Alcohol: “How Far Will Consumption Go?”

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Alcohol can be an addictive substance if abused on a daily basis or consumed in large quantities. Alcohol is technically defined as, “a colorless flammable liquid that has the active principle of intoxicating drinks” (HarperCollins Publishers 2009). One of the leading causes of death in the United States is deaths induced by alcohol. There are many types of alcohol that are produced and distributed throughout the country. Common alcoholic beverages that are sold regularly are vodka, beer, rum, wine, whiskey, and much more. Each type does as much damage to the body as the other one, though they differ in amounts, or percentage, of alcohol. It depends on a person’s body type how alcohol will affect them personally. Weight, height, family background, and gender are common factors associated with a person’s blood alcohol content (HealthCheck Systems 2012).

The risks of alcohol abuse are becoming more familiar to alcoholics throughout the nation. Alcohol breaks down the liver, which then becomes tremendously susceptible to cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded that over 15,000 deaths were related to liver diseases that resulted from alcohol abuse and over 24,000 died from other generic alcohol related deaths. Alcohol has also been known to increase blood pressure that can lead to a stroke or heart disease. Psychological dangers are serious cases of anxiety, depression, or insomnia, being unable to sleep. The abuse of alcohol may make the abuser become malnourished from lack of eating healthy or lack of eating at all. Overall, alcohol can diminish your social life, physical health, career, and mental health. (HealthCheck Systems 2012)

Alcoholism is “having signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continue...

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... stricter policies about drinking on college campuses throughout the nation. The most well known group, Alcoholic Anonymous, was founded in 1935 by Wilson and Smith in Akron, Ohio. The purpose was to anonymously treat users and allow them to confide and share their feelings with others in a similar position or willing to help.

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Reference Cited

http://doh.state.fl.us/chd/bay/Alcohol.html

http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/23713/frameset.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001940/

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-1/39-51.htm

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/alcohol

http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/alcohol/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/alcohol.htm

http://alcoholism.about.com/library/blnaa39.htm

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