Causes of Drinking and After Effects - Essay Example

Angela E. Dent English 102: Advanced Composition Cause/Effect Essay Assignment The introduction of alcohol to a teenager will affect his or her lifestyle vs. being introduced to it in their late twenties. According to Anderson et al, "In teenagers, the prevalence of alcohol leads them to a situation where they may have more opportunities to engage in heavy drinking". (Anderson et al, 2003, p. 200) That refers to conclude that as long as the teenagers remain aloof from drinking, they are successful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle but after tasting alcohol whether for fun or for experience, makes the teenagers addicted to alcohol. On the other hand if we examine alcohol consumption in adults aged in late twenties, does not end up being heavy users. The reason is after attaining maturity; alcohol users are quite sensible enough as to lead a healthy lifestyle, they take their own decisions and even majority live separately from their family, indulging in responsibilities whereas in the case of teenagers, they are living with their parents, are not sensible and independent (in most of the cases) and once addicted it becomes hard for them to quit drinking. Besides, majority of the teenagers are not found to be a part of responsibilities. Mostly they are college or high-school students seeking to experience activities like smoking, drinking etc. For teenagers drinking starts with the concept of "exploring", all they want is just to discover and explore the taste like they have tasted never before. After they have explored the new "taste", they drink for fun, in friends' gatherings, get together or simply they are convinced to drink by the word of mouth. This "fun" activity takes them to the journey, which is all ended up at the threshold labeled "heavy drinkers". The reductions in alcohol use by adults in their late twenties largely reflect the impacts of new responsibilities associated with engagement, marriage, pregnancy, and parenthood due to which psychologically 'drinking' becomes secondary for them. Causes of Drinking "Research suggests that parental behavior plays a central role in adolescent use and misuse of alcohol. Parental drinking affects adolescent perception of alcohol misuse in several ways. The children of drinking parents are less likely to see drinking as harmful and more likely to start drinking earlier. Both these attitudes and behaviors, in turn, predict greater alcohol misuse particularly at age 17-18. Parental drinking may also be mediated by friends' alcohol use in predicting alcohol misuse in adolescence". (Abbott et al, 1997, p. 280) One of the main causes for teenage drinking is the fact that they impinge heavily on decisions regarding living arrangements, but there are other important living contexts that may bear important relationships to substance use. Living with one's parents, in a dormitory, with roommates, or living alone offer varying levels of constraint or opportunity with regard to substance use. "Newcomb and Bentler (1985) found significant co variation between substance use and living arrangements, although their work emphasized the selection interpretation of these results. Those living with their parents as young adults reported the lowest levels of alcohol use of any group in adolescence. Those living with roommates, alone, or in "other" arrangements did not evidence distinct patterns of substance use". (Bachman, 1997, p. 24) As far as adults are concerned, many are independent and smart enough to take their own decisions wisely. Their stability refers to the living arrangements in which they are not dependant on anyone. If, however they are unstable financially, they drink and in rare cases become heavy drinkers but that does not affect their health as badly as teenage drinking affects. "Employment", one of the main reasons of drug use refers to those complex situations, which results in varying results depending on what aspect of employment is under consideration. The costs and benefits of employment in adolescence have been the subject of some controversy as work intensity in adolescence is related to such negative outcomes like substance use, delinquency, and poor school performance whereas in adults "drinking" is related to employment problems or frustration in working conditions. Drinking has been found to be a risk factor for job instability in adults. There is evidence that suggests, however, that employment is not a direct cause of those poor outcomes. Rather, greater investment in work roles during high school and greater problem behavior may be correlated outcomes of preexisting individual differences in schooling and prior history of problem behavior. Heavy drinkers are just like gamblers, who if addicted to play with money are unable to step back even in the worst conditions where they are penniless. Same is the case with adolescent drinkers, once they get into drinking it is hard for them to realize the aftereffects of drinking. In this case the research has demonstrated that repeated alcohol abuse along with other problem behaviors in adolescence constitutes a problem behavior syndrome and are likely to have common antecedents in the family/peer socialization process. After Effects "Evidence exists that people who begin drinking at an early age are more likely to have problems with alcohol later in life. This early alcohol use may have potentially long-lasting consequences, which is one of the strongest predictors of later alcohol dependence". (Spear, 2002, p. 287) The possible reasons to describe the relationship between early alcohol use and later dependence refers to that intake of alcohol during adolescence which on the one hand is going through different processes of brain development at teenage, on the other hand it increases the likelihood of problems with alcohol later in life. "Indeed, heavy drinking during early and mid-adolescence has been found to be associated with memory problems and other neuropsychological deficits". (Spear, 2002, p. 287) "Adolescence also is the time during which changes in hormone patterns begin to emerge. Sex differences in behavior appear, orchestrated in part by the rapid changes in these pubertal hormones. Surprisingly, though, puberty-related increases in reproductive hormones have not been associated in any simple way with other characteristic behavioral features of adolescence" (Spear, 2002, p. 287) Alcohol not only affects the hormonal activities of a teenager, it also affects learning and memory in several ways. During the adolescent period brain undergoes through drastic changes as it is constructing various tissues of an individual, which gets vulnerable when effects of alcohol start taking place as "alcohol produces learning and memory impairments. These effects primarily interfere with the establishment of new memories rather than the recollection of previously stored information. Alcohol produces what Ryback (1971) referred to as a continuum of encoding deficits. That is, as the dose of alcohol goes up, the magnitude of the memory impairments go up, as well. For instance, while a few drinks might make it more difficult for you to learn a new person's name, a bunch of drinks might completely impair your ability to remember ever having met the person at all. The inability to remember entire events that occurred while drinking is commonly referred to as a blackout". (White, 2006a) "Preventing initiation of alcohol use during childhood and adolescence has been an important prevention goal. Nevertheless, most teenagers in the United States do try alcohol. In 1991, approximately 54% of 8th-grade students, 72% of 10th-grade students, and 78% of high school seniors had used alcohol in the past year; approximately 25% of 8th-grade students, 43% of 10th-grade students, and 54% of high school seniors had used alcohol in the past month. Although the majority of youths who have initiated alcohol did not become "problem" drinkers or alcoholics, early initiation of alcohol use is one of the strongest predictors of subsequent problem use". (Bachman et al, 1997, p. 45) Furthermore, alcohol use during adolescence directly increases risk for other adverse outcomes, including accidents and homicides, which are the leading causes of death among adolescents and sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. Alcohol use may also interfere with the development of a young person's sense. "Research suggests that the most harmful aftereffects of alcohol on teenagers is a mild to moderate mental retardation, with IQs averaging between 65-70. Because the first formally researched and diagnosed cases are only now reaching adulthood, the long-term effects are just now becoming evident, but it does not appear that the low IQs and mental retardation are improved with age. Other cognitive deficits are present, even in those not frankly retarded. There are deficiencies in many realms of learning, and classroom performance is below normal. There are observations of attention deficits or short attention spans, some of which have now been documented on laboratory vigilance tasks. They also exhibit classic signs of hyperactivity. They are impulsive and have lack of normal inhibitions, including lack of concern for personal safety in dangerous situations and lack of fear of strangers. In addition, motor deficits, gait abnormalities, sleep disturbances, perceptual problems, and autonomic dysfunction are often apparent". (Gormezano, 1992, p. 185) According to clinical literature, fewer than 20 cases have come to autopsy, with death usually due to other medical complications. "Neuropathological evaluations have indicated gross and microscopic abnormalities like there is usually a severe reduction in brain weight indicating that heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can induce cell loss and brain dysfunction". (Gormezano, 1992, p. 189) Although brain damage and behavioral dysfunction are the hallmarks of addicted alcohol users, the criteria may discriminate only a minority of children adversely affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. In pregnant female adults, "the appearance of the alcohol effects may require heavy abuse over much of the pregnancy, and different symptoms may result from differences in the timing or pattern of exposure. For example, the facial anomalies and gross brain malformations may result from exposure during the first trimester, but other alcohol-related effects on fine structure, leading to behavioral dysfunction, may occur at other periods. The brain begins to develop early during gestation and continues over a more protracted period than other organs; therefore it may be vulnerable to different types of alcohol-induced damage at different stages". (Gormezano, 1992, p. 189) While some studies have attempted to control for smoking, which is at least no harder to measure than drinking, similar comments apply to other confounding variables, which are even harder to measure. For example, it has been suggested that diet and nutrition could be confounders, as could "lifestyle" it being known that in many populations heavy drinkers tend to live in areas with poor accommodation. It is extremely difficult to control adequately for such confounders in a case-control study; and even in population-based studies, such control, although feasible in principle, has rarely been attempted, presumably for reasons of cost. Alcohol and chronic diseases go together, adults usually are moderate drinkers as "studies have suggested that moderate drinking may prevent heart disease. But this is balanced by reports on the dangers of alcohol to the liver, and an increased risk of cancer. The amount of alcohol consumed is the most important factor. All researchers agree that any health benefits from alcohol are derived only from low to moderate use, usually defined as no more than one drink per day for non-pregnant women and two drinks per day for men. These are the maximum amounts considered generally safe, but since alcohol affects individuals differently, your personal "safe" amount may be lower, depending on your genetics, sex, weight and health problems, addiction tendencies and medications". (2006b) With respect to nutritional concern "Alcohol consumption can distract a person from regular meals, and it can take away an appetite for nourishing foods. Irritation of the intestine from alcohol reduces the ability of your intestine to absorb nutrients and vitamins". (2006b) Because most teenagers have at least tried alcohol, their continuing use of alcohol during adolescence may be a more relevant indicator of increased risk for alcohol-related problems than initiation per se. Understanding the etiology of continuing alcohol use during adolescence is an important research goal for alcohol abuse prevention in that malleable factors predictive of this behavior can be addressed. Researchers have identified several factors within the domains of community, family, school, peers, and the individual that predict alcohol and other drug use during adolescence. Within the family, the factors of parental alcohol consumption, poor family management practices, and permissive parental attitudes and norms toward adolescent alcohol use have been identified as increasing risk for adolescent alcohol use, although the strength of association and consistency of their relationship to adolescent alcohol use has varied among studies. The types and severity of developmental learning impairments depend on the level of alcohol exposure during the brain growth phase. The highest level of alcohol exposure produces acquisition impairments both on learning and development phase. Works Cited & Annotated Bibliography Abbott Robert, Richard F. Catalano, John W. Graham, J. David Hawkins, Karl G. Hill & Eugene Maguin, 1997. "Exploring the Effects of Age of Alcohol Use Initiation and Psychosocial Risk Factors on Subsequent Alcohol Misuse" in "Journal of Studies on Alcohol". Volume: 58. Issue: 3. COPYRIGHT 1997 Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc. The way these authors have distinguished between use and misuse tends the reader to read till the end of article. The research and assessment of the article has made easier for me to grasp various drawbacks of alcohol. Anderson Barbro, Thoroddur Bjarnason, Marie Choquet, Zsuzsanna Elekes, Mark Morgan & Gertrude Rapinett. 2003. "Alcohol Culture, Family Structure and Adolescent Alcohol Use: Multilevel Modeling of Frequency of Heavy Drinking among 15-16 Year Old Students in 11 European Countries" in "Journal of Studies on Alcohol". Volume: 64. Issue: 2. COPYRIGHT 2003 Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc. Authors have highlighted the perception of heavy drinkers among society, their behavior towards their family and the consequences of being alcoholic. Not only drinkers are discussed on a societal level but also their influences on cultures and traditions have been argued in a useful and effective manner. Bachman G. Jerald, Lloyd D. Johnston, Patrick M. O'Malley, John S. Schulenberg & Katherine N. Wadsworth, 1997. " Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood: The Impacts of New Freedoms and New Responsibilities": Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication: Mahwah, NJ. These authors have discussed all sorts of drug-use behavior, their impact upon youngsters and the present changes in which they are surviving. Gormezano Isidore, 1992. "Learning and Memory: The Behavioral and Biological Substrates": Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication: Hillsdale, NJ. Gormezano has explained psychological syndromes of alcohol in teenagers along with real live examples and cases. He has also explored alcoholism, its effects and causes biologically. This author has discussed various aspects of alcohol by conducting tests on animals particularly he has used and observed rats. Spear Patia Linda, 2002. "Alcohol's Effects on Adolescents" in "Alcohol Research & Health". Volume: 26. Issue: 4. COPYRIGHT 2002 U.S. Government Printing Office. The best thing I liked about this author is that Spear has not only talked about those factors which are responsible in escorting an adolescent towards drinking but she has also conducted relevant research on response of adult towards drinking. She has also considered stress as one of the main cause of alcoholism and has viewed it from several aspects. 2006a, White Aaron The article written by assistant research professor Aaron M. White has explained the biological interaction of alcohol with human brain pictorially and the way in which he goes along is quite understandable even to a layman. 2006b, accessed on Jul 20, 2006 from This article has briefly discussed alcoholism, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and treatment on a general basis. Read More