Essay 1 Argument Proposal

Gambling & Alcoholism and Its Effect on Life



Gambling and drinking are a big part of our society/culture in the State of Oklahoma and Nationwide. We as individuals, young and old can distinguish/determine what gambling/drinking our future away is and what the decisions that the said individual makes in contributing to giving their money away and assets that belong to hard working people including themselves. There are so many people around this country worldwide that gamble and drink, it’s hard to keep track of the statistics. People are going to do what they do, it doesn’t matter if they live off social security, or some kind of pension they have earned throughout the month and years or even picking up cans to obtain money, people are trying to make nothing into something. Gambling has turned into a new thing, people would rather lose everything on a bet, than to be able to work for themselves and lose their state/ government assistance. Gambling and alcohol abuse run hand and hand when people or individuals make their mind up about what they’re going to do, that’s the American way. There are so many families that do without because a parent, loved one or guardian spends or loses all the support money for electricity, food, clothing or other necessities needed to function, for the quick high. Just like drugs and alcohol abuse or other addictions that can affect our families today because some people don’t think or care about the ones that matter the most.

Today drinking is just what a lot of Americans and people around the world do. As individuals we celebrate all kinds of special occasions, holidays, and even death in some cases that allows us to give in to our weakness by drinking away our emotions and feeling that allows us to try and carry on with good or bad thoughts and find some normalcy in their lives. Alcoholism, its signs, symptoms, effects, and the way it affects the individual on a personal level as well as family, friends, and other relations. How does an individual become an alcoholic? An individual becomes an alcoholic by consuming alcohol, an intoxicating ingredient that is present in wine, beer, moonshine, and other spirits for a long time. It is a depressant that has negative effects on the body and the most used substance by teenagers and adults in the United States today. The definition of Alcoholism is a disease characterized by the habitual intake of alcohol and the degree of usage that interferes with physical or mental health, and with normal social or work behavior. (Tracy 2021, HealthyPlace) It also produces both psychological and physical addictions that affect individual’s central nervous system that reduces anxiety, inhibition, and the feeling of guilt. (Tracy, N. 2021, December 15) This disease gradually develops over time and is also known to be hereditary and can be passed on from generation to generation. The consumption of alcohol by young adults has always been a problem in this country dating all the way back to the thirties during the prohibition and it continues to this day. What makes alcohol so easy to consume for adults is that moderate use is usually not harmful, but studies over the years have shown around eighteen million or more people in America have drinking issues or problems that have led to obtaining this disease. An individual is not physically dependent of alcohol, but it causes the person to have cravings the feeling that they need a drink, also the loss of control not being able to stop drinking once they get started, and then the individual builds up a tolerance in which explains that the person needs to consume more alcohol to feel the same affects, what started as a six pack to get a buzz or drunk, now has turned into a twelve pack in order to get the overall relaxed feeling. While feelings are short lived, consuming too much alcohol can cause not only health issues but can also affect home, work, school, social functions and can cause future legal issues that are very expensive in today’s criminal justice system. Not only is drinking or consuming to much alcohol in a short period of time or over long periods of time dangerous, but it can cause death, from damage to the human anatomy, car crashes due to being drunk or inebriated, injuries sustained in an accident from being intoxicated, being involved in a fight or altercation that leads to a death or homicide that the outcome was dictated by an individual drinking or being drunk at the time of the situation, and one the worst situations that an individual can find themselves in while drinking is having an emotional break down of feeling that leads to that person committing suicide and nobody wins in a situation like that, everyone hurts. “It was squashing and interfering with my experience. And it created a numbness around me and inside of me—even when I wasn't drinking.” (McKowen, L. 2020)

Some of the signs we as family members, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers should acknowledge or be aware of in individuals we care about and recognize that there is a serious issue or problem in which are not easy to see are, if the individual begins to hide alcohol, sneaks drinks and becomes very secretive towards people that are in their inner circle about their consumption of alcohol. Other signs are the individual drinking alone most everyday no matter what their mood is or drinking before an occasion that there will be alcohol served to get their buzz before other people can partake in the event. Everybody is different in how they handle their drinking issues/ problems or alcoholism by living in denial within themselves and sometimes they become irritated when others see the signs and bring them to their attention in terms that person will dispute or argue that they don’t have a drinking problem and then become distant from that person or group. There are numerous symptoms an individual shows that they have alcohol abuse/problems/issues or even an alcoholic when they give up hobbies, activities they once enjoyed, their wanting to spend more time drinking than being social in their surroundings such as community or family functions, wanting to drink more than other people combine in the crowd and people start to notice so they start to label that individual as the drunkard and this type of behavior diminishes relationships. Some people have a high tolerance for alcohol, and some don’t. Individuals with intolerance to alcohol usually show signs of facial flushing, slurred speech, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting in the early stage of consumption that leads to low body temperature, low blood pressure, slow breathing, distortion of their senses and perception and can also lead to that person becoming unconscious. Any person who drinks occasionally or all the time is susceptible to alcohol poisoning also and its effects usually send that person to the hospital where their stay can last a while. If the person is lucky after drinking a few or a lot of alcoholic beverages that don’t send them to the emergency room, there comes the realization that a hangover is soon to happen no matter what their tolerance level. These effects of alcohol can linger up to twenty-four hours after consumption many of the symptoms are caused from dehydration because the body is still trying to get rid of the toxins in tell leaves the individual having an headache for a long period of time, feeling very fatigued, thirsty from being dehydrated that leads to dry mouth, the individual will also feel like their heart is racing, and they will have a hard time dealing with sleeping and restlessness. It is recommended that an individual that shows the effect of a hangover waits at least two days to one week before indulging in alcohol consumption to allow their body to recover and that goes for any negative response of the body to the overuse of alcohol. Alcohol use is very hard on the body if conducted irresponsibly it first affects the stomach that absorbs around twenty percent of the alcohol intake that can lead to having stomach ulcers in the future, then the small intestine absorbs seventy five percent and within minutes it is absorbed in the blood stream by the blood vessels then it travels to the brain were the sensation begins to be felt by the individual and the other five percent exits through the lungs, kidneys and the skin.

Now let’s talk about the real effects of alcohol on human anatomy. Drinking or consuming alcohol occasionally or over long periods of time really and harmfully breaks the body down externally and internally. Alcohol affects the brain by interfering with communication pathways. It also can change mood and behavior patterns of the individual not to be able to think clearly and make rational decisions. It also enables the person to move or have coordination problems and it also leads to short and long memory loss. Alcohol abuse over time can lead to brain cancer and nerve damage in people without them even knowing until it’s too late. Long term use of alcohol really takes a toll on the heart too causing problems like cardiomyopathy that is a stretching and drooping of the heart muscle that if caught or detected early doctors can determine the correct surgery, but if not caught in early stage of development can lead to sudden death for that individual. Arrhythmias is an irregular heartbeat that is also caused by consumption of too many alcoholic beverages over time that can lead to a stroke for a person due to high blood pressure that may have gone undiagnosed in that persons young or old life because they didn’t feel the effects of their abuse and didn’t see a doctor or physician regularly. Heavy drinking is hard on the liver, it’s the organ that oxidizes all liquids/substances can come into the body. Problems that occur with the liver include inflammation that contributes to steatosis or fatty liver is infiltration of liver cells with fat that are associated with the disturbance of the metabolism. Cirrhosis of the liver is another problem an alcoholic has to deal with, this chronic disease is degeneration of cells, also details inflammation, and thickening of tissue, and scarring. Other chronic infections that affect the liver are hepatitis B and C and are major causes of cancer. One sign that an individual is affected by cirrhosis is they get yellowing of the skin known as jaundice. Alcoholic hepatitis is another severe condition that affects the liver and is considered rare in most cases but if diagnosed it can be mild or severe but in most cases, it is reversable if the individual quiets drinking, but if not can lead to life threating circumstances.





Works Cited

McKowen, Laura. We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life. Novato, California, New World Library, 2020.

Seth J. Gillihan PhD Don't Be Fooled by These 5 Lies About Alcohol | Psychology Today

The Partnership (August 2024) Is Addiction a Disease? https://drugfree.org/article/is-addiction-a-disease/?25519

Tracy, Natasha (2021, December 15). What is Alcoholism? - Definition of Alcoholism, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, September 19 from https://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/alcoholism/what-is-alcoholism-definition-of-alcoholism