DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Driving under the Influence



Driving under the Influence

In an age where driving while intoxicated is the number one cause of traffic accidents and fatalities, where did this terrible crime begin? And can this terrible and irresponsible action be stopped? Some say as long as alcohol exists it will always be an issue. Others say that until there is a better treatment available it will always be an issue. (Volley, 2006)

To start off where did this terrible crime begin? The first thing to explore is the root of the problem: Alcohol. This substance is at the very source of the problem. But few people can explain just what this substance is or how it affects us. Most alcoholics claim “It just made all the troubles go away”. But there is more to it than that. The basic compound that makes a beverage alcoholic is called C2H5OH. Know as ethanol today by modern science, this colorless substance was used original in Arabic countries as eye powder. The product they called alkuhul continued refer to any fine powder substance until alchemists from the medieval age applied the term to refined and distilled products. And the term stuck with it for over 1000 years to this day. The way that alcohol affects the body is that when swallowed, the ethanol is distributed through the body through the small intestines. Now you may ask “How does this alcohol affect the brain if it goes though the stomach?” that is because the alcohol distribute though the whole body in percentage to water content. And sense your brain is partially water, the ethanol gets into there. Also your blood vessels are lined with water. This is where the bold alcohol content term comes from. It should also be noted that ethanol is not simply for drinking. The same substance, when treated differently, can be used to make perfumes, gasoline, and explosives. (Xavier, 2007)

The second part of the issue is driving drunk being universally condemned. Why is there a law against driving drunk? Is there some harm in it? Well of course there is. As I just mentioned, the ethanol gets into your brain. The institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism, the areas that get affected include the Hippocampus (long term memory), the Striatum (cognitive control), and the Amygdale (emotional reaction memory). The medicine, psychology, and the law agreed that when intoxicated the brain ...