There were 20 participants, aged 21 through 50, within this study. Of the 20 participants 10 were exposed to alcohol consumption and 10 acted as a control group. Of the 20 participants six were Caucasian, eight were African American, two were Hispanic, and four were Asian. Of those 20 participants, the age groups were as follows: 21 through 30 years old, 31 through 40 years old, 41 through 50 years old. In the 21 through 30 year old group there were 11 participants, five in the experimental group and six in the control group. In the 31 through 40 year old group there were six participants, three in the experimental group and three in the control group. In the 41 through 50 year old group there were three participants, two in the experimental group and one in the control group.…
I see Mr. Kidder’s alcoholic problem as a disease rather than a lack of moral fiber (the inner strength to do what you believe to be right in difficult situations). Not being able to recollect when it all started means to me that it was a gradual innocent consumption of alcohol developing into a habit that became frequent and natural. His first wake up call was the first incident, he, just like many like him, was not enough to make a major turnaround. If you drink a lot, you are not necessarily an alcoholic -- though you could be. Heavy drinking is a habit that can creep up, or develop because of lifestyle pressures, such as work, friends and activities. The term “alcoholic” has become highly stigmatized and Mr. Kidder did not really think…
This paper explores the Bible by thoroughly examining three words related to counseling and three words related to addiction. In addition, general biblical usage of the words are discussed and as the meaning and where the words are found in the Bible. Specifically, the words are explored in the Old Testament and New Testament. Finally, core biblical themes and personal views are explored.…
Alcoholics Anonymous offers a 12 Step program that first requires the person to admit that he or she is “powerless over alcohol” (This, 1984, p. 12). Once the person has determined that they want to stay sober, they can begin the road to sobriety by following the 12 Steps of the program. Many of the 12 Steps have to do with a Higher Power, but the organization’s materials are quick to point out that this does not just mean God, but whatever Higher Power a person holds to be true.…
Each and every single day, we walk past many different types of people that come from all walks of life and some who are the typical definition of “normal” that are battling addictions to alcohol. My eyes were opened up a great deal when I attended an open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that had a guest speaker named James and if I would have walked past him on the street, I would have never known the internal battles that he has faced and does face everyday he gets up out of bed.…
In the play, “Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth” by Drew Hayden Taylor, the story of two sisters, Barb and Janice is told. They had not met each other for the first time until Janice had turned 35 and had returned for her first visit. The two are basically strangers and their relationship consists of nothing but anger. The development in their relationship seems to be impossible with the two who are unable to understand each other. Janice’s anger towards her own life and Barb’s anger towards Janice blinds them from understanding and accepting each other. Janice continuously struggles to find her identity and her frustration turns to anger. Barb is angered by Janice’s leaving from Otter Lake, and her indifferent attitude. Janice is too angry about the scoop-up to understand what Barb expects of her. And Barb is too angry at Janice to understand that Janice also has scars of her own.…
Edgar Allen Poe was a foster child, his mom died in 1811 when he was not yet three. Poe’s dad had left the family. Edgar Poe married his cousin Virginia. Poe lost most of his loved ones to Tuberculosis. He was renowned with the community when he swam against the current for miles. Poe died unexpectedly at the young age of forty. Some believe that he died of Alcoholism, others believe it was rabies. I believe Edgar died of alcoholism because Poe had drunk all throughout his age and alcohol will wear down your body. Poe’s cat had shown no signs of rabies and he was close to it.…
Does the environment that one grows up in contribute to alcoholism or is alcoholism determined by genetics? It wasn’t until 1991 that alcoholism was considered both a medical and psychiatric disease by the American Medical Association. Alcoholism is defined in the dictionary as a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally. (dictionary.com). It is also defined as an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. Today in America there are 12 million who have this life long disease. (Alcohol and Depression) Alcoholism is a treatable disease, but one of the most important factors when trying to successfully treat this disease and prevent relapse, is finding its root cause. This is where the nature vs. nurture debate merges with alcoholism. Researchers have two main theories as to why certain individuals become and alcoholic and others can continue to drink socially with no issues. The first belief is that a person’s environmental factors including upbringing and outside social influences caused the person to become an alcoholic. The second belief is a person’s genetic makeup and the way that their bodies physically metabolize alcohol contributes to the chances of them having a predisposition towards alcoholism. Researchers are on both sides of this argument. The following essay will address the different contributing factors on both the nature and nurture sides. On the nurture side, researchers believe that environmental factors including: family history, location, advertising, childhood trauma, and early exposure can lead to alcoholism. The Nature argument states that…
The Higher Power gives us “faith,” “the will,” and “freedom to exist” without the consumption of alcohol and the negativity that comes with the behavior. At times, you may feel like giving up hope on yourself, believing that you are not worth receiving support or having feelings of despair, angst, and difficulty facing up to societal standards. However, in this program, it is not the case; we are “here” to guide you through your addiction, by encouraging you to believe in the Higher Power or GOD, through conscious awareness, and to make you a stronger and determined individual. In order for sobriety, it takes discipline, perseverance, and motivation to overcome these struggles with constant reminders of how addiction ruined your life. However, you have the right to live addiction free in the “here and now,” rather than living “miserably” and alone in this world. Throughout Alcoholics Anonymous, you will begin to see that there is “light” at the end of the addiction behavior there is hope, freedom, and that you have the “strength” and “courage” to live. During this process, we hope you will find true peace and happiness you so richly deserve, by ending your alcoholism or addiction behavior;…
Wine, beer liquor, all shares the same properties. That is when consumed do something magical to a person. Alcohol makes situations more comfortable and fun. Ancient myths and folklore depict alcohol in their stories. Some depict alcohol as having wonderful healing assets. While some like the bible states many warnings against the misuses of alcohol. For the contemporary drinker alcohol when misused potentially can have devastating effects on his or her life. Not only his or her life but also their family, friends, co-workers lives as well. Although this is the case, there is means of arresting the disease. Before rehabilitation programs individuals were places in sanitariums with the mentally insane. One program changed all that. The program titled Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) was the first of its kind. Alcoholics Anonymous is a 12-step program. To the common person A.A. may seem mystical. Except for the millions of individual who have gotten clean through A.A the steps are no magic fairy dusts. This paper will examine the first four of the 12 Steps in order to understand the content of each step with the goal of developing a spiritual awaking, and the process of a continuum for the recovering individual. The 12 steps represent a beginning of a continuum for a recovering individual, and the acculturation of upright principles and ethics.…
Prejudice is a common expression in general on a small scale, but there have been many instances where an entire nation’s belief was based on a prejudiced idea. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, individuals express their version of justice in different ways. The novel is set in the racially separated town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The main characters are all involved in a plot in which narrow mindedness leads to pain and suffering. . In Maycomb County, prejudice rapidly spreads because of blindly brought up racist citizens and their need to blame things on someone else, but this stereotyping can be stopped when an individual defends what they believe, despite society’s beliefs.…
On the night of May 14, 1988, Larry Mahoney was drunk, so drunk that his blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) was more than twice Kentucky’s legal limit. Regardless, Mahoney got behind the wheel of his pickup truck and proceeded to drive northbound in the southbound lane of Interstate 71, crashing head-on into a church bus returning from an amusement park. The collision ruptured the bus’s gas tank, causing a fire that killed twenty-three children and four adults and injured a dozen others. Mahoney had no recollection that he had caused the deaths of twenty-seven people until he woke up in a hospital bed the following morning with only minor injuries. He was convicted of assault, manslaughter, wanton endangerment, and drunken driving and was sent to the Kentucky State Reformatory, where he served a nine-and-a-half-year sentence. Most of you probably didn’t realize that this many lives could be affected in just one accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 10,839 people will die in drunk driving accidents this year. That’s one death every 50 minutes. Today, I would like to inform you about what happens in your body when you drink, the financial consequences of drunk driving, and organizations that can help.…
Over the years psychologists have categorized many models of success. We are going to focus on three models of success. In Jonah Lehrers article "The Secret of Self-Control" he describes the principals of high and low delayers. High delayers are more successful, have higher SAT scores, have better self control, and can focus on long term goals. Low delayers on the other hand take longer to succeed, have lower SAT scores, struggle with self control, have trouble paying attention, and have problems with drugs. Lehrers article is a prefect companion piece to "The significance of Grit" By Angela Duckworth and "Habits Of Mind" an excerpt from Framework for Success in Post Secondary Writing. Angela Duckworth defines grit as being resilient in the face of failure and adversity referring to kids that come from an at risk environment who thrive never the less. Habits of mind goes on to define the particular traits that are needed to be successful. Of the habits listed in the article…
It would seem reasonable to argue the existence of a link between attitude and behaviour and to further assume that it is those same attitudes that determine that behaviour. However, there are many variables to consider which may affect the strength of such a link. It is important to distinguish between the influence of different types of attitude (reference), the first type being attitudes towards general entities and the second being attitudes towards more specific ones. This essay will look at how attitudes can be a poor predictor of behaviour on a broad perspective but become effective predictors when looked at in a narrower and more specific way. However, the additional impact of a wide array of other variables undermines the accuracy of the link between attitudes and behaviour and complicates the drawing of clear conclusions.…
Classical Conditioning- A type of conditioning in which an individual responds to some stimulus that would not ordinarily produce such a response.…