Causes and consequences of excessive alcohol use among American youth

Drinking and Driving

Cases of alcohol abuse in America have affected the people one way or the other. Every person has been affected by the cases of one or other relatives, friends or loved ones. Every one is waging a war against substance abuse and to bring back the addicts to normalcy and sobriety. We have been hearing shocking stories about American public in general and young populace in particular getting hurt, injured, maimed and dead due to excessive drinking and its dangerous effects that includes drunk driving. Stories of college students in different states made headlines when they were found dead after binge drinking. The issues that have surfaced with force are that of excessive drinking rather than simple drinking. Most prople including young and under age group have been found to drink prodigous amount of alcohol and getting hurt one way or the other. These drinking binmges have resulted in a number of accidents due to drunk driving. Some times the drunken person gets hurt, sometimes others get hurt due to rash driving and sometimes the property and vehicles get damged or maimed.

Causes

Considering the gravity of situation it is necessary to look at the causes of addiction also. Mostly, a spiritual weakness, emotional dependence or lack of it, family problems, loneliness, and many other causes cause people to get addicted to alcohol. Upbringing and social conditions also seem to be a cause of addiction. Familial structure or broken families also seem to result in a problem. Some people drink excessively for pleasure or some drink it for no reason at all. Addictive and excessive drinking has become a serious problem for all. "Adolescent alcohol use is one of the most difficult behaviors to change because alcohol use is so ingrained in the U.S. culture. Adolescents choose to consume alcohol, not just because of personal characteristics, such as personality type or level of social skills, but also because it is a part of daily life in their communities and, for many youth, in their homes (Wagenaar and Perry 1994). As Wagenaar and Perry indicate in their theoretical model (1994), numerous social and environmental influences affect adolescents, including messages they receive from advertisements, community practices, adults, and friends about alcohol" (Komro & Toomey, 2002).

The alcohol industry and their advertisement campaigns also get a lot of flak for making drinking an attractive feature for young and adults alike. Critics argue that even the advertisement for beers and alcoholic products feature young people chilling out in a beach location or a dance party or other activities that today's youth find really alluring. Advertising professional and industry leaders defend their position that they do not directly target youth and they do not even cast models younger than 25 years in their advertisements. Whatever the position of industry pundits, the fact is that these ads are attractive enough for the youth and adults alike. Also to blame is the change in the way TV is viewed as most young people now have their own TV sets and they can watch whatever they want to.

Some people think that binge drinking used to be a part of the society but it was never blatant and in-you-face like it is today and they blame it on Internet and free flow of information or misinformation to people of all ages. Today youth and adults not only indulge but they flaunt it on their web sites and blogs.

These days movie stars, sports stars and even politicians make headlines when they are caught driving under the influence of alcohol. A little over indulgence have caused shame for many celebrities and their stories made headlines. Even though these incidences show that the celebrities were caught but at times they can also be counter productive as people consider these celebrities their role models and follow their lifestyles blindly. In past some celebrities have come out in the open and have apologized for their rash behavior in public setting an example that drinking and driving can be problematic.

Consequences

Health Hazards: It is known to everyone that excessive and addictive drinking can cause health hazards. The effects of excessive use of alcohol are known to every one that it may cause damage to Liver or other parts of the body. Relation of heart diseases and alcohol consumption has also been proved by research in the field of medicine.

Traffic Accidents: More tragic consequences of drinking come in the form of traffic accidents. Drunk drivers not only put their own life in danger but they also endanger lives of others. Statistics of drunken driving related accidents portray a very grim picture. A majority of traffic accidents in America involve drunken driving. "Drunk drivers killed more than 16,000 people in 1997. Preliminary figures for 1998 are about the same. Although alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased 32% from 1987 to 1997 - a reduction due largely to stricter laws passed over the last decade - there is more work to be done" (Mejeur, 1999).

Problems for Youth: In the age bracket of 15-20 most deaths are the result of traffic accident and a majority of these traffic accidents have involved drinking. Even though drunk driving has been found in adults but this 15-20 or under 21 age bracket has been equally problematic when it comes to drunk driving. Research has been done in this regard and the blood alcohol content (BAC) of those involved in fatal accident were carried and results shocked the nation that in at least a quarter of the cases blood alcohol content (BAC) was.08 or higher. Also researches suggest that young age drunk driving habits could stay with the person in the adult age and could remain a potential for danger or harm. The trends, figures and researches shock us more because under age group is not even allowed to drink by law much less drunk driving. "According to statistics from the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 1,400 college students die from alcohol-related deaths each year including motor vehicle crashes. Unfortunately, that number has remained constant even though both high school and college-age drinking has decreased" (Boulard, 2005).

Financial Losses: People not only hurt themselves physically but they also hurt their finances. Serious accidents also cause damage to the vehicles even if the person escapees any injury. At times drunk drivers also have to pay penalty for drunken driving offence in certain states. In case of teenagers parents have to bear the financial burden of their irresponsible behavior. Some times licenses of the drivers also get cancelled. "A teenager can face fines for alcohol consumption, which leaves the parent of the underage drinker financially responsible in most cases. An alcohol-related driving offense will affect the insurance rates of teen drivers for years afterward. The Division of Motor Vehicles imposes a mandatory insurance surcharge that takes immediate effect, which can amount to as much as $3,500. Commonly, automobile insurance is also canceled, only to be repurchased at the highest rates" ('Teach Teens', 2002).

Current Laws

Earlier discussion shows that drunken driving has become a social problem. Whenever there is a social problem it is tackled by laws and legislations. There are many laws in place right now in the country both at the Federal and State levels. These laws, programs and policing efforts have evolved overtime. Some of the important laws are as:

Zero Tolerance: In almost all of the states laws exist that legitimize drunk driving for under-21 age group with 'zero tolerance'. Zero tolerance means that this age group cannot have more than.02 blood alcohol content (BAC) while driving. Many states have successfully implemented these standards as a result of which the number of accidents has reduced considerably over the years. The victory of law depends on it successful implementation. The States that fail in implementing these laws fall short in controlling the damage that drunk driving could cause. The threshold level for adults is 0.08% BAC and it can be considered the nationwide standard.

Keg Registration: Keg registration laws are also in place in many sates to counter teenage binge drinking at parties. These keg registration laws are of varying strictness in different States to keep a check on who buys what for whom. It functions in different ways in different states. People are generally required to show identification and fill out a form providing details of where the keg is going. The tracking numbers are placed on kegs to keep track of the destinations as most of the time kegs end up in parties where minors or under age drinkers are present.

Distribution: There are laws in place that make distribution of alcohol to any one under the age of 21 a class one misdemeanor. These laws put hurdles in the way of easy and open distribution and thus restrict under age drinking problem.

Sobriety Roadblocks: Sobriety roadblock is an attempt by different states to stop vehicles to check if they have anything to drink or if they are too drunk to drive. A number of states follow sobriety roadblock rules while some states like Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin etc. have avoided sobriety roadblock techniques and their technique has been general patrolling.

Minimum Legal Drinking Age: Minimum legal drinking age has been the topic of debate in this country. In the past minimum legal drinking age was reduced to 18, 19, or 20 in some states. With reducing the minimum legal drinking age the issue of drunk driving and road accident surfaced. In the year 1984 legislation was made to counter this issue and Uniform Drinking Age Act which made the legal age back to 21 and imposed restrictions on states that did not raise their minimum legal drinking age back to 21. As result of this legislation all the states had their minimum legal drinking age as 21. "Those supporting the age-21 policy are not Prohibitionists. They are not interested in outlawing all alcohol consumption for adults and are not interested in putting the alcohol industry out of business. They are interested in protecting youth and the safety of all citizens in our communities by supporting implementation and enforcement of the law that states that it is illegal to sell alcohol to those under the age of 21. They are interested in protecting property and reducing the costs spent on health care and crime. These are goals shared by most of the public, and research shows that if we can reduce youth access to alcohol, we can help achieve these goals" (Toomey & Wagenaar, 2002).

Debate on Legislation

Whether or not the alcohol should be prohibited is a very controversial subject. There are people who support complete ban on alcohol while others adopt a different point-of-view.

Critics argue that drinking cannot be made illegal. They argue that alcohol consumption could become an addiction but people do not commit crimes to get alcohol because it is legal and affordable to many. So, when prohibtion on alcohol ended black market alcohol profits also dwindled because of the availability of low-priced alcohol.

Experts suggest that laws should be made in a way that they work to reduce the harms and dangers rather than eliminating them completely. According to critics too harsh or too idealistic legislations do not help as there cannot be a state of Utopia in real world. 100% crime control is not possible anywhere. So, the lawmakers should consider reduction in crimes a target rather than eliminating them while making legislations. It would be very naive on lawmakers' part to assume that laws could completely abolish crimes from the country. For example a law cannot be made that bans all teenage parties or overnight gatherings to control drunken driving. Laws cannot rid teenagers of safe fun that they want to have. Law can be made in a way that cautions them without hurting their fun and frolicking. "To make matters worse, State University of New York's Hanson says, zero tolerance alcohol programs or efforts to make campuses virtually alcohol-free have a funny way of backfiring. 'Prohibition is a classic example of how the laws in these matters can end up being counterproductive by actually making the thing that is being prohibited more attractive. That remains especially true for young people who don't like to be told what not to do. 'And when that happens,' says Hanson, 'young people very often find themselves involved in these dangerous events centered around heavy episodic drinking, which is the very last thing we want to see happen" (Boulard, 2005).

Solutions

Different methods like psychosurgery, psychoanalysis, self-help, acupuncture, family therapy, hypnosis, medication to meditation have been adopted to fight the menace of alcohol abuse. Whatever the reasons of getting addicted are, getting addicts back to sobriety is the main aim of all such programs. If they are not brought back to normalcy then terrible social and medical consequences await their fates. Therefore different solutions are suggested and proposals are made to address the issue. Only government and its laws cannot deal with this problem. States, communities, families and individuals will have to play their roles.

Controlling Distribution

One way of countering the problem of illegal drinking is making a check on distributors. Though there are already laws in place in different states that control distribution of alcohol to minors but still more checks are required. For instance laws could be made by different states to suspend the licenses of those who are found selling to minors without getting to see their identification. Compliance checks are a useful way of dealing with the issue. As a result of non-compliance by the license holder administrative penalties such as license suspension rather than criminal penalties could work better.

Responsibilities: States governments have to be active to implement license suspension as regular checks are needed to be made by law enforcement agencies. Also, some advice and training needs to be given to seller with regard to catching false identification. Delivery of alcoholic beverages to homes or other places could also be monitored through proper implementation of laws like Keg registration etc. Still today a number of states allow unhindered and easy delivery of alcohol to homes. States need to wake up to such realties and at least keep some restriction on delivery of alcohol as result of transaction made through Internet. Whatever the source the availability of alcohol whether directly or through delivery should be checked and States can play their active role through legislation and policing.

Increasing Taxes

There are many who propose that taxes on alcoholic drinks such as beer should be increased to make it less affordable for adults or teenagers to indulge in excess dinking. Americans are considered a beer-drinking nation as compared to other alcoholic beverages. Even though whines and whiskies are sold in the market but easy to consume American beers have greater appeal to the population at large. Beer is one of the main items of purchase of an average American. All kinds of cheap and expensive beers are available in the market. It is suggested that there should be some beer fee that is people should pay some extra or super normal prices if they want to drink. Even though beer is market is considered price inelastic, still increasing taxes and thus increasing prices could help in preventing the excessive driving. Taxation or beer fee has already been suggested in some states. "Morrisette is a co-sponsor of House Bill 2533, which would impose such a fee, amounting to 10 cents per 12 ounces of malt beverage. It would be paid by companies that manufacture or distribute beer in Oregon, although the costs ultimately would be passed on to consumers. The fee would come to 5 cents per beer produced by low-volume craft breweries. Currently, Oregon's beer excise comes to just under a penny per 12-ounce beer. That ranks it as tied with three other states for having the third-lowest beer tax in the country. But when the sales tax in other states is factored in, Oregon has, in effect, the lowest tax on beer in the nation" ('Dime a Drink', 2005).

Responsibilities: Increasing the taxes on beer would however require legislation. In order to get such legislation passed lobbyists must act and try to convince the both Republicans and Democrats the benefits it could reap for the nation particularly its youth. The biggest opposition in this regard could come from the beer industry. Industry leaders generally point out that if beers are taxed then automobiles should also be taxed. They support stringent laws rather than stringent pricing for beers. While giving arguments of taxing automobiles too as drunk people drive they fail to understand that it is the excessive alcohol that is the root cause of problems not the auto mobiles. Therefore, community should also come forward and non-governmental governmental organization as well as political parties should play their role. Increasing the taxes does not really mean that people would stop drinking or it is meant to ban drinking all together rather it would keep a check on excessive drinking. Also the money obtained with the help of extra taxes could be invested back in programs that support the prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug addiction.

Parents or Family Role

Family of adults and teenagers can help in controlling the issue of drunk driving. If people have close-knit family with healthy relationships then a sense of responsibility to loved ones develops naturally.

The role of parents becomes more important when it comes to controlling the problem of teenage drinking and drunk driving. The time when high schools students are about to graduate and during the summers when teenagers are attracted to the parties, parent words of caution can help a great deal. Under age drinking even in small amount can be more problematic then an adult indulging in drinks. Healthy and understanding relationships between parents and children can prevent any possible tragic incidence. Parents can regularly caution teenagers about the hazards of drinking even at occasions like prom nights. It is also important that parent explain different laws related to teenage drinking and the probable consequences of drunk driving. If parents have open communication with their children then they are more likely to call them if they are under the influence so that they can avoid drunk driving.

Role of Education

The drinking problem can be tackled best the high school and college level itself. Legislation alone cannot make a difference untill schools and colleges play their due role. Education and awareness programs have been introduced in schools and colleges and they have worked really well. Creating awareness and spreading knowledge play their role when introduced to young students. However, it's not just the schools, the community as well as families should get together and made young population aware of the danger they expose themselves to if they drive in a drunken state. Young generation today is smarter and if told the right thing they have the capacity to judge what is right and what is not right for them. However, educating young people does not really mean lecturing them but telling them the facts in a way that they get the message without being irritated. There is always a group that does not get affected by any kind of warning or advice and indulge in drinking but an education programs save a big portion of younger population by giving them advice and telling them the harmful effects of drinking and drunken driving.

Research also suggests that freshmen are more prone to trying drinking than seniors. Experts suggest that it is this age when teenagers rebel and they want experiment with new things no matter what. So teenagers and minors and their behavioral psychology should be kept in mind while making them aware of the problem. An advice of moderate drinking and caution could help better with the young crowd than a stern approach.

Monitoring Extra Curricular Activities

It has been noted that most young population has spare time other than the time they spend in schools and colleges. It is this time when young population is more vulnerable as adult supervision is not possible round the clock. It is in these circumstances that the extra curricular activities become more important. If young people and their leisure time is channelized into the right directions by initiating the right program then their chances of getting involved in risky behavior are reduced. There is no better way of countering drinking and driving problems then getting them involved into activities like sports, recreation, camps, mentoring etc. A lot of research has also been done in this realm and extra curricular activities have found to be effective in reducing the inclination of youth towards substance abuse.

Community Involvement

It is suggested that community involvement is also crucial. All programs cannot be the government responsibility. Here again the role of community becomes crucial. Community centers could be set where people from a particular community could mingle with each other whether young or old. These centers should not become the lecture house for social responsibility rather they could be a good pastime for people of the community in a relaxed, congenial and tension-free environment. State governments could support such community initiative and project them as role models for other to follow.

In some cases a restorative approach has been adopted to teach trouble makers a lesson. Instead of punishing them harshly, those have been involved in excess drinking and drunk driving was put face-to-face with those who they harmed. The situation and the harmful acts of theirs then actually come in front of them which make them realize the gravity of the situation and repercussions of their follies. With this method they become aware of the problem and may restrain in future. Even small situation can work in this scenario. For example they could be shown places or clothes where they threw up and created a mess after heavy drinking.

Future Outlook

This paper suggest responsible lawmaking and various other programs that require equal efforts by government both Federal and State, non-governmental organizations, community leaders, alcohol industry, advertising industry, community, schools, colleges, and families. Concerted efforts are required by each of these stakeholders. Social problems cannot simply be solved by legislation alone. The solutions suggested for driving & drinking problem is more like jigsaw puzzle. All pieces have to be fitted together to make a complete picture. If any of the stakeholders stop playing their due role then the situation at hand cannot be improved. There have been many examples in which all stake holders played their role and created a success story. For example Cops in Shops program was initiated to counter retail selling of alcohol and now states like Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma et al. have state wide implementation of such programs. The success of this program became possible due to participation of local law enforcement agencies, educators, and the business community and alcohol sellers. Practical examples like these should be eye opener for all of the states in the country.

Government's role in implementation and follow up of strategies to control drunken driving would be supervisory. A special committee or task force should be made to see progress made through different effort. In case of any of the stake holders not performing their duties well the committee could raise red flags. For example if schools in a state are making advisory programs the part of their system then state government or their education departments could issue compliance notices to such institutions.

Some of the strategies like that of education and extra curricular activities could reap long-term benefits and could also be beneficial in many other different social problems facing the youth in particular. Legislation makes immediate impact but if social behavior is influenced through education and community efforts then they create long-term impact. A long tern nationwide campaign with the support of communities, political parties, religious forces and government would help create a safe and healthy society.