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English 111 G/H Rhetoric
and Composition
Sample E3
Alcohol consumption in American is at an all time high.
Along with the consumption, alcohol abuse is affecting 36-43
million people at one point in their lives. Alcoholism not only
affects the user, but family members must also deal with the
condition. What leads a person to become an alcoholic? It may
be a combination of various outside forces or it is possible
that it may be genetic. Research has shown a possibility of a
genetic factor contributing to alcoholism, but until further
research is done we must find ways to help the alcoholic now.
Alcohol
is produced by a process called fermentation which is the reaction
of yeast on sugar. It has been produced since before recorded
history. Many countries, including the United States, have tried
to prohibit the use of all alcoholic beverages but achieved no
success. During times of prohibition, it is reported that bootlegging
and home brewing made up for the inability to buy alcohol legally.
As early as the 1800s, drinking began to take toll on Americans
who were drinking excessively and "killing themselves with
whiskey." Americans admired and tolerated moderate drinking
and the serving of alcohol was a sign of hospitality. The United
States tried prohibition in the 1920s but never had support of
the citizens. Prohibition was repealed in 1934 because many negative
effects, such as increasing crime and poor enforcement (Royce
28-36).
The
problem of alcohol abuse has steadily increased since the period
of repeal causing the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous and various
other treatment centers. Alcoholism is defined as being the state
of a person whose excessive use of alcohol creates serious life
problems. Currently, the only method of treatment is counseling
sessions with organizations such as A.A. A.A’s method of
treatment consists of a twelve step recovery program which basically
allows the alcoholic to admit that alcohol is the controlling
aspect of their life, and claims that by looking toward a "Higher
Power" they can get away from the alcohol. The only problem
with this type of counseling, or any other for that matter, is
that one cannot make another kick the addiction if he does not
want to or is not ready to. Because of this, A.A. success rates
are between 75-89% after a relapse for about half of the people
who become clean (Royce 4, 37, 262).
Researchers
are posed with the questions of whether an alcoholic has malfunctioning
genes or if the addiction is learned by observation. In search
of the answers to these questions, researchers have been studying
patterns of addiction in identical twins and adopted children
of alcoholics. The studies showed that one of the pair of identical
twin had more than twice the likelihood of developing alcoholism
if the other twin was an alcoholic (Heath 4). Children of alcoholics
who were put up for adoption had a higher prevalence of developing
alcoholism when raised in home with non-alcoholic parents. This
also leads to the possibility of alcoholism being genetic (Bohman
1; Royce 108). Although the evidence is still inconclusive, there
is a definite link between alcoholism and genetics. This means
that if more research is done on this topic, we may eventually
be able to cure the alcoholic or doctors will be able to prescribe
medications to help control one’s alcohol intake.
Many
disagree with the idea of alcoholism being inherent because there
are many outside factors which can trigger alcohol abuse. Divorce,
a loss of a job, or death in a family are severe life changes
that some experts believe may set one up to abuse alcohol. For
example, say a man loses his job after 20 years of service which
causes him to become severely depressed, so he begins to drink
to relieve his worries and problems thus leading him to drink
more and become an alcoholic. This is an extreme case scenario
but some people believe that this is why alcohol abuse occurs.
They also feel that an alcoholic simply has no self-control.
If this is the case, what can be done to solve the problem? If
children are becoming alcoholics by watching their parents drink,
by what psychologists call observed learning, what can the parents
do to prevent this from spreading down to the next generation?
Some state the answer is for the parent to simply discontinue
drinking, but some cannot do this on their own. This gives further
reason to continue research.
Does
how the public see drinking affect the rising rate of alcohol
abuse? Pressures from friends, television, advertisements, and
the fact that alcohol is everywhere are also factors (St. Olaf
1). Looking towards cartoons which depict various characters
stumbling with the hiccups and slurred speech makes one wonder
what kind of message is being sent out to people, especially
children. Alcohol is a drug which causes health problems such
a cirrhosis of the liver, gastrointestinal problems, loss of
memory, and delusional thoughts not to mention various problems
in the social aspect of life (Hore 54-68). But do you see characters
hooked on heroin depicted on cartoons? As a society, we must
stop this form of thinking to help stop the increasing rate of
alcohol abuse. We must teach our children at young ages that
alcohol consumption and drunkenness are no laughing matter.
Since
it has been proven that alcohol abuse is twice as likely to occur
if a family member is an alcoholic, considerations must be made
as to how to prevent this from passing down (Royce 107). Society
must forget the idea of drinking as a family problem. It is time
for people to speak up and ask for help without being ashamed.
Alcoholism is an addiction and must be treated like one. We must
teach children, spouses, and other relatives how to deal with
the alcoholic as well as help them get help instead of pretending
that there is not a problem. Society must also do it’s part
in offering support and must also stop pretending alcohol abuse
is a joke. Since alcoholism affects people from all social classes,
races, and genders, it is time to recognize this as a serious
problem and pose more options for treatment (Royce 5). Skeptics
must also consider the possibility of alcoholics having a genetic
disorder that causes them to become unable to tolerate liquor
consumption.
In
a country where DWI fatalities are increasing and death rates
occurring from excessive alcohol use are rising, measures must
be taken to try and fix this problem (Royce 61, 326). We need
to have better laws governing consequences of driving while intoxicated.
At the same time, we must also be continuing research on alcoholism
and try to find help for them. One measure can be the use of
medications to suppress one’s need for alcohol. This can
only be accomplished, though, through extensive research and
studies. We must also start with preventative measures, such
as counseling for children of alcoholics and school wide educational
programs which start in the elementary level. We must push the
government to provide funding for programs such as these. The
whole country would probably save money in the long run by taking
this approach to alcoholism and alcohol abuse as a whole.
The
social stigma of intoxication must also change. After all, how
can you expect to help an alcoholic see a problem if all he sees
on television and billboards are people portraying drinking as
socially acceptable? We have a long way to go in the research
area, but measures can be taken now in prevention and treatment.
Drunk drivers are killing innocent people and families are suffering
the hardships of handling a drunk. Do you not feel it important
enough to make a change?
Works Cited
Bohman, Michael; Cloninger, C. Robert; Sigvardsson, Soren.
"Type I and Type II Alcoholism: An Update." Alcohol
Health and Research World 20(1996).
Heath, Andrew C. "Genetic Influences on Alcoholism Risk:
A Review of Adoption and Twin Studies." Alcohol Health
and Research World 19(1993):166.
Hore, Brian D. Alcohol Dependence. London:Butterworth
and Co., 1976.
Royce, James E. Alcohol Problems and Alcoholism. New
York:The Free Press, 1989.
St. Olaf College of Northfield, Minnesota, "Is Alcoholism
Truly Hereditary?", http://www.stolaf.edu/stolaf/depts/psych/alcohol/D5Surla.txt.html,
October 22, 1997.
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Copyright 1997 Department of English |
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New Mexico State University |
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Use only with permission |
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