Angeline Garcia
September, 3, 2012
Period 3
Alcohol Advertisement

Alcohol advertisement has been an issue for a long time, whether it should be allowed or not. Some people say that if you don’t consume it, it’s not your place to say, but that’s not true. Everyone is affected by alcohol consumption, not just the consumers. Alcohol has not only short term effects, but many long term effects as well. Some of the short term effects are hangovers, blackout, dizziness, and dehydration. There are also many long term effects. While many teenagers are out drinking under the influence, they don’t realize that consuming alcohol at their age damages the part of their brain which means they find things hard to remember and have a shorter attention span. Many people die of cancer every day, what many people don’t know is that too much alcohol can cause seven different types of cancer: Cancer of the liver, bowel, breast, mouth, pharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal. Even if they don’t get cancer, they are still affected greatly. Drinking too much can cause permanent dehydration as well as stop your breathing and your heartbeat. Hypothermia is caused by lots of alcohol consumption because it lowers your body temperature enough to do so. It even lowers your blood pressure enough to cause the body to have seizures. In addition to all of that, at least 80% of alcoholics end up with Wernmick-Korskoff Syndrome. This is when you have mental confusion, paralysis of the eyes, difficulty walking or moving your muscles, and get easily frustrated. Nothing like this would ever happen if people didn’t consume alcohol. Why do they consume alcohol? Because it is advertised to look like it’s good for you, improving your life. The consumption doesn’t affect the consumer alone, but everyone around them. Half of all drivers who are in car accidents have alcohol in their system. In 2011, 226 children were killed in drunken driving accidents, but that still doesn’t include all the injured ones. The injuries can be as small and temporary as a scratch, or as permanent and life changing as getting paralyzed. Imagine you’re out having a good time with family or friends, when suddenly you get a phone call, a phone call that will change your life forever. The lady on the phone says, “Hello? Yes, are you related to so-and-so? Oh, you are? Well we need you in the emergency room right away. Why? Well he was hit by a drunk driver and might not make it.” You rush to the hospital, only to realize you’re too late, they’re gone. Every time you hear their name, it reminds you of them. Every time you listen to their favorite band, it reminds you of them. Everything reminds you of them, but if it weren’t for the drunken driver, they’d still be here with you. Oh, they didn’t realize what they were doing; they had a few too many drinks, but why? The thought their problems would be fixed by having a few drinks. They thought this because they watch television commercials, and see the billboards while driving in the car. They made is seem like just a few sips make everything better, make your life better. If there were no signs and commercials he would’ve never had those many drinks, he would’ve never been intoxicated, never driven while drunk, never hit another car, and never taken