mind in order to more accurately asses the current situation in American society. I feel that the response via law and legislation has taken a turn for the worst. It was my charge in writing this paper to prove that the problems of alcohol abuse can not si

Another valuable perspective that can be applied to the issue of alcohol abuse in our society is the social construction perspective. In order to analyze this theory it is beneficial to look into the history of alcohol in America and what has occurred throughout history. In colonial times settlers brought alcohol from Europe to the colonies (Hall). However, there was not a movement against any sort of drinking until the war for independence. During this time the continental congress made a statement that states should cut back on alcohol quotas for soldiers (Hall). As in the cycle of Social Construction this decree slowly withered away and heavy drinking was the norm. But in the natural cycle of the Social Construction theory the idea of abstinence from alcohol first reemerged in 1789 when the first temperance organization was formed in Litchfield Connecticut (Hall). Support for this movement continued and in 1826 the first national organization for temperance was formed. This group encompassed a large amount of people and was successful in closing down a few distilleries. After this there was a constant effort for temperance, but the mobilization of temperance and prohibition was diluted by the differences in these groups. The next reemergence of temperance was fueled by local attacks of alcohol by The Women's Christian Temperance Movement (Hall). At the same time the anti saloon league was also gaining steam. After a few attempts for national prohibition the legislation was finally made into law in 1917. This law was in place until 1933 when it was repealed. Ironically enough the law was repealed in much the same way that it came into affect where agitation occurred within public discourse, legitimating and cooptation occurred with the formation of groups such as Women's organization for national Prohibition Reform. You can actually look at the two movements in terms of inverse cycles. After the Prohibition the reemergence and agitation did not resurface until the late seventies and early eighties. This time at the forefront of the battle against alcohol was the organization Mothers against Drunk Driving. This time the legislation that passed was the minimum legal drinking age. It is hard to say where we are in the cycle now, but it seems as though we are at the pinnacle of this temperance movement. This is evident by some of the zero tolerance pushes that are present that seem to be popping up many different places such as local and even national government. But on the flipside of things, we can see by publications that the side for alcohol may be gaining speed. This is evident by attempts to repeal the minimum legal drinking age by congressman Scot Klug of Wisconsin (Alcoholism Report). Other sentiments have been noted for this side when the presidents 19 year old daughter was caught trying to purchase alcohol at an Austin Restraunt. Numerous opinions were expressed for the repeal of this law such as the one found in Wall Street Journal titled "Janna Bush is old enough to drink" (Wall Street Journal). Now comes the time where a solution would be offered with this perspective in mind. Unfortunately this perspective offers no solution because there will be reoccurring cycles of personal opinion. In conclusion to this perspective we can only expect to see both cycles continue and laws being created and repealed as quickly as public opinion changes and as fast as our Legislator can changes the laws of the land.

mply be fixed with a plethora of laws. It is my intention to take a closer look at the current situation and prove that some of the problems are either caused or worsened by the social situation that we are faced with today in the United States. It is my belief that the way to which we can fix problems with alcohol is not to put as many restrictions as possible around it but rather to educate as many people as possible on alcohol consumption in moderation.

One of the main problems groups with alcohol abuse and bin

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3484
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)