What Is Alcoholism Affect Public Health?

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Many people don’t realize how much yet how little alcohol has changed, yes it sounds crazy but it is true. When you think alcohol, you strictly think just getting drunk to where your body and mind are just loose and out of control with no care in the world and being invincible. No matter what age, alcohol has always been fun and a priority for people, but with prices rising it is becoming more of a hassle to drink. Alcohol is widely associated with socializing and relaxing, and studies have shown some possible health benefits (Alcohol uses). Although alcohol seems all fun and dandy, there are many prices you have to pay, not just cash prices, but life prices. As introduced to Truman Capote by my English teacher, he had written a story about …show more content…
Prohibition did briefly affect public health. The death rate from alcoholism was cut by 80 percent by 1921 because of pre-war while alcohol-related crime dropped. Nevertheless, seven years after Prohibition went into effect, the total deaths from adulterated liquor reached approximately 50,000, and there were many more cases of blindness and paralysis (Digital History). Now there are nearly 88,000 people that die annually from alcohol related causes. In 2012, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 10, 322 deaths (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). Alcohol affects everyone in some aspect. Underage drinking, which can interfere with a normal adolescent brain (Alcohol Facts and Statistics) and college students, where they decide to party instead of study, and go out with friends. About 1 in 4 college students report academic consequences from drinking alcohol, including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). Alcohol and pregnancy are also a big deal, for decades researchers have known that heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects, most common is (FAS) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Uscher). Babies born with FAS tend to weigh less and be shorter than normal, they usually suffer from: smaller heads, deformed facial features, abnormal joints and limbs, poor coordination, problems with learning, and short memories (Uscher). Babies will also, later on in life experience mental health problems with, school experience, inappropriate sexual behavior, trouble with the law, and alcohol and drug problems (Hanson). Overall, alcohol and the human body just don’t mix. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination