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Alcohol consumption is so common throughout the United States and has become very popular. It's a substance that's taken to its extremes and most of the society doesn't realize that the transcending effects that alcohol is causing the user, as well as the society, are very negative. It's a beverage that affects the world, and influences many problems, but yet many don't seems to take it seriously. Isn't addiction, life of crimes, and health problems serious enough? So, what's so great about these drinks? How can a drink that distorts so many lives be so desired?
Alcohol is a substance that alters a person's moods or mind (Somdahl 29). Many tend to think, just because it's legal, it's better than doing drugs, but not realizing that it has some of the same effects as illegal drugs. It depresses the central nervous system, slowing down bodily functions, such as heart rate, pulse and respiratory (Somdahl,32). Studies show that alcohol affects a hormone called LH, which stimulates brain cells that play a role in regulating aggressive behavior (Wolff 43). Once swallowed, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and transported through the body (Landau, 16). Its most active ingredient is Ethyl Alcohol (ethanol), which is the oldest known mood altering or psychoactive drug (Alters,7). We already know that alcoholic beverages can have a major effect on the body and mind of adults, but what about minors under the age of 18. Young people tend to have a lower alcohol tolerance than adults, so we can only imagine how they act and how it affects them when they're intoxicated. It causes memory loss, slurred speech, unconsciousness and even death, and yet, according to the National Council on Alcoholism, alcohol is the drug of choice for adolescents (Flowers 32).
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