Alcohol abuse has become a tremendous problem. This problem is not only found in teenagers, but in adults as well. Alcohol use can be found in all aspects of life, especially the media. The media deals with alcohol in a light-hearted manner, often portraying consumption as the "cool" thing to do. In many situations drinking alcohol is associated with beauty, pose, and fashion. It is because of these lame advertisements that people become confused about proper usage. People choose to drink for many different reasons. Whether these individuals drink excessively to forget or escape problems, or merely for enjoyment, the individual is attempting to alter or escape their own reality.
One reason people drink alcohol excessively, is to make themselves feel or look popular. By conforming with the crowd, these individuals appear to be "cool", because they are doing what everyone else thinks is cool. The most common influence of these individuals are their friends. When out with a group of friends, an individual is more likely to drink as long as their friends are drinking. In certain situations, individuals compete to see who can drink more. The winner is often revered and hailed as the champ. Because of these practices individuals are more likely to drink to excess to prove their "greatness" in front of peers. For these individuals the amount of alcohol they can consume, dictates the amount of glory they deserve. By covering their personality with alcohol, these people temporarily escape their reality.
While some drink for the sole purpose of conforming, others drink to temporarily escape depression. Often times individuals will engage in activities that are destructive, because of the physical changes that take place. Most people know and understand the changes that occur in a person after a few drinks. Often times such changes as slurred language, shortened memory, and in some extreme cases total black outs.
