Alcohol in American Society

What do teen-pregnancy, child abuse, criminal acts, divorce, spousal abuse, automobile accidents and related deaths in this country have in common? The majority of these social problems are primarily fueled by substance abuse. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse in the year 2000, "66% of youth that drink alcohol regularly report pas month usage of one or more illicit drugs." Additionally, alcohol kills more people in America than all illegal drugs being consumed combined.
L. Ron Hubbard, an American author who spent nearly 30 years researching drugs and their effects on society, discovered that all drugs act very similarly in that a little bit acts as a stimulant, such as a few drinks. Then more of the same drug acts as a sedative, as in somebody passing out from drinking a lot. Enough of the same drug, fast enough, will kill a person. Take for example the recent rash of deaths among college students from alcohol poisoning (caused when large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short period of time).
It seems to be a far too common consensus by Americans that alcohol isn't as bad as other drugs. The fact that alcohol is legal helps mould this attitude surely, but add to alcohol's legitimacy the billions of dollars spent annually on seductive advertisements that glamorize drinking and it's no wonder that over 1/2 of America's adult population consumes alcoholic beverages on a regular basis (56.8% to be exact, per the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse).
Alcohol advertisements bombarding Americans daily is one of the main catalysts that is driving increasing numbers of youth to drink. Alcoholic beverage commercials, especially for beer, are very good at positioning their product next to something that is normally desired or admired. For example, an advertisement trying to sell alcohol to guys might put very attractive women in the commercial with the alcoholic beverage, and vice versa. There are often "good times", parties or friends involved as well. People begin to automatically associate one with the other and the alcohol just seems to be a part of everyday life then to some people, and seems to be a part of "the good life" to others. Sometimes alcohol commercials will remind us at the end to drink responsibly or to have a designated driver, presenting themselves as being genuinely concerned for our well-being. If the manufacturers of alcoholic beverages were actually concerned about the welfare of American citizens then why do they spend so much time and money creating these enticing ads and run them on prime time television when most of American families are watching their favorite shows? If the alcohol bottlers do actually care about us and our children, then perhaps they should promote the negative effects of alcohol consumption much the same way pharmaceutical companies are required to explain the side effects of prescription drugs that are advertised on television.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Take the time to learn more about the negative effects of alcohol and how our youth are being programmed to think that drinking in excess is okay, or get help for someone who is addicted by calling Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or log on to www.stopaddiction.com. The Narconon Program is a new, proven approach to ending addiction that achieves incredibly high success rates for permanent recovery.

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