Moderate Drinking Essay, Research Paper

Moderate Drinking

Alcoholism is a serious subject that relates to everyone in our society. The question of whether alcoholism should be allowed or not, forms an argument whether alcohol if drank in moderation is good for recovery or not. Many people drink in moderation to control their drinking problems, but the counter argument says it’s addictive. Not only are they destroying their liver, but they are also taking a risk of getting in trouble by the law. There are a lot of issues that come up about drinking, but maybe these people can not stop one day to the next. It doesn’t make them bad people if they are trying to quit by drinking in moderation.

It seems that in our society, a person is either a “social” drinker or an “alcoholic.” Sometimes people drink to relieve anxiety over relationships, work, and money. There are a lot of risk factors that go with drinking alcohol such as anxiety, tension, erosion, vomiting, liver disease, and cessation of menses in women, but that is why there is such a thing as drinking in moderation. Drinking in moderation consists of no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men.

What is one drink?

? 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (80 proof)

? 5 ounces of wine

? 12 ounces of regular beer

As long as alcohol is consumed moderately, some of the disorders that are caused by drinking will be least likely to occur.

When people seek help from traditional alcohol abuse treatment systems, they are immediately labeled as an “alcoholic” and told they must quit alcohol altogether. It is no wonder that many people continue to over drink. They are stuck between a treatment system that says, “we are powerless victims of disease and incapable of changing behavior”(Gilliam 17). Familiar with these belief and treatment systems, people do not seek help when they discover they have a problem with overdrinking. If people were offered a more moderate approach to their problem drinking, they would seek help earlier and have a better chance to moderate their drinking and avoid becoming an “alcoholic.”

Most drinkers do not have a genetic predisposition for alcoholism. They develop a drinking problem in response to the ups and downs of daily life. Most drinkers suffer from years of alcohol abuse before they cross the line to alcoholism. If people drink light it can reduce stress and the risk of heart disease. Sensible alcohol consumption can factor into longer life expectancy. Moderate drinkers have also been shown to outlive heavy drinkers. On the other side of the

argument, society complains that the legal alcohol consumption needs to be stopped. They complain without realizing the reason why people consume alcohol. The reasons behind consuming alcohol could be problems that the person is having in

their life. The “alcoholic” wants to get over alcoholism but it just takes time.

Doctors do not know the real reason why alcoholics drink. Studies indicate many people drink alcoholic beverages to escape from tensions, frustrations, and anxieties. Some people handle everyday tensions by developing psychological defenses. The “alcoholic” tolerance for daily stress is so low that he or she resorts to alcohol as a drug for relief. The “alcoholic” usually believes that only by drinking alcohol can he make his life bearable. Even though these reasons make the average “alcoholic” seem as a bad person, Doctor Boshes believes “the individual who is an “alcoholic” has violent reactions when he cannot obtain the usual amounts of alcohol”(Bender 66). This is the reason why drinking in moderation plays an important role to the end of alcoholism for an “alcoholic.”

Amy Alcott’s opinion is that “alcoholism is a complex disorder for which a combination of treatments may be necessary for recovery. If the alcoholic is in the acute phase of alcoholism and is suffering from complications such as delirium tremens or serious health problems, hospitalization may be necessary. We can not make an alcoholic commit him or herself to recovery”(Bender 89). Some therapists suggest that family members may influence the alcoholic by not supporting drinking activities, by seeking therapy for themselves, and by not joining in the alcoholic’s denial of the problem. Alcoholism is sometimes thought of as a family disease. This is why allowing the alcoholic to drink socially may limit his or her drinking. This is a way in which family members can aid the progress of the alcoholic’s recovery.

Social and cultural factors may play a role in establishing drinking patterns

and alcoholism. Among some cultures there is conflict between values of abstinence

and the acceptance of alcohol as a usual way to change moods or to be sociable. These conflicts within the culture may make it difficult for some people to develop their own stable attitudes and moderate patterns of drinking.

Even though the “alcoholic” may realize the danger, the short term rewards are so great and the urge is so powerful that the drinking habit has to be protected, and its adverse effects denied. Support groups such as “Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)” try to hold reasons like this against “alcoholics.” An ex-alcoholic that came out of the A.A. program named Marianne Gilliam had over three and a half years of sobriety before she decided to drink champagne on her wedding day. The reasons behind this was the fear based A.A. message of “If you drink again, you’ll die”(Gilliam 263) was repeating constantly in her mind. The twelve-step program that the A.A. provides seemed to put fear in people’s minds instead of hope. This lead Gilliam to depend on moderation to help stop her drinking problem.

Making “alcoholics” feel that they are different from other people by disease is not the answer to the end of alcoholism. Drinking alcohol in moderation will slowly prevent the alcoholic from alcoholism. If we allow alcohol to be drank in moderation it will prevent drinkers from becoming what society calls a disease “alcoholism.”

Bender, David L. Alcoholism. San Diego: Wekessor, 1994.

Gillian, Marianne. How Alcoholics Anonymous Failed Me. New York: Morrow, 1998.