Persuasive Essay On Drugs

The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War

“By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today” (PBS, nd). The result was the temperance movement. The Temperance movement was an anti-movement that swept across the country in the 1830s and 40s. The abolitionists tried to show that drinking alcohol was a sin and that the country needed to be cleansed. They called for a prohibition of alcohol. On January 17th, 1920, an amendment to the constitution was passed that banned the making, transporting, and selling of alcohol and other intoxicating beverages.

The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War

Protestants, urban political progressives, those of old-world religion, and the women’s temperance unions all agreed upon one thing: the outlaw of alcohol consumption in the United States. For many years, these groups all rallied to have this outlaw take place, this outlaw would later be known as Prohibition. In 1913, crusaders gathered in Washington, they marched and demanded change. In “The War on Alcohol” Lisa McGirr states, “Antiliquor crusaders worked to educate the public about the dangers of alcohol through posters, pamphlets, graphs and charts” (19).  Progressives blamed alcohol for many other “dirty” problems such as domestic violence, gambling and prostitution. What was commonly referred to as the Volstead Act (National Prohibition Act) was sent to the states by Congress on December 18,1917, it was passed on October 28,1919, and ratified on January 16, 1919 and the country went dry one year later when the eighteenth amendment went into effect on January 20,1919. Prohibition was a ban on producing, importing, transporting and selling alcohol beverages. While the goal of the ban was to reduce alcohol consumption and clean up the country, what it really did was cause organized crime to skyrocket, detrimentally affect local and national economies and ultimately cause people to drink a more potent alcohol that was far worse for them.

The years leading into the 1920's and the prohibition movement were marked with saloons, drunkenness, and a society of increasing alcohol consumption. America's changing social habits brought on the passage of the Eighteenth amendment in 1919, placing a nation-wide ban on intoxicating liquors. This amendment was to prevent the production, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages. As the new law was established, the problem of enforcing Americans to obey the law was a great task as bootleggers illegally continued to traffic alcohol. Throughout the temperance movement, numerous leaders came forth on both sides of the war against and for prohibition. The fight for prohibition and the reasoning behind it was not worth the

The introduction of prohibition in 1919 created numerous opinions and issues in American society. Prohibition had been a long standing issue in America, with temperance

The American alcohol prohibition of the 1920s, commonly referred to simply as “The Prohibition”, was a nationwide ban on the sale and distribution of alcoholic products, with the exception of the consumption of wine on religious occasions, spanning over 13 years (1920 to 1933). The ban was heavily supported by both Democrats and Republicans for varying reasons. Democrats believed that the ban must be enacted to combat alcoholism and the aggressive behaviour that it led to, mainly domestic violence. Republicans, on the other hand, most notably rural Protestants, feared that the popularity of alcohol will lead to drunkenness, which was considered sinful by God. In fact, even the Ku Klux Klan was heavily supportive of the Prohibition, as they

Lower classes binged on cheap liquor as a sign of independence from the upper class as well as products from the very forces they fought to gain their independence. However, the majority of drinkers chose a particular type of alcohol based on certain personal characteristics. These anxieties depend solely on both the level of motivation for achievement and the level of their aspirations. Many Americans drank previously to feel a sense of camaraderie with their fellow grogs. Those with low motivations had less confidence in their ability to reach targets suffered greater anxiety and this drank more. In the late 1920’s when America began to see accelerating economic growth, the temperance movement flourished. Americans started to realize their vitality and that liquor provided neither happiness for the individual nor a stable society. Temperance leaders used a few techniques to persuade people to quit drinking as well. They advocated religious faith as a way for people to ease the anxieties that led them to drink excessively. On the other hand, they also showed people that drinking was not only a source of that very anxiety, but it was also a source for additional anxiety. 5 In 1830, the annual per capita consumption of alcohol among Americans stood at its all-time high of 3.9 gallons. That is to say that, on average, every man, woman, and child in the United

The absence of alcohol left a void in different aspects of civilized life. For some this was a past time activity that filled free time. For others this was considered a necessity of life that required constant attention. Prohibition laws were meant to apply social pressure that carried out a smaller groups agenda on a larger groups. The reaction was a mere causality of reciprocation for the limitation. So the plunge into depravity became acceptance of certain selfish actions that benefited the desire.

The prohibition of alcohol started off as the Temperance movement, a movement made by a number of societies who attempted to discourage the people from being intoxicated. The Temperance movement felt that alcohol wasn’t the solution to any problem, and that it was the main reason crime and murder took place. The

“Several Native American civilizations developed alcoholic beverages in pre-Columbian times. A variety of fermented beverages from the Andes region of South America were created from corn, grapes or apples, called “chichi,” written in an article by Drug Free World organization (A Drug Free World, P.1). From the beginning of America there has always been alcohol/alcoholism. Drinking also has shaped the land in the 1700s and 1800s. Most areas of social life was at the gin mill or tavern. Experts say that the Revolution from England beginnings started in a tavern. Then “The nineteenth century brought a change in attitudes and the temperance movement began promoting the moderate use of alcohol—which ultimately became a push for total prohibition,” said Drug Free World (A Drug Free World, P.1). Today alcohol is widely accepted as well as demonized at the same time for those who drink it before the legal age.

During the 1920s, due to the rise in temperance movements and religious drive to outlaw the consumption of alcohol, Prohibition was officially instated. Unprepared for by the government, a new illegal business opportunity resulted because many Americans were defiant towards the new amendment and were determined to drink as they saw fit. This was the illegal importation and distribution of liquor in the United States. Due to the enactment of Prohibition, the unlawful smuggling of alcohol provided economic opportunities for few but affected the majority with its health, legal, and safety risks.

Many people view drugs as a danger to civilization, believing that there is no good to come from the use of these evil substances. On the other hand, some people are able to find positives in drug use, saying that they can help with common issues that people face in their daily lives. In recent years, previously outlawed drugs, such as marijuana, have come to the forefront of the news, creating tremendous debate on whether or not it should be a legal drug. Although some states have accepted the drug, much of the country is apprehensive to join the movement as they are worried about all of the risks that come with drug use. In part to all of the advances in technology over the years, scientists have been able to research many of the common drugs used in today’s society to answer the heavily debated question: Are drugs as dangerous as people perceive?

Drug abuse is an issue growing exponentially among the citizens of the USA. Drugs abuse is extremely detrimental to the user and all those who are close to the user. Millions of people use drugs all across the globe, as a matter of fact, USA is the largest drug market in the world. Major cities of USA are in the grasp of drug jeopardy, equally important, college and high school students help sustain this evil. Drug abuse directly impacts an enormous amount of people in the USA. Drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and marijuana play a large role in ruining the life of a user. The US federal government requires the fortification of drug laws in order to preserve the vital well being of its citizens.

One of the biggest problems in today's society is the abuse of drugs. The leading cause of death among teenagers, occurs within the abuse of drugs. Drugs not only cause death among teenagers, but within adults as well. One of the leading causes of death in the world from human error is the abuse of drugs. A total of 570,000 people die from the overuse of drugs every year. (“Drug facts Chat Day: Drug Use.” ) Drugs not only can cause fatalities or injuries, but can psychologically manipulate the brain. Most drugs affect the part of brain known as the “reward circuit” by flooding the system with dopamine. (“Abuse, National Institute on Drug.” ) Dopamine allows the body to receive more of pleasurable feeling, which causes people to repeat the use of drugs over and over. In 2015, it was estimated that 27.1 million people abused the use of drugs. (“How many people die from drugs each year?” ) Drugs not only damage the bodies of the ones who consume them, but can cost the lives of many others, and even lead to the depression of those who lose someone to drugs. Law enforcement's need to enforce harsher forms of laws to end drug abuse and schools need to thoroughly educate the downside of drugs more aggressively among students as well within their families.