Many Factors

It is difficult to single out any one condition or attitude that leads a person to becoming dependent on alcohol. The human body, mind and emotions are very complex. And people differ greatly from one another in mental, emotional and physical makeup.

Even body size makes a difference. Larger persons have more water in their bodies than do smaller persons. Alcohol is diluted by water. So all other things being equal, a smaller person usually will be more quickly affected by the same amount of alcohol than will a larger person.

Also, where all factors, such as body size, background, problems and pressures, and drinking habits, appear to be similar, one person who begins drinking will eventually become addicted while another in the same set of circumstances will not. So it cannot be said that a certain problem, emotional disposition, childhood experience or cultural environment will automatically produce an alcoholic.

Yet, there are factors that produce higher rates of alcoholism. For instance, where a society is alcohol-oriented, promoting and advertising it, showing it to be common at social events and eating places, then more people will be induced to drink. And when heavy drinking or drunkenness is portrayed not only as common but at times even as humorous, then the stigma against alcoholism lessens.

In such an environment, especially at social gatherings, a person is made to feel awkward, almost like an outsider, if he does not drink. Those who are trying to abstain from alcohol because of having problems with it may find themselves under constant pressure to conform.

Economic factors can also play their part. There is much alcohol abuse among some poor people, particularly in the large cities of the industrial societies. Poverty can bring on a feeling of hopelessness, with alcohol’s sedative-like quality temporarily masking the pain of reality.

On the other hand, affluence in some countries has brought with it greater drinking by middle- and upper-income groups. Also, there are job and social pressures that lead to more drinking. A study of the drinking habits of 8,000 American executives revealed that 27 percent were very heavy drinkers, consuming an average of six or more ounces of alcohol every day, seven days a week. In Japan, it is reported that about 60 percent of persons in supervisory positions have drinking problems. And more housewives in wealthier nations are now becoming alcoholics.

Marital and family problems often turn one mate, or both, to alcohol in an attempt to find relief from unhappiness. Loneliness can also lead one to drink too much, as can disappointment, a fear of the future, a lack of confidence, or even a tragedy such as the death of a loved one.

But people who drink to excess to try to lessen problems, anxiety, or depression, always find that they end up with greater problems, anxiety and depression. These are the inevitable consequences of alcoholism.

But why are more young people drinking? One reason is ‘peer pressure,’ the influence of friends. “All my friends drink,” said one young person in a typical statement. Another declared: “I didn’t want to look ‘square,’ so I started drinking.”

As with adults, many young people drink because, as one said: “Drinking makes me feel happy and helps me have a good time.” Some other reasons young people give are: they are bored with life; have problems at home or in school; or fear the future in a world of harshness and uncertainty.

But the most common reason given by young people for their drinking habits is the influence of parents and adult society in general. The book Teen-Age Alcoholism states: “In the case of drinking, though the influence of the peer group is important, parents have the greatest influence.” In Germany, it was found that where the father drinks a lot, his children more often do too.

But many parents do not abuse alcohol. And they insist that their children not drink to any regular degree until they are old enough to do so responsibly. Studies have found that in such families half as many young people are getting into trouble with alcohol compared with families where parents themselves drink heavily.

Where adult drinking is commonplace in a society, many youths will imitate what they see older people doing. As an example, one youth who watched western movies on television stated: “The men in those movies drank whiskey. I started to drink whiskey to be tough like them.”

You reap what you sow. In a society where heavy drinking is condoned, and where millions of adults are dependent on alcohol, more young people will become dependent on it too.