Reasons to drink...motivations and such
Hrm...well, since I am in a class that has me assessing drugs and their many affects on society and its members, I feel it is my responsibility to educate humanity about alcohol and the motivations for using alcohol.
Alcohol is easy to use, and it works quickly. If a person desires to alter consciousness, alcohol can accomplish this fairly easily. Little effort is required to drink. Alcohol is a quick fix. To experience pleasure quickly, some people look to alcohol because it fulfills immediate needs. This feature of modern society is termed immediacy, the desire or expectation that things should be handled rapidly. It could well be the reason that people drink. Here are some motivations for drinking:
*experimentation-curiosity is a common reason to drink. Especially among young people, curiosity is a natural phenomenon that easily leads to experimentation. Infants continually place objects in their mouth. Children cannot wait to open a package to find out its contents. Many schools inadvertently arouse interest and curiosity in alcohol through "alcohol awareness programs." Newspapers and popular magazines contain articles about alcohol, particularly alcohol use by well-known athletes, politicians, musicians, and actors. In one study about 1 in 6 8th grade students reported that they had experimented with alcohol in the pervious year. About 11% had used alcohol in the previous 30 days.
*pleasure/escape from boredom-many people simply like the feelings they receive from alcohol. If alcohol did not provide some type of perceived benefit, their use would be discontinued. Pleasure is the antithesis of boredom and an individual who is bored will engage in something pleasurable to relieve the boredom. Alcohol becomes a source of reward.
*peer influence-many young people use drugs to gain peer acceptance or approval. This point is illustrated in research on alcohol use by fraternity and sorority members. Rates of alcohol consumption by fraternity and sorority members were found to be significantly higher than those of non-Greek-affiliated college students. Fraternity members had higher rates of alcohol use than sorority members. The researcher attributed this to peer norms and the perceived benefits of alcohol. These findings corroborate those of others, who also found that the leaders of fraternities and sororities had more problems than other Greek members.
*spiritual purposes-throughout history, people have used alcohol to seek out or communicate with something or someone greater than themselves. In Japan, college students often marke the beginning of the academic year by drinking sake. Abuse is unlikely if alcohol is restricted to religious rituals. Ironically, spiritual/religious involvement with alcohol might reduce substance abuse.
*self-discovery-alcohol sometimes is used to fill a void in one's life. In our hectic, consumer-oriented, impersonal world, people frequently question their purpose or role in life. Changes in modern times leave some people with a sense of uncertainty. The structure of the family has changed. Sex roles are not what they were 30 years ago. Religion is less important to many people. People move frequently. The concept of fair play has taken a backseat to a win-at-all-cost mentality. The emphasis on self equates to selfishness and a sense of not being connected to others. As our world becomes more complicated, understanding oneself becomes more difficult.
*social interaction-as social beings, humans have a great need for interaction. These interactions range from working and dining together to being in the same organization to simply talking together. Alcohol is used sometimes to facilitate interactions with others. In his research, Skager notes that young people use alcohol because they feel that alcohol use is the social thing to do. People often converse over a cocktail. Increased use of alcohol by adolescents was found to be preceded by an increase in social activities.
*rebelliousness-Rebelliousness is one of the best predictors of increased alcohol use among adolescents. A strong relationship has been found between alcohol use and recklessness and predelinquent behaviors such as aggression and poor emotional control. Young people rebel against the conventions of society, including warnings about alcohol's dangers. An increase in alcohol use by adolescent females was found to have been preceded by a decrease in participation in sports, hobbies, and crafts, and church involvement.
"Losing Grip" by Avril Lavigne
"Losing Grip"
Are you aware of what you make me feel, baby
Right now I feel invisible to you, like I'm not real
Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you
Why'd you turn away?
Here's what I have to say I was left to cry there,
waiting outside there grinning with a lost stare
That's when I decided
[chorus]
Why should I care
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared I was so alone
You, you need to listen I'm starting to trip,
I'm losing my grip and I'm in this thing alone
Am I just some chick you place beside you to take somebody's place
when you turn around can you recognize my face you used to love me,
you used to hug me
But that wasn't the case
Everything wasn't ok I was left to cry there
waiting outside there grinning with a lost stare
That's when I decided
[chorus]
Crying out loud I'm crying out loud
Crying out loud I'm crying out loud
Open your eyes
Open up wide
Why should I care
Cuz you weren't there
when I was scared I was so alone Why should I care
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared I was so alone
Why should I care
If you don't care then I don't care were not going newhere
Why should I care cuz you weren't there when I was scared I was so alone
Why should I care If you don't care then i don't care were not going newhere
Alcohol is easy to use, and it works quickly. If a person desires to alter consciousness, alcohol can accomplish this fairly easily. Little effort is required to drink. Alcohol is a quick fix. To experience pleasure quickly, some people look to alcohol because it fulfills immediate needs. This feature of modern society is termed immediacy, the desire or expectation that things should be handled rapidly. It could well be the reason that people drink. Here are some motivations for drinking:
*experimentation-curiosity is a common reason to drink. Especially among young people, curiosity is a natural phenomenon that easily leads to experimentation. Infants continually place objects in their mouth. Children cannot wait to open a package to find out its contents. Many schools inadvertently arouse interest and curiosity in alcohol through "alcohol awareness programs." Newspapers and popular magazines contain articles about alcohol, particularly alcohol use by well-known athletes, politicians, musicians, and actors. In one study about 1 in 6 8th grade students reported that they had experimented with alcohol in the pervious year. About 11% had used alcohol in the previous 30 days.
*pleasure/escape from boredom-many people simply like the feelings they receive from alcohol. If alcohol did not provide some type of perceived benefit, their use would be discontinued. Pleasure is the antithesis of boredom and an individual who is bored will engage in something pleasurable to relieve the boredom. Alcohol becomes a source of reward.
*peer influence-many young people use drugs to gain peer acceptance or approval. This point is illustrated in research on alcohol use by fraternity and sorority members. Rates of alcohol consumption by fraternity and sorority members were found to be significantly higher than those of non-Greek-affiliated college students. Fraternity members had higher rates of alcohol use than sorority members. The researcher attributed this to peer norms and the perceived benefits of alcohol. These findings corroborate those of others, who also found that the leaders of fraternities and sororities had more problems than other Greek members.
*spiritual purposes-throughout history, people have used alcohol to seek out or communicate with something or someone greater than themselves. In Japan, college students often marke the beginning of the academic year by drinking sake. Abuse is unlikely if alcohol is restricted to religious rituals. Ironically, spiritual/religious involvement with alcohol might reduce substance abuse.
*self-discovery-alcohol sometimes is used to fill a void in one's life. In our hectic, consumer-oriented, impersonal world, people frequently question their purpose or role in life. Changes in modern times leave some people with a sense of uncertainty. The structure of the family has changed. Sex roles are not what they were 30 years ago. Religion is less important to many people. People move frequently. The concept of fair play has taken a backseat to a win-at-all-cost mentality. The emphasis on self equates to selfishness and a sense of not being connected to others. As our world becomes more complicated, understanding oneself becomes more difficult.
*social interaction-as social beings, humans have a great need for interaction. These interactions range from working and dining together to being in the same organization to simply talking together. Alcohol is used sometimes to facilitate interactions with others. In his research, Skager notes that young people use alcohol because they feel that alcohol use is the social thing to do. People often converse over a cocktail. Increased use of alcohol by adolescents was found to be preceded by an increase in social activities.
*rebelliousness-Rebelliousness is one of the best predictors of increased alcohol use among adolescents. A strong relationship has been found between alcohol use and recklessness and predelinquent behaviors such as aggression and poor emotional control. Young people rebel against the conventions of society, including warnings about alcohol's dangers. An increase in alcohol use by adolescent females was found to have been preceded by a decrease in participation in sports, hobbies, and crafts, and church involvement.
"Losing Grip" by Avril Lavigne
"Losing Grip"
Are you aware of what you make me feel, baby
Right now I feel invisible to you, like I'm not real
Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you
Why'd you turn away?
Here's what I have to say I was left to cry there,
waiting outside there grinning with a lost stare
That's when I decided
[chorus]
Why should I care
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared I was so alone
You, you need to listen I'm starting to trip,
I'm losing my grip and I'm in this thing alone
Am I just some chick you place beside you to take somebody's place
when you turn around can you recognize my face you used to love me,
you used to hug me
But that wasn't the case
Everything wasn't ok I was left to cry there
waiting outside there grinning with a lost stare
That's when I decided
[chorus]
Crying out loud I'm crying out loud
Crying out loud I'm crying out loud
Open your eyes
Open up wide
Why should I care
Cuz you weren't there
when I was scared I was so alone Why should I care
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared I was so alone
Why should I care
If you don't care then I don't care were not going newhere
Why should I care cuz you weren't there when I was scared I was so alone
Why should I care If you don't care then i don't care were not going newhere