Essay/Term paper: Drinking

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Alcohol and Drugs

Peter Holland

Drinking alcohol has been a large part of society for many years. People find that is it easier to meet people when they have had a few drinks. Drinking has also been used as way to get closer to some one. "We"ll talk over a six pack," is something that people will say when they need to talk about something. There are also many events that drinking has created. There are cozy bars "where everyone knows your name," wine tasting parties, cocktail parties, and the high school favorite, house party. People have also used many different types of glasses to drink out of. There are too many different types of wine glasses to count, different types of cocktail glasses, and different beer mugs. All of them having a different purpose and make the drinking experience better.
Some people don"t drink in today"s society. There are health risks that come from excess drinking. Liver problems are the most common problems associated with drinking. Heart problems are also one of the top problems associated with drinking. Beer has a lot of calories, and if the calories are not worked off it goes to fat. Drinking is against some religions, causing people not to be able to drink. There is a lot of bad stuff that comes with drinking alcohol, but having a glass of wine every day is proven to be good for you (____). Drinking too much is bad for you. Alcoholism is a problem that many people have to deal with.
Alcoholism has effected people for a long time, but more recently been addressed as a physical problem as well as a mental.
Alcoholism is chronic illness characterized by the regular consumption of alcohol to a degree that interferes with physical or mental health, or with normal social or occupational behavior. A widespread health problem, it produces both physical and psychological addiction. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that reduces anxiety, inhibition, and feelings of guilt; lowers alertness; impairs perception, judgment, and muscular coordination; and, in high doses, can cause unconsciousness and even death. Long-term alcoholism damages the brain, liver, heart, and other organs. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can range from a simple hangover to severe delirium tremens (a condition characterized by deliriousness, violent trembling, hallucinations, and seizures). Treatment includes use of disulfiram (Antabuse), a drug that produces discomfort if alcohol is consumed; anti-anxiety drugs to suppress withdrawal symptoms; psychological counseling; and support from groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.(wed address)

College drinking offers many different places for students to drink. Dorm rooms give a good place for a few people to get together and have some drinks. It does kind of give an anti-social environment, people who like to be with each other but not people who they do not know or like. Yet some students do drink in their rooms before they go out to a party. They call this pre-partying or pre-gaming. They do this to have a "buzz" when they go out to so they can feel more comfortable around people. It is also helpful if they go to a bar, so they don"t spend as much money on alcohol to get buzzed or drunk. Some students need to pre-game or else they spent too much money at a bar, most college students don"t have much money.
Students also drink at fraternity parties and other organized parties. College students usually like these because of the many people and generally free or have a really cheap cover charge. These are very social parties; there are usually drinking games or some sort of reason to drink mass amounts of alcohol. People usually go in groups so they know at least a few people at the party. As the night goes on, though, students meet more people have conversations with people they have never met before and some times go home with some one of the opposite sex. These parties are very popular; students have build up hopes of what they want to do that night.
Bars are also a place where college students can be found. Bars are a place where students can have a wide range of beers and mixed drinks. It is also a more sociable atmosphere, and makes them feel older. A bar atmosphere is much more personalized setting. You get waited on, you can have a conversation with the bartender, and have food that you normally can"t get at a typical college party. The only problem with bars is that they cost a lot more money then buying a case of beers. Beers usually don"t get much cheaper then $2, unless there is some sort special for that night.
There was a study that involved bar drinking. It was said that people drink more when their partners drink more. The study involved 52 undergraduate fraternity members in a bar setting. It saw that people drank at the same rate as people that they had just met, no matter if they are a light or heavy drinker. The more unsociable the drinker is, the more they drink, and the more the person sitting next to them drinks.(short article)
College students also participate in drinking games. It provides a sociable environment and allows the participants a way to get intoxicated. Drinking games have been around since as far back as ancient Greeks and Romans. The games may be different from ancient time, but it is still seen as a fun way of getting drunk. There are many different games that are played in today"s collegiate or high school social life. Games such as "quarters", where some one throws a quarter into a beer mug and then determines who has to drink the beer, or "asshole," a card game in which you try to get ride of all of your cards; the first with no cards left is the "president" for the next game, are games that are commonly see played.(long article) Drinking games are a way that every one can be sociable and at that same time get to be intoxicated. Alcohol abuse is higher when people have been playing drinking games. At lease 78.7% of people in a study had handovers due to drinking games. And 35.7% of people who played drinking games missed class due to hangovers. (_____)
In my study I interviewed 25 people, of them 5 did not drink alcohol. The most popular reason for not drinking was family background. People who had alcoholic parents or grandparents see how bad it can be to drink. So through out their lives they make the choice not to drink. The other reason not to drink was for social reasons. The 2 people who didn"t drink due to social reasons spent most of their time at a fraternity. Some people don"t like to be around people who drink, so they join an organization that is known for something other then drinking or having huge parties.
Drinking is a still a large part of society, but there have been restrictions put on it. In some countries there is a certain age that a person must be to buy or consume alcohol. In the United States there are also laws that govern where and when alcohol can be purchased, although those laws are determined by each state. In other countries that don"t have a drink age usually have stricter laws about driving and personal conduct while under the influence.
College drinking has been an issue for parents, students, and school officials. With the drinking age being twenty-one many students cannot legally drink, but still there is an abundance of under age drinking in college life. Only two people of the twenty that drink were twenty-one years of age. Colleges and universities have had drinking problems for a while. Kids get to be away from their parent and think that they can do anything now and not get in trouble. Yet drinking too much can cause problems in school and the student"s health.
Drinking can be a very social thing, but it can also be an antisocial thing, depending on how and where one drinks. Alcohol consumption when done in an antisocial way can be a problem to more then just the person drinking. Family and friend of a heavy, unsociable drinker can be hurt by the way the drinker conduct them self. Health problems of a heavy drinker can also affect the people that are close to them. People who drink social usually won"t have many problems with drinking, because they don"t drink as much. A social drinker goes out and has a few drinks with some friends or uses it as a good way to meet people. Drinking unsociably can be determined by where they drink and how often they drink.