Essay about Cultural History of Alcohol

In the 1980s, the United States raised the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) to 21, from 18, in an attempt to protect the nation 's youth. This placed the USA among the few countries whose drinking age is above 18. These countries include most of Canada, the Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Egypt, Indonesia, Micronesia, and Palau (Jernigan). Around the world, drinking ages vary; for example, in Slovenia, Italy, Portugal, Malta and Greece, you can drink before you turn 18, and in parts of India, you cannot legally obtain alcohol until age 25 (Jernigan; Mukherjee). This leads to an important question on whether our democracy should lower the MLDA. The facts on underage drinking, international data on lower drinking ages, current enforcement of underage drinking laws, as well as proposed implications of programs coupled with a lower drinking age provides provoking data pointing towards the ethical lowering of the drinking age. The democracy of the United States of America should lower the MLDA, but also adopt a mandatory alcohol education class, and a graduated licensing system.

The history of alcohol and drug abuse can be dated back for hundreds of years around the world; in addition, the side effects from abuse can last just as long. The extent of alcohol and drug abuse may change dramatically due to societal views and normality such as the Prohibition era and the legalization of medicinal marijuana. Understanding alcohol and drug abuse means that one must not examine the behavior of the drinker, but also the place, time, and context of the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Dating back to the Mayflower, the New World welcomed the brewing of beer and ale as a tradition of the early culture. The consumption of alcohol was excessive- it was consumed from the crack of dawn to the crack of dawn, at work, alone, together,

Every day in the United States, almost 30 people die in motor vehicle accidents that are caused by or involve alcohol consumption (Naimi, 71). However, despite the cultural perception that young people and alcohol should not be mixed, there are other institutional forces that perhaps have illuminated the point that people as young as 18 should be allowed to drink and consume alcohol, and that the legal drinking age should be raised. However, simply because the US recognizes people who are 18 years of age as legal adults, and because legal adults are allowed to marry, vote, buy and smoke cigarettes, and register for the armed forces, does not mean that they should also be allowed to consume alcohol as well—as there current evidence that would

Religion was shaped by the consumption of beer and wine because drinking beer gave the euphoric feeling which led those who consumed it to believe it was magical, and a gift from God. The ancient Egyptians credited Osiris, the god of agriculture, for inadvertently discovering beer (19). Beer was so sacred to the Egyptians that they believed it was required to ensure a peaceful afterlife that even low level servants given rations of beer. Mesopotamians often drank beer communally be means of a straw and a large post of their sacrifice to the god of agriculture (39.) As a result of beer giving the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians something to believe in they were able to develop a structured society around those beliefs. As time progressed,

The use of alcohol is an overpowering issue of our society. It is used in religious ceremonies, during socialization, and its presence is seen everywhere. Alcohol comes in many forms such as beer, wine, and hard liquor. Its use has been praised, denounced, accepted, and outlawed in the last century alone. Many admit that it is a problem, and how widespread and dangerous it is, but no one really wants to address the issue of alcohol and the media. The root of the underage drinking problem is the media, with its television shows, advertisements, and overall irresponsibility in portraying drinking as glamorous. The increase in underage drinking is a direct result of the media's influence on young people today.

(History of Alchemy) For time out of mind the primary drinks being consumed by humans were beer, wine, and cider. All three have a relatively low alcohol content, generally less than 15% by volume. They are made by the process of fermentation. During the medieval period in Europe more pure forms of alcohol were invented by the process of distillation, which concentrates the alcohol and were used for medicinal purposes. These new distilled spirits may contain up to 40% alcohol by volume. (Alcohol Content

A person’s body that is physically dependent on alcohol is known as alcoholism. An alcoholic can be called an addict; someone who is addicted to alcohol. (More on the definition of “addict” is further in this essay). Alcoholism is a very serious illness that affects about 30 percent of people; 10 percent of women and 20 percent of men (Green Health Edition, Chapter8, page 222H). People all over the world and throughout history have used alcohol for every kind of social gatherings to religious ceremonies. It is said that alcohol enhances celebrations or

In the past, Italians viewed alcohol as equal to food without a worry of alcohol dependence. It was, and still is, custom for a family to enjoy wine with their meal at dinner. Their choice of beverage is specifically wine. Many areas of the country have their own specialties for winemaking and the land is ideal for growing grapes. There is a large variation between the wines throughout the country due to the soil and family traditions of creating their blend. All of these different factors made wine a main cultural factor of Italian life. Over time, wine has developed into a drink for celebration and socialization and is no longer focused on as a necessary part of meals (Struassner, 2003). Compared to other European countries, Italy has the highest volume of alcohol consumption during an occasion, like a birthday, holiday or special occasion

While young people in foreign countries learn to regard moderate drinking as an enjoyable social activity, young Americans view it as something they have to sneak around to do. If 18 year olds do not have legal access to even a beer in a public place, they are ill equipped to deal with the responsibilities that come with drinking when they do have the right.

The consumption of alcohol is a tradition that has dated back centuries. It has been viewed at as a religious ceremony, illegal activity, and eventually looked as a social norm. Drinking is viewed as a way to relax, celebrate, and enjoy the company of friends and family. Being a sailor in the Navy; if you don’t drink on a regular basis, you either have a family or viewed as socially abnormal. The consumption of alcohol can be taken to one extreme of abusing alcohol and using as a crutch; there’s also the vast different of never touching the stuff.

Gatherings, for example, Italians, Greeks, Chinese, and Jews who have few drinking related issues, have a tendency to impart some normal attributes. Liquor is neither seen as a toxic substance or an enchantment powerful, there is next to zero social weight to drink, untrustworthy conduct is never endured, young adults gain at home from their guardians and from different grown-ups how to handle liquor in a mindful way, there is societal agreement on what constitutes dependable

The history of alcohol, its production and the practices associated with the act of drinking is as old and rich as the history of human race. Alcoholism is a social issue with concerns citizens not only of America, but also the entire world. The perception of depedence and enslavement of ethanol should be changed in order to prevent the issue from growing even fruther. This addiction is destructive to the addict's health, both psychological and physical, it affects their relationships with friends and family.

An illustration was made with the explanation that factors behind the onset of consumption at 13 years include novelty associated with alcohol use, curiosity and the significance of psychological development regarding alcohol consumption among young adults. This implies that drinking is considered as an adult behavior and part of the adolescence development. Various studies have evaluated the factors and predictors associated with the alcohol consumption among adults. Some of them have defined clear differentiation of forecasters about normal or moderate consumption from those related to the misuse or excessive consumption. Donovan (2004) state that the factors which lead to consumption initiation at an early age are similar to those which facilitate further development of drinking habit, addiction, and excessive consumption. The cultural variations also affect the way in which health, drinking and the associated problems with drinking are addressed and perceived. The research is required to assess the effect of cultural variations for planning and developing appropriate service

A. From providing food and to give temporary shelter to alcoholics was the main work done by the historical social workers. However the views about treatment of alcoholism have changed throughout the history. Today we have ample of methods for treatment of alcoholism such as medications, psychotherapies and so on. However, in past one method was more popular. We know this method today by the name of aversion therapy.

As we all know, alcohol is a product that has provided a variety of functions for people in the world. Alcoholic beverages have been consumed by humans in the very early time, they were one of the most popular drink and have been widely used in everywhere of the world. Also they were used medicinally, chemically, physically and so on.