Attitudes of different countries and cultures towards alcohol

Globally, alcohol use is increasing. Alcohol consumption is highest in American regions, followed by European countries, with Africa and Asia having the lowest rates. Different countries have different views on the extensive use of alcohol throughout all age groups. Alcohol drinking is most prevalent among students in tertiary learning institutions such as colleges and universities. Some Asian countries, such as Iran, have banned the use of alcohol in their countries, but others, such as Germany and the United States of America, have authorized the use of alcohol in their respective countries (Jayne e al, 2017). Religious cultures such as Islamic cultures are opposed to using alcohol while others such as Christianity has allowed the use from the biblical perspectives.

In the United States of America, alcohol consumption is registered among teenagers with an average age of thirteen years. The Center for Disease Control reports that excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of death with about seventy-six thousand deaths. Ironically, the menace is preventable and at the same time one of the leading cause of mortality in the regions. It points out at the laxity of the operation of the federal laws to curb this illness that is rotting the various states in the USA. On average, about six hundred children below sixteen years drink every day. The government has instituted laws to curb early drinking among the children, but the rules have not been fully implemented (Bloomfield, 2017). The state legalizes the use of alcohol among the adults since they believe they can make sound judgment and drink responsibly and avoid the side effects of alcohol consumptions such as dependence, organ injuries, overdose and psychiatric conditions associated with the use of alcohol. Despite having the plans to stop the underage drinking, minimal results have been seen in many states. Many children continue to suffer from the alcohol dependence, driving while drunk and overdose. Mortality is due to its use has been exponential since even the parents do not institute strict measures to curb the predicament.

The legislature introduced in the parliament to respond to the needs of underage drinking, monitoring of alcohol consumption among the youths and the band preferences has not yielded many fruits since little has been implemented to show the reports of the rate of drinking among the teenagers. It points out that excessive alcohol consumption has not been given strict measures to control the illness and many people, the young and the aged, are enjoying the different brands available in the markets. Even there are no stringent rules to punish those who fail to follow the rules regarding alcohol intake. Moreover, the American Indian community perceptions on alcohol link it with a common cold that always affects human beings on a seasonal basis. The opinions depict that alcohol intake is an activity that is part of their lifestyles and the society accept the use of alcohol (Goodman, 2016). Despite its use, no regulations are tabled to monitor the amount of intake, and as such, many citizens have been adversely affected by overconsumption of alcohol. It has become a routine part of diet amongst many people of the race as they enjoy the legalization of consumption of alcohol without any restrains as opposed to India where there are limitations. Again, the alcohol companies have backed up alcopops with the advertisement support and distillers can efficiently advertise their brands on televisions to attract more customers. The USA records one of the leading countries in alcohol consumption.

In Germany, alcohol consumption is very high despite having advanced medical and health laws and programs. The country has legalized the use of alcohol among its citizen though there are laws implemented to reduce the rate of alcohol use among the youths. The regulations allow the adult to take alcohol bearing in mind the effects associated with its use. In 2004, the state passed the youth protection laws to decrease the explicit overconsumption of alcohol among the youths to realize the economic reality of the nation as they form the backbone of economic development. The proposals aimed at increasing the sale tax on the alcopops to make it unaffordable for the majority of the youth and in so doing, reduce the rate of alcohol use in the nation (Sudhinaraset, 2016). However, the legislation has been futile since the prices are pocket-friendly and still cornerstone friendly on the hazardous drinkers. The law does not allow intake of alcohol below fourteen years and some age groups are barred from consuming some brands of alcohol. For instance, the law prohibits those below sixteen from taking wine and those below eighteen years from taking spirits. These requirements are implemented to reduce the side effects associated with the brands and corresponding years despite legalizing alcohol intake. Moreover, in Germany, the alcoholic beverages twenty hours a day and they are inexpensive. It makes many youths to afford them and orchestrate the alcoholic behavior in the country (Lau et al., 2016). Indeed, there are no strict laws against the use of alcohol and many people in the country can readily access and consume alcohol.

Iran is one of the leading countries which has waged war against alcohol use across all age groups. The nation has banned the use of alcohol within its borders, and it is a criminal offense punishable by law to have possession of any alcoholic products whether in public or private places. The nation does not allow trading in alcoholic businesses though some black market exist that enables the flow of alcoholic products in the country. The Islamic religion practiced in the country is against the consumption of alcohol and basing that almost everyone belongs to it, it is easier to implement the laws that ban an individual from consuming alcohol. The rate of alcohol use is less than ten percent, and the nation has successfully implemented health programs to tackle alcohol addiction by setting rehabilitation centers (Jernigan et al., 2017). Lastly, cultures such as Christianity allows alcohol intake while Islamic faith is entirely against the use of alcohol. It explains the high rate of alcohol abuse in America and Europe while the low rate in Asia and some parts of Africa.

References

Jayne, M., & Valentine, G. (2017). ‘It makes you go crazy’: Children’s knowledge and experience of alcohol consumption. Journal of Consumer Culture, 17(1), 85-104.

Bloomfield, K., Grittner, U., Kraus, L., & Piontek, D. (2017). Drinking patterns at the sub-national level: What do they tell us about drinking cultures in European countries?. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 34(4), 342-352.

Lau, A. S., Guo, S., Tsai, W., Nguyen, D. J., Nguyen, H. T., Ngo, V., & Weiss, B. (2016). Adolescents’ stigma attitudes toward internalizing and externalizing disorders: Cultural influences and implications for distress manifestations. Clinical psychological science, 4(4), 704-717.

Jernigan, D., Noel, J., Landon, J., Thornton, N., & Lobstein, T. (2017). Alcohol marketing and youth alcohol consumption: a systematic review of longitudinal studies published since 2008. Addiction, 112(S1), 7-20.

Sudhinaraset, M., Wigglesworth, C., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2016). Social and cultural contexts of alcohol use: Influences in a social-ecological framework. Alcohol research: current reviews, 38(1), 35.

Goodman, M. L., Hindman, A., Keiser, P. H., Gitari, S., Ackerman Porter, K., & Raimer, B. G. (2016). Neglect, sexual abuse, and witnessing intimate partner violence during childhood predicts later great life attitudes against children among Kenyan women: Evidence of intergenerational risk transmission from cross-sectional data. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0886260516689777.