1. Describe Zailckas’ introduction, & predisposing factors to alcohol; include 2 specific experiences she had with drinking.
Koren first started drinking at her friend’s summer cottage. She was only fourteen when she took her first sip of alcohol. That first sip changed her life. She had mentioned that her first sip of alcohol was with her friend Natalie and compared the experience to deflowering, the same way someone does when they lose their virginity. She did not like her first taste of Southern Comfort, even though the look and the smell reminded her of apple cider, spicy yet sweet. After that day, Koren’s perspective changed that led her down a very dangerous unhealthy path towards self-destruction. Even though the taste was bad the way it made her feel made her addicted. She liked the way alcohol made her come out of her quite shell. It made her bolder and daring, which she liked, especially because of the new friends and the attention it gave her as a result.
Koren grew up in a society that made it more likely for under aged kids to drink. It was almost part of the norm for some kids. They all encourage it each other to do it. The day Koren took her first drink, she went to a party and her and her friends passed around a bottle of alcohol; she noticed that most of the girls she was surrounded by were confident about what they were doing and she was certain that it was not their first time. They all were only in eight grade at the time. Koren was also around alcohol
Drinking, A Love Story, Written by Caroline Knapp: Is an insider’s story about fighting the battle of alcoholism and addiction, victoriously winning sobriety. Caroline Knapp fought her addiction for 20 years before becoming sober. “The Drink” as she called it, was her true love. The most beloved form being a good crisp dry white wine, but any form would do. She fell in love with alcohol at a young age and loved everything about it. The smell, the sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle, the cold liquid anesthesia running down the back of her throat after a long day at the office, the routine of drinking, but most of all she loved the way alcohol made her feel.
and presents a paradox with which the native writers must grapple. The pathetic city drunks and
Alcohol has always been one of the most profitable industries in the business world. More than $400 billion worth of alcohol purchased in the US alone in 2013 according to an economic website. Alcohol is a common figure where it can be easily spot in every household to grand restaurants, however, it is a huge factor contributed to the death rate each year. It has ruined an innumerable number of people lives due to excessive drinking or affect by an alcoholic person. In his book, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, Sherman Alexie emphasizes how significance alcohol can affect a teenager life, where Junior, the main protagonist has lost 3 family members because of alcohol. He shows that alcoholic should not be taken as a
“Alcohol addiction stunts the spiritual, emotional and mental growth of a person”~Anonymous. Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, is a book based off the author’s teenage life. The novel is about a poor 14 year old named Junior who faced numerous challenges in his life. Junior has experienced bullying, he was called a traitor for following his dreams, got in a huge fight with his best friend and lost three very important people in his life because of alcohol. Fortunately in the end, Junior got through the pain and lived on but he learned many lessons. One of the lessons Junior learned was that the fall into addiction, in this situation alcohol, leads to a great deal of misery for the individual and those
When Victor was a child his parents would drink a lot and would neglect him because they dealt with their pain by drinking. They drank because they were drinking away the problems caused by the generational trauma they and the generation before them had to endure. For example, during the New Year's party, everyone got drunk, even Victor's parents, left Victor by himself. Victor’s father and mother drank more
In today’s society, alcohol has become one of the main necessities for people to create relaxation, confidence, and the ability to be social. In the short story “A Bartender Tells What Man Did to Booze, and Booze to Man”, an anonymous bartender gives an up close and personal account of his observations about the effects alcohol has on men. He emphasizes the change in their character after a few drinks. Koren Zailckas from Smashed shares a memoir of her life describing her relationship with alcohol abuse and the problems that it caused for her. Although certain types of alcohol are used to support good health, it is the excessive consumption and misuse that leaves people dependent resulting in significant social, physical, and mental
Alcoholism is defined as an addiction to the indulgence of alcoholic liquor and the compelling behaviour which results from alcohol dependency. In the novel “Medicine Walk” by Richard Wagamese and the essay “Mother’s Milk” by Christie Blatchford, the reasoning behind and dire repercussions of alcohol abuse are evident through the characters Eldon Starlight and Christie’s mother. However, Eldon’s reason for alcoholism is much more traumatic and its effect on both himself and those around him is of greater severity as opposed to Christie’s mother. As a teenager Christie’s mother suffers from social nervousness and uses alcohol as a means of reducing her anxiety, whereas Eldon begins drinking after he was forced to leave his home as his mother chose her abusive husband over him. After Christie was born her mother began drinking at a higher degree while Eldon’s alcoholism heightens after he must kill his only friend to ensure his own survival. Occasionally Christie’s mother would quit alcohol for around a month’s time and her health would improve, contrastingly Eldon’s attempt to abstain from alcohol lasts only a couple of days and results in the deterioration of his health. Despite her alcoholism Christie’s mother lives past the age of 80 and even outlives her husband by 15 years, on the other hand due to his alcohol abuse Eldon suffers from liver failure which results in his early death. Her mother’s
I decided to write my final paper on Koren Zailckas Smashed: A Story of a Drunken Girlhood. A memoir based on a young 14 year old girl who drinks for the first time with her friend Natalie before a birthday party. Her experiences with alcohol doesn’t stop there. We learn that she gets her stomach pumped at age 16, and at age 22, wakes up in an apartment in New York City unsure of where she is, because of alcohol. After this, she realizes that she has a problem and that she needs help. I chose this book as the topic of underage drinking and alcohol abuse is constantly rising in our society today. It is a problem that many youth kids are facing, and this book perfectly describes a young girls story about her addiction with alcohol and the many poor decisions she makes.
When Koren was fourteen her friend Natalie found a bottle of Whiskey at Natalie's parents' cabin. This would be her first experience, of many, with alcohol. Later that day she and Natalie went to a birthday party; they took plastic apple juice bottles and filled them with Southern Comfort whiskey for the party. They ended up sharing it with most of the people there. This exposed
Zailckas describes drinking more than she intended when she “can’t work out how much [she has] tossed back. [She] can’t even pin it to a crude estimate” (Zailckas, 2005, p. 174). Often proclaiming that getting drunk is her objective, Zailckas has evidently exceeded her intended amount in this moment as she can’t even recall how much she consumed. For a period of time, Zailckas desired to reduce her intake, “[expecting herself] to be able to limit [her] drinking to just a few nights a week,” however, once the campus bar owners designated nights for seniors, she abandoned her plan and returned to visiting campus bars nearly every other day, illustrating her lack of control to cut back (p. 281). It is slightly difficult to evaluate if Zailckas spends excessive time obtaining, using, or recovering from alcohol. Nevertheless, she divulges her drinking routine “whereby afternoon classes will unroll into evenings of swilling cups… Then evenings will unroll into mornings, to ear ringing, nausea, and hard-sleeping afternoons” implying that drinking constitutes the majority of her days (p. 120). In addition, Zailckas reports her insatiable yearnings for liquor, often analogizing it to a loved one. She says, “I feel despair... Without a bottle to hold, I feel incomplete… A drink is my beloved. Without it, I am
Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. Alcoholism is a complex disease with physical, social and psychological consequences, but it can be treated through detoxification and anti-anxiety drugs. What will be explained in this essay is basically the history of alcohol, signs of one possibly being an alcoholic, possibilities to why one becomes an alcoholic, and treatments for it.
Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas takes after Zailckas from her first drink as a fourteen year old to her last, not more than 10 years after the fact. The piece serves as a story for young adult carefully readrs, especially young ladies. While Zailckas claims that she is not a (person with a strong desire to drink alcohol), that she simply (treated or used as a part of a very mean, out of line route) liquor for more than ten years, the carefully readrs are tested to settle on a choice. She says that she was brought up in a totally ((usual/ commonly and regular/ healthy)/generally and consistent/sound), loving gang. She guarantees that she doesn 't drink to (ignore/not notice) herself, rather to end up herself.
One’s wellbeing is determined by physical and emotional health. In health sciences students learn about body and brain functioning. Emotions,stress and decision-making have a significant impact on mental and physical health. Alcoholism is often a coping mechanism resulting in negative health consequences. David Sedaris’ mother is probably and alcohol, and her addiction has a negative impact on herself and her family. A common trope in pop culture is the drink a mother or a father pour themselves after a long day to relieve some of the stress of a daily routine . In fact, many studied have shown that in moderation, alcohol can actually have health benefits. However, when one abuses alcohol, the consequences are oftentimes disastrous and the repercussions of alcohol abuse are longterm. In his essay ”Let it snow”, David Sedaris demonstrates the consequences of his mother’s alcoholism. The emotional, physical and long-term effects of alcoholism are central to his family’s health.
Knapp begins Drinking A Love Story by making it known to the readers in the prologue, a brief overview regarding what happened in the memoir by saying “I fell in love and then, because the love was ruining everything I cared about, I had to fall out” (Knapp 1). This briefly gave the readers a grasp on the order of the story. Although it didn’t specifically lay out the details within the story, it quickly gave the
Alcohol is very popular amongst all ages of women whether they drink before or after 21 years old or. Women are seen as vulnerable and weak, which is a typical stereotype society defines. A reason why women may drink is indefinite. There is not an exact reason why women drink, but there are many reasons why may one drink. Reasons may consist of positivity and/ or negativity for alcohol; however, there are many negative effects on women. Women drink in order to have fun and get loose, or if they are stressed and feel overwhelmed. Consumption of alcohol is every day, but people may not know what it is composed of. There are ingredients that people do not realize that would be in an alcoholic beverage. It is important for women to know what they are putting into their bodies. As women drink more, the more likely women are known to have a disorder. Eating disorders can play a big factor in drinking.