Alcohol Should Be Illegal There

Alcohol Should Be Illegal

There has been a lot of public attention and research on the beneficial properties of alcohol. Though these studies may be valid, the few positive elements are hardly enough to balance out the harmful effects of alcohol on individuals and on society in general. Alcohol is responsible for approximately 3% of all American deaths (Drug Addiction and the Brain's Reward Circuits), so clearly the negative impact of alcohol use is not small. Because of its detrimental effects on the body, society, and the loss of lives due to alcohol-related incidents, alcohol use should be made illegal in this country.

There were 16, 694 alcohol-related fatalities in 2004-39% of the total traffic fatalities for the year" (Alcohol Alert). "[The] Drinker experiences mild euphoria and loss of inhibition as alcohol impairs regions of the brain controlling behaviour and emotion" (Drinksense). Driving requires a multitude of skills: coordination, balance, concentration, reflexes, vision, reason, judgment. Alcohol consumption slows down or impairs every single one of these abilities, making a car into a deadly weapon in the hands of an intoxicated driver. Even worse are these effects on a young, inexperienced driver. Though certainly drinking and driving are a personal choice, the many of the individuals that are killed in alcohol-related accidents are other innocent drivers, passengers, or pedestrians who are struck by an intoxicated driver. This loss of innocent life alone should dictate that alcohol is a dangerous substance and it needs to be made unavailable to the multitude of ignorant, irresponsible individuals who elect to risk their own, as well as everyone else's lives by driving while intoxicated.

Though not a threat to anyone other than the individual who chooses to drink, alcohol consumption can have serious and detrimental effects on the body. Steady drinking over many years leads to permanent changes in the brain. "One of the permanent effects of alcohol on the brain is to reduce the amount of brain tissue and to increase the size of the ventricles instead" (Drinksense).

Alcohol acts as a sedative on the Central Nervous System, depressing the nerve cells in the brain, dulling, altering and damaging their ability to respond. Large doses cause sleep, anesthesia, respiratory failure, coma and death (Drinksense).

Though the effects on the brain are unpleasant, "some of the most serious effects on the body of drinking alcoholic drinks are caused by damage done to the liver by alcohol" (Drinksense). Cirrhosis is a disease that results from liver cells being killed, and ultimately this leads to the liver not working properly. Alcohol kills liver cells, and the majority of Cirrhosis cases are alcohol-related. Though occasional drinking allows time for the liver cells to recover, a steady intake will lead to permanent damage, and ultimately liver failure. Alcohol also affects other organs like the stomach, pancreas, intestines, heart, eyes, and ears -- nearly every major organ in the body. Though moderate amounts of alcohol in the form of red wine can have minor positive effects on heart disease, the source of these benefits is not present in anything but red wine, and therefore holds no sway in the consideration of any other form of alcohol. With such dangerous, painful, and deadly effects on the body, there seems no reason why alcohol should continue to be widely available in any society.

Of course many will argue that the consumption of alcohol is a personal choice, and to make alcohol illegal would be to violate the individual personal rights and freedoms that are we are supposed to be guaranteed in this country. Though this is an accurate opinion that it is a personal choice to consume alcohol, the risk of the individual harming innocent people around them is far too high to ignore. Preserving the lives of the innocent has been morally and philosophically placed above personal rights especially when the individual who is free to choose then becomes dangerous to those around him. So, in effect, the choice to consume alcohol is not the choice restricted to the individual. As one chooses to imbibe such a dangerous substance, they not only choose to damage their own body and faculties, but they also choose to everyone else's safety and life that he encounters after he has his drink. This is a violation of multiple other personal lives, and so the sheer quantity of those at risk who are not involved should dictate that the choice should be removed from the few who have the control over so many.

Another way that personal choice is removed from the equation is the effect that alcohol has on the unborn fetus. Alcohol can pass from the blood of woman to her unborn child causing serious damage to the developing fetus's nervous system, physical features, and eventual learning and other intellectual difficulties. "Heavy alcohol use during pregnancy can also lead to miscarriage, premature delivery, or stillbirth" (Fackler). If the fetus is able to survive in this environment and is born with alcohol-related problems, or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, that range in severity from physical issues such as low birth weight, small head size, and dental deformities to larger and more intense troubles like hearing problems, neurological dysfunctions, epilepsy, and behavioral problems (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). In the case of a woman drinking while pregnant, the choice to consume alcohol is not just the choice of a moment. Instead it is the choice of a lifetime for her unborn child. Though no punishment could ever be severe enough to make up for the life-long damage a mother inflicts on her child in this situation, if alcohol is made illegal then the punishments would be more severe, and the help for these children made more available. There could also be programs set in place to try to prevent this kind of damage. A doctor has far more ability to intervene with a patient's personal decisions if the patient is engaging in illegal activities.

Also along the lines of personal choice comes the most frightening aspect of alcohol consumption: the addictive potential. Once the line has been crossed from recreational consumption to addiction, the personal choice is now removed from the picture. The individual is now a slave to the alcohol, and may feel driven to consume it even against their own better judgment or desire.

Alcohol Addiction, or dependence, is defined as having at least 3 of the following signs: a tolerance for alcohol (needing increased amounts to achieve the same effect), withdrawal symptoms, taking alcohol in larger amounts that was intended or over a longer period of time than was intended, having a persistent desire to decrease or the inability to decrease the amount of alcohol consumed, spending a great deal of time attempting to acquire alcohol, and finally, continuing to use alcohol even though the person knows there are reoccurring physical or psychological problems being caused by the alcohol (Mental Health Matters).

This addiction can lead to the destruction of entire lives. An alcoholic risks the loss of interpersonal relationships, employment, housing, and any number of elements that allow for stable mental health. It has been estimated that 60% of the homeless population have found themselves in such a position due to alcohol or other dug related problems. This demonstrates that alcohol has far-reaching effects that mere restriction of the substance cannot address. The danger is not just about injury, or death, but also about long-term suffering of individuals, entire families, and society in general. Alcohol abuse accounts for loss of productivity on a national scale, and the financial, physical, and moral burden of the homeless has serious affects on communities. This kind of danger and its immense impact can and should be regulated by the same strict laws and punishments that accompany other illegal substances, some of which have even less dangerous effects than alcohol.