Alcohol Abuse

    The reason why I think that alcohol is the most widely abused dangerous substance
in the world is because it is available almost everywhere. There are advertisements that are constantly persuading people to drink for their own pleasure. People can’t advertise drugs because they will get arrested by authorities. But governments and authorities think it is okay to advertise alcohol. For some people drinking alcohol has been something that has been done within their own family for many generations and now those people think that it is okay because it has become a habit or tradition. Another reason can be because there are ample quantities of alcohol that can be produced at an inexpensive cost. Other dangerous substances are most likely harder to produce.

Even though alcohol is classified as a depressant it can cause the initial reaction of a person drinking alcohol to feel exhilarated. The reason why this happens is because alcohol does release inhibitions. The inhibitions are a stimulant and it causes a faster reaction to the body than the alcohol itself. That’s why the initial reaction is exhilaration because the stimulant affects the body first. There are many physiological effects that alcohol consumption has on the brain and central nervous system. A 12 ounce of beer can be processed by the liver in about one hour. This causes the brain to be physiologically effected quickly in which the cerebellum will cause lack of coordination and slurred speech. For the nervous system, the reflexes originating from the spinal cord will decrease in response. This will also cause the muscles to relax. If too much alcohol is consumed, the body will stop working due to a cardiac arrest. B.A.C is short form blood alcohol content, which means the concentration of alcohol in someone’s blood. According to B.A.C standards 0.02-0.03 % (about 1 can of beer) of alcohol in the bloodstream is enough for someone to be intoxicated. In Pennsylvania, the B.A.C standard to be intoxicated is 0.08%. In New Jersey, the B.A.C standard to be intoxicated is 0.08%. In Delaware, the B.A.C standard to be intoxicated is also 0.08%.

The breathalyzer test is a breath alcohol testing device that measures the blood alcohol concentration in a person’s breath. Some of the field tests that are used at sobriety checkpoints include the following: one-leg stand, walk and turn, horizontal gaze nystagmus test, counting backwards, and reciting the alphabet. Alcoholic coma is when a person is unconscious because of high alcohol intoxication. The consequences of an alcoholic coma can be death. The level of B.A.C that causes alcoholic coma is 0.35% to 0.50%. In my opinion, the ramifications of a D.W.I conviction of a working individual would be a suspension of their license, a fine, and a negative report that is sent to their work places. For a parent, the ramifications would be endangering their child while they are driving and so inform others like schools of this problem so they can be aware and prepare the child as necessary. For a student, the ramifications would be the immediate removal of their license or permit and maybe serving some time in a juvenile jail.

Alcohol can destroy a whole family no matter what size or class they are. There are families where both parents are addicted to alcohol and they have children that are constantly watching what their parents are doing. Parents that are addicted to alcohol are endangering their own family and their generation. It is common for those parents to have severe stress and anger problems. Their stress and anger can even be taken against their kids. Parents will then abuse their child randomly for no reason. For instance, when a parent is suppose to lightly discipline a child for a small mistake, the alcoholic parents will instead physically abuse their child to a point where they are severely harming the child. Children are sensitive and this can create a childhood memory that can be trapped in their head for the rest of their lives; affecting the way how they act towards their parents and others. Those children often develop bad behaviors and manners from what they experience at home because they had no one responsible to tell them what to do. Most importantly, family members addicted to alcohol are actually destroying their own children, their own generation. There are various long-term physiological effects of alcohol in the human body like: peripheral arterial disease, heart attacks, strokes, metabolic syndrome, liver disease, osteoporosis, etc.


  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . Sources
 http://www.comchen.com/other-health/8850/http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol-poisoning/DS00861/DSECTION=causeshttp://chestofbooks.com/health/materia-medica-drugs/Pharmacology-Therapeutics-Prescription-Writing/Intoxicants-Alcohol-Part-8.htmlhttp://www.brad21.org/effects_at_specific_bac.htmlhttp://www.gbmlawpit...