It is a criminal offense to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In case you find yourself drunk, it is advisable not to be in control of a car. Whenever you find yourself pulled over by the police you take a sobriety test. The test is done to establish whether or not the alcohol level in your system has exceeded the legal limit. An exceeded limit has legal consequences. You face jail time, paying a fine or losing your drivers license.
Whenever you commit the offense of drunk driving, it is advisable to get the services of DWI Attorney in Las Vegas. The legal system is complex and confusing for anyone. Drunk driving law is not any different. You will likely get misinformed about the whole process. What if you can avoid the entire situation altogether? This article will guide you on how to avoid the hassle of hiring a lawyer.
The most obvious way is to avoid drinking at all. The main reason for breaking such a law is because of alcohol. If you can eliminate alcohol intake from the equation, then there is no crime. Have a limit of the alcohol you consume when you know you will be driving. As mentioned earlier, there is a limit of liquor that is legally acceptable. For example a glass of light wine or a light beer is no cause for a drunk driving charge.
Secondly not having a car is another way to avoid needing the services of a drunk driving lawyer. There are many other means of transport. There is cycling for example. Riding a bicycle is considered one of the most economical ways of getting around. You can save money when you use a bike. Additionally it helps to keep you fit.
It may be impossible to avoid alcohol altogether. The next thing you can do is get a designated driver. It refers to a person who is in charge of driving you, and has not consumed any alcohol. In case you get pulled over, there is no need to worry about a drunk driving charge. In a group, there is always a teetotaller who is the right person for the job.
There is also the option of leaving your car and getting yourself a taxi. Ensure the parking area that you have left your vehicle is safe. There are different taxi applications to choose from to get you safely home. You can smoothly go back for your car the next day. By doing this you avoid the consequences of needing a lawyer.
Having a charge like drunk driving on your record is scary. It has a way of affecting several things in your life. To avoid this you can choose to have a drink at a bar near your home or even drink at home. You being within walking distance of your residence is advantageous. There is no risk of getting caught drunk driving.
Finally many people go through their entire lives without breaking this law in particular. Simply because of following a few steps, for example getting a designated driver. Avoiding alcohol altogether and enjoying their favorite drink at home or in a bar near home. Not having will also save you the stress of breaking the law.
Sobriety checkpoints are checkpoints that are randomly set up on the roadway and there is no fixed location when it comes setting them up. They happen randomly but more so on certain days of the year where there are high chances of DUI incidents such as Patrick’s Day, New Year’s, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc. Although they have no fixed location, they tend to set up at locations that have history of roadway incidents. During the checking process, they have a predetermined pattern of checking cars and they do have rules they follow: brief stops with few questions and no prolong search, stops may not necessarily require a physical search unless there’s reasonable suspicion, there must be sufficient warning of the stop (in media, news, or road sign), drives have the right to lawfully avoid the stop, placements of checkpoints must be based on experience/history of DUI incidents at these locations, and decisions to check which vehicle to stop must be predetermined.
Sobriety checkpoints were ratified and enforced during the 1990s as a result of Michigan Dept. of State Police v. Sitz. The Court justified that enforcement of sobriety checkpoints met the 4th Amendment standard of “reasonable search and seizure”. The purpose of sobriety checkpoint, asserted at the time, was reducing drunk driving in the states and promoting road/highway safety. Over time, these assertions and motive behind this law was put into debate multiple times and have been unconstitutional – violating citizens’ individual rights or freedoms. It’s important to remember that the 4th Amendment protects citizens from “unreasonable” searches and seizures and for the search & seizure to proceed, the law enforcement must have a warrant issued by a gov’t official authorizing the search. This is a constitutional right that must not be violated as part of the due process – from the 5th amendment, it acts as a safeguard for the citizens, that their individual freedoms should not be denied and violated. Citizens are free from arbitrary and unnecessary governmental intrusion into their private space and personal matters.
However, this is not the case here when it comes sobriety checkpoints especially when it comes detaining a driver to perform extensive DUI testing, which would require reasonable suspicion. In the case of City of Indianapolis v. Edmond, 2000, the case was ruled unconstitutional because Edmond posed no threat to public safety. The police had K-9s to sniff out Edmond for narcotics (even though Edmond had NO drugs on him and his vehicle) and this “unreasonable” search forced Edmond to sue the city violation of his rights. The court then ruled it unconstitutional as they have stated that their sole purpose of these checkpoints is to promote road safety, not detect evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Although unconstitutional, was it for the interests of the community? When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-to-3 at Michigan Dept. of State Police v. Sitz case, it was deemed constitutional and that it met public interests in arresting drunk drivers and deter them from drunk driving for the sake of public safety. Community interests dealt with public safety and system efficiency – concerned with preserving the health and security of individuals within the community and the competence of the operation in the criminal justice process. By keeping the community in mind, this allowed them to enforce the law and in turn, making the community feel safe as it would deter individuals driving while intoxicated and possibly could harm someone.
Alcohol related crashes kill about ten thousand people per year in the United States. That is thirty people a day that’s one person every forty-eight minutes. When under the influence of alcohol can have a slowed reaction time and the ability to act gone. In the United States the legal limit is zero point eight Blood alcohol Concentration (BAC) yet problems start at zero point two BAC. Drunk Driving is a major problem in my opinion that causes injuries and financial issues the problem can start with you as the solution.
Since 1980 the number of alcohol related crashes has decreased because of public awareness and law enforcement campaigns. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that there are about eleven thousand fatalities per year due to alcohol related crashes. In 2017, alcohol was a factor in twenty-nine percent of all fatal motor crashes in the United States nineteen percent of those crashes involving children fourteen and under. Alcohol related crashes carry about a fifty-two billion dollar burden according to the NHTSA. This estimate accounts for medical expenses, legal expenses, court costs, property damage, insurance administration, lost employee productivity, workplace losses, and traffic congestion resulting from the incidents and subsequent investigations. The NHTSA reports that approximately eighty-four percent of these costs are incurred from crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to or exceeding the standard legal limit of 0.08 grams of alcohol per decilitre of blood.
Though road safety has improved impaired driving still has an involvement in more than ten thousand traffic casualties every year. More than one point four million drivers were taken into custody with the influence of alcohol or drugs and only one hundred and twelve million admitted to being impaired while driving. With a cost of more than fifty billion dollars alcohol-related crashes are still a problem. Young people between twenty-one and twenty-four years of age make up the majority of drivers above the legal limit this means they make up ninety percent of all crashes with fatalities. More than half of them are driving on a suspended drivers license. Forty-four states, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands impose mandatory license suspensions for a driver’s first alcohol-related offense. In most cases these suspensions range from thirty to one-hundred days but the one enforced most often is just ninety days.
Law enforcement may also impound or confiscate vehicles if necessary. States also require an ignition interlock program where a breathalyzer test is required to start the car. Serious offenders may have to surrender their tags for special ones that indicates that they are previous offenders of drunk driving. Some steps already taken to stop drunk driving are for one sobriety checkpoints. At sobriety checkpoints police will stop some or all drivers to test driver sobriety. Other steps taken to stop drunk driving are public awareness campaigns and student awareness campaigns.
My way of solving this issue is to set the legal all to 0.05 or lower and maybe a slightly harsher punishment. Another good way is to always have a designated driver. But really the best way to prevent it is to not do it at all.
The study targeted to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and accidents. The researchers wanted to understand the prevalence of drugs such as marijuana and alcohol in a huge sample of lethally injured drivers. The study examined how “drugged driving increases the number of grisly accidents today” (Brady and Li 104). This would support the idea of policy implementation.
Was the study descriptive or inferential?
This study is inferential because it begins by identifying the targeted population. The researchers targeted to examine the prevalence of drugs in a sample of drivers. The study focused on drivers involved in a fatal crash. The investigators used a statistical sample to test their hypotheses. The selected sample included fatally hurt drivers. The investigators used the inferential technique because they did not want to extend their findings to a larger population. They also used the inferential to make the best predictions about the targeted population (Brady and Li 106).
What were the variables in the study?
The researchers used different variables for their study. To begin with, the researchers grouped their population into two groups. The drivers were further grouped according to their race, driver type, time of the crash, level of intoxication, sex, race, gender, and age (Brady and Li 105). The other variables included the time of the crash, and fatalities reported after the accident. Other variables included the vehicle type and year of the crash.
Description of the population and its characteristics
The targeted population included drivers involved in fatal accidents. The population was from different backgrounds. The other unique characteristic was their involvement in a fatal road accident. The researchers performed drug testing on fatally harmed drivers (Brady and Li 106).
Methods used to collect data
The investigators used data from the country’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collects and compiles this kind of data (Brady and Li 105). The collected data was analyzed using the best statistical methods.
Statistical methods used to analyze the data (descriptive and inferential analysis techniques)
The researchers used an inferential technique to analyze the collected data. The study tabulated the prevalence of drug use in injured drivers using drug class. The researchers used multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and Poisson Regression. The scholars analyzed their data using Statistical Analysis Software, version 9.2, and Stata/SE version 11.2 (Brady and Li 106).
Summary of the study’s conclusions
According to Brady and Li (111), the use of various drugs is common among drivers in the country. Alcohol exposes a driver to a possible accident. The conclusions indicated that 57 percent of fatally wounded drivers in the country were using alcohol or other drugs (AOD). The researchers also observed that 20 percent of the victims had been using two or more drugs (Brady and Li 111). The study also indicated how alcohol prevalence varied significantly with crash uniqueness.
My opinion about the conclusions
The article offers useful findings and conclusions about the connection between drug use and road accidents. Studies show how alcohol and other drugs relate to road accidents (Brady and Li, 112). Drugged driving is a major concern in the country today. The article also examines how high-profile accidents arise from drugged driving. The article explains why drug use can increase a person’s chances of having an accident. This study encourages drivers to avoid AODs to reduce the number of accidents. Such conclusions are agreeable because drugs weaken a person’s driving skills.
Works Cited
Brady, Joanne and Guohua Li. “Prevalence of alcohol and other drugs in fatally injured drivers.” Addiction 108.1 (2012): 104-114. Print.
The research design that was used to collect data in this research was multiple time series. The author of the article used the data that was collected from the cases that were recorded previously over a period of time. The data was sampled to come up with the results that formed the topic under study. The data that was used for the study was drawn from the collections by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The data gave clear information of the fatality cases that have been experienced on the highways of Tennessee in United States. The data was sampled on a monthly basis to find out to what extend the accidents were taking place. The data showed whether the numbers of such cases were increasing or reducing as the years went by. The sampling technique was done using specific variables that were related to the increased level of accidents. The sampling procedure was also based on the number of cases that were recorded before and after the use of emergency cellular phones.
The independent variable that was used for this research included the rate of beer consumption, the rate of unemployment and the rate of gasoline consumption. All this was done to identify how using cellular phones impacted on the program of minimizing accidents. The findings of the data revealed that the use of emergency cellular phones reduced accidents by a certain percentage. The emergency cellular phones were utilized by the police officers and other witnesses who had to report the occurrence of the accident for necessary action to be taken. However, these results could not be relied on due to certain limitations. There are certain changes that were made on Tennessee’s highway due to the reported accidents. It is hence not clear whether it was the use if cellular phones that minimized on the accidents or such improvement that were made. There was also no clear evidence to actually suggest that it was the use of such cellular phones that minimized on the accident. The research was mainly carried out before they started using it and results shown after. There could be other factors that improved the situation that were ignored by the research.
When people heard the word “depressant” the first immediate thought is usually an image of certain obscure pills given to a patient with mental health issues, to keep them from crossing that “final line.” This stereotype comes from the lack of knowledge. In truth, depressants are drugs that slow down the brain. They have a variety of medical uses.
For example, they are used to treat anxiety and insomnia (Central Nervous System Depressants, 2016). The most common depressant known to humankind is alcohol. It has been around for many thousands of years, and its use had ingrained itself into almost every culture on Earth. While alcohol has medicinal properties and can potentially improve the mood, it has many unwanted side effects and causes more damage around the world than the rest of the drugs combined.
Types of Alcoholic beverages, Effects, and Side Effects
Alcohol is commonly found in beverages. Depending on the volume of alcohol in a beverage, they are split into three mild groups medium, and strong alcoholic drinks. These groups are exemplified by beer (2,7-5% alcohol), wine (11-18%), and vodka (35-40%). These drinks are often served with food on celebrations and special occasions. However, it is not uncommon for them to be ingested for no reason other than relaxation. Like any other depressant, alcohol affects the central nervous system by enhancing the effect of GABA.
It is a neurotransmitter, which is used for slowing and calming down the impulses within the CNS. Alcohol is easily abused. Its effects are pleasurable to the user. They feel more sociable. Their inhibitions are lowered and their problems are briefly forgotten. Short-term side effects include loss of motor control and inability to coordinate one’s thoughts, speech impediments, and intoxication.
Overconsumption of alcohol is commonly followed by a hangover – an effect that induces a headache, feelings of guilt and embarrassment, bad mood, and confusion. This is commonly remedied by drinking more. Long-term side-effects include addiction, depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, irreversible brain, and organ damage.
Alcohol and the Other Drugs – What is the Difference?
What makes alcohol different from other depressants? It has similar effects on the brain, causes addictions, has many detrimental side effects, and causes a lot of damage in the world by leading people who abuse it to their deaths. What makes it different from opiates, for example? The answer is – history. Alcohol has become so deeply ingrained into our culture that we cannot imagine ourselves without it.
There had been many attempts to ban alcohol around the world. All these attempts have failed – they only caused a rise of illegal underground brewing facilities to supply the demand. The correct term for alcohol would be a “Legal Intoxicant” (What are Legal Drugs, 2016). The title highlights the fact that humanity is aware of the dangers which alcohol poses, but allows its use due to a long history of use.
Conclusion
A little bit of poison can be used as a medicine. Too much medicine becomes poison. The same could be said about alcohol. The innate effects it has on the body become dangerous only in case of overconsumption. Humanity refuses to let go of alcohol and does everything in its power to fight those few who try to stop its drinking binge. Humanity as a species became addicted to alcohol since it was first created. The failures of anti-alcohol campaigns show that it is not going to change.
Globally, alcohol consumption is a big health risk. According to Birech et al. (137), it is the third biggest health risk and among the leading causes of high morbidity and mortality rates in developing countries. Indeed, the chronic intake, or long-term intake of alcohol, leads to serious health complications such as liver disease, mental health problems, and permanent head damage (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5). To affirm this finding, studies done in the United Kingdom (UK) have shown that liver complication is the fifth largest cause of death in the country (Birech et al. 137). In fact, researchers estimate that it accounts for more than 15,000 deaths in the country, annually (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5).
Associated socioeconomic effects of excessive, or irresponsible, alcohol consumption have also led to the increase of socioeconomic ills such as crime, sexual abuse, road accidents, and the likes (Grønbæk 407; Birech et al. 137). The British Crimes Survey reinforces the association between crime, injury, and alcohol by reporting that more than 76,000 incidences of facial injuries were associated with alcohol consumption (Birech et al. 137). Studies that have investigated the relationship between excessive alcohol consumption and mortality rates have also established that 26% of deaths among 16-24 year olds are because of irresponsible drinking (Grønbæk 407).
According to Birech et al. (137), the per capita consumption of alcohol in the US is more than 1.9 gallons. This statistic is equivalent to about two-thirds of an ounce of alcohol every day. Demographic differences explain how people consume this much alcohol. For example, studies conducted in Europe (the United Kingdom and Scandinavia in particular) have shown that there is a higher percentage of males who consume alcohol (75%) compared to their female counterparts (56%) (Birech et al. 137). Relative to these findings, health researchers have highlighted a growing problem of poor lifestyle choices among young people (Collins and Carey 498). In detail, there has been a lot of concern among different health groups regarding the increased incidences of smoking, irresponsible sexual practices, and alcoholism among the youth (Grønbæk 407).
Often, many public health campaigns have focused on addressing smoking and irresponsible sexual behaviors among the youth. Comparatively, there have been limited attempts to address alcoholism, which is a serious, and growing problem among this demographic. The seriousness of the health problem stems from the fact that alcoholism among the youth has become part of a young and growing culture among many American students who see it as a “part-time activity” (Collins, Witkiewitz, and Larimer 322). For example, in many colleges around the country, undergraduate students engage in binge drinking, not because it is beneficial to them, but because it is what they do to “pass time” and have fun.
To support the above observation, O’malley and Johnston (23) conducted a study to evaluate drinking practices in Michigan by reviewing 68 surveys, which showed that the rate of alcohol consumption among college students has significantly increased since the Second World War (and continues to do so today). The same phenomenon is highlighted in the book Drinking in College by Straus and Bacon (cited in O’malley and Johnston 23). Therefore, we could say that most students now see binge drinking in college as a “social norm.” Despite the existence of no health benefits associated with the practice and its multiple health problems, few health stakeholders have treated alcoholism among the youth with the seriousness it deserves.
Since most alcoholics and adults started drinking around their high school days or during their college years, this proposal intends to target undergraduate students as the main audience for a public health campaign to prevent alcohol abuse among the population called “Stop the Madness.” The goal is to prevent students from inculcating excessive alcohol consumption as part of their lifestyle during their younger years. The justification for doing so stems from the realization that many people start taking alcohol during their youth and continue the same habit throughout their entire lives. Therefore, addressing alcoholism among the population during their undergraduate years could amount to a concerted effort to addressing the larger health issue of alcoholism in America.
Using the theory of planned behavior would help to realize this goal because it focuses on changing people’s lifestyle habits – which is at the core of our analysis. More importantly, this theory would help us to communicate the message that young people do not need to partake in alcohol consumption to feel accepted. We presume that this strategy would be effective in solving alcoholism among the general population because it is easier to change the mindset of young people compared to older persons because the latter is hard-wired not to change their lifestyle. Therefore, changing the communication/message surrounding alcohol consumption among young people during their undergraduate years could have a significant impact on their future behavior change.
Literature Review
Different researchers have used different models to explain human behaviors associated with alcohol consumption (O’malley and Johnston 23). However, the theory of planned behavior emerges as the most commonly used model to explain this relationship. Proposed by Icek Ajzen, the theory of planned behavior explains human behavior by presupposing that the most important attribute to consider in understanding human behavior is the intention to partake in the behavior in the first place (Bilic 243). Using this analogy, the theory of planned behavior identifies three main factors to consider when understanding human behavior – attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls (Javadi et al. 52-53).
Proponents of the theory see perceived behavioral controls as a combination of the limits that people experience when wanting to do something and the belief that they would be able to do it (O’malley and Johnston 23). When using the ideas of Ajzen, this relationship is represented by the combination of the perceptions of external barriers and self-efficacy (Javadi et al. 52-53). Proponents of the theory also point out that perceived behavioral control can accurately predict behavior if it correctly represents the actual control over behavioral performance (Collins and Carey 498).
In a study to investigate how the theory of planned behavior explains patterns of alcohol consumption, O’malley and Johnston (23) conducted a meta-analysis of 40 studies that analyzed alcohol consumption by investigating gender differences in alcohol consumption and age of participants. From the study, they found that people’s attitudes had the greatest effect on their alcohol consumption patterns (O’malley and Johnston 23). The researchers also highlighted the importance of understanding the importance of self-efficacy and intention in evaluating the patterns of alcohol consumption among the youth. Self-efficacy was found to have a strong relationship with intention, while intention was found to have a strong relationship with alcohol consumption as opposed to self-efficacy (O’malley and Johnston 23).
All these moderating effects were found to have a strong relationship with different components of the theory of planned behavior. More importantly, patterns of consumption that were more elaborate and clearly defined had the strongest relationships with the theory of planned behavior (O’malley and Johnston 23). The researchers also found that females reported a stronger effect of attitudes and relations when it came to understanding their effects of alcohol consumption (O’malley and Johnston 23). Comparatively, adults had a stronger attitude-intention relations and self efficacy-intention relations compared to adolescents (O’malley and Johnston 23). Nonetheless, these studies showed how well the theory of planned behavior could explain the different patterns of alcohol consumption among different demographics and identify the specific aspects of people’s intuition, thoughts, and beliefs affected their consumption of alcohol (Collins, Witkiewitz and Larimer 322).
Meta-analytic reviews that have investigated different applications of the theory of planned behavior in health sciences affirm that it is useful and reliable in predicting people’s intentions and behaviors for many health-related conditions (Collins and Carey 498). For example, Cooke et al. (149) reviewed more than 200 studies that used the theory to predict health-related behaviors and found that the model was reliable to use in predicting alcohol consumption patterns. The researchers also found that the theory used intention and perceived behavioral control to explain 19% of health-related problems (Cooke et al. 149). They also found that subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls could explain 44% of variance in intention (Cooke et al. 149).
Some observers have also documented different instances where health experts have used the model to analyze individual health-related behaviors (Collins and Carey 498). For example, numerous studies have highlighted different instances where health stakeholders have applied the theory to explain people’s physical activities (Collins, Witkiewitz and Larimer 322). Similar studies have used the theory of planned behavior to explain people’s smoking habits (Birech et al. 137). Here, studies that have investigated the relationship between the theory and smoking have established weak relationships between the theory’s variables and the habit (Birech et al. 137). For example, Cooke et al. (149) say there have been weak, or negative, relationships between smoking and PBC–intention and PBC–behavior relationships. Based on this observation, experts acknowledge that the outcome of investigations that have used the theory of planned behavior to explain behaviors that are beneficial to health and those that are not beneficial to health may be different (Collins, Witkiewitz and Larimer 322). The difference is mostly attributed to PBC.
The main point to note in understanding this relationship is the need to emphasize a lack of control that is often associated with certain health risks. This emphasis is particularly useful in evaluating human behavior that is sustained by some demographics, but that may be deemed socially undesirable (Grønbæk 407). For example, peer pressure may explain why some young people continue to engage in harmful lifestyle habits despite having knowledge that doing so would be harmful to their health (Grønbæk 407). Based on this understanding, some observers emphasize the need to explain some human behaviors by referring to external causes that may affect them in the first place (Cooke et al. 149).
By linking beliefs and behavior, the theory of planned behavior proposes that subjective norms, beliefs, and perceived behavioral control all contribute towards explaining why people do the things they do (Collins and Carey 498). Broadly, these underlying factors demonstrate that people do the things they do because of their beliefs. Although we intend to use this theory in a health context, other researchers have used it in different fields, including marketing, public relations, and advertising (among others) (Collins and Carey 498).
Although different reviews have used the theory of planned behavior to explain patterns of alcohol consumption among different demographics, most of their findings have had unique limitations. For example, some studies have failed to disassociate alcohol consumption from the use of other drugs and substances. Illustratively, a study by Collins, Witkiewitz and Larimer (322) used the theory of planned behavior to explain alcohol consumption patterns but failed to disassociate the behavior with substance abuse and smoking. A second limitation is the limited number of studies that have uniquely used the theory of planned behavior to explain alcohol consumption. For example, O’malley and Johnston (23) found only five studies that applied the theory of planned behavior to alcohol consumption. Lastly, another limitation that characterizes these studies is the presence of reviews that have obscured different episodes of alcohol consumption, such as episodic drinking, binge drinking, and abstinence. The failure to recognize the differences in alcohol consumption patterns has obscured differences in the prediction of the different patterns of alcohol consumption.
Based on the above limitations, the proposed health campaign intends to fill the research gaps for three reasons. The first one is to identify the unique constructs of the theory of planned behavior which best explain alcohol consumption patterns among the youth (some constructs of the theory of planned behavior, such as PBC, have been found to have a weak predictor of alcohol consumption patterns) (Javadi et al. 52-53). The second reason is to establish the true impact of PBC in predicting alcohol consumption patterns, especially because different research studies have shown a weak ability of PBC to estimate alcohol consumption patterns (Javadi et al. 52-53). This debate has been further compounded by the fact that researchers have used different measures to identify PBC. The last reason for undertaking this study is to establish the main moderators of alcohol consumption, such as the frequency of drinking and gender, which may explain alcohol consumption patterns among the youth.
Methodology
For purposes of developing our public health campaign, we will engage a qualitative design of the health issue because the structure of the public health campaign is to appeal to people’s subjective beliefs and attitudes towards alcohol consumption. The initiative would borrow from the principles of Östlund et al. (369), which strive to seek a subjective meaning of a study phenomenon. This health promotion strategy would be useful in appealing to the underlying motivation, opinions, and reasons for why young people engage in alcohol consumption and why they should stop it (McKibbon and Gadd 1-3). To develop an effective marketing campaign, we intend to use different tenets of the theory of planned behavior to design the public health campaign. The following section of this proposal outlines the plan of doing so.
Theory Constructs and Intervention Components
As highlighted in the literature review section of this proposal, the theory of planned behavior has unique tenets that underlie its application. We will use these unique tenets to develop a robust public health campaign that would use the following aspects of the theory of planned behavior to guide its design.
Normative beliefs and Subjective Norms
Understanding people’s normative beliefs and subjective norms is a key component of the theory of planned behavior. We will use this attribute of the theory to explain patterns of alcohol consumption among the target population. To understand how we would apply these specific tenets to the research problem, it is pertinent to understand the distinction between normative beliefs and subjective norms. Normative beliefs are those that influence an individual’s perception of social, or normative, pressures (Javadi et al. 52-53). Stated differently, these beliefs would dictate how people’s opinions about alcohol consumption would affect the behavior of the target group towards the same. Subjective norms would define how people consume alcohol, based on the beliefs and practices of people who are close to them, such as their spouses, friends, or family members (Collins and Carey 498). Generally, we will appeal to how these two sets of beliefs influence alcohol consumption patterns among the target group.
Control Beliefs and PBC
This section of our design would mostly focus on investigating how different factors would either support or hinder, the consumption of alcohol among the target population. This aspect of our analysis is mostly related to understanding the influence of self-efficacy in explaining alcohol consumption patterns. The concept of perceived behavioral control would help us understand an individual’s perceived ease, or difficulty, of consuming alcohol. Most researchers have related this attribute of the theory of planned behavior with the need to assess a total set of accessible control beliefs (Collins and Carey 498).
Behavioral intention and Behavior
Intention is a key concept of the theory of planned behavior, which we have consistently mentioned in the literature review section of this proposal. Broadly, it refers to a person’s readiness to undertake a specific action. Some people term it as an antecedent of behavior, but most researchers deem it as a basis for appealing to a person’s attitude towards a behavior (Collins and Carey 499). In this regard, it constitutes people’s subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls. Each of these factors is a predictor of human behavior and holds different weights. The concept of behavior (in isolation) refers to the observation of an individual’s response regarding a particular behavior intended to achieve a specific target. Proponents of the theory of planned behavior who contend that behavior is a function of compatible intentions propagate this view (Collins, Witkiewitz and Larimer 322). They also contend that perceived behavioral controls are bound to moderate the effect of intention on behavior. Using this analogy, we will use the effects of behavioral intention and behavior on the patterns of alcohol consumption among young people to design the campaign. This would be a key tenet of our design.
Intervention
There are different types of interventions to use in public health campaigns. For purposes of this paper, these interventions refer to the mechanisms for delivering the program content. There would be two types of interventions used – posters and radio messaging. The goal is to reach as many people as possible. The campaign would be aired on-campus radio to sensitize people about the negative effects of alcohol because this form of media reaches a wide audience of students as most of them listen to the radio. Print media would be available to double down on the same message. It is preferable because it has a reinforcing effect on the messaging in the sense that many students would be seeing it all the time.
Measurement Tools
This section of the proposal outlines the plans for operationalizing the health program and measuring its efficacy. The measurement plan appears below.
Measurement Plan
To evaluate the performance of the health program, we would conduct an interview with a random sample of the student population. In such interactions, we would look for terms such as “I am sure I can,” I am confident I will” and such like terms to explain the students’ commitment towards stopping alcohol abuse. The point of doing so is to measure the confidence towards the probability of executing the behavior under investigation. To measure social influence on the behavior of the respondents, we would look at unique statements that show the respondents transferring the reason for engaging in alcohol consumption to other people. For example, we would look for statements, such as “most of my friends drink,” “I am uncomfortable drinking in front of people who do not drink,” “In my family, we all drink” and such like statements. Again, these statements would show the respondents’ vulnerability to social influence and they would indicate the failure of the health program. Therefore, the students’ response would play a big role in reviewing the efficacy of the public health campaign.
Operational Plan
The operational plan would hinge on investigating the alcohol consumption patterns among the student population by comparing it against different measures of the theory of planned behavior. The different measures would be perceived behavior control vs. self-efficacy, attitude towards behavior vs. outcome expectancy, and social influence. We discuss these measures below.
Perceived Behavior Control vs. Self-Efficacy
In this section of our analysis, we would investigate the perceptions of the students regarding their views of behavior control and self-efficacy towards alcohol consumption. Some of the issues we would seek to understand in this section of analysis would be how well the respondents think they could stop drinking, whether they crave for it and whether it would be easy, or difficult, to stop the habit.
Attitude towards behavior vs. Outcome Expectancy
In this part of the conceptual framework, we will investigate how people’s beliefs translate to the subjective reality of their actions. In other words, we will explore how people’s expectations translate to value, in terms of the actions they pursue.
Social Influence
In this section of the conceptual framework, we would explore how much of young people’s decisions to drink stems from the expectations of their friends, family members, or their colleagues.
Study Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
The main strength of this paper is the reliance on a proven theoretical underpinning of evaluating human behavior – theory of planned behavior. This theoretical framework has unique merits that would help in the comprehension of the research issue and in the holistic review of a common social and health issue among young people – alcohol abuse.
Limitations
The main limitation of this study is the limited demographic profile of the study group. The target group would mostly be undergraduate students aged between 16 – 25 years. This means that the findings of this study would mostly relate to young people within this age group. Lastly, because of resource constraints, the findings of this study would be limited to only one campus. Therefore, it may be difficult to extrapolate the findings of this paper to other campuses that do not share the same socio-political dynamics as the target group.
Works Cited
Bilic, Bojan. “The Theory of Planned Behavior and Health behaviors: Critical Analysis of Methodological and Theoretical Issues.” Hellenic Journal of Psychology 2.1 (2005): 243-259. Print.
Birech, Jeniffer, Kabiru Joseph, Misaro Josphine & Kariuki David. “Alcohol Abuse and the Family: A Case Study of the Nandi Community of Kenya.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 3.15 (2013): 137-144. Print.
Collins, Susan and Carey Kate. “The Theory of Planned Behavior as a Model of Heavy Episodic Drinking Among College Students.” Psychol Addict Behav. 21.4 (2007): 498–507. Print.
Collins, Susan, Witkiewitz Katie and Larimer Mary. “The Theory of Planned Behavior as a Predictor of Growth in Risky College Drinking.” J Stud Alcohol Drugs 72.2 (2011): 322–332. Print.
Cooke, Richard, Dahdah Mary, Norman Paul and French David. “How well does the Theory of Planned Behavior Predict Alcohol Consumption? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Health Psychology Review 10.2 (2016): 148-167. Print.
Grønbæk, Morten. “The Positive and Negative Health Effects of Alcohol- and The Public Health Implications.” Journal of Internal Medicine 265 (2009): 407–420. Print.
Javadi, Marzieh, Kadkhodaee Maryam, Yaghoubi Maryam, Maroufi Maryam and Shams Asadollah. “Applying Theory of Planned Behavior in Predicting of Patient Safety.” Behaviors of Nurses Mater Sociomed 25.1 (2013): 52–55. Print.
McKibbon, Kathleen and Gadd Cynthia. “A Quantitative Analysis of Qualitative Studies In Clinical Journals For The 2000 Publishing Year.” Bmc Med Inform Decis Mak 4.11(2004): 1-8. Print.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol Consumption.” Alcohol Research & Health 24.1 (2000): 5-11. Print.
O’malley, Patrick and Johnston Lloyd. “Epidemiology of Alcohol and Other Drug Use among American College Students.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol / Supplement 14.1 (2002): 23-39. Print.
Östlund, Ulrika, Kidd Lisa, Wengström Yvonne and Rowa-Dewar Neneh. “Combining qualitative and quantitative research within mixed method research designs: A methodological review.” International Journal of Nursing Studies 48.3 (2011): 369-383. Print.
When one goes through alcohol problems; harmful effects cost dearly and not only on the drinker, but also on the family members. Drinkers often have a blind-spot regarding the desolating effects alcohol can have on their families. USA recent data show that in four children, one is exposed to alcohol abusers in the family. One of the clearest examples of how negatively alcohol affects family is the widely recognized connection between alcohol use and violent behavior. Some of family issues that linked with alcohol use include;
Violent behavior – smacking, hitting, beating and throwing items.
Drinking problems can harmfully change family functioning, and it also evident that they can augment family problems. So, family functioning and drinking alcohol are greatly and equally associated. Drinking causes more family problems, because as family problems get worse, drinking gets worse too; a sadistic cycle is created. This is why it is not surprising that alcohol issues are common in spouses seeking marital therapy (Sanders, 57).
How alcohol effects driving a car
Driving is an extremely intricate task which involves cautious decision making and absolute attentiveness. Alcohol has an effect on a driver’s facility to be wholly in control of his/her deeds: it impairs driving. Skills used in driving a motor a car are vision, steering, psychomotor skills, perception, information processing, and concentration.
To keep away from dangers involved, alcohol ought to be avoided every time one is driving. Safe driving necessitates the driver to be attentive to several things at once and have the ability to react promptly when something sudden occurs. All drivers should:
to be mentally vigilant;
coordinate physically
have the ability to respond aptly
have clear and good vision
Risk of accidents can occur if there is impairment of the above driving skills. Risks of driving while drunk increases because;
The driver takes more time to respond, particularly during emergency situations.
The facility to think clearly is diminished, hence making it hard to execute numerous tasks required so as to drive carefully;
The driver’s ability to concentrate is also lessened, and they end up not noticing other users of roads thus causing accidents.
Some dunk drivers may also have unclear vision and poor hearing ability.
Some other general alcohol effects include feeling sure and overly confident, and this makes drunk drivers to take more risks. Others feel more stress-free and at-ease and this may make them fall asleep while driving. A drinker may think they can change their manner of driving to counterbalance their impairment to their driving skill; but, this is a risky tactic.
Driving ought to be taken seriously because a slight mistake can cause lives. Drinking and driving is unbecoming and reckless; driving is more than just moving a car and so drivers should make sure that they are attentive and cautious enough. Drinking impairs driving skills and so people should not drink and drive (Mendralla, 25).
How alcohol effects work
Alcohol abusers cannot deliver quality work in their work place. At work people should behave properly and carry out their duties by the book; but when one is drunk this cannot be achieved. Alcohol has an effect on the level of preparedness and attentiveness that a person normally has and so working under such condition is almost impossible.
When drunk, there is an increase of making increase and this can risk one’s job, because some mistakes can bring serious losses. For example an accountant should be very careful with his/her work because mostly they handle finances, with the slightest mistake this can cause serious problems.
Working requires alertness and so people should not go to work when drunk; this is inconsiderate and immature. Drinking before going to work or during work hours can have an effect on the safety of people working around you especially in companies where there are dangerous chemicals or handling unsafe tools.
This irresponsibility can cause people’s lives and so it is always important to make conscientious decisions. Drinking should go hand in hand with responsibility; some people even miss work because they drank too much, fell asleep and forgot all about it. Alcohol can cause a drinker problems and his/her entire place of work (United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, 61).
Risking people’s life because of being irresponsible should not be cordoned. Duties cannot be carried out properly by an alcohol abuser, people ought to be in their right minds during working hours. Pilots for instance are supposed to stay away from alcohol 24 hrs prior-to their next flight. This ensures that they are alert and physically cautious because their work involves people’s safety.
Doctors and health-care givers should also be careful because people’s lives are always in their hands. Some jobs do not have room for irresponsible drinking. People should take their jobs seriously no matter how insignificant they may seem. This shows that one is responsible enough and takes his/her work seriously.
What are benefits from alcohol?
Alcohol has many disadvantages however there are well-established benefits. People who drink moderately are likely to live longer and have better body health compared to those who drink a lot and those who abstain.
Besides having lesser heart problems, people who drink alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer or liquor moderately are in-general less likely to acquire illnesses like diabetes, enlarged prostate, strokes, dementia, heart attacks and other types of cancers. It is also confirmed that moderate drinkers enjoy life more because they have better health compared those who abstain or those who drink heavily.
Medical professionals have established and confirmed a great connection existing between moderate consumers of alcohol and general decrease in cardiovascular ailment and also coronary artery illness. Moderate drinking is helpful in reducing heart complications; this was established by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
This is significant because cardiovascular illness is among the killing diseases in the United States of America and also heart complications kill approximately one million Americans annually. Moderate drinking has helped in reducing these cases. Alcohol is not entirely harmful as long the consumer is taking it moderately. People without self-control end up drinking a lot and harm either themselves or other people (Sienkiewicz Sizer, 98).
According to medical experts, moderation is taking one-three drinks in a day. Drinking less than half a drink brings about little or no health benefits. Four to five drinks can be moderate for big bodied people but a little bit more for smaller or lighter individuals.
Due to their general body size and some other biological variations, a typical woman is advised to take 25%-30% less than an average male. Additionally, people recovering from alcohol problems, those with unpleasant reactions to drinking and those who have been advised by their doctors not to consume alcohol should abstain (Gifford, 87).
Works Cited
Gifford, Maria. Alcoholism. ABC-CLIO: USA, 2009. Print
Mendralla, Valerie. Drinking and Driving. Now What? The Rosen Publishing Group: New York, 2011. Print
United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Alcohol and drug problems at work: the shift to prevention. International Labor Organization: USA, 2003.
A report released by the Defense Department revealed that cases of sexual assault in the military have doubled in the last two years. 20,500 instances of assault against both men and women were reported in 2018, representing a 38% increase from those reported in 2016 (Brook par. 1). Alcohol has been cited as one of the reasons for the drastic increase. Key findings show that alcohol misuse among military officers is significantly higher when compared to civilians. Binge drinking has been reported among 33 percent of active military members. Several calls have been made to shift authority over the prosecution of assault cases from commanders to private prosecutors as a mitigation strategy.
A review conducted by the Pentagon revealed that military sexual assaults have increased by 50 percent. These findings prompted defense officials to authorize the implementation of stringent measures to review the sale of alcohol. Sexual assault ranges from improper conduct cases such as unwanted sexual conduct to criminal activities such as rape and sodomy (Brook par. 6). Alcohol contributed to sexual assault in the military because it increases sexual aggression among consumers and heightens vulnerability to sexual assault because of altered judgment (Farris and Hepner p. 6).
Studies show that alcohol increases aggression among young men. Individuals in the military are predisposed to act aggressively because of their training (Farris and Hepner p. 6). Therefore, misuse of alcohol increases their sexual aggression. It is likely that an intoxicated man will misperceive a woman’s sexual intent, and as a result, act aggressively.
In many instances, victimization occurs as a result of an intoxicated person’s actions. Rarely does the behavior of a victim lead to sexual assault. Therefore, vulnerability increases in settings where a potential perpetrator is present and intoxicated. In such a situation, alcohol can have a plethora of effects that could increase the risk of victimization. For instance, it could cause unconsciousness or lower an individual’s awareness of risk indicators in the environment (Farris and Hepner p. 6).
The majority of research studies conducted on the relationship between alcohol misuse and sexual assault have involved college students who have several similarities with military personnel. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that alcohol was a major component. Approximately 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men reported that either they were intoxicated or the perpetrator was using alcohol prior to the incident (Farris and Hepner p. 6).
Alcohol misuse is a common problem in the military. Misuse comprises several drinking habits like risky drinking and alcohol dependence. Several cases of suicides and motor vehicle accidents involving intoxicated military personnel have been reported, supporting the claim that alcohol misuse is a serious problem in the armed forces (Farris and Hepner p. 6). Others surveys have recorded members saying that they engage in binge drinking once a month or weekly. The rate is higher among newly-enlisted recruits, 26 percent of whom reported binge drinking weekly. Only 16 percent of civilians engage in binge drinking weekly. These statistics are incomparable, and reveal the extent of the problem.
Alcohol misuse is a serious problem in the armed forces. It has been cited as one of the major causes of the sexual assault involving both male and female personnel. Studies have shown that alcohol misuse increases sexual aggression among people who are predisposed to act aggressively. Moreover, it increases vulnerability by lowering one’s awareness of risk indicators and causing unconsciousness. It is important for the military to implement more stringent policies to govern alcohol sale and use among service members in order to reduce cases of sexual assault.
Works Cited
Brook, Tom Vanden. “Shanahan Calls for Reforms as Military Sexual Assaults rise by 38%: Highest for Young Women.” USA Today, 2019. Web.
Farris, Coreen, and Kimberly Hepner. “Targeting Alcohol Misuse: A Promising Strategy for Reducing Military Sexual Assaults?” RAND Health Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 4, p. 6.
Social interaction forms are very important aspect of the human life. For a very long time, sociologists have been carrying out investigations to try and explain how the society functions. Some of their views are depicted in the theoretical perspectives which are used to guide sociologists in understanding the society and its members.
This paper seeks to use the alcohol drinking experience as a mirror to view how the different theoretical perspectives are applied in the society. Thus the paper will analyze the social role played by alcohol drinking and the social significance of the places where the drinking takes place. This observational analysis will be benchmarked on the different sociology theories that have been accomplished in class.
Alcohol drinking
Alcohol drinking has been has been around for a very long time. To this date there are several types of alcoholic drinks available in many different societies. Different types of drinks have a different social meaning. The drinks are thus used to divide the society into social strata.
The type of alcoholic drink that is taken by an individual can be linked to his/her values, norms, behavior and how he/she interacts with other people in the society. In some societies the choice of drink is a strong indicator of behavior. However, this description does not include to the situational drinking such as celebrations that might be characterized by one type of drink such as the champagne.
Status indicator
The type of alcohol beverage that is consumed by an individual can be used as a major indicator of his/her status in the society. In most societies, alcoholic beverages that are not produced locally have a higher social status. For instance, the polish population regards wine as a drink of high to middle class status.
The beers and vodkas produced locally in that country or often considered as drinks of an ordinary person. It’s usual to see university students in Poland taking wine to reinforce their importance in the society. In France, as opposed to Poland, the drinking of wine is the order of the day and thus the young elite always turn to imported beers to show their higher status.
However, in the cases of the young ‘elites’ been drinking does not actually reflect their status in the society, it is more of a reflection of what they aspire to be in the future. Furthermore, a particular drink such as wine may not be in itself the definer of the social status. As it has been observed there are different types of wine with different calibers. The type of wine caliber consumed by an individual defines his status in the high and mighty of the society.
Affiliation and loyalty
As it has been observed, the choice of drink may also be used to link an individual to a certain group or to predict his affiliation to an organization. Certain brand of alcohol are usually identified with certain groups, for instance, whisky is usually identified with the Scots, Guinness with the Irish and Tequila with the people of Mexico. Thus the in the social context, a drink can be a significant indicator of the nationality or a person’s loyalty and cultural background
Gender differentiator
In a rather sort of conflict perspective, the alcoholic beverages are not only used to differentiate between the aspirations, class, or status in the society. A more common social classification arises from the gender differentiation role played by alcoholic beverages. The function of alcohol as a differentiator between masculinity and feminine attributes is always seen even in the absence of other differentiating factors.
This is often seen even in the countries or societies where there is only one type of alcoholic beverage. In such a case the drink to be consumed by the females is often made sweeter with a less alcohol content while the male take a strong bitter form of the same. In many societies drinking by females is considered as ‘not drinking’ by the males. Thus males always shun female brands as this may make them appear feminine.
Drinking places
In the second part of this paper we describe the role of the places where the alcoholic beverages are consumed. Most societies across the globe have distinct areas where alcohol is consumed. These places provide a dedicated surrounding that is often separated from the outside world.
The drinking places are often defined with their separate customs, laws and values. It’s common for one person to be surprised by how a friend or colleague behaves while in a bar or night club. This is due to the fact that the values and norms that one adheres to while in the club environment are completely different from those of normal life.
Social interaction function
The social distinction role that is played by drinking places is in one way or another completely different from that of the outside world. People with diverse professional backgrounds in the society can be found mingling in the drinking places. As such the drinking provides an important avenue for social bonding and interaction between individuals who have no other place to meet.
In most societies that practice communal drinking, alcohol is often considered as a leveler. Communal drinking provides a significant means of interaction between individuals of different status in the community or society. The drinking places therefore perform a more important function of challenging the established social order.
An observation made in societies that are ethnically diverse indicate that drinking places often provide norms that enable individuals to feel more equal than in other spheres of life. For instance, observation studies on the American people show that there is a higher chance of individuals from different races to interact in drinking places. In Los Angeles, Americans of Mexican decent and the Anglos usually mix freely in clubs and it’s common to see a dance partner being chosen from other races.
Social bonding
In the earlier observation of the social role played by alcohol it was identified that social bonding, besides social interaction is one of the most important functions of drinking. An important part of the drinking is the generalized feeling of relaxation that comes with it. Thus as it may not be clear but its true that the places where alcohol is taken are very important for bonding to take place between individuals of diverse backgrounds.
Conclusion
This paper sought to analyze the social role played by alcohol drinking and the social significance of the places where the drinking takes place. This observational analysis was to be benchmarked on the different sociology learning objectives. The paper has been able to reveal how alcohol drinking and the places where it is drunk from play an important role in the social lives of human beings.