Alcoholism
Ellen
Alcoholism is a disease. Alcohol is a drug. Alcoholics are people who often drink alcohol too much and this has continued for a long time. They are dependent on alcohol. There is a large number of people who drink alcohol. Nine out of ten teenagers drink alcohol before they finish high school, and this number is getting higher every year. About 15% of young people aged around 18-24 are drinkers. People who are older than 24 but younger than 64, over15% are the drinkers. Not only adults but also teenagers are drinking alcohol. Alcoholism is a problem in Ireland , France, UK and many developed countries. About 70% of year 11 students are drinkers in Australia. People first try alcohol often at 13 years old. Although the police in Australia always try to control teenagers, this number is still getting higher.
Why do so many teenagers drink alcohol? Family and friends are two main causes. Some teenagers start drinking because their parents always drink alcohol, so they copy them. Other teenagers try to fit in with their friends. They don’t want to be different. Being socially acceptable has a big effect on them.
There are many reasons why adults drink alcohol. Most people want to drink alcohol to relax and forget the things which are worrying them. Some people think alcohol tastes good, so they drink it for fun. A small group of people want to drink alcohol to control their moods. In this group, a number of people have depression. They really need to drink alcohol to slow down their nervous systems.
Drinking too much is very bad for your health. It will affect your brain. People who always drink too much can easily get cancer and can’t control their emotions. People always have headaches or vomit when they drink too much. If they continue to drink, they could go into a coma or even die. So many people have died because they drank too much.
Drinking too much is not only bad for health but also can cause many problems. The biggest problem is accidents. A lot of people have died from drink driving. After drinking alcohol, people often like fighting with others. They are usually hurt by others. Also, alcohol can cause family problems and financial problems. These problems make people drink more alcohol. So their lives become worse and worse.
In order to stop people becoming alcoholics, the government should raise the age of drinking. In this way, people will be allowed to drink alcohol when they are older, so they become more mature, more of them can control their emotion and they may not chose to drink alcohol to solve their problems. Another solution is parents should make some rules to prevent their children from drinking, and not drink in front of their children. They should always tell them that drinking alcohol is not good. So children do not have the chance to drink alcohol. This solution reflects the Australian value of care. Care means that parents must help their children have a good life and help them solve their problems. The first solution reflects that society should care for people, and the seconde solution mirrors how parents should care for their children. In conclusion, helping people not become alcoholisms is everyone’s responsibility.
Bibliography
Amy L. Sutton, 2007,Alcoholism Sourcebook ,Vnited States, Omnigraphics
Donald W. Goodwin M. D. , 1981, Alcoholism the facts, Great Britain, Richard Clay
Justin Healey, 2007, Alcohol Abuse Australia, The Spinney Press
Mooney & Belinda Terro, 1993, Leave me alone! Helping your troubled teenager, Florida, HIS and TAB Books
Alcohol, Better Health Channel
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Alcohol?openDocument. 15 Nov 2007
Alcohol, Youth Facts & Stats
http://www.youthfacts.com.au/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=240&op=page.
15 Nov 2007
Alcohol, Australian Drug Foundation
http://drugifo.adf.org.au/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=243&np=163&id=2186. 15 Nov 2007
