Drinking: Alcoholism and Drinking Alcohol Essay

Submitted By originalname135
Words: 775
Pages: 4
Open Document
According to Australian medical experts, binge drinking is drinking too much on a single occasion of drinking.

It means drinking more than the recommended level for adults – drinking more than four standard drinks at any one time.

It can also refer to drinking continuously for a number of days or weeks, occasional or irregular bouts of heavy drinking or drinking to deliberately get drunk.

There are many risks associated with binge drinking including memory loss, injury to yourself or others, dizziness, loss of coordination, diarrhoea, vomiting, lack of judgment and even alcohol poisoning – which can be fatal.

To learn more about the effects of alcohol, go to our Alcohol and your health section of the website.
Background
Alcohol-related harm is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in Australia, causing around 3,000 deaths and 65,000 hospitalisations every year.8 In 2004-05, the annual cost to the Australian community of alcohol-related social problems was estimated at $15.3 billion.9

After tobacco, alcohol is the second largest contributor to drug-related harm in Australia, causing harmful effects in both the short and longer term.10 Short term (acute harm) relates to the risk of immediate harms from alcohol such as accidents, injuries and physical harms, often associated with drinking to intoxication, whilst longer term (chronic harm) reflects the detrimental effects on the body of the prolonged use of alcohol.

Overall the main causes of alcohol-related deaths are cancer, alcoholic liver cirrhosis and road trauma, although the proportions of these vary by life stage. Younger people are more likely to die from bouts of intoxication or road trauma, while older people are more likely to die from conditions related to long-term alcohol misuse.11

Alcohol has become more readily accessible over the past two decades, and harms resulting from drinking among young people have increased throughout the 1990s. For example, looking at all the harms experienced by young people 15-34 years of age, alcohol is responsible for more drug-related deaths and hospitalisations than all illicit drugs grouped together, and many more than tobacco.12
Back to Top
The National Binge Drinking Campaign
On 10 March 2008, the Australian Government announced the $53.5 million National Binge Drinking Strategy to address the high levels of binge drinking among young Australians. Binge drinking among young people is a community wide problem that demands a community wide response, including an emphasis on young people taking greater personal responsibility for their behaviour.

The campaign includes a $20 million hard-hitting social marketing campaign that will run over two years to confront young people about the costs and consequences of binge drinking.
Back to Top
Who is the campaign for and why?
The campaign’s primary target audiences are teenagers aged 15-17 and young adults aged 18-25 years.

Evidence shows that a high proportion of the alcohol consumed by both adolescent and young adult drinkers is at risky and high risk levels. For these reasons, 15-17 year olds and 18-25 year olds represent important target audiences for a campaign targeting the harms associated with binge drinking.

The secondary target audience is parents of 13-17 year olds.

While many parents believe they cannot influence their teenagers’ drinking, teenagers look to their parents to provide guidance and set boundaries of acceptable
Show More

Related Documents: Drinking: Alcoholism and Drinking Alcohol Essay

Essay on Alcoholism: Alcoholism and Usual Drinking Time

Question: Is alcoholism a mental disease? Answer: Yes, alcoholism is a behavioral disorder and is so classified in the diagnostic manual of mental disorders. In this sense, it is a mental illness vs. a physical sickness. - See more at: http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/treatment/doctors-office/is-alcoholism-a-mental-disease.php#sthash.HsYKt6QD.dpuf Question: How many people who are alcoholic have a mental disorder? Answer: Alcoholism is a mental or behavioral disorder so I would say all of them. A…

Words 817 - Pages 4

Essay on Alcoholism Nature vs Nurture Argument

Alcoholism and the Nature vs. Nurture Argument Does the environment that one grows up in contribute to alcoholism or is alcoholism determined by genetics? It wasn’t until 1991 that alcoholism was considered both a medical and psychiatric disease by the American Medical Association. Alcoholism is defined in the dictionary as a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing…

Words 2767 - Pages 12

Essay on Alcoholism: Alcoholism and Alcohol Anonymous Meetings

Alcoholism Alcohol is the most widely used addictive drug, and use and abuse can lead to the development of tolerance and dependence. (Koob 2003a; Tabakoff et al 1986) For some, alcohol is a form of entertainment. It’s a way for people to get together, socialize, and have a good time. For others, it’s the only way to get through the day. Nothing about alcohol is positive, but is looked at as a way to have a good time. As for negative aspects, it has many. Alcohol causes health problems, psychological…

Words 935 - Pages 4

Alcoholism: Genetic or a Learned Behavior Essay examples

Alcoholism: Genetic or Learned Behavior? First, before I could answer this question, I had to do a little research. Alcohol addiction is a physical dependence on alcohol which occurs gradually. Over time, drink too much alcohol changed the balance of chemicals in your brain associated with the pleasure aspects of drinking alcohol. Excessive, long-term drinking can affect the balance of these chemicals, causing your body to crave alcohol to restore good feelings or to avoid negative feelings…

Words 908 - Pages 4

Alcoholic Beverage Essay

Alcoholism Alcoholism is a disorder, and like many human disorders there is not a single cause. There has been a lot of controversy over the causes of alcoholism. For a long time, the idea that alcoholism runs in families has been known. Some feel that alcoholism is caused by the environment in which a person lives in. Others argue that it is a genetic disease (Nurnberger 46-53). Not only can not knowing the effects of consuming alcohol or having a misinterpreted idea of them cause alcoholism,…

Words 634 - Pages 3

Alchol and Side Effect Essay

Alcohol and it`s side effects Presented by Ahmad Bani Yaseen Submitted to Instructor Hinman in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for GLS 470 Writing the Research paper March 26, 2013 Alcohol has many side effects; it has long and short term side effects. The most common long term side effects are kidney failure and cirrhosis of the liver also can lead to diminished control over cravings for alcohol and to poor decision-making. One can easily fail to recognize the ultimate consequences…

Words 1323 - Pages 6

Alcohol: Alcoholism and Alcohol Related Activities Essay

Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs that is viewed acceptable by most, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. This drug has been a problem since prohibition from 1920-1933, and still causes many problems for people today, if not more. These problems include family problems, health issues, and addiction. Even though this drug is seen as “acceptable” to society, everyone should think carefully before indulging in alcohol related activities. Drinking alcohol comes with both short and…

Words 1103 - Pages 5

Research Paper

considered to be an alcoholic or to suffer from drinking problems. Alcoholism is a developmental disease that progresses slowly over a number of years and is based on both the physical and emotional dependency on alcohol. In many cases it leads to brain damage or early death. Alcoholism is a chronic disease, which means that it will last a person’s lifetime. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced by both a person’s genes and their lifestyle. Alcohol was first brought to America by Christopher…

Words 1766 - Pages 8

Mr. Kernan Essay

Joyce presents drinking in Dubliners as a sort of social malaise that cripples individuals and ultimately hinders the progress of Ireland. Although the vast majority of the stories mentions individuals struggling with drinking, in fact aside from the first two childhood stories the thirteen others stories mention excessive drinking , the stories “Grace” and “Counterparts” most clearly elucidates the idea that alcoholism is bringing immense suffering to the people of Ireland. This excessive drinking how…

Words 1131 - Pages 5

Drinking Alcohol And Marriage Essay

What can be the worst thing to happen to marriage? Drinking alcohol in excessive amount can have a detrimental effect on a marriage. When drinking in large quantities, a person loses control of emotions by numbing emotions receptors which leads to the person being incapable of receiving or showing emotion to anyone. When there is a lack of emotion, marriage is not being supported by both sides. In 2010 the rates of divorce revealed that 50% of marriages end in divorces (Kennedy P.9). With a lack…

Words 1049 - Pages 5