Alcohol and its effect on Society.

1752 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of drinking alcohol essay

Alcohol consumption, production and sale has been an integral part of many societies over the course of human existence. The exact origin of alcohol is as of yet unknown, however it is generally regarded that early farmers noticed the rich aroma and flavour of fermenting fruit (Narconon alcohol rehab, 2010) and as such recreated the substance in consumable amounts. The first ever known record of organised alcohol manufacture dates to approximately ten thousand years, where the drink was produced from fermented honey, also known as mead. Soon after alcohol became a major part of many cultures, records dating circa 6000BC found depict the cultivation of grape vines for fermentation (Narconon alcohol rehab, 2010). During 3000 BC Egypt began shipping wine throughout the Mediterranean (Narconon alcohol rehab, 2010). By 1500 BC, Romans had adopted wine into their mythological beliefs with the ingress of a new god; Bacchus. Today alcohol still remains an integral part of society either economically, religiously or culturally; however the product is not without is consequences.
Alcohol chemically is any organic molecule with an OH functional group, however for the sake of this essay the term alcohol will refer to ethanol, the type of alcohol used in regular consumption. Ethanol is a by-product of yeast (a type of micro-organism). Yeast consume glucose, sugars, from fruits or crops such as barley they then excrete carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethanol (C2H5OH or C2H6O) (How is alcohol made?, n.d.). Yeast do this by the presence of the enzyme zymase in their digestive system. The enzyme speeds up the otherwise long process of glucose break down into carbon dioxide and ethanol, fermentation. This can be represented by the chemical formula:

C_...

... middle of paper ...

...rch 2, 2014, from IAS: http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Factsheets/Economic%20impacts%20of%20alcohol%20factsheet%20August%202013.pdf
Irrigation Salinity. (2012, October 29). Retrieved 27 February, 2014, from Victorian Resources Online: http://vro.depi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/lwm_salinity_management_irrigation
Kathleen M. Zelman, M. R. (2013). Blood Pressure and Alcohol: Should You or Shouldn't You? Retrieved March 1, 2014, from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/alcohol-debate
Narconon alcohol rehab. (2010). Alcohol History. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from Narconon International: http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/alcohol-history.html
Zhang, D. (2005). What is Liver Fibrosis and How is It Different from Cirrhosis? Retrieved March 2, 2014, from SinoMed: http://www.sinomedresearch.org/hcv/articles/c7_fibrosis.htm

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Alcohol

    2082 Words  | 5 Pages

    Chemistry is at the heart of all nutrition. Thus, to truly grasp alcohol, one must know the basic molecular compounds that the body consumes and divides. The most accessible energy resource the body ingests is carbohydrates (rice, beans, breads, pasta, sugar, fruit, etc…). Carbohydrates are made

    Read More

  • Vitis Vinifera and Rome: How Wine Helped Forge a Civilization

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Roman writer and naturalist Pliny the Elder, in his treatise Naturalis Historia states “there is nothing more useful than wine for strengthening the body, while, at the same time, there is nothing more pernicious as a luxury, if we are not on our guard against excess.” Years before he wrote those words, wine had in fact come from humble origins outside Italy itself. Furthermore, the process of fermenting grapes goes back thousands of years, and its beginning can be traced to where the wild grown grape-vine, vitis vinifera, flourished and was actively utilized for this reason.

    Read More

  • Liver Diseases Resulting from Alcohol

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bethesda, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2010. Print. The. Freeman, David. A. "Health Risks of Alcohol: 12 Health Problems Associated with Chronic Heavy Drinking.

    Read More

  • Hepatic Cirrhosis

    1396 Words  | 3 Pages

    K, Florentyna. "Cirrhosis life expectancy." Living with liver disease. Spruz social websites, 05/21/2010. Web. 4 Nov 2011. .

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspectives on Alcohol Use, Problems, and Policy

    2339 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is unfortunate that many people within our society and worldwide suffers from the affects of alcohol addiction. There are many issues associated with this addiction and many times it’s not only the victim that deals with the addiction but also the people in close association with the individual. Alcohol addiction can afflict anyone and knows no limits of its damage that it can do to a person’s life or the people in their lives. Most importantly are the ones whom seek help for their addiction as it becomes a lifelong healing period for them. It has become clear that constant consumption of alcohol leads to addiction. It has also become clearer with the laws and policies that have been drawn up to combat drunk drivers that it is not a normal thing to do anymore as was thought to be normal in the late 60’s and early 70’s. This is not normal behaviour and it becomes clearer as the laws for drinking and driving is enforced by law enforcement officers. It is a duty for addiction workers to help in the aid of these problems and its laws and policies that help in putting a stop to some of the problems that arise from this addiction.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Alcohol Use During Pregnancy

    1617 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alcohol is an ethanol containing substance that is a common beverage in many social and private settings. Alcohol is also a teratogen, therefore alcohol co...

    Read More

  • Almoholism: The Negative Effects Of Alcohol

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    Often the issue of addiction causes many negative impacts to a person’s life. This affects the addict’s mind and physiology which may result in negatively impacting their interpersonal relationships with others and work environment. While addiction can range from the use of prescription drugs to illegal narcotics, the addiction that will be focused on is addiction to alcohol. Since the days of “speakeasy’s” and the prohibition era, alcohol has been the topic of conversation among the variety of cultures and socioeconomic status. Alcohol continues to contribute to the lives across generations as evidenced by music. Regardless of the musical genre, artists share their interpretation and experience of alcohol in the lyrics of their

    Read More

  • The Effects of Alcoholism

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    Smith, Melinda. “ Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: Signs, Symptoms, and Help for Alcoholism.” Helpguide Helps You Help Yourself and Others. N.P, Aug. 2013. Web. 31, Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Alcohol and its effects

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alcohol is a large part of American culture. All over the United States drinking is not only acceptable but a social norm from teenagers to adults. This is not only the case in the U.S., but all over the world, where some drinking ages are 18 and 19 years of age. In America specifically, alcohol has been around for centuries and is a large part of many social gatherings. Although this is the case now, in the early 1900’s during the prohibition period, all alcohol was banned and deemed illegal to possess. Even though illegal, the task was just too heavy and alcohol was too much a common practice for most Americans. As time went on the prohibition period ended and the laws were revoked, making it legal again to possess alcohol. The drinking related problems that were around during prohibition pale in comparison to the problems alcohol has caused since then.

    Read More

  • Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age To 18

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is believed that alcohol originated around the Mesopotamian area thousands of years ago. Most historians and scientists believe that alcohol had to have come about after the concept of farming was found. In order to make alcohol, fermentation of fruits needed to occur. Egyptians were known to be drinkers through the texts that they wrote. They had mentioned in some of their writings problems that were caused by drunkenness (“Alcohol In History”). The existence of alcohol also dates back to Roman gods. Dionysus was the Roman god of wine. Alcohol is also mentioned many times in the Old Testament and it was a big part of the Jewish practices. The prophet Mohammed banned his followers from the consumption of alcohol (“Alcohol In History”).

    Read More

  • Investigating Factors Affecting the Heat of Combustion of Alcohols

    1809 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethanol is the only alcohol that can be drunk safely and is found in all alcoholic drinks. Throughout this investigation I am going to investigate to different factors that affect the breakdown of an alcohol. [IMAGE]e.g. Methane (HCO) + Oxygen (O2) Carbon dioxide (CO2) + Water (H2O) Aim --- I am going to investigate increasing the chain length and see what effect there is on the heat of combustion.

    Read More

  • How Alcohol Affect Your Life Essay

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    How can alcohol affect your life? Alcohol is bad for everyone because it leads to health problems, affects the people you love, and can also ruin your life. Well, first off alcohol is one of the leading cause of death while driving and you very fortunate if the cops catch you drunk driving. Alcohol can turn you into something that you are not. I mean it totally changes you after a while like for an instance your personality, the way you think, your attitude, etc. When drinking alcohol will drastically change your life because you can end up pushing the people you love anyway. Some people also drink for a reason, almost like their drinking their problems away and it’s like they are drinking away all that glity, sorrow, and pain for something that

    Read More

  • The Dangerous Effects of Alcohol

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Zelman, K. (1995, Dec). Retrieved from The Alcohol Debate: Should You or Shouldn't You: www.medicine.net

    Read More

  • Reflection on the Use and Abuse of Alcohol

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people do not realize that alcohol is a drug that claims the lives of youth in college campuses across the world. In my case, it took the encounter with the ORL staff at UCLA for me to come to understanding that I am putting myself and those around me in danger through my risky drinking habits. With hours of self-reflection and the help of a cosmopolitan article called The Deadly Drinking Mistakes Smart Girls Make, I have found that there are several risks associated with alcohol that can put me at a quarrel with death. Even so, drinking does not always need to be deadly, and by keeping in mind the well-being of my fellow bruins and the skills mentioned in the article, I can find a balance between drinking for fun and drinking till death.

    Read More

  • The Chemistry of Alcohol

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alcohol is a class of organic compounds that is characterized by the presence of one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached to a carbon atom. Alcohol was unknowingly produced centuries ago when fermentation occurred to crushed grapes (Pines, 1931). In today’s society alcohol is produced for the use of household products such as varnishes, cleaning products, but is more commercially important in the liquor business. A chemical process called fermentation accomplishes the production of ethanol, the alcohol or liquor. From there, the ethanol goes through distinct processes to become the dark and clear liquors on the store shelves.

    Read More

More about Alcohol and its effect on Society.

Open Document