Addressing Alcoholism Problem in Society: The Pennsylvania Case

Addressing Alcoholism Problem in Society– The Pennsylvania Case
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Letter of Transmittal
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Dear Sir/Madam,
Alcoholism is an issue of concern due to its debilitating health, economic and social effects. While many measures have been devoted to mitigating the problem, alcoholism is still deeply entrenched in society. In this light, there is a need to research alcoholism to inform the root cause of persistent alcoholic behavior among teens, youths, and adults. This information will inform the development of practical and evidence-based solutions to mediate the ongoing problem of alcoholism in society.
Excessive drinking is linked to different health problems, and an end shortens an individual’s lifespan. The habit affects teens, youths, and adults. For instance, youths who engage in binge drinking are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as using hard drugs and posting poor school grades. Adults, on the other end, experience strained family relationships, and work productivity is adversely affected. Overall, excessive drinking has a negative toll on achieving a healthy society. Therefore reducing the rates of consuming alcohol among teens and middle adults is of significant priority.
This report is about the reduction of alcoholism rates in society. The report highlights the prevalence of the issue and specific solutions tailored to achieving an alcohol-free society. I believe that the recommendations of this report will work a great deal in minimizing cases of alcoholism, in turn achieving a healthy and peaceful society.
Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc78031129 \h 5Background PAGEREF _Toc78031130 \h 5Purpose PAGEREF _Toc78031131 \h 6Overview of Methodology PAGEREF _Toc78031132 \h 6Methods PAGEREF _Toc78031133 \h 6Results/Findings PAGEREF _Toc78031134 \h 6Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption and Burden PAGEREF _Toc78031135 \h 6Alcoholism as a Societal Problem PAGEREF _Toc78031136 \h 9Alcohol in Society: Policy, Regulation, and Prevention PAGEREF _Toc78031137 \h 10Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc78031138 \h 11References PAGEREF _Toc78031139 \h 13
Table of Figure
TOC \h \z \c "Figure" Figure 1 Economic Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption PAGEREF _Toc78031175 \h 8
Figure 2 Binge Drinking Trends among U.S. Adults PAGEREF _Toc78031176 \h 9
Addressing Alcoholism Problem in Society– The Pennsylvania Case
Introduction
Background
Excessive drinking is a severe issue of concern due to the ripple effects linked to this habit. Alcohol consumption rates vary from state to state. Nationally, the alcohol consumption rate stands at 18 percent (Guidot & Mehta, 2014). Extrapolating this result further reveals that an estimate of 18 million Americans is alcoholic (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2020). Alcohol effects span beyond health and are evident in strained relationships and unlikely events attributable to death. Besides, alcoholism behavior is linked to undesirable acts. For example, binge drinking among teens and college students is attributable to risky behaviors such as engaging in unprotected sex with more than six partners and smoking marijuana. More startling is the fact that alcoholism behavior can make a person lose life focus, which can turn bright minds into useless individuals staggering societal development and sustainability.
Pennsylvania is among the states that post a worrying trend about alcoholism menace in the society. According to Buckingham (2018), this state records 18.1 percent of adults who drink alcohol excessively. This percentage is worrying because it has slightly surpassed the national alcoholism rate. Further, Pennsylvania records an estimate of 32 percent alcohol-related deaths (Buckingham, 2018). These statistics reveal that Pennsylvania is more likely to experience higher rates of premature deaths. For example, it is estimated that for every 100 000 Pennsylvania residents, 342 die prematurely before attaining 75 years, a statistic above the national rate of 333 premature deaths for every 100,000 deaths (Buckingham, 2018). Alongside these dire effects of alcoholism, cases of severe health issues including liver cancer and cardiovascular diseases are palpable. These startling statistics necessitate a blended approach for mediating the alcoholism menace. In particular, a collaboration between alcoholics, governments, society, and healthcare is an ideal step of taming the vice.
Purpose
This report is focused on understating the alcoholism issue in a broader sense. In particular, identification of the causes of the persistent problem is of paramount importance. Further, the report is geared towards reflecting on the ideal measures for combating alcoholism in Pennsylvania. The recommendations will be drawn from a robust comprehension of the causes of alcoholism.
Overview of Methodology
Alcoholism menace in Pennsylvania was conducted overly relying on secondary materials. However, to ensure that the sources had meaningful insights about the issue at hand, inclusion and exclusion of sources criteria were used. Those included advancing the research were peer-reviewed articles related to the alcohol menace. Additionally, the analysis included articles from verifiable publications such as CDC, and the criteria for all articles were articles must not be older than five years. Those articles that were older than five years were excluded. Methods
The research was anchored in secondary sources of information. This approach mainly looked at articles related to the issue. The articles were primarily retrieved from the library database.
Results/Findings
Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption and Burden
Alcohol consumption is a menace that is disenfranchising the United States affecting both alcoholics and non-alcoholics. Statistics about alcohol consumption paints a worrying trend about social sustainability and the quest of achieving a healthy society. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020(a)), alcoholism is responsible for an estimated 95,000 deaths in the U.S. annually. These numbers include 1 in 10 total deaths among working adults. Excessive alcohol consumption bruises the economy, and if left unattended, the vice is akin to collapsing the economy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020(a)) report concedes that excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 siphoned the U.S. economy an average of $249 billion. Breaking this number further leads to excessive drinking siphoning the U.S. economy $2.05 per drink (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020(a)). These costs were felt across the U.S.; federal, state, and local governments.
Excessive drinking habits can be manifested in different ways. For example, the report found that binge drinking is the most common form of excessive drinking. The study noted that this trend was common among people younger than 21 years. Binge drinking is re...