To End Teen Alcohol Abuse - Research Paper Example

A Media Campaign To End Teen Alcohol Abuse (London Daily Mail 2008) Owing to its legality, alcohol is ubiquitous in many societies around the world and many individuals engage in alcohol consumption. In North America alcohol can be found in liquor stores, neighborhood convenience stores, grocery stores as well as in your local bar. Although alcohol is prevalent and easily accessible, it remains a harmful drug with the potential to kill, ruin lives and destroy families. Accordingly, one of the most insidious aspects of alcohol is that it is so freely available that we forget that it is a harmful drug with important health ramifications as well as a many important social consequences for individuals who choose to over indulge in alcohol. Alcohol-related fatalities remain an important concern across the globe and alcohol abuse has been proven to lead to conflict and violence. Seeking to explore the ramifications of alcohol use and abuse teenagers within society, the following will analyze the negative ramifications of teenage alcohol use and present a media campaign aimed at ending teenage alcohol abuse. According to Australia’s The Age, teenagers who binge drink (meaning drinking in excessive amounts) in early years, run a higher risk of alcohol dependency later in life. This was the conclusion of a 10-year study conducted by the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Accordingly, this study of 2,000 Australian teenagers found that alcohol abuse by teenagers can led to alcohol dependence as early as in their mid-20s. As such, "They need the alcohol to keep functioning," according to Yvonne Benomo, medical officer for Youth Substance Abuse Service. "So when they're not drinking, they feel dreadful." Alcohol dependency later in life is just one of the many important ramifications of teenage alcohol abuse (Dunn, 2003). There are many other consequences of alcohol use for teenagers including health problems, an increased risk for accidents and anti-social behavior. Teenagers who drink are more likely to drink in excess and this can cause damage to the growing bodies and minds of young people. According to the US Federal Government, “Exposing the brain to alcohol during this period (under 21 years old) may interrupt key processes of brain development” and “alcohol–induced brain damage may persist.” (Hanson, 2009). Long term effects of alcohol abuse include liver damage and impaired organ functioning. In addition to the health risks – not to mention hangovers and the ensuing effects of alcohol on everybody – young people are also more prone to take risky behavior while under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol use leads to drunk driving, accidents and other dangerous behavior. Injuries are common as people loose their inhibitions when drunk. Other social problems can include poor grades, dropping out of school and a handful of other anti-social behaviors. Young people face a variety of challenges growing up and alcohol use can only complicate an already complicated existence for young people today (Herd, 2001). Direct Consequences of Alcoholism The psychological and biological consequences of excessive alcohol intake can have a direct impact on the lives of individual drinkers. The effects of alcohol abuse include distortion of cognition and perception, disinhibition, bad judgment and attention deficit. All of these factors can lead to conflict with other individuals, especially after an alcohol user has drank. With the progression of time, alcohol abuse if compounded and alcoholics face a variety of social as well heath ramifications associated with their behaviour. From a health perspective, alcoholics face health complications including liver damage, heart failure, and an overall decreased life expectancy. Accordingly, it is estimated that alcoholics who continue drinking at a later stage in life may actually decrease their life expectancy by between 10-15 years. Alcoholics are also more likely to engage in other detrimental behaviors such as smoking cigarettes or taking illicit substances such as illegal drugs. These are important issues which need to be addressed but are beyond the scope of this particular assignment. We now turn to an analysis of physical ramifications of alcoholism (Herd, 2001). (Alcohol problem pictures, 2008) The Path of Alcohol through the Body Although prevalent and commonly accepted in Australian society as a normal part of day to day life, alcohol can have insidious consequences. Most often ingested, what are the physiological effects of alcohol? Alcohol enters the body through mouth and reaches both the stomach and then small intestine, where it enters the blood stream. The heart pumps the ingested alcohol throughout body and this is how if reaches important functioning areas such as the brain and liver. The liver oxidizes alcohol into water, carbon dioxide, and energy at a rate of 0.5 oz per hour. It is through this method that alcohol consumption makes its way through the human body, often with deadly effects (Chudler, 2008). The Mental Problems of Alcohol Addiction Teenagers can become more volatile due to alcohol related problems and as a result of an underdeveloped mental state. Accordingly, “alcohol is a potent drug that depresses the central nervous system and changes the way people think and feel” and there is extensive evidence that developing minds and bodies may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol. The earlier a young person begins drinking alcohol, the greater the risk of alcohol-related problems in later life. Alcohol can affect memory, reasoning and judgment drastically. A person under the influence of alcohol may not be able to function normally because of a reduced memory and also may not be able to make sound decisions. His or her judgment can be faulty under the influence of alcohol. Because of the above reasons drivers are often advised to abstain from driving while under the influence of alcohol. Teenagers thus are more prone to the effects of alcohol and a variety of physiological and psychological facts (Teenagers and Alcohol, 2006). In some cases alcohol influence can cause a mental state called a “blackout” in which the person may appear to be functioning and alert yet will have no recollection of events that have recently occurred. As White emphatically argues, Blackouts represent episodes of amnesia, during which subjects are capable of participating even in salient, emotionally charged events—as well as more mundane events—that they later cannot remember This is a more serious case as alcoholic blackout can affect the long term memory as well. Memories are classified as long term and short term. Under normal stage brain can convert short term memories to long term memories. A person under blackout stage may not be able to convert this short term memory into long term memory as alcohol basically affects the transfer or encoding of information from short term to long term (White, 2004). The figure given below indicates the effects of alcohol on memory functioning: (White, 2004) The Effects of Alcohol on the Brain According to the Australian Federal Government, “there is no safe level of alcohol use for teenagers, especially those under the age of 18”. Even in small doses, the effects of alcohol on a person’s memory can be noticeable. A teenager’s ability to learn in a classroom setting can be seriously affected by alcohol since whatever is learnt may not be retained in long term memory. This can affect studies, examinations and students with impeded long term memories will have problems excelling in the academic realm. Accordingly, the effects of alcohol abuse are compounded over time and get worse as the abuse continues. The best way to stave off the effects of alcohol use and abuse on one’s memory is to abstain from alcohol entirely. The diagram below emphatically demonstrates the effects of alcohol abuse on the brain by looking at both the corpus callous and the brain’s ventricles, comparing one individual with a normal brain and one which exposes the deleterious effects of alcohol abuse. As you can see, the physical differences in brain structure are astounding (Teenagers and Alcohol, 2006). (Chudler, 2008) Alcohol also affects a person’s ability to rest, sleep and renew him or herself each and everyday. An adequate amount of sleep is necessary for optimal mental and physical health, especially for students and teenagers. Alcohol influence considerably reduces a person’s sleep cycle and hence the physical and mental functionality of the person is also reduced. “Cellular damage from alcohol is also responsible for a condition known as neuropathy. Symptoms of neuropathy include alternating feelings of pain, burning, numbness, and weakness in the hands and feet.” In any case alcohol can depress the normal thinking pattern of a person because of the depressive ramifications associated with ingesting alcohol (Central Nervous System, n.d). Woman, Babies and Alcohol Use Women who use alcohol can cause harm to themselves as well as to their unborn child. Alcohol abuse within the family can begin while the child is still in the womb and fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is just one extreme manifestation of the effects of alcohol abuse on the family unit. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol in excess (or even sometimes in moderate amounts) this can have important ramifications on the future health status of the baby. The effects of FAS include permanent damage to the Central Nervous System resulting in a handful of cognitive and functional disabilities. Although FAS is an important concern affecting approximately 2 cases per 1,000 live births, alcohol-related family conflict can occur throughout one’s social life. (Herd 2001). How does alcohol affect the unborn and what are the ramifications of alcohol use by expecting mothers? Since the fetus is fed through the placenta, the drinking habits of a pregnant woman can affect her child both before as well as after the child is born. Because it is growing in the womb, alcohol can have a whole series of negative effects on the newborn baby. Some of the possible side effects of alcohol use by pregnant woman and leading to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), are listed in the figure given below. (Herd, 2001) Australian Alcohol Guidelines for Teenage Drinking The Australian government understands that alcohol use by young people is a serious national problem which needs to be addressed by all levels of society. As a result of the increased concern associated with teenage alcohol use and abuse, the national authorities have proposed as series of guidelines for teenage alcohol ingestion. They are as follows: young people should not drink to become intoxicated; where alcohol is available to them, young people should be under adult supervision at all times; young people should keep their drinking to a minimum and never drink above the level set for adults - preferably they should drink less; teenagers should not drink at all for several hours before undertaking risky activities such as climbing, swimming, or working with machinery or cars; a gradual, supervised introduction to alcohol is recommended; and alcohol should never be mixed with other drugs (Teenagers and Alcohol, 2006) Accordingly, the number of drinkers remains almost same for the last two decades in Australia irrespective of the global increase of alcohol consumption. “Out of 45 developed countries surveyed in 2005 for alcohol consumption, Australia ranked 22nd in per-capita consumption.” From 1991 and 2007, for Australians 14 years and older, alcohol consumption has remained largely unchanged. Despite this, the Australian authorities have put a renewed emphasis on making young people in this country aware of the consequences of alcohol abuse on growing minds and bodies (Alcohol Consumption in Australia, 2008). Evaluation of Effectiveness of the Campaign This campaign has been incredibly effective in pointing out the risks of alcohol use and abuse b young Australians by focusing on the major consequences of alcohol use by young people today. From the standpoint of a Conflict Theory perspective, young people may drink to rebel against authority, their parents, teachers, etc. Understanding that young people today may not be fully informed about the consequences of alcohol use, this media campaign has sought to increase the knowledge of young people when it comes to the ramifications of alcoholic behavior and general alcohol use. Alcohol use and abuse is unfortunately quite common. Although alcohol is prevalent and easily accessible, alcohol remains a harmful drug with the potential to kill, ruin lives and destroy families. Alcohol abuse has been proven to lead to conflict and violence and has extensive ramifications with respect to the social relations of an alcoholic. Seeking to explore the ramifications of alcohol use and abuse on conflicts within society, this essay began with a concise overview of the problems associated with alcohol use, and analyzed the direct consequences of alcoholism on young people today. We explored the path of alcohol through the body and provided a nice physiological diagram to explain how alcohol enters the bloodstream and affects the internal organs. This was followed by an analysis of the mental problems of alcohol addiction as well as the effects of alcohol on the brain. Our section on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and woman, babies and alcohol use was targeted towards young women and expecting mother. Finally, we concluded with the Australian Alcohol Guidelines for Responsible Teenage Drinking. Alcoholism remains an important problem which causes a variety of problems in Australian society. Only by addressing the root cause of these problems and letting young people know what can happen when alcohol is abused, can these conflicts be resolved. REFERENCES Alcohol. (2008). Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from http://www.alcohol.gov.au/ Alcohol and Your Body. (2008). Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/atod/alc_aayb.htm Alcohol Consumption in Australia. (2008). Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from http://www.drinkwise.com.au/Corporate/Library/AlcoholConsumptioninAustralia/tabid/302/language/en-US/Default.aspx Central Nervous System. (n.d.). Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/alcohol/lt-effect/lteffect-centralnerv.htm Chudler E. H. (2008) Neuroscience for kids, Alcohol and the Brain, Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/alco.html Dunn, A. (2003). “Teenage binge drinkers set course for life”. The Age. September 6, 2003. Last Accessed May 28 2009, http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/05/1062549019904.html Hanson, Dr. DJ. (2001) "Drinking Alcohol Damages Teenagers’ Brains". Alcohol: Problems and Solutions. Last Accessed March 23 2009, http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/healthissues/1127400726.html Herd, D. (2001). Alcohol and Conflict. New York: Plenum Press, 2001. Teenagers and Alcohol: A Guide for Parent.s (2006). Retrieved on May 26, 2009 fromhttp://www.alcohol.gov.au/internet/alcohol/publishing.nsf/Content/brochure-teen-alcohol Slack, J. (2008). “Home Secretary admits majority of 13-year-olds drink as she threatens £1,000 fine for parents of binge-drinking children”. London Daily Mail. Last Accessed May 28 2008 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-512572/Home-Secretary-admits-majority-13-year-olds-drink-threatens-1-000-fine-parents-binge-drinking-children.html White A. M. (2001). What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, and the Brain. Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm Read More