Alcohol Abuse Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Abuse Essay Drinking is: fun, makes me more sociable, makes me more relaxed, helps me forget all my problems and lastly, everyone drinks (attention). More than likely a lot of you have heard someone say these thing or even say these things yourself when it comes to drinking (connection). When in fact there is a lot more to drinking alcohol than you think (importance). Growing up I was surrounded by someone who did heavy drinking in my home, and for the past week of researching my topic I now know the toll alcohol take on people first hand (credibility). That is why after my presentation, I want my audience to know three main disadvantages of alcohol abuse which are: impairs judgment, harm the body, and may cause death (thesis). Body: According to drugfreeworld.org, â€Å"Alcohol is best understood as a drug that reduces a person’s ability to think rationally and distorts his or her judgment† (Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 2006–2013). In other words, Alcohol can make a person do things, and take chances they normally wouldn’t while sober (you factor). An example of this would be: becoming violent, experimenting with drugs, having unprotected sex, or drinking and driving. In a community- based study, Pernanen found that, â€Å"42 percent of violent crimes reported to the police involved alcohol† (statistic). In the Chicago tribune there was an article about a Lombard man Adam B. Hearn, 33, he was sentenced 6  ½ years for aggravated battery. His toxic reported stated that he was heavily intoxicated. Hearn said. â€Å"I made a horrible decision and I’m sick about it† (Ward, 2012). Now that I have talked about how alcohol abuse impairs your judgment, Listen to the ways alcohol abuse harms the body (signpost). Studies stated from Jack E. Henningfield, states that â€Å"when someone has an alcoholic drink, the stomach absorbs about 20 percent of the alcohol, and the remaining 80 percent is absorbed by the small intestine† (Henning field, 2008). In other words majority of alcohol is absorbed in your small intestine. (You factor). After being absorbed the alcohol enters the blood stream, where the liver breaks down 90 percent of the alcohol in a process called oxidation. Once all the alcohol is broken down it passes directly from the digestive tract to the brain. By Alcohol being a depressant it blocks some of the messages trying to get to the brain from neurons. Such as: altering a person perception, movement, vision, hearing, and emotions. This is why people who over use alcohol may stagger, lose coordination, or slur speech. Alcohol can also have harm on your outer appearance. Alcohol abuse can: cause ageneses to skin, brittle hair, crackled lips, increase the outbreak of acne and increase the blood flow to skin as well, making someone sweat and look fused. Alcohol can also cause the reduction of blood flow to the muscles. This can cause server muscles cramps. Alcohol abuse does not just harm outer appearances it can also harm you internally. The liver is known to suffering the most damage, since it is the foundation in the alcoholic elimination process. The main condition is Cirrhosis of the liver. Heartburn and stomach ulcers can also result in alcohol abuse. Other links have been made that it can cause cancer of the mouth, stomach and intestines. A much known condition to the body that alcohol abuse forms is alcohol poising. Alcohol poisoning can cause the body to violently vomit, experience extreme sleepiness, go unconscious, difficulty breathing, low blood sugar, and seizure. Furthermore, it is important to know the harm alcohol does to the body, to prevent more serious conditions that can lead to death (sign post). As indicated by Jack E. Henningfield in his book Alcohol Addiction: Not Worth the Buzz, â€Å"Each year, approximately 100,000 deaths can be attributed to drinking-either directly or indirectly† (Henningfield, 2008). This does not simply mean that 100,000 died just from taking a drink but from the poor decision that come from being drunk and from the harm that alcohol causes to the body (you factor). It is a fact that more than half of car accidents and twenty five percent of suicides are somehow linked to the use of alcohol (Henningfield, 2008). When you think about it these are all deaths that are avoidable if people would have chosen to drink less. Every year people die from alcohol abuse; many do not know the disadvantages of drinking alcohol and that is why I chose to do this research. Conclusion: Today I informed you all of the three main disadvantages of drinking too much alcohol which are: impairs your judgment, harms your body, and may cause death (summary). Now that you all know more about the disadvantages of drinking alcohol please take them into consideration (action). So the next time you are having a drink, or getting in the car with a drunk driver, ask yourselves, who is in control (ending)?