The use and abuse of alcohol

Why do people have a habit of drinking? Why do they drink, and when does their drinking become the problem? One way to began analyzing these complex questions is to view them on a continuum.  At one end is social drinking, here defined as the ritual of recreation consumption of alcoholic beverages at meals, parties and special occasions. The alcohol may be an integral part of a ritual or serve to stimulate the appetite and help produce conversation, relaxation and good feelings. Consumption is usually done at a slow pace and involves small to moderate quantities, thus having very few negative consequences.In the middle of continuum is alcohol misuse, alcohol consumption in excessive may cause negative effects. The drinking individuals talk loudly and make inappropriate statements and engaged in vandalism; sometimes they become aggressive or even pass out. For people in this category, misuse generally occur rarely or infrequent. At the other extreme, alcohol abuse is very similar to alcohol misuse, except that the excessive consumption occurs frequently or regularly.Numbers of factors are there to be engaged by a individual to be a alcoholism. The most obvious are those in the immediate environment, such as the nature of the occasion, one's personal desire and physical and mental state along with the degree of peer pressure.  In addition to these are the socio-cultural influences, or all the historical and contemporary factors that contribute to an individual's attitudes, belief and values regarding the use of alcohol. These may include ethnic, religious and family customs.It is particularly important to understand what motivates adolescents to drink and misuse alcohol. This  is partly because patterns acquire during this early period frequently carry over into adulthood. The factors that trigger members of this group to misuse and abuse alcohol, however, are complex especially.Every group, and especially the group of adolescents, is susceptible to peer pressure. Such pressure can be imagined or real.

For instance, in a group of adolescents, h/she is forced to drink the alcohol, if h/she denied then the group may told them to find the new group to hang out with. So, Imaginary peer pressure occurs when adolescents generate their own pressure as a result of their fear, often unfolded, of being rejected by the group. Unfortunately, both pressures may ultimately lead to unwise drinking habits.An immediate, short-term effect of an alcohol is mild tranquillization, or a euphoric sense of well being. Feelings of uneasiness, tension and fear, as well as more serve symptoms of panic and depression, are reduced. This is why many people, including teenagers, find alcohol use beneficial. During adolescents, many teenagers experience considerable personal turmoil as their roles, emotions, expectation, capabilities and desire change. Drinking alcohol, however, merely desensitizes teenagers to their problems for a short time. Drinking presents no genuine or long-term solutions, and only leads to more and more serious difficulties. Isn't it?