Alcohol and its bad points.

Alcohol. Kirsty Mac Diarmid

Alcohol and its bad points.

Alcohol is a guilty secret for most people. Nearly everyone has a reason too drink. Most people drink for confidence and to bottle up problems. Alcohol depresses the brain functions such as fine judgement, self critism and inhibatation, and helps create the feeling of excitement. Although alcohol can be used for things like confidence, it can also be very harmful and addictive, like smoking it is the road to death. It is made up of chemical compounds, the most popular that is used is Ethanol, which is present in wines, beers, and spirits. Alcohol can also be used in solvents and cosmetics. Aftershaves, perfumes and hairsprays contain high contents of alcohol and should be used responsibly.

Unfortunatly people who are addicted to alcohol (alcoholics) can go to high lengths to get alcohol, and some people will drink high amounts of alcohol as a suiside attempt. A 59 year old Danish man drunk two and a half bottles of whiskey. He had a blood alcohol level of 1,127 millagrams more than four times the intake of an alcoholic. He left hospital just a month later, apparently unharmed. The liver responsible for ridding the system of alcohol can process only around a single whiskey or half a pint of beer per hour. Drinking alcohol causes dehydration which could kill. When the body dehydrates, it tries to expel the alcohol from the body as fast as it can to prevent harmful effects. Some people who take in large amounts of alcohol can ruin their life, marriage and it may lead to domestic violence. Alcohol can also lead to shoplifting and rapists. It can also lead to serious accidents when a driver goes out in their car while drunk and have a terrible accident which may lead to the death of an innocent person. Like the story which was written in the Daily Record on the 17th November 1987, a baby girl “Jacquelyn” was killed at just 6 weeks, because a drunk driver crashed into a car. The drunk woman and the woman that the car belonged to survived, but unfortunately the baby died.

Teenage Drinking.

Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are not only adult problems -- they also affect a significant number of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 11 and 17, even though drinking under the age of 18 is illegal. The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 12 years for girls. The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15 years old. According to research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop ...

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Teenage Drinking.

An early age of drinking onset is also associated with alcohol-related violence not only among persons under age 21 but among adults as well.

It has been estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics. Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own.

The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all three.

While drinking may be a singular problem behavior for some, research suggests that for others it may be an expression of general adolescent turmoil that includes other problem behaviors and that these behaviors are linked to unconventionality, impulsiveness, and sensation seeking.

Binge drinking, often beginning around age 13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18-21), then gradually decrease. Individuals who increase their binge drinking from age 18 to 25 and those who consistently binge drink at least once a week during this period may have problems attaining the goals typical of the transition from adolescence to young adulthood (e.g., marriage, educational attainment, employment, and financial independence).

Dependence on alcohol and other drugs is also associated with several psychiatric problems, such as depression, anti social personality and behavior problems, and can lead to serious health problems.

Parents' drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been positively associated with adolescents' initiating and continuing drinking. Children who were warned about alcohol by their parents and children who reported being closer to their parents were less likely to start drinking.

Lack of parental support, monitoring, and communication have been significantly related to frequency of drinking, heavy drinking, and drunkenness among adolescents. Harsh, inconsistent discipline and hostility or rejection toward children have also been found to significantly predict adolescent drinking and alcohol-related problems. Peer drinking and peer acceptance of drinking have also been associated with adolescent drinking. The most common and effective way for an individual to beat his or her addictive behaviors is through a self-help support group, with advice and support from a health care professional. Treatment should also involve family members because family history may play a role in the origins of the problem and successful treatment cannot take place in isolation.

This is to prove my point that alcohol is either the worst or best thing for anyone to enjoy. This might count to someone that alcohol is bad, but no one can prove that drinking is wrong.

Kirsty Mac Diarmid English Mrs. Cuthbertson.