Randall Fichte
Bleck
English 101
18 May 2010

Concerns For Drinking

Alcohol is abused by approximately 14 million Americans and contributes to the deaths of 100,000 each year. The problem with alcohol in society is not a new issue that people are dealing with but has been an ongoing issue for centuries. In Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, Sinclair illustrates the agony that Jurgis must goes through with the loss of his wife and son and the addiction he builds towards alcoholism. "How much is the bottle?" he said. "I want to get drunk." (Sinclair 183). Jurgis is upset when his wife passes away while trying to give birth to their second child who also dies in the process. Jurgis turns to alcohol to try to drink his problems away. This is a common problem in today’s society and the website “addict-help.com” explains this situation as a Situational Problem Drinker. There are multiple types of drinking problems and issues in the United States. The inevitable result is the negative affect that excessive drinking has on a person. Alcoholism contributes to severe illness and aid to the top three causes of death which are heart disease, cancer and stroke.

The background of the website provides an inviting feeling for the reader. The majority of the highlighted writing on the website is in the color blue that provides a soft and limber feeling. When opening the website the background pictures also provide a comforting impression to appear as if the website is accommodating directly to the person and inviting them to explore the website. One of the pictures is of a family huddled together and hugging as they support each other through hard times. It’s perceived to the viewer that they can gain stability and recovery from the hardships of alcoholism. When opening the link titled “Drinking Problem” the background picture is of a man leaning on a table with a drink in front of him. The man has a depressed look on his face and is completely focused on his drink. This picture is portraying to the reader the effects of depression and obsession that can consume a person when they become a problem drinker. The websites backgrounds purpose is to provide a calm inviting feeling by using the color blue which symbolizes in it stability and harmony. At the same time the website provides pictures of people dealing with their struggles and addictions to alcohol and the negative effects that it can have on the body.

The supers in this video provide the viewer with ease of access to address exactly where they need to look throughout the page to find information of what they are looking for. “Normal alcohol consumption”, “Problems with alcohol”, and “Consequences of heavy alcohol consumption” are some of the supers that are used on the alcohol abuse link of the website. Below the super “Consequences of heavy alcohol consumption” is a paragraph explaining the effects of heavy drinking on the body. The passage talks about how heavy consumption leads to problems in of one’s throat, liver and even develops certain types of cancers. The paragraph then talks about the effects of alcoholic incidences in society. Provided through government information the paragraph proves that homicides and suicides are more likely to be committed by a person who had been drinking. The article closes with alcohol related problems and how they cost society approximately $185 billion a year. Throughout that section the website provides the reader with multiple facts to prove the seriousness of the effects of heavy consumption of alcohol.

The appeals in this website provide evidence that help the readers understand the severity of damage that alcohol can put on a person’s life. The website has many internal links that provide the reader with ease of access to obtain information throughout the website. One of the links titled “Drinking Problem” provides information on what the actual meaning is of a drinking problem. It presents information on how to determine if a person is a problem drinker the effects of having a drinking problem. The section titled “Physical Effects of a Drinking Alcohol Problem” discusses the issues that arise in a person when they abuse alcohol. The article talks about how the heavy drinking can affect the brain making people forget things almost as if they have Alzheimer's. It also shows the damages that it does to the persons liver and talks about how it affects the blood vessels which can eventually lead into a heart attack. The appeals of this website obviously are to help individuals realize the negative effects of alcohol on their bodies both physically and mentally.

The most commonly abused drug throughout the United States is alcohol. The problems that evolve from alcoholism affect a person in multiple ways as well as hindering society. Majority of people with an issue do not realize they have an issue or are in denial of it until it is too late. The consequences of excessive drinking lead to health complications, multiple types of cancer and eventually death at a young age. Through education and help of community centers Jurgis would have realized his struggles and issues with alcohol and could have changed his ways before he
was consumed with the problem. The issue with alcohol does not affect everyone that drinks but does severely affect those who drink excessively.

Work Cited
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: Norton, 2003
“Drug Addiction Alcohol Abuse Help” The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Drug Addiction Help and Information Center. 17 May 2010. http://www.addict-help.com/index.asp
“Alcohol Facts” Alcohol Facts.Net. 17 May 2010. http://www.alcohol-facts.net/Additional-Alcohol-Facts.html