The Dangers of Alcoholism

Causes of drinking and driving are various. Some partake in this crime to gain attention from their peers, while some do it solely because their judgment is impaired and it seems like it is not that big of a deal. After the consumption of alcohol, the brain basically processes information at a slower pace than usual. For example, if a drunk person is driving, they cannot see objects at a distance. They also cannot fully pay attention to his or her surroundings, specifically on the road (Mendralla & Grosshandler

For example, after drinking alcohol, men expect to feel more powerful and aggressive (Stanford University, 1999). This increases their expectancy of certain outcomes, especially in sexual situations. Thus, drinking alcohol may cause men to misinterpret a woman's behavior as a sign of her desire to have sex with him. On the other hand, when a woman consumes alcohol, it can cause her to ignore or miss a cue that an assault is possible or likely to happen (Antonia, 1991). Alcohol can also keep a woman from realizing that her friendly behavior is being misperceived as seduction. Studies have shown that intoxicated and sober men are inclined to misperceive friendliness as a sign of sexual interest, so this is a great danger to women (Stanford University, 1999). Alcohol consumption can also decrease the likelihood that a woman can successfully resist an assault, verbally or physically. Additionally, women become intoxicated faster than men. This occurs for two reasons: women generally weigh less and have less water in their bodies than men, so the alcohol is less diluted and has a greater impact on their bodies. (Stanford University, 1999). Women do not metabolize alcohol as efficiently as men, which makes them more vulnerable to the consequences of drinking.

Individual tolerance vary upon their ability to metabolize alcohol. Genetics has been proven to influence the metabolic rate of alcohol in the liver. Furthermore, this affects the metabolism of alcohol depending on

*Sex: If a woman drinks the same amount as a man, she will tend to have a higher BAC.
* Body mass: Alcohol becomes more concentrated if people have a larger body mass. This means their blood alcohol concentration will be lower as a result.
* Body fat: People a higher body fat percentage are usually prone to having a higher BAC. This is because fat cannot absorb alcohol like other types of tissue.
Low blood alcohol concentration: The effects of low blood concentration can be felt at a BAC of about 0.03-0.05% and may include light-headedness, relaxation, and a release of inhibitions.Most drinkers experience mild euphoria and become more social.

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.

Drinking and driving is a wide spread practice. Drinking while driving is a main factor in traffic crashes. There are several things we should know about alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant. It interferes with all judgment, lowers alertness, and slows the normal reflexes. Some people think they feel stimulated after the consumption of alcohol. They feel this way because their inhibitions are lowered, causing loss of caution and self control. It simply doesn’t matter if you are drinking wine, whiskey, or beer- it’s the amount of alcohol you let enter your body.

Alcohol is a drug that is classified as a central nervous system depressant. There are three forms of alcohol, beer, wine and distilled spirits. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States and has more adverse effects that most other drugs combined. There are many aspects to consider when thinking about alcohol as a drug. There are many myths surrounding alcohol, including who uses it, what its effects are on users, social and sexual situations and the amounts people drink. The vast majority of the American population uses alcohol and in many various ways and this also causes different effects. Alcohol is also has a great causation in crimes committed by users, social, medical, and educational problems as a result

When it comes to drinking quickly the negative impact occurs more quickly in women. Men have more experience than women which leads them to drinking as a way to cope with distress. While men are upset they are more likely to crave alcohol. Men are more likely to drink in ways that are harmful. 24% of men are two times more likely to binge drink than women. Gender pathways are different which causes us to react differently. Most women don’t have as much water weight than men of similar body weight, which makes women to have higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking the same amounts of alcohol. A Woman absorbs about 30% more alcohol into her bloodstream than a man of the same weight who has consumed an equal amount which causes her to get drunk much quicker. A woman’s brain and other organs tend to be more harmed to more alcohol, as well as to more of the potentially harmful by-products which are meant to help you result in the body break down and eliminates

The sole method for consumption of alcohol is drinking. However, it comes in various increasing content levels being beer, wine, liquor, and spirits. Marijuana usually does not come in varying THC contents so this a substantial difference. Likewise to marijuana, social drinkers need as much people as possible to participate in order to have the greatest experience possible. For example, a heavy drinker in high school peer pressures his friends into taking shots with him at a local party. Since people’s ambitions are lessened as a whole, the heavy drinker can engage in rambunctious dancing or naughty actions without fear of humiliation. Moreover, drinkers can get poisoned when too much is taken into a person’s system in too small amount of time. They also can suffer from alcoholism, which is a chronic, alcohol dependant, disease that can ruin lives if not treated successfully. Lastly, drunk drivers are at the forefront of all traffic-related deaths, so decision making when intoxicated is an enormous health risk.

Alcohol is a substance that has numerous diverse affects on the body-both positive and negative. Alcohol not only kills brain cells, but when taken in profusion it has almost no constructive affects. Sure it can make one overlook his/her problems, but the consequences of drinking in excess far outweigh the benefits. It is not a crime to get drunk, however alcohol will almost always cause one to conduct them self in a way he or she would not normally behave. For instance, a sober man will not usually drive ninety-five mph down I-95, however, after consuming a good amount of alcohol, his eyesight, judgement, reflexes and abilities are hindered to the point that he feels

Some may have more food in their stomach than others.(Langone, Book 45) Food becomes a big factor when you are drinking. (Langone, Book, 45) If you have a lot of food in your stomach to absorb the alcohol, instead of it being absorbed into your blood stream, then you won't be intoxicated as fast. (Langone, Book, 45) Weight can also determine your tolerance and speed of intoxication(Langone, Book 45) Since our bodies are 70% water, alcohol is diluted some. A small person has less water for the alcohol to dilute in than someone who is bigger. (Langone, Book 45) A single drink may even be all it takes to impair judgment. (www.alcolimit.com November 27) Some people believe that by becoming a "seasoned" drinker they are more tolerant to the alcohol they put into their bodies.(Langone, Book, 85) However being a seasoned drinker does not make you use to alcohol because you can become seriously impair by even the smallest quantities.(Langone, Book, 85) The effects of alcohol is different among all people depending on size, weight, time and amount of alcohol consumed.

     …some men and women use drinking games as a format for demonstrating      interest in a potential romantic partner. Both men and women reported relatively      high frequencies of having been told that someone else was trying to get them      drunk during a game in order to have sex. In many drinking games, players can      identify another player and make that player drink. That targeting of another      person by making them drink may sometimes not be intended to incapacitate that      person, but merely be a (perhaps dangerous) way of getting someone's attention.      (304)

Alcoholism is a very serious disease, which can cause illness, death, injuries, schooling problems, family breakups, and crime. It is a proven fact the alcohol kills more people than any other illegal drugs combined. However, alcohol courses freely through American society, from college bars to corporate lunches. In a recent journal article by The Scientist, it is stated, "Technology shows alcohol abuse changes brain's molecular programming and circuitry? (Scientist). Thus revealing that alcohol is a quick fix that will hurt us all in the long run.

Many believe that alcohol affects women much more than it does men. This can sometimes be because men are much bigger than women are but at the same time, men usually metabolize faster when means that their bodies can break down the toxins much quicker. Studies have shown that women are more vulnerable than men are too many of the medical consequences of alcohol use. For example, alcoholic women develop cirrhosis, alcohol induced damage of the heart muscle (i.e., cardiomyopathy), and nerve damage (i.e., peripheral neuropathy) after fewer years of heavy drinking than do alcoholic men (National Institute on Alcohol abuse, 2004). Studies comparing men and women’s sensitivity to alcohol-induced brain damage, however, have not been as conclusive.

In terms of having fun, there are many other ways to without drinking alcohol - alcohol often causes you to lose your judgement. Some people may drink alcohol because of peer pressure - but always say NO, and tell someone. YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON, and no-one has the RIGHT to put you in danger like this. You may also drink because of peer infulence. This is when you are influenced by the people around you. Again, you are your own person - don't do things because you see other people do them. Just because your underage friends are doing it, is it really right?