Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is the most widely used mind-altering drug in the United States, including Puerto Rico. It is legal, it is readily available and it is generally socially acceptable. A moderate amount of alcohol does not harm most people. However, excessive drinking above recommended levels, on a regular basis, can cause health and social problems.

Alcohol has stimulating, depressing andmood-altering functions. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, although in smaller amounts it may appear to have a mild stimulant effect. (1)It acts as a stimulant when it directly stimulates those brain cells, which lead to feelings of pleasure and euphoria. It is a depressant when it slows the brain down and reduces tensions and worries. This range of effects is what sets alcohol apart frommany other drugs. It can affect our judgment and make us do things we would not usually do when sober. If we get the dose of alcohol right, it can be a pleasant drug. If the dose is wrong, then alcohol can cause a wide range of harmful effects and problems.

A number of different terms are used to describe alcohol problems. As explained by Dowshen (2009) these problems are defined asfollows. Hazardous drinking means drinking at levels, or in situations that are likely to cause harmful consequences. Alcohol abuse refers to the idea that alcohol causes harmful consequences for a person, and the person continues to drink alcohol despite these consequences. Alcohol dependence is a more technical term indicating that either the body or the mind has become hooked or addicted to alcohol.Psychological dependence occurs when the mind seems to take over the control of a person's drinking. The person feels they have to drink to feel good or normal. Psychologically dependent people start to act in ways to ensure their addiction is satisfied. They think a lot about alcohol, they always ensure they have enough alcohol to drink and they plan their activities around alcohol. Physicaldependence occurs when the body adapts to the high use of alcohol and requires this level of use to feel right or maintain its balance.

The problem with alcohol use and abuse starts at the early years. Just about everyone knows that the legal drinking age throughout the United States is 21, and 18 for Puerto Rico. A group of the population that has been rising in the use of alcohol is theteen population. Although it's illegal to buy alcohol in the United States until the age of 21, or 18 in Puerto Rico, most teens can get access to it. It's therefore up to them to make a decision about drinking. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (2008), almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol. Deciding whether to drink is a personal decision that we eacheventually have to make. Experimentation with alcohol during the teen years is common. Some reasons that teens use alcohol and other drugs are: curiosity, to feel good, reduce stress, and relax, to fit in, to feel older, among other reasons. From a very young age, kids see advertising messages showing beautiful people enjoying life and alcohol. And because many parents and other adults aroundthem use alcohol socially, having beer or wine with dinner, for example makes alcohol seem harmless to many teens. In addition to the possibility of becoming addicted, there are some downsides to drinking.

Teens that drink put themselves at risk for obvious problems with the law (it's illegal and you can get arrested). Teens that drink are also more likely to get into fights, and commitcrimes than those who don't. People who drink regularly also often has problems with school. Drinking can damage a student's ability to study well and get decent grades, as well as affect sports performance (the coordination thing). The impression is that drinking is cool, but drinking alcohol can make people do stupid or embarrassing things, like throwing up or peeing on themselves. Drinking also...