alcohol use
... one occasion. Also the average age at which kids start drinking is now at 11 for boys, and 13 for girls. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), says that kids who begin drinking before the age of 15, are 4 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence, compared to people who start drinking when they reach 21 years old. On January 26th, 1920, with the addition of the 18th amendment, alcohol was banned from being sold, consumed, or created in the United States. This made many people angry, as well as many people happy who had been pushing alcohol bans since 1873. The new amendment brought on a new law called the Volstead Act which said that the police had the right to arrest and prosecute anyone who was in violation of the 18th amendment. Since alcohol is a drug, and a drug is defined as a chemical substance that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction, some people still needed their alcohol. So some people started secretly importing alcohol, and some people also opened up underground bars called speakeasy’s. By the late 1920’s things had changed in our country, and so had people’s opinion on alcohol abuse due to the great depression. Therefore in 1933, they added the 21rst amendment which allowed alcohol once again in our county. Since prohibition there have been many alcohol laws and restrictions put into affect. Probably the most important law is the drinking under the influence of alcohol laws. In California, it say’s that it is a misdemeanor to drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and it is also a misdemeanor if you drive with a blood alcohol level greater than .08. For people who are under the age of 21, there is a no tolerance law that says you can not have any alcohol in your system if you choose to drive. In many states there are also dim-witted laws about alcohol. In Missouri, anyone under the age of 21 who takes out the trash that contains one or more empty alcoholic beverages can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol. Ohio state law prohibits getting a fish drunk, while in Fairbanks, Alaska, it's illegal to feed a moose any alcohol beverage. Another interesting law is called the Social Host liability law. There have been a large number of cases in recent history that have set a precedent that the host of a party or gathering can be held liable for damage or even death that occurs as a result of intoxication from alcohol that was furnished at the party. One of theses ...