The problem of alcohol misuse has been disturbing our society for many years even though alcohol seems to be a socially acceptable kind of drug. Nowadays, many people see alcohol as the means for escaping reality, coping with stress and just “relaxing” after a hard working day. Nevertheless, alcohol abuse is definitely not of benefit, but rather the cause of many problems. The effects of alcohol are felt differently by each person; however, most often alcohol influences people’s health, social life and financial condition.
First of all, there is no doubt that people who tend to misuse alcoholic drinks are exposed to various illnesses, both physical and psychological. This kind of drug affects negatively almost every organ system in the body: brain, liver, blood, kidneys and others. Although the impact depends on the amount of alcohol in the blood of the individual, the effects vary from slight mood elevation and feelings of euphoria to alcoholic hepatitis, deep coma or even premature death (Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein 196). According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 88,000 people, almost third part of which are women, die from alcohol related causes annually in the United States. In addition, alcohol may become the cause of some psychological disorders. For example, alcohol dependence often leads to depression, fear, anxiety and sometimes psychosis. As a result, alcohol is definitely not a remedy to help overcome stress, but rather a poison.
The next level at which the effects of alcohol are felt is social life. It seems that this kind of drug should affect only the person who takes alcoholic drinks, for example, alcohol abuse leads him or her to losing job and friends. However, in most cases alcohol influences other people’s life too. The change of behavior and aggressiveness, or apathy and indifference caused by alcohol, has broken many families and led to divorce. Moreover, children in alcoholic dependent families might suffer from cruel treatment and abuse. In addition, under the influence of alcohol, an individual might often have the problems with the law and even pose a serious threat to other people. For example, many crimes, sexual harassment, drunk driving or acts of violence were committed by intoxicated people.
Finally, the effects of alcohol are undoubtedly felt at the level of financial condition of a person. As it was mentioned above, people often lose their jobs because of alcohol, and therefore cannot afford the drinks. It is well known that alcohol is not cheap; that is why in order to satisfy their needs the addicts often have to try hard to get the money for alcohol. Consequently, they often exhibit immoral behavior which takes the form of lying and stealing with a peaceful conscience.
Works Cited
cdc.gov. Alcohol and Public Health, 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Hanson, Glen R., Peter J. Venturelli and Annette E. Fleckenstein. Drugs and Society. 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
