Alcohol, Good vs. Evil
Alcohol is a dangerous drug that both directly and indirectly kills millions of lives each year because of its frequent abuses. However, it is one of the most widely used and accepted drugs, and when used wisely, alcohol presents few problems. Yet, alcohol stirs major controversy every day as to its real and lasting effects on society. There are major organizations, such as MADD and SADD, all across the United States that lobby desperately for its banishment. Yet, Alcohol is a visual part of almost every aspect of everyday life - from all across the media to every major sports venue to right inside the homes of most American families. Why is a substance that is despised by some people, tolerated and enjoyed by so many others? In this paper, I will examine what is at the root of this controversy surrounding Alcohol in our country. I will look at the places that alcohol exists in America, both legally and illegally, with a specific eye towards its uses and abuses on college campuses across the United States. Everywhere you go it is there. There is a liquor store around every other corner. Beer is sold in almost every gas station along America's roads. And television, newspapers, and magazines
are covered in ads for liquor and beer makers. It is a driving force in the economy of America that our nation can not afford to live without due to the amount of jobs that would be lost and the investments that are tied up in the industry. The beer industry alone has grown to an over 50 billion dollar a year business according to fortune magazine, and it employs countless numbers of people from delivery drivers to liquor store owners to factory workers (Fortune 141.8, 560). Deeply rooted at the heart of all those profits are universities and colleges all across the nation. They are the major reason that liquor sales have skyrocketed the way they have the last few years. Some campuses, in an attempt to curb excessive uses of alcohol by their students, have tried to totally delete it from their school by going to a dry campus policy which restricts the presence of alcohol on campus. While these policies work to eliminate the visible presence of alcohol, it still thrives behind the closed doors of the dorms. Alcohol's availability is a major reason why dry campuses have not been more effective. Students can literally walk a block off campus and have their choice of several liquor stores and gas stations in which to purchase alcohol. A large portion of the business that these stores are receiving is through underage college kids. They through the use of fake identification and persons over the legal age, students are purchasing alcohol at an astounding rate. One of the major reasons why people have attempted to eliminate alcohol from certain places is because of the serious drunk driving problem that exists. In 1999, "nearly 16,000 people were killed and 900,000 injured in crashes attributed to drunk driving" (Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Weekly 11.48, 8). Organizations have popped up all across the nation to campaign against it. The first such organization was Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD. Othe
Some common words found in the essay are:
SADD United, Driving SADD, Illinois University, American Health, Evil Alcohol, Abuse Weekly, Ben Colleges, Chronicle Education, Americans Steps, Business Beer, drunk driving, drug abuse weekly, dry campus policy, alcoholism drug abuse, drug abuse, alcoholism drug, europe alcohol, liquor store, weekly 1148, abuse weekly, northern illinois university, major reason, illinois university, american health, abuse weekly 1148,
Approximate Word count = 1314
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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