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Is the Moderate Consumption of Alcohol Beneficial to Human Health?
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Position Statement: In recent years, alcohol has been reported as a beneficial addition to the everyday diet of Americans to assist in the prevention of heart disease. These reports and articles, siting recent studies conducted by acclaimed institutional facilities, often justify moderate drinking and misinterpret the information and research. It is true that certain types of alcohol have been proven to be beneficial to a selected type of individual and that heart disease was not as prevalent in these individuals who were consuming alcohol in moderation. However, alcohol as a whole is not beneficial to most individuals whom consume it and these studies fail to communicate that to the American public. This report intends to refute the popular notion that alcohol is beneficial or healthy for most individuals and will touch on the major points documented in defense of moderate alcohol consumption and present them in a manner which will shed light on the often misinterpreted subject. Outline: I. Introduction A. What is Alcohol B. History of Alcohol C. Different Types of Alcohol Consumption. II. Is Alcohol Beneficial to Human Health? A. Two Different Theories 1. Alcohol is Beneficial to Health a. How? b. To Whom? 2. Alcohol is Detrimental to Health a. How? b. To Whom? III. Which Theory is Right? A. What theory is Outshined? 1. The Bad Outweighs the Good IV. Balancing out the benefits of Alcohol A. Who Should Consume Alcohol for Beneficial Reasons? 1. Why? B. Who Should Abstain From Alcohol Consumption? 2. Why? V. Conclusion In the modern world of today, many controversies over substances that can be beneficial or detrimental to human health exist. Common misconceptions combined with hasty publication of medical theories based on faulty or inconclusive research can often lead the nation into deluded health frenzies. One of the more recent frenzies has to do with alcohol and it’s beneficial qualities. Alcohol (specifically ethanol or ethyl alcohol, EtOH, CH3CH2OH) is the most socially accepted and vastly addictive drug that has potential life-threatening side effects and can pose serious health hazards. Its pleasures are very widely acknowledged and its harmful effects are equally ignored. Alcoholic beverages are often accepted as a standard lubricant or anxiety-reliever at social gatherings, and those who refuse to consume ethanol run the risk of being shunned as social outcasts or looked down upon as being overly self-righteous. Yet a large majority of people feel concern about consuming a substance which causes physical & mental disorientation and inhibits reaction time. Although the effects appear to be temporary, one could easily wonder about the physiological changes being wrought on the brain and body. One could also wonder whether the temporary effects are really desirable, even if pleasurable, and whether the brain really escapes permanent harm caused by the decreased blood flow to it during alcohol consumption. For those who highly value their health, this should be a matter of great concern and one that demands their attention if the decision to consume alcohol for beneficial reasons is selected. The detrimental effects that alcohol poses to the physical and mental well being have been recorded and argued back to the early 17th century, and the list of known harmful side-effects continues to grow and grow. The lawful regulation and distribution of alcohol is an ongoing issue in this country and has been since the formation of it. The complete eradication of alcohol consumption was attempted on numerous occasions by early settlers, due to its role in immoral and inappropriate behavioral patterns. In the 1920s, those attempts became a reality when prohibition went into effect with the ratification of the 18th amendment and all alcoholic substances were deemed to have a harmful demeanor to society and therefore outlawed. The theory behind prohibition was to eliminate the instigator and the inevitable reduction in alcohol related crime, accidents, abuse, and death could possibly lead to their eradication. But like most drugs that are made illegal, alcohol was produced and distributed illegally and the supply and demand of alcohol was hardly diminished. Americans simply did not want to give up alcohol and had no intention of allowing the government to tell them they had to. The overwhelming disapproval of prohibition along with the inability of the US government and state police to enforce it led to its downfall.
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