Alcoholism Essay, Research Paper

What influences why people start drinking alcohol? How and why does peer pressure effect alcohol consumption? How and why does media effect alcohol consumption? How and why does stress effect alcohol consumption? How and why does family effect alcohol consumption? What is the leading factor that leads to alcohol consumption? Do some people have more then one of these factors effecting why they start drinking? How do these factors effect how much a person drinks? Do these factors lead to people becoming alcoholics? All these questions lead to the answer, that stress, heredity, the media and peer pressure are big factors on people’s drinking habits. Also, that many of these people won’t have positive results from giving into the media or peer pressure; going down the same path as their family; or by trying their problems of stress with alcohol. Many of these times the people may become alcoholics.

First, does stress influence alcohol consumption? Yes, stress influences alcohol consumption. Stress is one of the leading factors to alcohol consumption. People feel they have to have a drink to relax. Many people will go home or to a bar and have a beer to relax after a long day.

AHuman research to clarify the connection between alcohol and stress usually has been conducted using either population survey’s based on subject self-reports or expiremental studies. In many but not all of these studies, individuals report that they think in response to stress and do so far a variety of reasons. Studies indicate people drink as a means of copingwith economic stress, job stress, and marital problems.

This shows how stress causes people to start drinking. Also how people will feel overwhelmed by life and feel like alcohol is their one escape. This shows the many different problams people have that lead to their drinking.

AMuch research demonstrates taht alcohol actually induces the stress response by stimulating hormone release by the hypothalamus pituitary, and adrenal glands. This finding has been demonstrated in animal studies. In one study with the rats, the administration of alcohol initiated the physiological stress response measured by increased levels of corticoslerone. In adition to stimulating the hormonal stress response, chronic exposure to alcohol efects us, making us feel that alcohol helps to eas the stress.

This quoute shows how alcohol has a soothing feeling on the brain. In stressful situations alcohol will relax the person, giving the person a feeling of comfort. This shows how alcohol is the most available and most harmful drug out there.

Does heredity influence people to drink? Heredity does have atleast some influence on people, and their drinking habits. People raised in an alcoholic environment have a high chance of developing alcohol problems.

ANow, research indicates that while environment can play a part, so can heredity. Children or grandchildren of people who drink a lot during their reproductive years may be physically predisposed to becoming alcoholics themselves.

This quoute shows us how genes can effect a persons drinking habits. Heredity is a powerful force in this matter. This also states that if a mother drinks during pregnantce, that there is a high risk her child will develope alcohol problems.

Estimates are that one in four children of alcholics tend to develope alcohol dependency themselves, the other’s don’t.

These numbers show how high of a risk people, who’s parents drank, have of in having problems with drinking. This factor will not be the persons fault, especally if this person is unaware of this information.

How does media and advertising effect people drinking? The manufactorers want you to buy their products. They will do whatever they can to get you to buy their product and not someone elses. Many of these companies will try to minipulate you to try make u buy theirs. Some will try exciting you in a way to buy their product.

AResearch does indicate, that alcohol advertising contributes to increases in consumption by young people and serves as significant source of negative socialization of young people.Those who argue that peer pressure is the major influence on young people strangely overlook the role of advertising.

This research shows how people are effect and are unaware. People are being brain washed by advertisements and there is nothing they can do without knowledge. They are making people drink with many negative results.

AAnother perspective on the industry’s claim that it encourages only moderate drinking is provided by Robert Hammond, director of the Alcohol Research Information Service. He estimates that if all 105 million drinkers of legal age consumed the offical maximum Amoderate amout of alcoholC .99 ounces per day, the equivalent of about two drinksC the industry would suffer Aa whopping 40 percent decrease in the sale of beer, wine and distilled spirits. These statistics show the role heavy drinkers play in maintaining the large profit margins for the alcohol industry. Also how much of an influences it has on a persons mind. The advertising, depending on the person, can effect the amount of alcohol.

How does peer pressure effect a person to drink? Although many young people are effected by peer pressure. At parties kids can feel they have to drink to fit in, because no body wats to be an outkast, people want to fit in and be part of the majority. Kids feel they have to drink to make friends sometimes. This happens with adults too.

APeople who drink often socialize with other drinkers. It is not surprising, therefore, taht people who drink are more likely then nondrinkers to have problems relateed to someone else’s drinking. In 1993, 48% of people who had consumed alcohol reported having had a problem related to others’ drinking, compared with 34% of those who were former drinkers, and 29% of those who had never consumed alcohol. This pattern was similar amoung both men and women.

AHeavy drinkers were even more likely to have had problems related to other people’s drinking. Almost two- thirds of people who drank heavily on 1 to 6 occasions, and 39% of those who never drank heavily, reported problems with other people’s drinking.

These results show that not only kids but adults are effect by peer pressure. It shows that the people mostly effected by peer pressure are the ones who end up drinking more and more often.

There are many factors in why people begin drinking. These factors are different for everyone. But they do effect in one way or another, everybody. Many people react differently to these different factors. Heredity effects people through genes. The manufactorers use advertisement to manipulate people and get them to buy their product. Stress leads to alcohol because people will let stress win and try to sooth the pain by numbing it with alcohol. Peer pressure can effect anyone at any age by making a person feel like they have to drink to fit in.