EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG THE YOUTHS

Notably, it takes the form of beer, wine or spirit. Statistics have shown that alcohol is the second most commonly used drugs after tobacco, having about 2 billion users around the world. In fact, 5 liters of pure alcohol are consumed daily, around the world. Some of the countries that have the highest consumption of alcohol are Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Russia, Romania, and Ukraine. The use of alcohol around the world has continuously been rising over the past decade, especially among the young people. They believe that the intake of alcohol will raise their social standards among their peers. Also, alcohol has been rampant among the Indian youth because of various games that are grounded on liquor. Bring drinks, bottoms up, or doing shots are just some of the drinking games that Indian youths play.

Advertising also encourages young people to consume alcohol. For instance, when a celebrity is used to advertise an alcoholic product, young people will most likely take it, because they want to be like the celebrity. Alcohol also has other health benefits such as reducing the chances of one suffering from type 2 diabetes, gallstones, Alzheimer disease and common cold. Apart from the health benefits, some people also argue that alcohol helps them to stay in shape, especially in the reduction of beer-belly. A research that was conducted by the archives of medicine showed that women who drunk at least two glasses of beer per day were more likely to lose weight because alcohol helps them reduce the amount of food that they consume.

Also, drinks such as red wine help improve the physical performance of the users, the functionality of their muscles and the efficiency of the heart. Drinks such as Guinness contain vitamin B riboflavin, magnesium and calcium, which improves that state of the body. Out of these, 1900 were caused by car accidents, 1600 got killed through homicides and 300 committed suicide. Alcohol not only brings harmful effects to the users but also the society at large. The short-term impact of alcohol consumption is such as slurry sleeping, hangovers, nausea, vomiting, and blackouts. Alcohol also causes drowsiness and impaired judgment. When one is drunk, they tend to make irrational decisions. Most of the people who were engaged in the accidents were young people. Statistics show that out of all the total accidents that involved teenage drivers, a fifth was as a result of alcohol intake.

There are also cases of drowning, fall offs and burns. Drunkenness also impairs one's judgment, which has contributed to a substantial number of conflicts in among the young people. In fact, studies have shown that out of the total number of high-school children, a third of them had engaged in fist fights while drunk. Drinking has also been associated with high blood pressure because it facilitates the deposition of plaques in the blood vessels, which leads to an increase in the heartbeat rate. The deposition of plaques in the blood vessels is also associated with diseases such as heart diseases and stroke. Furthermore, alcohol increases the chances of one getting other chronic illnesses such as the cancer of the throat, mouth, liver, colon, and esophagus.

Excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to ulcers, pancreatitis; and gastrointestinal complications. Also, over-consumption of alcohol has also led to the obliteration of the brain cells, which reduces the thinking capacity of the users (Kelly & Streissguth, 2000). When drunk employees decrease their competency in work, the total GDP of the country declines, hence bringing down the economy of the country which consequently reduces the living standard of the citizens of the nation. Conclusion In conclusion, while there are a few benefits that are about brought by alcohol, the negative consequences of drinking, are alarming. Alcohol has taken a toll on the health of its users; causing the users to suffer from liver cirrhosis, high blood pressure, cancer and lots of other illnesses.