Write an essay on the social and economic impact of alcoholic production and consumption in the form of a debate.

In fact Adri, the same rum shop culture you speak so highly of is the very thing pulling the fathers in the society away from their families, and so slows the development of family life in the country, causing the many divorces and marital problems I previously mentioned. The money that is used to buy the alcohol could also very well be used to support the children.

ADRIAN: Modern researchers believe that moderate amounts of alcohol can protect against cardiovascular diseases. It does so by reducing the plaque formation in the arteries, preventing arteriosclerosis, and it also protects against blood clot formation and hence stroke. Alcohol may protect against peripheral vascular disease, a condition in which blood flow to the extremities is impaired die to narrowing of the blood vessels.

Alcohol ingestion is not only beneficial in reducing heart disease risks though. In pre- menopausal women, alcohol consumption can result in irregular menstrual cycles, an occurrence which increases the risk of osteoporosis. Conversely, in post- menopausal women, alcohol increases the conversion of testosterone into estradiol, a hormone that is often used to prevent bone loss after menopause. For this reason, alcohol ingestion may actually have a positive effect on bone density in women after menopause.

So you see, once the alcohol is consumed sensibly and moderately, benefits of it are seen.

ASHLI: Yes, research shows that moderate amounts of alcohol can give the health benefits mentioned above, but anything barely over the moderate amounts can give rise to many problems including: impaired vision, slurred speech, problems with balance, reduced motor skills among others. When consumed for extended periods of time, this leads to increased risks of many diseases.

Excessive alcohol ingestion can give rise to the following diseases: fatty degeneration of the liver, infection of the liver, liver cirrhosis, sleeping disorders, sexual problems, cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, intestines, breasts, also hypertension and heart diseases. As one can see above, many of the diseases are related to the liver, this is because it is this organ that eliminates the alcohol from the body after it has been consumed. This can be efficiently done once alcohol levels in the blood are not too high, however, if there is too much alcohol, the liver becomes over- worked and it actually begins to break down and go bad. Just take a look at the severe damage which alcohol has done to the live in figure 2, compared to the normal liver in figure 1.

Figure 1: Normal Liver

Figure 2: Liver after severe alcohol exposure

Alcohol ingested during pregnancy can also result in the child being born with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). A child afflicted with FAS weighs less than the average baby and has unusual facial features, such as small eye openings, small faces and jaws, and thin upper lips. (See figure 3 below)

Figure 3: Facial Characteristics of child with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

These children usually go on to experience developmental delays and behavioural problems, these include: reduced attention spans, irritability, distractibility, and problems with memory, thinking and learning.

It is clear to see that there are many more negative effects which alcohol holds on one's health than there are positive ones.

ADRIAN: Maybe so, no one can deny the tremendous economic benefits of alcohol production and consumption. Alcoholic production provides jobs for those in the direct making of the alcoholic beverages, jobs in catering and the retail of alcoholic services as well; marketing also benefits from the selling of alcohol. Also the selling of alcohol injects money into a country's economy, this is because there are so many persons who buy alcohol in all forms and fashion; approximately 50% of all American adults alone consume alcohol, a per capita consumption of 25 gallons a year!

Closer to home, in Barbados, companies such as Banks Breweries export beer and rum, which provides foreign exchange for the island.

ASHLI: While alcohol production does provide jobs for people, it just as quickly takes away the jobs from people. Persons working under the influence of alcohol are quickly fired from their jobs because alcoholic employees produce 10% less work; this raises the unemployment rate of that country.

While alcohol production injects money into a country's economy it also takes away from it. It costs 3% of the Gross National Product of the average country and is more 'expensive' than tobacco. Money needs to be used for hospital visits due to heart disease caused by the alcohol, any judicial fees also for all cases involving alcohol in anyway, also the welfare system takes money of the country's economy. Then also material damage repairs in the form of accidents. Premature death because of alcohol means that people die before retirement age and cause a loss in national productivity. The above plus unemployment all suck money of the economy.

ADRIAN: In conclusion, there are many benefits of both alcohol consumption and production. Alcohol is used as antiseptic in hospitals and used for cleaning purposes at home. Alcohol consumption gives the relaxed, care- free feelings many of us long for. In moderate amounts, it reduces the risk of heart diseases and bone loss in post- menopausal women. Alcohol production provides many jobs and injects money into the economy of a country. Alcohol therefore is not as bad as some make it out to be, once the consumption is done moderately and the production done carefully.

ASHLI: In closing, alcohol consumption and production pose many risks and problems on both the social and economic scene. Too much alcohol causes an increased risk in many diseases of the liver, cancers, and sleeping and sexual disorders. Alcohol causes aggressive behaviour, which at some point leads to fights, marital problems, injury, and even death. Alcohol ingestion also causes fathers of families to be absent in the upbringing of their children and husbands away from their marriage with the whole rum shop culture being centred on the alcohol. Also, money, which could be going to the children to support them, is being used to buy the alcohol. Alcohol ingestion also leads to impaired judgement and many unwanted events occur, including sex, which leads to children, which then grow up in an unstable environment. Also alcohol takes out of the economy because money needs to be put into hospital bills, judicial bills, welfare system needs money also and the high number of deaths before retirement leads to loss in national productivity.