Driver's Education

Mary Conza

Health II: ATOD Paper

Having Just One

Many people say that having a couple of beers isn't bad. They say that even when you have a couple, you are still physically and emotionally stable. You aren't "drunk" so you're still good. However, these people are wrong. Alcohol is dangerous and unhealthy even if you have just one drink. Alcohol is a drug that causes intoxication. Once you start drinking, you start losing control of yourself.

Alcohol has existed for many, many years. The first record for Alcohol goes back all the way to 4000 B.C. E. Alcohol is believed to have developed in the mountains between the Black and the Caspian Seas. This area today is known as Armenia. Alcohol is believed to have originated as Viticulture, which is a selective cultivation of grape vines. Viticulture is used to make wine.

Furthermore, I had mentioned before that alcohol is a drug. Just like you can become addicted to a drug, you can become addicted to drinking. There are four stages towards alcoholism, or alcohol addiction. They are problem drinking, tolerance, dependence, and lastly alcoholism. The first stage, which is problem drinking, is when a drinker can't drink alcohol at moderate times. The second stage, which is tolerance, is when the drinker needs more alcohol to produce the same effect when first drinking alcohol. The third stage, which is dependence, is when the drinker's body needs alcohol in order to function. The last stage, which is alcoholism, is when the drinker has lost complete control of his drinking. Some warnings signs to look for if you think that you're getting addicted are if you are drinking to deal with anger, frustration, and disappointment, if you are drinking just to get drunk, if you drinking alone, and if you are experiencing memory lapses because of your drinking. However, you probably won't see these recognize these symptoms. This is going to be because you are in a state of denial. You are refusing to see that you are becoming addicted to alcohol.

As always, being addicted to a drug brings consequences. Being addicted to alcohol brings both short-term and long-term effects. Some short-term effects of alcohol include nausea, dehydration, reduced reaction time, poor vision, and memory loss. Some long-term effects of alcohol are that alcohol damages the heart. It causes irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and enlargement of the heart. Alcohol also damages the liver causing hepatitis and liver cancer. Lastly, alcohol causes permanent changes in the brain. This is because of the cell death that occurs as a result of dehydration and lack of oxygen. This all leads to dementia which is a decrease in brain function.

To continue, in 2009, statistics show that alcohol use is most common among kids who are 12 years and over. We're