cool” wasn’t so great after all. My parents tried to help me and encourage me but they couldn’t. It wasn’t their fault, it was nobodies but my own…All I cared about was hanging out with friends and drinking. I based my life around alcohol. I was able to buy the alcohol and go to clubs for over a year because I had an older sibling’s ID that I stole. We looked like we were twins but the only difference being the 5 & ½ age gap, her being the elder one. I also went out to bars. At house parties I would drink even more because I would play beer drinking games. These games would include beer pong, turbo cups, quarters, and card games such as circle of death, drunk driver, and asshole. Sometimes I drank so much that I would throw up and continue drinking. I would chug 5 beers in a row sometimes, never realizing that I was partaking in a serious problem, binge drinking. (“Nearly 20% of persons aged 12 to 20 engage in binge drinking and 3 million are alcohol dependent” (Golberg, p 130)). I never thought that this type of behavior was so harmful…even though I wasn’t performing well in school and got kicked off the soccer team…I just thought that my teachers and coach were trying to rule my life and keep me from having fun. That’s enough for now…Talk to you later~

Dear Diary,
I’ve been doing some research on alcohol and discovered more about it … (I knew some facts and statistics but I wanted to learn more) it was an eye opener for me. Alcohol (Ethyl alcohol) is a depressant, which means it slows the function of the central nervous system. Alcohol actually blocks some of the messages trying to get to the brain. This alters a person's perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing (www.kidshealth.org). Prolonged drinking can cause serious damage to the brain. The effects of alcohol depend on, at what age a person started drinking, how much and how often a person drinks; and how long he or she has been drinking; the person’s age, level of education, gender, genetic background, and family history of alcoholism; whether he or she is at risk as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure; and his or her general health status. If I were still alive my drinking could seriously harmed my body and health. I know I’ve experienced some/most of the short term effects of alcohol (and already told you about it previously). I still can’t believe how harmful alcohol can be to a person’s body. I was in shock when I learned of the long term effects of prolonged drinking. Here’s what I found long-term effects include: cirrhosis and cancer of the liver, loss of appetite, serious vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, heart and central nervous system damage, memory loss, an increased risk of impotence and a high risk for overdosing (www.kidshealth.org). Well that’s it for now…I’m tired. Talk to you later~
Dear Diary,
Today I decided to share some other information about alcohol. (I know that’s all I write about, but I can’t let it go until I know everything about it. I just can’t let it go! If I only would have listened and not drank alcohol until I was of legal age. MAYBE I would be alive right now.) I decided to tell you how alcohol is absorbed by the body. Once alcohol (a drink), enters the stomach and small intestine, small blood vessels carry it to the bloodstream. Approximately 20% of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach and most of the remaining 80% is absorbed through the small intestine. Alcohol is metabolized by the liver, where enzymes break down the alcohol. Understanding the rate of metabolism is critical to understanding the effects of alcohol. In general, the liver can process one ounce of liquor (or one standard drink) in one hour. If you consume more than this, your system becomes saturated, and the additional alcohol will accumulate in the blood and body tissues until it can be metabolized. This is why pounding shots or playing drinking games can result in high blood alcohol concentrations that last for several hours (www.brown.edu). Now I understand what was going on in my body while I was drinking. Why do Alcohol companies make drinking alcohol seem ok, and target youngsters? I just don’t know! They have to know the harmful effects that alcohol can cause to a person (and not only those who consume it, but those who don’t as well). If only I were alive to tell my friends and family and anybody I could about the dangers of alcohol misuse and abuse. This is all so crazy! I never knew that alcohol could affect the way I behaved, but it did. I was loud, sometimes even stumbled around, had sex with four different boys(whom none where my boyfriends), and occasionally got into fights with my friends. I am so ashamed of my behavior; I just wish I knew now when I was still alive…how I wish it so much!!!! Talk to you later~
Dear Diary,
Now that I’ve told you all about alcohol and my misusing and abusing of it, I’m gonna share the ways to help a person either with an alcohol problem or just to warn them to not use it. There are groups out there who work around the clock to (a) Stop UNDERAGE drinking and (b)drinking and driving. M.A.D.D. (Mothers against Drunk Driving) is an organization who mission is to eliminate the tragedy of drunk driving and prevent underage drinking (www.madd.org). There are many organizations out there that also want to prevent the harmful effects of alcohol. All throughout the U.S. schools have special programs, such as D.A.R.E., to educate our youth and help them make healthy positive decisions when regarding the use of alcohol (or any drug for that matter). I know my teachers and community did not promote underage drinking, in fact they did just the opposite. They have been talking about this issue with us since we were in fifth grade. They also encouraged us to participate in after school activities, even hosted movie nights on Friday’s in the auditorium and always made all us feel wanted. I guess it just wasn’t enough because I still drank, and had happen to me what they were trying to prevent my whole short life of 17 years. Well Diary I hope you have learned your lesson…which would be listen to your elders when it comes to alcohol and drugs…you might just save a life…a life that could be your own!!! Talk to you later~
Dear Diary,
Well I know it’s been awhile since I last wrote but I just couldn’t bring myself to write…I finally remembered what happened to me the night of my birthday…OMG it was horrible!!! It turns out that as Heather was driving home, some kids from the party who were driving drunk were following us causing her to slam into the guard rail on the passenger side killing me. Let me remind you Heather did not drink that night. I was actually passed out drunk in her front seat; I never even realized what had happened. It was a horrible tragedy. So many lives were affected by a bunch of teenagers breaking the law and drinking underage. We had no care in the world. Now all their lives are filled with hurt, guilt, depression, and pain. Some of them (my old friends) have become alcoholics. It’s so sad that I didn’t listen to the warnings that were given to me. Now all I can do is wish that the teens of the future WILL listen. Bye for a while. Talk to you later~ Works Cited

1. Goldberg, Raymond. Drugs Across the Spectrum. California: The Thomson Corporation, 2006.
2. Rohrbaugh, John W. Ph.D. “Physiological Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine Use.” http://research.medicine.wustl.edu http://research.medicine.wustl.edu/ocfr/research.nsf/c 6bcd223d62419ff8625677f00635840/1470baec1757867f862567 7d00593ae2?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,alcohol.
3. U.S. Department oh Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Educators. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office o f the Surgeon General, 2007.
4. “Alcohol.” www.kidshealth.org. 1995. Kids Health from the Nemours Foundation. 2006. http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/ac ohol.html
5. “Alcohol and Your Body.” Brown University: Health Education. May 1st 2006. http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/ Health_Education/atod/alc_aayb.htm
6. Szalavitz, Maia. “Underage Drinking” April 29, 2005. www.alcoholnews.org. http://www.alcoholnews.org/underage_drink.html
7. “About US”.www.madd.org.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...Alcohol is a compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which can be combined together in many different ways. There are many different kinds of alcohol, the commonest being called ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is present in varying amounts in beers and wines, and in distilled liquors such as whiskey, gin, and rum. Alcohol consumption touches many million people around the world. The use of alcohol depends on an individual’s social, cultural, or religious background.  One of the earliest mentions of wine making is from an Egyptian papyrus dated 3,500 BC. However, alcohol drinking is thought to go back almost as far as the human race does. Alcohol has been central to social, religious and personal use all over the world throughout history.  When an individual consumes alcohol there are both short term and long term effects.  The most immediate effect of alcohol consumption is change of mood. Even though alcohol is makes you feel excitement, happiness and relaxation it is in fact a depressant. Alcohol in the bloodstream causes impairment of motor co-ordination and slows down central nervous system activity, which gives the impression of clumsiness and can lead to alcohol related accidents. The more intoxicated a person has slurred speech, blurred vision and the loss of balance. Furthermore it switches off the part of the brain that controls judgment which can result in greater risk taking. However drinking in very large quantities can damage vital bodily functions...

Words: 621 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Alcohol

...illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. Alcoholism can affect a person physically and mentally. Alcoholism causes many physical consequences that are well known and easy to recognize. The psychological consequences are the ones people rarely talk about, they are hard to recognize, and most people do not even know about them; however, the psychological symptoms are the ones that lead alcoholics to keep drinking without realizing problems are being caused. These effects of alcohol allow people to continue to drink in order to self-medicate their symptoms, and vary depending on the person. The most common psychological effects that people undergo are depression, dysthymia, anxiety, personality changes, compulsive behavior, denial, and co-occurring disorders (“Mental”). Depression refers to a serious medical illness that affects one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, mood and physical health. Depression is a life-long condition in which periods of wellness alternate with recurrences of illness. Depression can lead to feelings of sadness, poor concentration, lack of sleep (insomnia), fatigue, appetite disturbances, excessive guilt, and thoughts of suicide. These symptoms tend to increase over time. Five – eight percent of adults are affected by depression each year in the U.S, which means 25 million Americans will experience major depression just this year alone (“What”). Some people feel that drinking alcohol will just “drown your sorrows” or in other words...

Words: 551 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Alcohol?

...DESK RESEARCH TO EXAMINE THE INFLUENCE OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING BY THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY ON YOUNG PEOPLE’S ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION Research prepared for the World Health Organization by the Centre for Social Marketing at the University of Strathclyde Emma Cooke, Gerard Hastings and Susan Anderson March 2002 Acknowledgements For acquisition and translation of international data: Jill Bain, Marina Biniari, Liliana Carcamo and Ingrid Kajzer. For comments on the final draft: Anne Marie MacKintosh For administrative support: Kathryn Angus and Aileen Paton. CONTENTS Page No 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY 2 3.0 METHODOLOGY 4 4.0 RESULTS 7 4.1 Advertising 7 4.1.1 Econometric Studies 7 4.1.2 Consumer Studies 11 4.2 Other Forms of Marketing 15 4.3 Developing and Transitional Countries 21 REFERENCES 25 1.0 INTRODUCTION At the World Health Organization Ministerial Conference on Young People and Alcohol in Stockholm (February 2001) considerable concern was expressed about the nature and pervasiveness of advertising and marketing by the alcohol industry. Explicit examples were shown of alcohol promotion exploiting the themes of sexual, sporting and lifestyle success, often in direct violation of advertising codes. Furthermore, many of the advertising examples displayed images of excessive consumption. In addition, the Conference noted...

Words: 16650 - Pages: 67

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...people see alcohol as a legal drug to relieve stress. The problem is that people are only thinking of the short time effect and they don’t consider that alcohol can damage the brain and health. Alcohol plays a significant role in some religious groups and it was invited from the Egyptians. More and more people unfortunately, have problem with this underrated drug and therefore there are several treatments today. Alcohol is a discreet issue in our society and everyone should take it serious and help each other to reduce the abuse of it. Alcoholism Alcohol plays an important role in society today and should be an afterthought as opposed to the most essential addition to any social event. Alcohol creates a lot of social, economic, and health problems that could very easily be stopped if it played a less influential role in every day events. Experts have much to say about alcohol use and abuse in these three categories, including all of the negative aspects of drinking. Social drinking is a common occurrence around America. In the USA, 15% of Americans are problem drinkers, while between 5% to 10% of male and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent. (Christian Nordqvist,2013) Many of these people do not realize that drinking is what leads to uncontrolled behavior, drunk driving, and in the long run, addiction. They are thinking only of the short-term effects, not the negative long-term consequences. People who regularly turn to alcohol eventually begin...

Words: 1279 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...A class is chemical compounds, all if which consists of chemically bonded atoms of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen all alcohol molecules contain at least one hydroxyl group. When people say alcohol they usually think of beer, wine, or liquor, but there are several types of alcohol. An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethyl alcohol. They are mostly made of grains or from grapes or other fruits. There are two main groups fermented and distilled drinks. Fermented drinks contain from five percent to twenty percent ethyl alcohol. Distilled contains twelve percent to fifty-five percent or more ethyl alcohol. The consumption of beverages containing alcohol has been practiced in all parts of the world for thousands of years. The first alcoholic beverages were fermented. Scenes showing fermentation appear on pottery made in Mesopotamia as early as 4200 B.C. Mankind early discovered that drinking the fermented juices of certain fruits, berries, and grain produced an extremely pleasant effect. Among primitive peoples, alcoholic drinks increased the excitement of tribal festivals. In more civilized nations, beers and wines in the daily diet were believed beneficial to health. During the 1800’s, a movement began in the United States to prohibit the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. A constitutional amendment banning the beverages went into effect in 1920, but thousands of Americans defied the prohibition law. In 1930, the federal government estimated that about 800 million...

Words: 399 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...Alcohol is a compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which can be combined together in many different ways. There are many different kinds of alcohol, the commonest being called ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is present in varying amounts in beers and wines, and in distilled liquors such as whiskey, gin, and rum. Alcohol consumption touches many million people around the world. The use of alcohol depends on an individual’s social, cultural, or religious background. One of the earliest mentions of wine making is from an Egyptian papyrus dated 3,500 BC. However, alcohol drinking is thought to go back almost as far as the human race does. Alcohol has been central to social, religious and personal use all over the world throughout history. When an individual consumes alcohol there are both short term and long term effects. The most immediate effect of alcohol consumption is change of mood. Even though alcohol is makes you feel excitement, happiness and relaxation it is in fact a depressant. Alcohol in the bloodstream causes impairment of motor co-ordination and slows down central nervous system activity, which gives the impression of clumsiness and can lead to alcohol related accidents. The more intoxicated a person has slurred speech, blurred vision and the loss of balance. Furthermore it switches off the part of the brain that controls judgment which can result in greater risk taking. However drinking in very large quantities can damage vital bodily functions...

Words: 621 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...Angelone, D. J., Mitchell, D. & Pilafova, A. (2007) Club drug use and intentionality in perceptions of rape victims. Sex Roles, 57, 283-292. This exploratory study investigated the influence of GHB use versus alcohol and intentionality on observer's feelings toward the victim and the perpetrator in a male-female rape scenario. The sample in this study consisted of 198 undergraduate students from a Northeastern college; the sample contained 130 females and was almost 80% Caucasian. The participants ranged in age from 18-48 but the mean was 19. Participants read one of four vignettes where a college female had attended a party and had ingested GHB or Everclear, a type of grain alcohol. In the different vignettes the female either ingested the substance voluntarily or was "slipped" the drug by a male, the vignette continued when the female became sleepy and the male brought her into his room and had sex with her, the victim attempted to verbally resist but felt too groggy to physically resist (Angelone, 2007, 286). The victim then reported the rape to police in the morning; the perpetrator claimed the sex was consensual. After the vignette participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire asking about victim and perpetrator culpability, victim pleasure, victim trauma, perpetrator guilt, and the likelihood the perpetrator will be found guilty (Angelone, 2007, 286). Overall the respondents found that the perpetrator was responsible for the crime, whether or not the victim chose...

Words: 1578 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...According to Alcohol Concern (2013), rapidly developing of media with the increasing of technology have significantly influenced on an approach of marketing. Alcohol marketing have different strategies to promote their products. One of these strategies is harnessing the contemporary media such as internet and television as well as social network like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote by advertising. In United Kingdom, approximately £800 million annually have spent on promotion of alcohol by factories (Alcohol Concern 2013). There is growing concern that this strategy might raise the impact of alcohol marketing on young people and a recent research have provided evidence that social networks as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are widely utilized by young people and children and that such sites are utilized for promotion by alcohol firm (Winpenny et al, 2013). Studies have indicated that underage drinking is more exposed to advertising of alcohol than grown-up (Patil et al, 2014). It seems that there are many complex factors that affect alcohol consumption by youth. Nevertheless, the most important factor is advertising . This essay will examine the problems of alcohol advertising on adolescents and analyses some possible solutions. It will then evaluate the solution given in order to tackle this issue. Advertising creates favorable climate towards drinking alcohol(Gunter et al, 2010). As Saffer point out (2002) that the role played by alcohol advertising can lead to positive...

Words: 965 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...Introduction Alcohol is a social drink used by many people in the globally. It has existed in the world for a long time since time immemorial. Alcohol consumption is as enjoyable as the consumption of any other drink as long as it is used in the right manner and quantity. However, it becomes a problem when people become addicted to it. Alcohol addiction is the condition in which a person gets to after excessive use of alcohol that makes him or her depend on it for survival. A person who is addicted finds it hard surviving without alcohol for a considerable amount of time. The person has to be tipsy for the better part of the day. When alcoholism becomes addictive, it becomes a social problem (Mooney, Knox and Schacht, 37). This paper explores alcohol addiction as a problem that I have experienced Discussion Alcoholism has become a serious problem in my community. When one considers alcohol addiction as his own problem, then the person is terribly wrong because it is not. Alcohol addiction does not affect an individual alone but affects other people related to or those who associate with the individual in one way or the other. Basically, it affects the entire community. This is when alcohol consumption becomes a social problem in nature. Many people have become addicted to alcohol in my community as a consequence of joblessness, family frustrations and rise in immorality. The youths are the most afflicted. Most of them have sought refuge in alcohol. They drink alcohol during their...

Words: 1018 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Alcohol

...Alcohol is a very serious and dangerous drug, although it is not treated this way anymore. College students have taken drinking to a new level in which, for many, is very scary. Alcohol is much more dangerous than many would think. Kids see a night of drinking as a great way to have fun and party but do not see the consequences. Getting drunk and even blacking out can lead to many problems. When alcohol is consumed in unhealthy amounts it can lead to not only short-term effects, but long term ones as well. Many people could tell you what alcohol will do to you. Blurred vision, memory loss, slurred speech, difficulty walking, and slow reaction times are all very common side effects depending on how much one consumes (“Alcohol Alert”). To most there is really nothing wrong with this. Party all night, have a good time, find somewhere to sleep, pass out, and wake up in the morning. A couple of Advil and a glass of water and you’re good to go, no harm done. This is where many are wrong. These effects are not just short term, they all add up in the long run. “Some of these impairments are detectable after only one or two drinks and quickly resolve when drinking stops. On the other hand, a person who drinks heavily over a long period of time may have brain deficits that persist well after he or she achieves sobriety” (“Alcohol Alert”). Ethyl alcohol or ethanol, or most often known as simply alcohol can come in the form of beer, wine, or liquor....

Words: 468 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...Every year alcohol is responsible for 1/2 of all murders, accidental deaths, and suicides; 1/3 of all drowning, boating, and aviation deaths; 1/2 of all crimes; and almost 1/2 of all fatal automobile accidents (Overview 1). Alcohol is a potent nonprescription drug sold to anyone over the national legal drinking age, 21. Unlike carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which can be manufactured by the body, alcohol is a substance that is not made within the body. It is a food, because it supplies a concentrated number of calories, but is not nourishing and does not supply a significant amount of needed nutrients, vitamins, or minerals. These are empty calories that result in an unattractive “beer belly.” Most foods are prepared for digestion by the stomach so that their nutrients can be absorbed by the large intestine. However, 95% of alcohol is absorbed directly through the stomach walls or the walls of the duodenum (part of the small intestine nearest the stomach)and small intestine (Overview 2). Various factors effect the speed of alcohol’s absorption into the body. - Watery drinks such as beer is absorbed more slowly. - Foods (especially fatty foods) delay absorption - Carbonated beverages speed up the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine where alcohol is absorbed more quickly. - The drinker’s physical and emotional state (fatigue, stress), and individual body chemistry affect absorption. - Gender: Women have less dehydrogenates (a chemical that breaks down alcohol in the...

Words: 2141 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...Title : Alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse is alcoholism which is often consuming large amount of alcohol beverages despite negative consequences by the alcoholics. Alcohol abuse is mainly due to the ready availability of alcohol and the price of alcohol drinking is cheap which many people can afford to purchase it. Alcohol abuse can cause alcohol abuse, brain damage and damage the heart and lead to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and stroke. Social ill are the causes of alcohol abuse. Adolescent will feel despair and helpless when they have diagnose illness which do not have cure. This let adolescent to consume enormous amount of alcohols to escape from facing the real life. Besides that, adolescent will take large amount of alcohol to forget about the indirect of family violence that happened due to broken family. Drinking alcohol will let teenager to temporary forget the problem they faced in life. Alcohol abuse will lead to brain damage. If adolescent consuming huge amount of alcohol for period of time can, it can impair brain development. Adolescent will exhibits cognitive effect in brain such as learning impairment and memory dysfunction. Moreover, they will be in an unconscious state after drinking the alcohols drink. In addition, large amounts consume of alcohols can damage the heart and lead to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and stroke. Consume large amount of alcohol will puts more fats into the circulation of alcoholic body. This will...

Words: 289 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Alcohol Poisoning

...lead are poisonous and potentially deadly. Although methanol is not produced in toxic amounts by fermentation of sugars from grain starches,contamination is still possible by unscrupulous distillers using cheap methanol to increase the apparent strength of the product. Moonshine can be made both more palatable and less damaging by discarding the "foreshot"—the first few ounces of alcohol that drip from the condenser. The foreshot contains most of the methanol, if any, from the mash because methanol vaporizes at a lower temperature than ethanol. The foreshot also typically contains small amounts of other undesirable compounds such as acetone and various aldehydes. Alcohol concentrations above about 50% alcohol by volume (100 proof) are flammable and therefore dangerous to handle. This is especially true during the distilling process when vaporized alcohol may accumulate in the air to dangerous concentrations if adequate ventilation has not been provided. Mixtures Moonshine has sometimes been mixed with an adulterant (e.g. methanol, lye) with the intent of increasing its apparent alcohol content. This practice has sometimes resulted in a toxic mixture that can cause blindness or death. Although poisoning incidents are rare, particularly in developed nations, they are a cause for concern about the safety of moonshine. Moonshine may be flavored with fruit or bark. The mash may be cooked...

Words: 796 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Alcohol Regulation

...Q. What are the pros and cons of making alcohol illegal today? What other option can you suggest to regulate alcohol consumption apart from legislation? Give reasons for your response citing research. Answer to the student: People use alcohol for a number of reasons. Once someone addicted with alcohol they cannot stop using them. He continues to use alcohol despite numerous negative consequences. Alcohol slowly but inevitably destroyed the physical health and mental health and moral character (Baumberg B & P Anderson, 2008). It is a creature of nearly unemployment, poverty, all social problems, business failure, insanity, slums, crime, and violence (especially against children and women). It related with very real social and economic problems of with every country within the world. So that is most significant evidence against making alcohol. Misuse of alcohol has the potential to impose harm on both society and individuals through a range of social and health problems (Austin E and Weintraub M, 2006). Apart from legislation there are various significant suggestions to regulate alcohol consumption. Price is a first factor influencing the consumption of alcohol. Low alcohol prices encourage higher consumption. So regulation or taxes that affect differently lower-priced drinks may be more reducing and effective for heavy use of alcohol. A strong policy to help minimize the harms and maximize benefits of alcohol use. Alcohol policies creating a balance in a number of different...

Words: 329 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Alcohol Industry

...around 373 million cases. (Source: Annual Report, Government of India, Ministry of Food Processing Industries). The Alcohol Industry in India can be divided into the following five categories: - 1. Industrial Alcohol 2. Potable Alcohol 3. Mixed Distilleries (Industrial and Potable Alcohol) 4. Bottling Plants (purchasing alcohol and bottling alcoholic beverages) 5. Distilleries producing alcohol from substrates other than molasses. In India, majority of distilleries manufacture alcohol from Sugar Cane Molasses compared to international trend of grain based (rice, wheat, millet, Barley, corn and oat) alcohol. In India, since alcohol is largely produced from sugarcane molasses, the industry is cyclical in nature, as sugarcane production itself is affected every 3-4 years due to monsoon and other factors, resulting in low availability of molasses. Alcohol industry is the second largest source of revenue of the State Exchequer – Rs.25, 000 cores. The Industry turnover is ~Rs.54,000 core (Source: Euro monitor International 2009). It is the only Industry where inputs are decontrolled (free market price) and output is controlled (selling price is determined by State Excise in most States). The Indian spirits market has grown rapidly owing to rapid economic growth, rising disposable incomes, favourable demographics and greater social acceptability of alcohol consumption in India. In particular, according to Euro monitor International 2009, the sales volume of spirits products...

Words: 590 - Pages: 3