Small Towns Sociology

Imagine growing up in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business and the nearest Wal-Mart is almost an hour away; then imagine attending a school where the amount of student attending is the same number of people who occupy a small town. The size difference is substantial and plays an important role. When I was younger, I had attended both a small town school and a school in the city. I have had the chance to experience the different lifestyles of these two variations of living. The development of who I am today was because of my surroundings. In the city, I noticed there was different opportunities. The opportunities seemed more readily available depending on funding and sources; which are dependant on the location. Education, development, and opportunities are widely known to be affected by environmental factors; thus, people who live in the city have a different experience than those who reside in small towns.

Gratefully, my life has not been impacted negatively by alcohol. But after reflecting on my past experiences, alcohol has been involved greatly in my life, although it may not have been negatively. Since I was young, I have remembered observing family members drinking alcohol and pondering if whether their decisions were just. I was raised in an atmosphere, where alcohol was demonstrated as not a harmful thing, but shown as a privileged activity that adults did. Most of my family’s gatherings always had alcohol included, it became a natural occurrence and it seemed abnormal if it was absent. My family doesn’t need alcohol as an item in order to have fun, but we use alcohol as a special luxury to celebrate joyful events. We also don’t indulge

“80 percent of teen-agers have tried alcohol, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in the top three causes of death among teens: accidents, homicide and suicide” (Underage, CNN.com pg 3). Students may use drinking as a form of socializing, but is it really as good as it seems? The tradition of drinking has developed into a kind of “culture” fixed in every level of the college student environment. Customs handed down through generations of college drinkers reinforce students' expectation that alcohol is a necessary ingredient for social success. These perceptions of drinking are the going to ruin the lives of the students because it will lead to the development alcoholism. College students who drink a lot, while in a college

Alcohol consumption amongst the youth is now the new future and the way teenagers tend to live their life. It is apart of the Australian norm and culture however, what drives the younger youth to drink?. Australians accept alcohol as a social drug yet it is responsible for the most related deaths amongst the teenage population. Social aspects such as ones peers, gender, risk taking behaviour and environmental factors all relate back to alcohol. The idea of culture is linked with religion, Indigenous practices coupled with parenting skills also leading to consumption. Finally, an economical approach can be explored when dealing with commercializing beverages, pricing and health expenditures. All these concepts interrelate then become an excuse for one

Some research studies show relation from parental influence and upbringing of a child to underage drinking (Ary, Tildesley, Hops, Andrews 1993). In this study conducted by Ary et al., 173 families with two children were questioned. The object of the examination was to explore the attitudes and beliefs parents were teaching their children about the consumption of alcoholic substances. Within the study a mother, father, sibling and the target teenager undertook a self-assessment to measure their alcohol

In American culture especially, drinking is seen as a rite of passage or assimilation into adulthood. Young people in many cultures are introduced to drinking early in life, as a normal part of daily living. Whereas in America, drinking at a young age is looked down upon, the reverse is true in societies that maintain the best moderate drinking practices. The idea of a minimum as before someone should be protected from alcohol is alien in China and France. Children learn to drink early in Zambia by taking small quantities when they are sent to buy beer; children in France, Italy, and Spain are routinely given wine as part of a meal or celebration. In the United States, the legal age to drink varies dramatically form others around the world but is still look upon as a step into adulthood. Though attitudes and behaviors vary in different places, drinking can be seen as a routine way of assimilating a youth into their respective culture’s social customs.

If we want to stop the alarming rise in the number of high school and college kids abusing alcohol, we have to figure out first why they 're doing it. (Ruth Ann.). There are many reasons of teens drinking, such as: enjoyment, stress, social groups, etc. In countries where socialization to drinking is the norm, teens learn how to drink with moderation and avoid to get drunk. Imagine a young boy who started drinking on his early

Younger age people will be crazy and cannot control themselves, which are people who are under 19. In a national survey, 27% had used alcohol, which increased to 66%by 12 grades. In the second national survey among high school seniors, about 20% binge drank, consuming 5 drinks on one occasion, in a two week period time to finish the survey. Drinking is like a drug that your body can’t hold for a long time and can bring to craziness. Younger age people are drinking and are making bad decisions. Younger age people who are under 19 are immature . They are not mature yet because they need to make the right choices to do. What if the family members are harmed or something bad happens and people will be mad at family members. Younger age people will be fighting with families and be separated. It is not good for the younger age people. Over Drinking that leads to unconsciousness can affect the brain. Consuming large amounts of alcohol a regular basis can be a serious health issue. Effect-able to your brain and cause many health issues for drinking alcohol. Alcohol is a drug that can affect your nervous system. Heavy drinking can harm in your college age. High school and college kids view dangers of binge drinking. They will get into fights and hurt each other in people.fights when you don't know that what you are fighting for. It has a relaxing effect when people consume alcohol, so they won’t know what

A youth’s social abilities can be destroyed by underage drinking. Socialization skills are key when a minor is growing up. A minor struggles to find their own independence and find themselves, therefore creating a distance from family relationships and creating new bonds with peers. The youth tend to try to be similar to each other to fit in with the rest, and as a result, children may be pressured into drinking alcohol. When these minors start to drink heavily and frequently, they may develop self esteem issues, depression, disorders, antisocial behavior, and anxiety. This makes underage drinkers more withdrawn from their peers and families than their peers who choose not to drink. Peers who don’t drink do not tend to associate and be friends with the group of people that do drink. This can lead to isolation and also disdain from those who do

Historically teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13-24 tend to lack the maturity and capability to exercise the proper judgement to temper their alcohol consumption.

Those in favor of lowering the drinking age also claim that social norms play a major role in perception of alcohol, which is believe to end in the justification of binge drinking. Key social constraints such as community acceptance and perceived influence of the political power of the alcohol industry that work to divert attention from commercial sources of alcohol for those that are underage. Other social aspects of the cultural and policy environment in communities affect the issue of alcohol use in youth. Exposure to billboards, magazines, and

When they have the opportunity to drink, they do so in an irresponsible manner because drinking by these youth is seen as a badge of rebellion against authority and a symbol of adulthood. Clearly, this kind of devious attitude does not encourage responsible drinking.

Alcohol is a harmful drug consumed by many including young people ranging from the ages 15 to 29. Meanwhile alcohol does have some benefits when drank in moderation as an adult, when it comes to young people there is only negative impacts both psychically and mentally resulting in dangerous and life altering outcomes. What many seem to forget is that not only does alcohol effect the individual but also has a negative impact on their family, loved ones and community.

Social influences include low socio-economic status of the individual, low levels of parental guidance and education, family or domestic issues at home, presence of a history of alcoholism in the family, lack of rules on alcohol use in the family setting and peer pressure.

Every problem has a beginning, where the domino effect starts. In most cases people get started drinking not because they like it, but because it is illegal and it gives them a chance to rebel. The so-called “rebel” becomes bored of drinking alone and eventually seeks “company” when they are drinking. The only catch is that the “rebel” can not be the only one drinking so the “company” has to drink. This is where the problem with peer pressure and teenage drinking begins and the first domino starts the chain reaction. There are two types of peer pressure. There is direct peer pressure where a subject’s peers actually force him into having a drink. There is also indirect peer pressure where the subject enters a setting and his peers are drinking so he decides to have a drink to fit in with the rest of his peers (Articles-Teenage Drinking 2). Surveys show that alcohol abuse is related to teenage activities such as going on dates and going to parties (Teenage Alcohol Misuse 2).