Alcoholism

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate April 2001

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Alcoholism, a disease involving alcohol dependency, has become very prevalent in our society today. More teenagers, as well as grown adults, are turning to alcohol than ever before. Where alcohol used to be a time of experimenting for some adults, it is now a way of life for many adolescents today.

Alcohol plays a role in almost all aspects of people's daily lives, whether it be during a casual meal, at a party, or just to relax after a long day. Alcoholism in our society is commonly referred to as "a dirty little secret that no one wants to talk about", being that there are more alcoholics than almost any other disease in America, but there are only a select few that want to admit it or deal with the reality.

A recent survey demonstrates that 54 percent of teens in our community admit to illegal drinking, binge drinking being among the most common form of their drinking.

Similar images are projected across the nation to support similar statistics. Many of the findings suggest that mixed or confusing signals are sent to the teens in reference to their drinking habits. Though most parents say that they do not condone the consumption of underage drinking, they do support the idea of a designated driver, giving teenagers the idea that it would be okay to drink as long as they have some one to drive them home. Drinking among teenagers has gotten labels that dismiss drinking as almost a "rite of passage" a part of normal everyday life. If teenagers keep up this sort of behavior it has been reported that alcoholism can become one of the biggest problems in America today.

In researching alcoholism it is not only important to look at the physical aspects of the drinking but also...