Alcohol

Drinking Age

There is a question that a lot of people have been wondering for a while now. Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old?

The United States Of America is one of the few countries to have a drinking age of twenty one, and a lot of people is wondering, at eighteen years old, you are old enough to go to war, drive, to choose the president, but not old enough to drink?

Teenagers turn 21 and don’t know how to control their drinking, when in fact, they should be taught how to drink responsibly. Drinking should be considered as driving, you should receive some type of education on how to drink properly. Be able to get alcohol with some restrictions before being able to do it freely. And when you turn twenty one those restrictions would disappear, but only if you proved to be a responsible drinker Drinking Age

There is a question that a lot of people have been wondering for a while now. Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old?

The United States Of America is one of the few countries to have a drinking age of twenty one, and a lot of people is wondering, at eighteen years old, you are old enough to go to war, drive, to choose the president, but not old enough to drink?

Teenagers turn 21 and don’t know how to control their drinking, when in fact, they should be taught how to drink responsibly. Drinking should be considered as driving, you should receive some type of education on how to drink properly. Be able to get alcohol with some restrictions before being able to do it freely. And when you turn twenty one those restrictions would disappear, but only if you proved to be a responsible drinker Drinking Age

There is a question that a lot of people have been wondering for a while now. Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old?

The United States Of America is one of the few countries to have a drinking age of twenty one, and a lot of people is wondering, at eighteen years old, you are old enough to go to war, drive, to choose the president, but not old enough to drink?

Teenagers turn 21 and don’t know how to control their drinking, when in fact, they should be taught how to drink responsibly. Drinking should be considered as driving, you should receive some type of education on how to drink properly. Be able to get alcohol with some restrictions before being able to do it freely. And when you turn twenty one those restrictions would disappear, but only if you proved to be a responsible drinker Drinking Age

There is a question that a lot of people have been wondering for a while now. Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old?

The United States Of America is one of the few countries to have a drinking age of twenty one, and a lot of people is wondering, at eighteen years old, you are old enough to go to war, drive, to choose the president, but not old enough to drink?

Teenagers turn 21 and don’t know how to control their drinking, when in fact, they should be taught how to drink responsibly. Drinking should be considered as driving, you should receive some type of education on how to drink properly. Be able to get alcohol with some restrictions before being able to do it freely. And when you turn twenty one those restrictions would disappear, but only if you proved to be a responsible drinker Drinking Age

There is a question that a lot of people have been wondering for a while now. Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old?

The United States Of America is one of the few countries to have a drinking age of twenty one, and a lot of people is wondering, at eighteen years old, you are old enough to go to war, drive, to choose the president, but not old enough to drink?

Teenagers turn 21 and don’t know how to control their drinking, when in fact, they should be taught how to drink responsibly. Drinking should be considered as driving, you should receive some type of education on how to drink properly. Be able to get alcohol with some restrictions before being able to do it freely. And when you turn twenty one those restrictions would disappear, but only if you proved to be a responsible drinker

Drinking Age

There is a question that a lot of people have been wondering for a while now. Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old?

The United States Of America is one of the few countries to have a drinking age of twenty one, and a lot of people is wondering, at eighteen years old, you are old enough to go to war, drive, to choose the president, but not old enough to drink?

Teenagers turn 21 and don’t know how to control their drinking, when in fact, they should be taught how to drink responsibly. Drinking should be considered as driving, you should receive some type of education on how to drink properly. Be able to get alcohol with some restrictions before being able to do it freely. And when you turn twenty one those restrictions would disappear, but only if you proved to be a responsible drinker

Review underage drinking is an increasing problem within the adolescent population. This leads to poor decision making, risk taking and behavioral problems as the brain is not fully developed. Underage drinking can also affect a person’s social and emotional wellbeing. Popular Channel Ten television show, The Project (1), did a segment on teaching Australian youth how to P. A. R. T. Y safely. P. A. R. T. Y stands for Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma In Youth. According to the segment, It Is estimated that one Australian teenager dies everyday due to alcohol related causes while another sixty are hospitalized.

The point of the segment is to promote the P. A. R. T. Y program to adolescences to prevent youth Injury and trauma. The program includes educating teenagers through films and also meeting survivors of road trauma that are now going through rehabilitation. The researcher chose this source as they were able to relate It to their Interview with a PHD/PEE teacher. Both the segment and interview talk about programs or topics at school that give adolescents information on drugs and alcohol. By choosing this topic, the researcher was able to compare the P. A. R. T.

Y Program with what adolescent students are taught in the Great Lakes Area. The segment also states that this years MIAMI Crash Index Study has found that in the past year, 56% of people admitted to testing while driving, 13% had driven drunk. 8% while on drugs and with too many people In the car. A website about. Com (2), did an article on teen drinking and behavior problems. The article says that according too new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMARA), adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who use alcohol are more likely to result in behavioral problems.

Underage drinking – even so-called light drinking – is dangerous, illegal, and must not be tolerated,” said SAMARA Administrator Melba Cave. The article says that adolescents who use alcohol are more likely to report behavioral problems, especially aggressive, delinquent and criminal behaviors such as fighting, stealing, driving under the Influence of alcohol and/or drugs, skipping school, feeling depressed and deliberately trying to hurt or kill themselves. Like ‘The Project’ segment, the researcher was able to relate this article to the interview with the PHD/PEE as the interviewer asked a question about behavior.

By using this article with statistics, the researcher Is able to compare the results from the interview with the statistics. This shows how the Great Lakes area compares to the rest of the adolescent country. With the underage drinking rates not significantly changing since 1 994, It Is clear that there Is a major problem. According to the article on about. Com, a new report, the “Patterns of Alcohol Use Among Adolescents and Associations with Emotional and Behavioral Problems” concludes that there Is big relationship between alcohol use among youth and many emotional and behavioral problems.

This is a problem as it affects the social and emotional wellbeing of the adolescent which has an impact on many things such as school work, social and family life and their mental state. The study also showed that drinkers are more likely to use illicit drugs then non drinkers. An article on drinkers. Org (3) did an article on underage drinking called “Kids and Alcohol don’t years and more than quarter of our 14-19 year olds are putting themselves at risk of harm from underage drinking and binge drinking.

The article also says that from the age 12 or thorough to the early twenties the brain is in a state of intense placement, molding and hardwiring in readiness for the challenges of adulthood. Fractionation is a process where the brain is growing and forming all the critical parts it needs for learning, memory, planning, emotional stability and thinking. During this critical phase of growth, fractionation tells us that alcohol disrupts the brains development. By drinking alcohol at a young age, you are risking that your brain may never reach its full capacity which means you may never reach your full potential.

The researcher chose this source as the article then goes on to talk about hat you could do as a parent to help your teenager become a happy and healthy adult. The researcher can use this source, as well as the interview with the parent to put towards their research. These two sources would have similar results and would be good to compare with each other. The last source the researcher looked at was a literature review on the Juvenile Justice Bulletin (4). The review talks about the effects and consequences of underage drinking and how it can affect a youth’s physical, emotional and neurological health. Like the article on drinkers. Erg, the review talks bout the brain development, stating that the brain doesn’t fully develop until a person is around age 25. Underage drinking can often impact on the neurological development causing youth to make irresponsible choices. The effect of alcohol can also have long term, negative effects on the brain such as those listed below: Alcohol affects the hippopotamus. The hippopotamus is a part of the brain that handles memory and learning. By abusing alcohol, the hippopotamus becomes smaller affecting the academic performance and memory of an individual. Such effects on the brain can sometimes be irreversible. Alcohol affects the amelioration process. Amelioration helps stabilize and speed brain processes. Disrupting the amelioration process can cause cognitive deficiencies. Continuing abuse of alcohol use and other drugs may keep adolescents from advancing to more complex stages of thinking and social interaction. Adolescents have unique social and emotional characteristics and undergo physical and cognitive changes that can affect their social and emotional development. Because of this, adolescents will often find themselves in dangerous and risky situations when they are under the influence of alcohol which will often have negative outcomes.

While adolescents are growing up, they struggle to find independence and try to create their own personal identity. Adolescents look to their peers for support, approval and belonging as they start to provide some of the same functions that a family did earlier. This can often lead to peer pressure, rebellion, experimentation and risk taking. Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s peer group. It often convinces adolescents to engage in activities to gain one another’s approval and often results in alcohol use.

Adolescents often try different social roles and identities to discover who they are such as using make up or alcohol use. Underage drinking has serious social consequences for adolescents and young adults. When adolescents are younger, they are more involved with their families. However, when they start to get older they start socializing more with their peers. In turn, their peers influence their values and them to start drinking. Frequent and heavy use of alcohol is often associated with low self esteem, depression, conduct disorders, antisocial behavior and anxiety.

Again, this has a dramatic impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of an adolescent as some effects are irreversible. The researcher chose this source as it has a lot of points about the social and emotional wellbeing of adolescents and that is the research question for their Independent Research Project (RIP). Although the source has American statistics, the points about the effects of alcohol are universal. The source has a lot of information and is easy to relate to the questionnaires and interviews the researcher as already done as they all look at the same topics.

Underage drinking is becoming very common in today’s society and can often have tragic consequences. Many people view drinking alcohol as a fairly typical activity for youth and young adults and young people are finding it relatively easier to obtain alcoholic beverages. However, the abuse of alcohol can often result in negative consequences such as impaired decision making, poor coordination and engagement in risky behaviors. As the brain doesn’t fully develop until around the age of 25 years old, alcohol abuse can damage the brain, body systems and organs, which are sometimes irreversible.

It is powerful and addictive this liquid is taken orally and often consumed in bundant quantities. Surveys say that adolescents and young adults are likely to drink. There are three basic types of alcoholic drinks are: Beer, Wine, Spirit. Their difference is what each is made of and percentage of alcohol content. Beer is made from fermented grains and has 3 to 6 percent of alcohol content while is made from fermented fruits and have alcohol content of 11 to 14 percent. Spirits are made from fermented distilling products. It usually contains 40-50 percent of alcohol.

American Council Education says 12 ounce glass of beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1. 5 ounce shots f spirits contains the same amount of alcohol. Beer, wine and spirit have the same potential for intoxication and addiction. When a person consumes alcohol the drug acts on nerve cells deep in the brain. These are the well known signs that a person is drunk: the smell of alcohol on breath, irritability, loss of physical coordination, violent behaviour, loss of balance, incoherent speech, loss of consciousness, slowed thinking, blackouts, and Euphoria, an extreme happiness.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, (1994) that alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of aving a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by alcohol. Frequent binge drinking or getting severely drunk more than twice is classed as alcohol misuse. According to research done through international surveys, the heaviest drinkers happen to be the United Kingdom’s adolescent generation. Alcohol abuse affects about 10% of women and 20% of men in the United States, most beginning by their mid-teens.

In Antipolo City, Philippines, many teenagers are now facing the problems of being addicted to alcoholic beverages. One major cause is depression and family problems. Teenagers who are facing this kind of problem suffer in terms of heath like disorders in their eating habits. Other illnesses and diseases which they may have are liver cancer, migraines, and various sicknesses associated with their physiques. Where an alcoholic has experienced a sense of withdrawal in the same time period. According to http://www. sciencedaily. com/articles /a/alcoholism. tm alcoholism is the consumption of preoccupation with alcoholic beverage to the extent that this behaviour interferes. The chronic alcohol caused by alcoholism can result in sychological or physiological disorder. It is also called world’s mostly drug use problems. Alcoholism is often progressive diseases says Ehrlich (2011). A person who is alcoholic typically craves for alcohol and drink and increases his tolerance for alcohol stated by Stoppler (2011) For this reason according to Langham (2010) they are causes of teen alcoholism depend on genetics and life experienced.

Teens begin drinking before the age 15 according to Butler (2006) are more likely to develop a dependency on alcohol than those who begin drinking 21 years old. According to Langham (2010) following reason of alcoholism in teens is: Genetics or Family History, meaning a teenager comes from families who its family members are addictive in or emotional abuse in home but also in school. Another basis of alcoholism in teens is peer pressure, teens experience this kind of reason when a teenager feels that she or he is not accepted because there is something wrong to his or her personality or maybe he or she becomes alcoholic because of friends.

Lack of parental support is one of the sources, teenager who regularly experiences this kind of trait is a person ho regularly experience harsh discipline, criticism, hostility and rejection of his or her parents and the foremost reason of alcoholism in teens is depression, a teenager convince himself or herself that alcohol will take away his or her sadness and make her feel better stated by Boyles (2012).

If its so, this causes may lead to some teenagers in different dangerous effect like: decreasing of paying attention, difficulties in memory, drunk driving, suicide attempt, engaged in sexual activity , poor hygiene, breaking curfews, Hiding in their room, becoming verbally or physically busive toward others according to Palmera (2009)To understand teenagers. Parekh (2009) says that parents seek for understanding; they must always use the open communication for teens. To care by letting them be who they are, gaining the trust of the adolescent.

Dominicia Ferrell Mrs. Burns English 101 December 1, 2011 Should the legal drinking age be raised (or lowered)? Should the drinking age be lowered to eighteen years old, when one is considered an adult, and assumes adult privileges, or should the drinking age remain at twenty-one years old, since people are more mature and therefore, can be safe and responsible with alcohol? I believe that the drinking age should remain at twenty-one years old because lowering the legal age would not be the best interest of the public’s safety, as well as today’s youth.

Why the drinking age should not be lowered? Let me explain some reasons why not to lower the drinking age. One is if the drinking age is lowered it will be contributing to more fatal accidents. Second, lowering the drinking age might influence eighteen year olds to buy alcohol for younger teenagers. An third, eighteen year olds may not be mature enough to know their limitations on drinking alcoholic beverages. I also believe that the drinking age should be lowered because when one turns eighteen years old they are considered an adult.

At the age of eighteen one is able to make his/her on decision. I have come to the conclusion that the legal drinking age should be changed to eighteen. But drunk driving is the one big factor why people do not want to change the legal drinking age to eighteen years old. In this instance there would be a risk of many more deaths in America due to drunk driving. The reason would be that if underage drinkers could consume alcohol they would not have to be forced to drive from authorities.

In the case I would support the legal age of twenty-one. Drunk driving is a very big concern to a lot of people and keeping the age at twenty-one would reduce drunk drivers on the road as opposed to eighteen. If the age were lowered to eighteen there would be less conflict with higher authorities such as parents and police officers. The legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years old because at eighteen you are classified as an adult in the eyes of the law. The legal drinking age in Louisiana is currently twenty-one.

It was changed from eighteen years old to twenty-one in 1996 when the Federal Government threatened to withhold money for highway construction that the law changed and the minimum age was raised to twenty-one across the board for buying, consuming and selling alcohol. This is a point that has been proven time and again with other things such as prohibition. Just because you make something illegal it does not mean that people are just going to stop doing it. Just because you make something illegal it does not mean that people are just going to stop doing it.

Because of the laws many young people learn to drink in unsafe environments. They use alcohol with the intention of getting drunk rather than as an accompaniment to food. In the eighteen, nineteen, and twenty year old range do dangerous binge drinking far more often than the twenty-one who drinks responsibly. I believe that considering twenty-one as the legal age of maturity is foremost ridiculous. Who is to say that just because an individual is twenty-one means that they are mature enough to consume alcohol in a responsible manner? Changing the legal drinking age to eighteen should be forced.

Eighteen year old individuals can take on many responsibilities, but they do not have the right to consume alcohol. I feel this is unfair and biased. Just because a person lives to be twenty-one does not determine how mature they are. For example, there are many teenagers in the world that are considerably more mature than the average twenty-one year old. The determination of legal drinking should not be age, but rather maturity and ability to handle responsibility. If twenty-one is considered so mature, then why an eighteen year old is considered an adult?

At the age of eighteen, an individual can vote, serve on a jury, stay out without a curfew, leave home, drive, smoke, buy weapons, be sent to adult prisons, and die for this country. If an eighteen year old can be held to so many responsibilities, then it seems unfair to say that they are not old enough to drink. Prohibiting the sale of alcohol to people under the age of twenty-one may cause habits such as binge drinking and alcohol abuse. Binge drinking, or drinking for the purpose of getting drunk, harms both drinkers and nondrinkers.

They use bingeing as the get a way that allows them to escape stress. It allows them to forget their worries, fit in with the crowd, and live a fast paced life. Keeping the age at twenty-one makes it seems as if an eighteen year old is not a real adult. Drinking is then viewed as an activity since it is only for adults. Then the underage will just find a way around it. For example, many have fake identification cards, steal alcohol from their parents’, or even put another person in jeopardy by asking someone who is twenty-one to illegally purchase the alcohol for the underage drinkers.

This kind of attitude does not encourage responsible drinking habits. In addition, this gives the young individuals the urge to drink even more when they get older so they can make up for their lost time, causing alcoholism. The argument against changing the legal drinking age has many issues. There have been many vehicle crashes among eighteen year olds than twenty-one year olds after the drinking age was raised to twenty-one. I believe that there will always be people that will drink and drive, and there is nothing anyone can do to completely stop it.

But people of all ages get into car accidents. Instead of restricting the eighteen year old adults, there should be better ways to educate the eighteen year olds on the dangers and responsibilities that come with drinking. My final reason for why the drinking age should be lowered is that if an eighteen year old is considered an adult and have the same responsibilities as a twenty-one year old they should be able to purchase and consume alcohol and drink as much as they desire only if they are able to control their maturity and take on much more responsibilities as to not drink and drive.

Alcohol Dependency & Problem Drinking John Greenwald Edinboro University Introduction It is difficult to locate someone in the United States who feels that alcohol dependency and problem drinking is not a national problem. (Anton, R. 2010) Alcohol dependency and problem drinking has been at the forefront of policy debates at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels regarding healthcare expenses and outcomes, legal matters, and social implications for generations. Most times it is addressed in conjunction with drug abuse. (Anton, R. 010) A general population survey conducted earlier last decade estimated that the prevalence of problem drinking at 4. 65% and alcohol dependence at 3. 81% respectively in the United States. (Huebner & Wolfgang-Kantor, 2011) There are numerous ways to treat alcohol related disorders. Here are three of those interventions auricular acupuncture, 12 step based recovery programs, and moderation management program. Auricular Acupuncture Auricular acupuncture is a holistic approach that originated in the United States during the 80’s.

This form of acupuncture is widely used to treat alcohol dependency in the United States and United Kingdom as an alternative holistic approach. (Alster, M. 2010) The treatment uses five auricular acupuncture points referred to as NADA protocol, the acupuncture points are located in the ear. This intervention is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. (Alster, M. 2010) The acupuncture points used during this treatment are similar from client to client. (Alster, M. 010) The treatment modality is used in conjunction with traditional alcohol detoxification protocols, as to protect the client from physiological harm from detoxing from alcohol. One study the reported short term benefits of this intervention included feelings of relaxation, contentment, and enjoyment mixed with more long term benefits like analgesia, increases in sleep quality, and a reduction in alcohol consumption, anxiety, and cravings. (Alster, M. 2010) In addition to the positive short term benefits there were some negative side effects that were reported such as feelings of light eadedness, burning sensations, and feelings of heat at needle sites. (Alster, M. 2010) Furthermore, there were some initial reports of anxiety even before treatment started which was found to be largely attributed to a client’s fear of needles, doubt of effectiveness, and fear of something foreign. (Alster, M. 2010) Many of these negative side effects dissipated as time passed. (Alster, M. 2010) The aforementioned study of this modality paints an overall positive view of this approach however another study drew correlations that were not as positive.

The later study did find similar short term results which included a reduction in alcohol consumption and an improvement in overall psychological well-being. (Ashton, Nodiyal, Green, Moore, & Heather, 2009) However, the long term results failed to indicate significant indications of the overall effectiveness of auricular acupuncture in long term reduction in consumption, anxiety, and cravings. (Ashton et al. , 2009) 12-Step Based Recovery Programs Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935, by Bill Wilson and Dr.

Bob Smith, as self-help 12-step abstinence based approach to spiritual and character development. (Huebner & Wolfgang-Kantor, 2011) To this day, the AA fellowship is free to join for anyone who is alcoholic and wants to be a member which makes it an appealing option for many resource strapped clients and social workers. Later in the 1950’s the (AA) model was introduced into a professional setting by a non-profit organization called Hazelden Foundation, which is still used widely by many treatment facilities today. (Huebner & Wolfgang-Kantor, 2011)

The Hazelden model calls for an individualized intervention plan, which includes family involvement, in the context of a 28 day inpatient setting combined with participation in AA while in treatment and post treatment as a part of an aftercare plan. Typically in this model clients also undergo cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or motivational enhancement therapy which focuses on negative consequences resulting from alcohol use and identification of triggers which can be people, places, things, and events. (Huebner & Wolfgang-Kantor, 2011) In one study researchers found hat clients who suffered from alcoholism only, whom did not have a dual diagnosis or a co-occurring diagnosis, who utilized this intervention, had more abstinent days than those treated by other methods. These individuals showed significant positive outcomes which included a higher percentage of abstinent days and a decreased number of drinks consumed on drinking days. (Huebner & Wolfgang-Kantor, 2011) Additionally those who used medications to help manage side effects such as cravings and anxiety reported even better outcomes. (Huebner & Wolfgang-Kantor, 2011)

Another study suggests that there is a lack of effectiveness and perhaps even harm inflicted by the 12 step model. (Miller, J. 2008) This study implies, “that despite decades of dominance of approaches based on 12 step principles, there have been no rigorously controlled research designs comparing 12 step treatment outcomes to no-treatment controls, and a recent review found no gains in outcome for 12 step interventions over alternative interventions. ” (Miller, J. 2008) The counter research suggests that interventions which are based off of the Hazelden model “appear at best ineffective and perhaps even harmful. (Miller, J. 2008) Additionally it is noteworthy that there seems to be a lack of evidence based research that supports positive outcomes greater than negative outcomes. (Miller, J. 2008) The ethics and values of many helping professions are to empower clients to overcome their own issues and to achieve the right to self-determination. With that being said the 12 step model instills moral guilt, deviance, and labeling while infusing its members with feelings of powerlessness and dependence on the fellowship of AA thus using external rather than internal forces to effect change. Miller, J. 2008) The disease concept of alcoholism is a central tenant to the 12 step model; it “pathologizes” individual clients by removing focus from social and mental processes that may attributing to the alcoholic behaviors. (Miller, J. 2008) The intervention appears to “reinforce counter therapeutic cognitions and behaviors. ” (Miller, J. 2008) Furthermore it has been noted that the 12 step culture itself can be hostile and scrutinizing towards non-adherents. (Miller, J. 2008) Moderation Management In the 1960’s professionals in the addiction field started to ask the uestion, can alcoholics learn to control their drinking or must they abstain completely from alcohol? Moderation Management (MM) is a mutual help fellowship designed for problem drinkers, not alcohol dependent people, who wish to pursue a goal of moderate drinking. (Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) MM’s is based on the problem drinkers individual ability to adhere to MM guidelines, which first includes a 30 day period of abstinence which is then followed by limits on daily alcohol intake. (Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) The primary goal being moderate drinking, not abstinence, which can be obtained by following a 9 step approach. Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) One study found that alcohol dependent clients found more positive outcomes with the 12-step recovery model. Data showed that people who reported to be only problem drinkers, without alcohol dependence, were able to recover from a diagnosed problem by a rate of 30-60% depending on whether they received treatment or just attended MM. (Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) There were reports of people who identified as problem drinkers, but were really alcohol dependent, who eventually left MM because they realized they could not drink in moderation and needed an abstinence based intervention. Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) MM widens the range of attractive options available to people with alcohol disorders. Some clinicians feel that MM is a good place to start because it can be appealing to alcohol dependent people who are adamantly opposed to abstaining entirely. (Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) These same people eventually realize, because of MM’s 9 step program, that they are not able to drink in moderation and after defeat in this avenue may become more willing to try an abstinent only intervention such as AA thus serving as a starting point for anyone with an alcohol disorder. Lembke & Humphreys, 2012) Interventions such as MM reinforces many helping professions code of ethics in the sense that it puts the client in the control of finding what works best for them and aids them in achieving self-efficacy. (Miller, J. 2008) Conclusion To pick one intervention that I feel is the best pick for evidence based practice in Social Work would be difficult. This is something that each clinician will have to decide on a client by client basis. Starting where the client is will help the Social Worker determine which intervention is best.

I found that there is a lack of scientific research which gave any kind of correlations to any one of these interventions. Much of the research suggests that a combination of interventions along with starting where the client is what produces the best results and that no exact intervention was a smoking gun. If I had to pick one intervention that I feel is most useful in terms of helping a client who presented with alcohol dependency or who described themselves as problem drinkers, the intervention I would chose would be Moderation Management, if ethically appropriate.

MM allows the client to choose his or her direction with where they are at in their alcohol dependency or problem drinking. Thus, allowing them to decide for themselves if they want to simply moderate their consumption or abstain entirely. References Zemore, S. , & Kaskutas, L. (2008). 12-step involvement and peer helping in day hospital and residential programs. Substance Use & Misuse, 48, 1882-1903. Huebner, R. , & Wolfgang Kantor, L. (2011). Advances in alcoholism treatment. Alcohol Research & Health, 33(4), 295-299. Lembke, A. & Humphreys, K. (2012). Moderation management: A mutual-help organization for problem drinkers who are not alcohol dependent. Journal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery, 7, 130-141. Alster, M. (2010). Auricular acupuncture at calvary alcohol & other drug services: The first year. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 16(2), 73-75. Ashton, H. , Nodiyal, A. , Green, D. , Moore, B. , & Heather, N. (2009). Acupuncture or counseling: outcomes and predictors of treatment choice in a non-statutory addiction service.

Journal of Substance Use, 14(3-4), 151-160. Anton, R. (2010). Substance abuse is a disease of the human brain: Focus on alcohol. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Winter 2010, 735-744. Miller, J. (2008). 12-step treatment for alcohol and substance abuse revisited: Best available evidence suggests lack of effectiveness or harm. Int J Ment Health Addiction, 6, 568-576. AA Intergroup. (n. d. ). Online intergroup Alcoholics Anonymous publications. In online Intergroup: Alcoholics Anonymous. http://www. aa-intergroup. org/.

“Nearly 10 million youths, ages 12 to 20, in this country report they have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. ” (“City Council”) Teens use alcohol for a numerous amount of reasons, ranging from celebration to stress to boredom and underage drinking has now become a hobby done behind closed doors. The legal limit today in the United states has been 21 since the 1984, requiring all states to raise the minimum age for purchase and possession of alcohol to 21, but that is not stopping teens from underage drinking. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age is largely ineffective because teens are going to drink whether it is legal or not.

The minimum drinking age limit should be lowered to 18 because 18 year olds are adults, teens would drink in a more controlled manner, and there would be less unsafe incidents. In the US, 18 is the age of adulthood, so adults should have to right to make their own decisions, especially pertaining to alcohol consumption. “Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military. ” (Chiappetta) Some of these rights even put you at the risk of death.

If at the age of 18, you are allowed to make all of those decisions for yourself, then why not with alcohol? This question still remains unanswered. Republican Richard Marron states, “It just doesn’t sit right with me that people [at the age of 18] have the right to do everything else, including serve their country, but don’t have the right to consume alcohol, it’s a form of age discrimination. ” Being an adult means making your own choices. If 18 year olds are held mature old enough to enlist or vote, it should be held consistent allowing them to buy and drink alcohol.

Many argue against the claim that you are old enough to drink at 18. Opponents of lowering the drinking age argue that teens have not yet reached an acceptable age where they can handle alcohol responsibly. “The discrepancy between the MLDA and the age of majority–and its many responsibilities and authorities–along with continued incidents of alcohol abuse reported on college campuses have fueled debate that setting the MLDA at 21 is fair, smart, and effective. ” (Drinking Age Procon. org) The age of 21 should not make a significant impact on anything. A three year age difference doesn’t decide whether someone is ature or responsible enough to drink. That is solely based off their decision, and if the make that choice to drink, than they will face any of the consequences that may come with it. Lowering the drinking age would also increase teens drinking in a controlled, responsible manner. “Prohibiting this age group from drinking in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations causes them to drink in unsupervised places such as fraternity houses or house parties where they may be more prone to binge drinking and other unsafe behavior. ” (“The Time Has Come to Address the Reality of Alcohol in America”).

Young adults will sneak around if they are not allowed the chance to drink responsibly in a supervised situation. It is no secret that teens drink, so why not just make it legal instead of them taking the risk of trying to hide it? “Reality is reality and the fact is that 18-20 year olds drink. We need to create a safe and open environment for that reality to take place. ” (Henig) Teens do not want to hide it, but if the want to drink they have to, and being supervised is going to result in less binge drinking and engaging in less dangerous activities.

The age of 21 treats them and causes to handle things in an untrusting way. How are they ever going to act responsibly if they aren’t trusted? It is argued that lowering the drinking age is only going to create even more dangerous incidents, and that the 21 age minimum is preventing them from happening. “MLDA 21 helps prevent underage binge drinking. ” (“Drinking Age ”) Statistics show that “Binge drinking peaks among 21- to 25-year-olds at 45. 9%, while the binge drinking rates of those aged 12-13, 14-15, 16-17, and 18-20 are 1. 5%, 7. 8%, 19. 4%, and 35. 7% respectively. (“Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:National Findings”) If the age limit were change, that would not necessarily raise the percentage, especially if the teens are supervised and being responsible enough. Even if the teens are responsible though, people still think that, “Lowering the drinking age would make alcohol more accessible to teens and increase the amount of binge drinking. ” (Dean-Mooney) While the age limit may make it more difficult for them to buy it, teens already have access to alcohol, being 21 or not. It is in their homes, their friends homes, restaurants, and everywhere else they go.

Teens are constantly surrounded by alcohol, and there is no stopping them from obtaining it, and being around an adult with it is only going to make it more safe, stopping them from making any destructive decisions. Another reason the limit should be lowered is because there would be an decrease in unsafe activities. There are less traffic accidents with countries who have a Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 18. “Although the United States increased the MLDA to 21 in 1984, its rate of traffic accidents and fatalities in the 1980s decreased less than that of European countries whose legal drinking ages are lower than 21. (Dee, Evans). That is because allowing them to drink younger where they are supervised is going to stop them from getting in a car. They will have that consent over them to make sure that they do not, but it is not just 18 year olds that are at risk. “In 2009, the 21- to 24-year-old age group had the highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes with blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of . 08 or higher – 35 percent. ” (Asch, Levy). Anyone who drinks is at risk, whether you’re a new drinker, or you have been drinking your whole life.

If anyone is at risk, then why is lowering the drinking age raising so many problems? With lowering the drinking age, it is proposed that the right to drink needs to be a higher age due to the dangers posed by drinking. “100 of the 102 analyses (98%) in a 2002 meta-study of the legal drinking age and traffic accidents found higher legal drinking ages associated with lower rates of traffic accidents. ” (Wagenaar, Toomey). This is a major proponent for why the age limit should remain at 21, but again, anyone is in danger of an accident if they drink and drive.

While an older aged person may be more experienced with alcohol and with driving, all the same risks still remain. Underage drinking is also said to be more linked to risky behavior and injury. According to the U. S. Surgeon General, “About 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking – from crashes, homicides, and suicides. ” (“Did You Know? Dangers of Teen Drinking”) It has actually been proven though, that alcohol is not statistically rates of homicides or suicides, despite claims that lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would increase suicide and criminal activities by adolescents.

Evidence proves to show that the Minimum Legal Drinking Age should be lowered to the age of 18 because 18 is the age of adults, young adults drinking in a controlled manner, and a decrease in unsafe drinking activities. Lowering the drinking age is definitely something that should be considered. The issues that come with lowering the age limit may be evident but being in control of these issues will help the success of passing this new law.

Listening to the news on television, hearing other students talk about it, is it really true, or are they going to lower the drinking age to 18? This is not just a rumor but nowhere have they actually lowered the age. The debate has been talked about for the last few years. The nation has always tried different things to solve the irresponsible drinking problems. In order to try and prevent this problem America has tried a national prohibition in the 1920’s and state prohibitions in the 1850’s. Many believe that rising the drinking age has saved lives of many young adults.

There has been evidence that the drinking age of 21 has decreased the amount of tragic car accidents related to alcohol between young adults. Since 1987 the decrease of drinking and driving problems have gone down. If they did lower the drinking age to 18 or 19 the more health related problems the young adults would deal with once they get older. On the other hand the current law of the minimum drinking age at 21 leads to problems behind the scenes. The amount of students at colleges under the age 21 are more likely to be binge drinkers, which means they have more than five drinks in a row.

This can be very dangerous to the body. Many also argue that if a person is old enough to fight for the country they should be old enough to have a beer. Also if a people are expected to be able responsible and live on their own at eighteen they should be able to be responsible enough to drink on their own. There are many pros and cons to lowering the drinking age, but the most important reason not to lower the drinking age is to protect the lives of young adults. A survey found that out of 1,881 surveyed college students 88 percent of males and 86 percent of females said they were drinkers (Gonzalez 2).

Many adults have noticed the problem of underage drinking and want to fix the problem. If the states were to lower the drinking age we would be putting many lives at risk. Many studies have shown that the minimum drinking age of 21 has saved many lives when it turns to drinking and driving. In the article College-age Drinking Problems states “the age limit at 21 has saved 16,500 lives in traffic crashes alone since 1975” (Hingson 1). Traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of deaths in America for people under the age 25. 10,431 people between ages 15 and 24 died in 1996 from fatal traffic crashes and 45% of them were related to alcohol (1). By leaving the drinking age to 21 it will continue to save many lives from traffic crashes. The amount of alcohol related accidents doubles if a person has a . 02 percent increase in blood alcohol level. For people under 21 drinking and driving increases the risk of being involved in a fetal traffic crash with each alcoholic drink they have. As Hingson says “ For young drivers, drinking is like throwing gasoline on a fire” (1).

It is illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with blood alcohol level more than . 0 percent. With this law alcohol related traffic deaths has dropped 57 percent from 5380 in 1982 to 2315 in 1996 with people ages 15 to 20 (2). Lowering the legal limit for the amount allowed of blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers will continue to save lives. The lowering of BAC has shown a 5 to 8 percent decrease in alcohol related traffic crashes (Wagenaar 6). Drivers under 21 who are intoxicated are more likely to get involved in traffic crashes, because they have less experience on the road.

Communities have noticed the problem with underage drinking and driving and started The Saving Lives Project, which was designed to reduce alcohol impaired driving and related problems (Holder 2). This project uses media and education to get the word out about the risk of drinking. The communities that are apart of this project have shown a 40 percent reduction in alcohol related fatal crashes (Holder 2). The project has been shown that older teens ages sixteen to nineteen are now less likely to drink and drive after learning about the risks in alcohol related classes.

Colleges that have set a week to focus on education and prevention of alcohol have shown a five-fold increase (Gonzalez 4). Not only does alcohol affect a person once they drink a beverage but it also affects them in their future. If people start drinking at a younger age the more problems they will encounter in their future. Over the life of many people it has been proven that most people drink the most in their late teens and early twenties (Chen 1). Drinking in young adults is turning to be a serious concern with public health. By exceeding the daily drinking limit is about four or more drinks in a single day, and college teens shown that hey binge drink. Binge drinking is when a person consumes more than five drinks in one setting (Hingson 1). People who binge drinks are more likely to do things they regret, fall back in schoolwork and become hurt or injured. Alcohol can cause risky behaviors and immediate and long-term problems with health. Becoming stricter on under age drinking laws can prevent this. If the cops gave more MIP’s out to parties with underage drinking teens would be less likely to drink. Even though many would agree to keep the drinking age at 21, many would also have many reasons why to lower the drinking age to 18.

One main argument is if a person is old enough to fight for the country, vote or live on their own they should be old enough to drink (Johnson 1). If a man and women is old enough to go to war and put their life at risk they should be able to drink on their own. People would argue if they are old enough to vote for the person who runs the country, then what’s the difference in choosing the responsibility of drinking. Colleges have also debated the fact of lowering the drinking age. College president McCardell say’s “it does not reduce drinking. It simply puts young adults at greater risks. (2) Many agree with McCardell and say that the drinking age of 21 does not prevent college students from drinking. It just causes them to drink under ground. If young adults do drink under ground they are more likely to binge drink and put their life at risk. “85 percent of 20 year old Americans reported that they have used alcohol, and two out of five said they have binge drank” (2). Johnson believes that if they lowering the drinking age young adults would learn to drink responsibly and stop binge drinking. Even though they are great arguments, raising the drink to 21 has proof with statistics that it has saved lives of many each year.

It is more important to save the lives of people than it is to let them drink. Educating young adults about the risks of drinking can also prevent binge drinking. If the community worked together to have alcohol awareness days more people would be aware of the problem of underage drinking. The more people know about the problem the more people will work together to stop the problem. It can also stop underage drinking by creating more laws towards the people who sell to minors. If more people got in trouble for selling to minors the less people would sell to minors.

The communities who have taken the step up in stopping underage drinking problems have noticed a huge change in the amount of deaths related to alcohol. By keeping the age at 21, it will continually save lives of accidents related to alcohol. If there was not a problem with the drinking age at 21 they would have never raised the age to 21, the law was set in place for a reason and it has been shown that it is a good law. As a parent many are worried about their children and want to make sure they will not ruin their life with alcohol related problems.