The use of alcohol in the US is a persistent and widespread public safety and health issue that has different economic, social, and personal implications for the government, families, society, and individuals. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption can cause disablement, deadly accidents, and suicidal tendencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2015). Furthermore, excessive consumption has been associated with the development of liver disease and cancer. Nevertheless, moderate intake of alcoholic beverages has been linked to benefits such as improvements in cardiovascular health (Mukamal & Rimm, 2008). Therefore, the present study theorizes that alcohol has adverse and positive impacts on individuals, society, and the US government.
Alcohol’s Impact on Individuals
Binge drinking has numerous drawbacks whereas moderate drinking may be beneficial to individuals. Excessive alcohol consumption has safety and health consequences, as well as legal and societal consequences. For instance, an incident of binge drinking may lead to injuries like assaults, road trauma, or falls (SA Health, 2015). Alcohol poisoning, difficult breathing, gag reflex problems, and irregular heart rate may also result from excessive drinking. Although physical scars may fade rapidly, psychological scars that follow alcohol-related injuries can last for years or even a lifetime (SA Health, 2015). Binge drinking may have legal consequences for the drinker because it promotes criminal behavior. For example, alcohol reduces personal inhibitions and encourages the individual to adopt awkward tendencies. As a result, incidents that a sober person could handle rationally often escalate after taking alcohol and become police cases. Offenses linked to alcohol consumption include drink driving, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, property damage, and sexual assaults (SA Health, 2015). Such offenses may force an individual into doing community service or serving jail time. Also, many industries do not employ workers with criminal histories. Therefore, persons involved in alcohol-related offenses may lose their current jobs due to the working time wasted in court appearances (SA Health, 2015). Legal problems may also cause break-ups in relationships or conflicts between relatives. Humiliating drinking incidents like passing out or vomiting can lead to social snubbing and ridicule. Additionally, hangovers can result in workplace accidents and inadequate work performance, which may put the drinker’s employment at risk. The family members and friends of an alcoholic are also severely affected by the excessive drinking. Other social effects of binge drinking may include adverse impacts on sexual performance, loss of friends, reduced career opportunities, and financial problems (SA Health, 2015). The health effects associated with moderate alcohol consumption are complex and diverse. Light drinking may increase antithrombotic activity and lipoprotein cholesterol and, thus, provide a plausible mechanism for the link between sensible drinking and a reduced risk of cardiac disease (Mukamal & Rimm, 2008). Research shows that “light to moderate drinking does not appear to impair cognition in younger subjects and actually seems to reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline in older subjects” (Neafsey & Collins, 2011). Therefore, binge drinking has various legal, social, and personal consequences for individuals whereas moderate or light drinking appears to improve their cardiovascular and cognitive functions.
Social Impacts of Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol misuse has numerous harmful impacts on the society, as well as the people in the environment of the drinker. First, alcohol consumption affects workplace relationships in different ways. For example, moderate intake of alcohol can ameliorate productivity whereas heavy use can cause alcohol dependence and reduced productivity (Gmel & Rehm, 2003). Therefore, light drinking can promote workplace relations whereas binge drinking can harm the relations between employers and their employees. Typically, many forms of accidental injuries involve cases of high alcohol consumption (Gmel & Rehm, 2003). Severe injuries may incapacitate the victims and leave them highly dependent on the society for support. As a result, alcohol-related injuries can become a burden to the society, as well as the victim’s family. Alcohol consumption is also clearly tied to the development of aggressive tendencies (Gmel & Rehm, 2003), which can intensify the feelings of insecurity in members of the society. For example, alcohol-related sexual assaults are increasingly common (SA Health, 2015). Alcohol misuse also results in numerous adverse consequences for the children and spouse of the drinker (Conyers, 2003; Robison and Parry, 2015). During pregnancy, maternal drinking can cause complications like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to develop in children (Abel, 2013; Szabo, 2016). Henriksen et al., (2004) also found a significant link between male and female alcohol consumption “at the time of conception and the risk of spontaneous abortion, including early pregnancy loss” (p. 661). Furthermore, parental drinking has a strong correlation with child neglect and abuse. Such findings suggest that alcohol misuse in a family has adverse effects on the economic, psychological, and social environment of children (Gmel & Rehm, 2003). Hence, although moderate alcohol use can improve social relations and job productivity, excessive drinking has significant negative effects on the society.
Effects of Alcohol on the US Government
The US government has faced different adverse and positive effects resulting from the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the country. According to Cook and Moore (2002), American consumers take less alcohol and experience “fewer alcohol-related problems, when alcoholic beverage prices are increased or alcohol availability is restricted.” The finding has useful implications for policy makers due to the substantial costs that alcohol misuse imposes on the society. For instance, excise taxes can control alcohol consumption effectively and create revenue for the government (Cook & Moore, 2002). Despite the income that the government derives from such taxes, nevertheless, the deleterious impacts of alcohol on public safety and health constitute a significant economic burden and reduce the country’s overall standards of living. For example, the CDC (2015) noted that binge drinking accounts for over “4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010.” Therefore, moderate alcohol consumption benefits the US government through excise taxes whereas alcohol misuse imposes an economic burden on the country through costly medical treatments, road accidents, and deaths.
In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that alcohol consumption has various benefits and drawbacks to individuals, society, and the US government. Binge drinking has numerous legal, social, and personal consequences for individuals but light drinking appears to improve their cardiovascular and cognitive functions. Similarly, moderate alcohol intake ameliorates social relations and job productivity whereas excessive drinking affects the society negatively. Additionally, the US government derives significant revenue from alcohol consumption in the country but suffers economic losses through costly alcohol-related medical treatments, accidents, and deaths. Therefore, moderate to light drinking has several benefits whereas binge drinking has numerous disadvantages.
References
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Cook, P. J. & Moore, M. J. (2002). The economics of alcohol abuse and alcohol-control policies. Health Affairs, 21(2), 120-133. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.21.2.120.
Gmel, G. & Rehm, J. (2003). Harmful alcohol use. Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-1/52-62.htm
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Neafsey, E. J. & Collins, M. A. (2011). Moderate alcohol consumption and cognitive risk. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 7(1), 465–484. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S23159.
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SA Health. (2015). Health/safety, legal and social consequences of drinking too much. Retrieved from http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/health+topics/health+conditions+prevention+and+treatment/alcohol/health,+safety,+legal+and+social+consequences+of+drinking+too+much
Szabo, L. (2016, Feb. 3). CDC: Young women should avoid alcohol unless using birth control. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/02/cdc-urges-young-women-avoid-all-alcohol-unless-theyre-using-contraception/79701890/
