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Alcohol should be Illegal

, depending on whether you count only those diseases directly attributable to alcohol, or those in which alcohol was a contributory factor. Around 500 people a year die from using or abusing drugs" (Economist, 1996, p. 22).

In comparing alcoholism with drug abuse, the public generally assumes that drugs are more highly addictive. Surprisingly, this is not the case. A survey of cocaine users concluded that despite its widespread availability and declining price, relatively few people who use the drug become addicted: "The survey found that 21 million Americans had used cocaine, 8 million had used it in the last year, and 3 million were current users, but only 300,000 used cocaine daily or nearly so" (Peele, 1991, p. 40).

Social and cultural factors are assumed to play a role in establishing drinking patterns in alcoholism. Given the wide divergence of alcoholism rates from culture to culture, this is certainly plausible. Part of the lack of attention paid to the problem of alcoholism in the United States is the cavalier attitude that the media fosters toward the subject. For instance, although liquor ads are not permitted on television, they proliferate in magazines, newspapers, and billboards. The following quote about drinking is attributed to writer William Faulkner, "A man shouldn't fool with booze until he's fifty; then he's a damn fool if he doesn't" (Psychology Today, 1996, p. 88). Or as writer H.L. Mencken notes, "I've made it a rule never to drink by daylight and never to refuse a drink after dark" (Psychology Today, 1996, p. 88). The views of these two respected writers is representative of America's prevailing attitude toward alcohol use, an attitude that has fluctuated periodically since the nation's birth.

Historically, Americans have observed cyclical patterns of abstinence and drinking. During the colonial period, however, two patterns of drinking coexisted: the daily intake of small amounts in ...

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Alcohol should be Illegal. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:24, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708333.html