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Id like to talk about drinking.. I am also pretty sure a topic like this has been here before but most topics are repeading..

More id like to talk about youth drinking and alcoholism.


More and more younger people and children are drinking. Ive seen 13 year olds drinking in public with no worries. And we seem to live in a society where no one realy cares.

Also drinking actively in a young age will most possibly lead to alcoholism.


And mostly in young age you are influenced by your friends to drink. Just like with smoking and every other thing that children or anyone should realy do.

But I'd like to know what do you think we can do to make sure that children dont drink, smoke and so on. How do we make sure that they dont get their alcohol from some local store for a little bit more money?

I drink mainly to relax, don't drink much.

Why do young people drink ? Parents tend to forbid drinking, but it only strenghtens their child's curiosity.

I think the source of it all is ignorence. Don't try to make controll of the local stores more strict, that would be curing the effect. Cure the cause instead.

But even if nothing is done, people and younger people will drink.

Since topics are repeaTing, that justifies your repeated thread? Why even bring that up if you make a thread?

Society is the downfall of humans anyways, so what does it matter?

Alcoholism is a genetic dissorder. Well, some people are more prone to being alcoholics than others.

I drink (Ocassionally, and my extended family is full of alcoholics) and smoke (Pot) and I'm in college. If the person is not a retard (Which kind of kills my argument, now doesn't it?) and applies themselves, they can get anywhere while doing the things they do for fun.

Alcoholism is a problem and younger and younger people are starting to drink. More and more people are getting drunk at parties and at younger ages. Since I have been in highschool I have seen younger people going to parties and hearing about what types of things are going on. Mostly because older people are getting them to the perties and bringing th boose!

And its not freaking genetical. My father was an alcoholic and im not. By your logic I should be problably an alcoholic.


Its caused by the enviorment, friends and so on such as smoking and other things. And yes older people more like kids who can buy alcohol. Over the age of 18.

i think they should destroy beer and drugs cause they cause so much death and suffering.

i hate those kid's at school who brag about how much drugs they do or how they got super wasted over the weekend. and the scary part is, a lot of them arnt lying about it. it's like, what has our world and socity come to these days?

Drinking, drinking, drinking, where to start.
It isn't necessarily always bad, but it is one of those few things that people do irresponsibly that give it a terrible reputation.
Do people drink too much and hurt others? Yes. Do they drink and drive and kill? Yes. I can't really deny that, and there's thousands of statistics floating around that will be shoved down my throat if I do. But, I don't think the instant condemnation of all drinking is very open-minded or wise to do.
Did I drink before it was legal? Of course. But, I like to think I was somewhat responsible. I learned my limits early on... I've never thrown up or passed out, nor do I plan to. Neither me or any of my friends have gotten hurt. We never drank in public... it was always someone's house, and nobody went outside to drive or anything. You drank, you stood in and slept over, that was that. And it was always pretty damn fun. So, I say, if my 16 year old son wants to drink and does so responsibly and nobody gets hurt... who cares?

As for those who brag about holding their liquor, I would hardly call that a feat. Congratulations, you need more liquor to get the same effect, how efficent. Those immature people are in for rude awakenings when they grow up... however wasted they got in highschol isn't going to mean crap later on.

It's your problem if you start drinking and get it's consequences. Your friends may pressure you to drink, but it never hurts to say no. You can even invent a lame excuse like your currently on a prescription or something if you don't want to think that your friends are thinking that you're a lamer.

Yes, I've drunk before, and right now, I still feel the effects of this weekend. All of which my friends can do for me is put me in bed and shower me. They won't be responsible for anything that I do nor would they risk too much attemtping me to stop of doing whatever I'm wanting to do.

As many alcoholic bevergaes comercials say: "Drink Responsibly". Know your limits.

More, if not only, harm comes out of drinking than good.

If you really want something carbonated, drink some soda. Actually, drink Vault. That is seriously the best soda ever!

What is your defention of "responsibly" drinking?
I actually learned something in Drug Education class that I didn't know before that achool actually basically kills your brain. If you drink a certain amount over an amount of time (descriptive eh?) your brain is less and less, uh, I can't think of a word good? Devolped? Healthy? One of those. So even if you only have a drink once a month, that's still going to hurt in the long run.

I've had beer and a few sips of wine, and it tastes disgusting. I can't see how anyone can like that stuff.

The truth is that drinkin ruins lifes. It is not cool to show off and say how much you can drink. Drinking isn't always bad if you do it responsibly.

Being drunk can be fun with other friends, but overall, I don't recommend drinking alcohol. Maybe every once in a while, but not every day.

Being drunk is not cool at all. You can do extremely stupid stuff without knowing it. Or even worse, someone else that's drunk can do something extremely bad to you.

My opinion on this is you can't really stop underaged teens to stop drinking because they will find ways to get alchohol. I have drank when I was like 14 but I don't drink constantly now I just drink to relax and just hang out not to lose control so I don't do anything stupid, but youth drinking won't stop at all.

I'm not saying completely drunk. Just slightly drunk, when people are ditzy. I do stay clear of full on drunkness.

Little amount of alcohol is fine to me cuz practicly every1 has drunk a little in their life.

And Golden practicly everything kills your brain cells. Computer.. TV... And so on

Hah hah that sure was funny?
If you watch TV for 5 months straight then you won't have a brain of a 2 year old. You might be a little immature but nothing directly affects your brain.

I don't think you can stop it unless it becomes something that all their friends view negatively on, then nobody will do it because their friends and family, etc will ridicule them on... but if continues to be "cool" or whatever people may think of it, it will always continue.

And people say that Pot kills your brain. Ha! Alcohol actually kills your brain cells. THC (The main ingredient in Pot) just blocks receptors, and is eventually absorbed by the body if you are not a chronic smoker.



Have you ever drank? The logic you're using sounds like you've just been told by people

Ok time to show you all effects of marijuana


Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to organs throughout the body, including the brain.

In the brain, THC connects to specific sites called cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. Many cannabinoid receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement4.

The short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research findings for long-term marijuana abuse indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system5 and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine6. Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse


Effects on the Heart

One study has indicated that a user's risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana7. The researchers suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana's effects on blood pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.


Effects on the Lungs

A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers8. Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.

Even infrequent abuse can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways9. Smoking marijuana possibly increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers10.

Marijuana abuse also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens9,11. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke12. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form—levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells13. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may be more harmful to the lungs than smoking tobacco.


Other Health Effects

Some of marijuana's adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs the immune system's ability to fight disease. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited14. In other studies, mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors15,16.


This is for your Kellimus
Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavior

Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. Depression17, anxiety17, and personality disturbances18 have been associated with chronic marijuana use. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills. Moreover, research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on memory and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off19,20,25.

Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high school, compared with their nonsmoking peers21,22,23,24. A study of 129 college students found that, among those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the 30 days prior to being surveyed, critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after the students had not taken the drug for at least 24 hours20. These "heavy" marijuana abusers had more trouble sustaining and shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using information than did the study participants who had abused marijuana no more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time.

More recently, the same researchers showed that the ability of a group of long-term heavy marijuana abusers to recall words from a list remained impaired for a week after quitting, but returned to normal within 4 weeks25. Thus, some cognitive abilities may be restored in individuals who quit smoking marijuana, even after long-term heavy use.

Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to have problems on the job. Several studies associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover. A study among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75-percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use26. In another study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including cognitive abilities, career status, social life, and physical and mental health27.


Effects on Pregnancy

Research has shown that some babies born to women who abused marijuana during their pregnancies display altered responses to visual stimuli28, increased tremulousness, and a high-pitched cry, which may indicate neurological problems in development29. During the preschool years, marijuana-exposed children have been observed to perform tasks involving sustained attention and memory more poorly than nonexposed children do30,31. In the school years, these children are more likely to exhibit deficits in problem-solving skills, memory, and the ability to remain attentive30.


Addictive Potential

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction for some people; that is, they abuse the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop abusing the drug. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, and anxiety32. They also display increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately one week after the last use of the drug33.


Genetic Vulnerability

Scientists have found that whether an individual has positive or negative sensations after smoking marijuana can be influenced by heredity. A 1997 study demonstrated that identical male twins were more likely than nonidentical male twins to report similar responses to marijuana abuse, indicating a genetic basis for their response to the drug34. (Identical twins share all of their genes.)

It also was discovered that the twins' shared or family environment before age 18 had no detectable influence on their response to marijuana. Certain environmental factors, however, such as the availability of marijuana, expectations about how the drug would affect them, the influence of friends and social contacts, and other factors that differentiate experiences of identical twins were found to have an important effect.34


Source : http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html
You can read a bit more from there.. Later il post effects of drinking and you can compare

And how about not drinking to the state when you don't understand what you are doing ? You can drink to a state when your mind is relaxed but still allmost fully clear.

I am not saying that we should all never drink!

Heres the effects of drinking


For people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), decisions about drinking alcohol can be difficult. At this time, no studies have proven that alcohol either instigates or worsens these conditions, but drinking has been proven to have significant effects on the digestive system as well as the rest of the body.

Effects on the Liver
The function of the liver is to break down toxic substances (such as drugs and alcohol) and filter them from the body. In addition to this important purpose, the liver filters the blood, synthesizes chemicals needed by the body, and stores vitamins, sugars, fats and other nutrients. When alcohol is present in the body, the liver must cease its important functions and deal solely with ridding the body of the toxin. As a result, fatty acids may build up in the liver.

Alcohol can damage the liver by destroying or altering its cells and may even worsen an existing liver condition. Chronic liver disease is a serious complication that affects from 5 to 15% of IBD patients.

Effects on the GI Tract Lining
While all the effects of alcohol on the gastrointestinal tract are not clear to researchers, it appears that the lining is affected. The results of this irritation can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding (symptoms that IBS and IBD patients are already struggling to keep under control).

Drugs and Medications
Several medications prescribed for gastrointestinal conditions may react unfavorably with alcoholic drinks. In addition, medications put a strain on the liver's ability to rid the body of toxins and alcohol can increase that effect. See the Table below that lists drugs commonly used to treat IBS, IBD or related conditions and the possible effects when mixed with alcohol.

Positive Effects
In addition to the psychological and social benefits of the occasional drink at parties, moderate amounts of alcohol may have health benefits. Studies have indicated that moderate drinking (defined as 1 drink a day for women, or 2 drinks a day for men) may have a positive effect on the coronary system and help prevent coronary artery disease.

Conclusion
The choice to drink is an individual decision that should be made after clearly understanding the potential effects. For many with IBS or IBD, an occasional drink may not worsen their condition, but some may discover (as with other foods, through trial and error) that it does have a detrimental effect. Additionally, the effect of alcohol on the liver, the stomach, and overall health should be weighed against the positive effects as well as the importance of social drinking to quality of life.

One Drink Is…
4-5 ounces of wine
10 ounces of wine cooler
12 ounces of beer
1-1/4 ounces of distilled liquor (80 proof whiskey, vodka, scotch, or rum) Effects of Alcohol on Medications

Drug Reaction With Alcohol
Anti-depressants Diminished alertness and judgment, possible death
Aspirin Stomach irritation, possible bleeding
Flagyl (metronidazole) Stomach upset and cramps, vomiting, headache, sweating, flushing
Narcotics (painkillers) Diminished alertness and judgment, reduction in brain function, possible death
NSAIDs Stomach irritation, possible liver damage

Only tried a few sips, but I never got drunk. I've heard only bad stories from people who got drunk. Our family knew this one guy from several years ago who got killed because of some drunk person at a party. They got into a fight, but the wasted guy went overboard and started to kick him in the head, which in the end killed him. My sister even had friends who just got killed recently because of drunk driving. She knew them very well too. We didn't know this guy, but at the University of Texas at Austin, this guy got drunk at a fraternity and when their whole room was filled with only like 5 inches of water, he thought the water was 5 feet deep and so he jumped off a couch and did a bellyflop into what he thought was a pool of water. Instead, he broke his spine and is now a cripple from the neck down. He is going to regret getting wasted for the rest of his life. I have yet to hear of something good happening when people get drunk.

MA : one time I was messed up and thought of a really good website to make that is kind of good.

DarkX : I know you didn't conduct those statistics yourself so this isn't really aimed at you but those statistics are wrong in saying that weed is more harmful because its users take longer hits. They also don't smoke nearly as long as they would a cigarette(including the interval of time inbetween smoking). Also... as odd as it may sound I think the part where it says 'people who smoke marijuana get lower grades' is also false. Everyone I know that started last year or this year has gotten higher grades since they started.

Jammed : There are many reasons why people don't stop when they should. One reason being they don't want to stop... People have reasons for what they do, what they did, and what they will do. Remember that.

To whoever said alcohol taste bad so why would you do it : Well first off... its not just for flavor... it's not gum(keep that in mind). Also when you were little did you like all the things you do now? No, because your views, feelings, and tastes change. I find that as you get older your acuteness for bitterness dullen.

I believe people are as responsible with alcohol as they are anything else. If you ever notice(most of the time) the ones who can't control their drinking portions are the ones irresponsible with their daily life. Not to say that their aren't exceptions as with everything.

All in all everyone has their ups and downs, some more downs than others, some more ups than others, but the key is in the different ways people handle things. What you should never do is judge someone for what they did.

and wow I forgot... whoever said alcoholism was genetic, it could possibly be but if you ask me if ANYTHING it is 800% environmental.