Alcohol addiction is always portrayed as a depressing and unfortunate evil that needs to be managed by twelve-step programs and maintaining sobriety. Different factors and causes for alcoholism exist, such as traumatic events and depression. Depending on gender, likelihood, and style of treatment differs. While financial income and socio-economic status can contribute to alcoholism, the effect is often the reverse of what public opinion assumes it to be. Sexual orientation can be a cause of depression and stress, which can lead to alcohol addiction. While alcoholic beverages are a socially accepted substance that can be consumed in many different forms, they are abused often and can be more difficult for some alcoholics to maintain sobriety than others. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states:

According to NESARC, 8.5 percent of adults in the United States met the criteria for an alcohol use disorder, whereas 2 percent met the criteria for a drug use disorder and others. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states:1.1 percent met the criteria for both. People who are dependent on drugs are more likely to have an alcohol use disorder than people with alcoholism are to have a drug use disorder. Young people ages 18–24 had the highest rates of co-occurring alcohol and other drug use disorders (see figure). Men were more likely than women to have problems with alcohol, drugs, or the two substances combined.

The actual cause of alcoholism, also known as “Alcohol Use Disorder” or AUD, is still unknown. However, there is a strong link between alcoholism and depression, and nearly one-third of people with major depression also have an alcohol problem (WebMD, 2005-2017, paragraphs 3-4). Having anxiety, schizophrenia, or a high amount of stress increases the risk of becoming an alcoholic (Healthline, 2017, paragraph 3). Alcohol addiction is also known to be hereditary, and there have been studies about genes being associated with it. However, genetics isn’t always a factor, and people with these associated gene variants aren’t necessarily prone to addiction.

Diversity Lenses of Alcoholism

Gender

While there is a difference between men and women when it comes to the likelihood of becoming an alcoholic, different factors such as pregnancy, trauma and injury are more associated. Because of body size differences, women generally get more intoxicated than men from the same amount of alcohol. Also, alcohol use and abuse have been associated with people in the workforce because of stress and social demand. Since more women have been entering the workforce in the past century, an increase in female drinking has occurred (Ghosh P. 2012). Men are twice as likely as women to become dependent upon alcohol because men are more likely to drink excessively (CDC, 2016). While men make up about sixty percent of the number of people being treated for alcoholism, and are more likely to find treatment before women, they often hesitate to find treatment because they believe it acknowledges a weakness, affects their masculinity, their ego or they feel they are letting people down (Gender and Substance Abuse).

Socio-economic Status

Alcoholism is linked to stress and depression based on people’s socio-economic status., People may be more stressed and turn to alcohol or narcotics. Lesser-educated individuals tend to have a higher intake of alcohol than more highly-educated individuals. Based on income, however, higher-income individuals tend to drink more than lower-income individuals (Addiction among Socioeconomic Groups). Better treatment for drug and alcohol abuse is more accessible for people of higher income, and is easier to be discreet about, which is why there is a stereotype that more people lower on the socio-economic scale are alcoholics (Straus, V. 2013).

Sexual Orientation

Possibly as much as twenty-five percent of gay and transgender people abuse alcohol, compared to anywhere from five to ten percent of the rest of the general population (Hunt, J. 2012). There are a number of reasons that this is so, including prejudice, and discrimination, the feeling of isolation. All of these factors can lead to depression, in which people often use alcohol to drink away their problems. Another reason why alcohol is often associated with people of non-heterosexual orientation is that up until very recently, the only practical way to meet other people of the same orientation was to go to a designated bar, often secretly and not always legally.

Stages of Alcohol Abuse

Social Drinking

Before alcohol consumption is considered abusive, there is casual drinking, in moderation. This is generally an accepted amount of intakes, such as a glass of beer, or a few shots of whiskey (Social Drinking vs. Alcoholism, 2013). This  usually introduces the body to alcohol.

Binge Drinking

            People may experiment with how much they can drink at a time. Having many servings at a time causes the body to start craving more and builds a tolerance (Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: MedlinePlus).

Heavy Drinking

            Eventually, the drinking becomes more frequently, such as many times a day, because it makes the body feel good. This is often because of stress or boredom.

Problem Drinking

            Once a person starts becoming antisocial, the body feels sick, and loss of sleep or depression occurs, drinking has become a problem. Relationship issues can occur, and drinking eventually becomes uncontrollable.

Alcohol Dependence

            Finally, the body requires alcohol to operate. Intake of recreational levels of alcohol is useless because the body has developed a tolerance. The body goes through withdrawal whenever alcohol isn’t available. The only way to stop being alcohol dependent is to go through detoxification, either professionally or otherwise.

Conclusion

In summary, the cause of alcoholism is unknown. While there is research material that shows it is hereditary, these conclusions are not absolute. While gender is a factor, it could be because women do not have the same metabolism as men, or because women haven’t significantly been in the workforce until the past century, which could be associated with their likelihood to drink. The socio-economic status of drinkers isn’t a cause for alcoholism, but may reveal the tendencies of an alcoholic based on the stress levels or how they may get dependent on alcohol, and whether they can afford to or not. People who have had more education are less likely to get addicted, but people with a higher income are more likely. Sexual orientation can attract discrimination and isolation, which often cause stress, which in turn can lead people to turn to drugs and alcohol. Finally, everyone responds to alcohol differently, so different people may have higher tolerance levels and likelihoods of becoming alcohol dependent.

References

Addiction among Socioeconomic Groups. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-demographics/socioeconomic-groups/

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://medlineplus.gov/alcoholismandalcoholabuse.html

CDC (2016, March 07). Fact Sheets – Excessive Alcohol Use and Risks to Men’s Health. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/mens-health.htm

Gender and Substance Abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://alcoholrehab.com/drug-addiction/gender-and-substance-abuse

Ghosh, P. (2012, December 29). The Alcoholism Gender Gap: Why Are More U.S. Women Becoming Problem Drinkers? Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://www.ibtimes.com/g00/alcoholism-gender-gap-why-are-more-us-women- becoming-problem-drinkers-316486

Healthline. (2017, August 23). Alcoholism. Causes, Risk Factors, and Symptoms.
Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://www.healthline.com/health/alcoholism/basics

Hunt, J. (2012, March 9). Why the Gay and Transgender Population Experiences Higher Rates of Substance Use. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp- content/uploads/issues/2012/03/pdf/lgbt_substance_abuse.pdf

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (NIAAA). (2008, July). Publications.
Alcohol and Other Drugs Retrieved January 25, 2009, from
https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA76/AA76.htm

Social Drinking vs. Alcoholism. (2013, November 19). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://genpsych.com/2013/11/19/social-drinking-vs-alcoholism/

Strauss, V. (2013, October 28). Five stereotypes about poor families and education. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/28/five- stereotypes-about-poor-families-and-education/

T, B. (2017, December 5). How to Tell the Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Dependence. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
https://www.verywell.com/alcohol-abuse-vs-alcohol-dependence-63101

WebMD. (2005 – 2009). Depression Guide. Alcohol and Depression. Retrieved December 12, 2017, from https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/alcohol-and-depresssion#1

Dexter Morgan from the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay is a fictional vigilante serial killer who can be compared to the criminal justice system because he was taught that it wasn’t adequate for society. His police officer adoptive-father helped him control his murderous impulses by limiting his victims to only people who were serial killers, especially those who managed to get out of the prison system or were let off the hook completely because of loopholes in the judicial system. His brutal method was to background-check and track down a potential serial killer to confirm if they were guilty. Once absolute, he would knock the victim unconscious and tie them to a table covered in saran wrap. His victim would then wake up to pictures of their victims in order that they would understand why they were guilty, and then Dexter would ceremoniously murder the victim with a knife. This could be compared a rogue police officer who intentionally murders during an arrest, or to the death penalty, where a criminal has been caught, gone through a fair trial and declared guilty enough to receive the death sentence. The difference between Dexter’s and the criminal justice system’s methods is that only the latter generally follows US constitutional law while Dexter’s methods follow what his father taught him.

Police misconduct is a common theme for Dexter. He works in the Miami-Dade Police Department as a forensic blood-splatter analyst, while his adoptive sister is a police officer who later gets promoted. While police are portrayed positively, there are exceptions where a cop may go rogue, even within the police station. In real life, police officers are an essential part of our society. There are some bad apples, but it is often difficult to distinguish true police brutality from officers who are only doing their job. Because officers need to rely on their better judgment to properly react to situations, the amount of force that would be necessary is based on many different factors, and they often need to decide on how to react in seconds. If someone appears to be holding a gun and refuses to comply when told to drop it, better judgment would be to assume that the person could cause serious harm, and would also likely resist arrest. Unfortunately, there are instances that happen frequently, where racial discrimination occurs, or a situation is not properly dealt with because of a bad judgment call. Body-worn cameras have been proving as an effective method to lower the amount of police brutality drastically, but are not currently cost-effective because of the archiving costs (Dees). President-elect Donald Trump supports body-worn cameras and that federal funding should be available for them, but believes it should be up to the individual states on whether their use should be mandatory (Jacobs). Eventually, police brutality can become a thing of the past, should the proper preventions be put in place.

Another act in the criminal justice system that can be compared to Dexter is the death penalty. Lethal injections, and in some states the electric chair are the most common ways that the criminal justice system uses for criminals with a death sentence. The death sentence can only be applicable to a case if an accuser specifically requests it. On the other hand, Dexter’s victims all receive death by knife, which is extensively more painful and primitive than lethal injections. Usage of the death penalty in the US varies throughout the states. An increasing amount of states chose to no longer use the “cruel and unusual punishment” of death because it could be unconstitutional (Gonchar). Occasionally, there are criminals who request the death penalty, because they would choose to believe that life in the prison system is worse than death.

The prison system of today is an overcrowded money-generating machine. For every occupant, a high amount of tax-payer money is provided for food, clothing, etc. Prisons are often acquired by large corporations who want to generate continuous revenue. By privatizing a prison, it can have a higher occupancy than a public prison and earn an extensively higher amount of revenue. In fact, companies such as the Corrections Corporations of America have a clause in their contracts with prisons to require anywhere from 70 to 100 percent occupancy and will penalize those prisons if they can’t meet that quota (Kirkham). Because of this, many prisoners who could potentially leave early due to good behavior are often restricted from leaving. Alternatively, when prisons overcrowd, they may let out felons who had a life sentence without parole (Wallin & Klarich Law). This is why many judges might hand out consecutive life sentences to ensure the convicted remain in prison.

For Dexter, the criminal justice system is not something he fully believes in. To him, it contains loopholes and leniencies that could prevent proper justice. He is the “judge, jury, and executioner” in the sense that he is controlling his impulses to kill only those who would deserve it and no one else. It would seem that not only are his methods are unlawful, but some of the methods of the criminal justice system are as well. Those methods that are compliant with the Constitution, such as its policies on the proper policing, the death penalty, and the prison system are either too lenient or too corrupt to provide proper justice in our society.

Works Cited:

Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Digital image. Wikipedia.org. Doubleday, 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

This is the cover image for the original 2004 printing of the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

Dees, Tim. “Why Obama’s Bodycam Initiative Won’t Work.” Police One. Praetorian Group, 3 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

One factor that must be considered when purchasing body-worn cameras for the police force is the fact that storage space is an expensive necessity for archival of video footage.

Gonchar, Michael. “Should the United States Stop Using the Death Penalty?” The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

The Eight Amendment of the Constitution prevents imposing cruel and unusual punishments by the government. Therefore, the death penalty can be considered unconstitutional, which is why an increasing amount of states are no longer using the death penalty.

Jacobs, Ben. “Donald Trump Tells the Guardian Police Body Cameras ‘need Federal Funding’” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 13 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2016

Our government may have more federal money put towards a now essential piece of equipment for police officers. It will be up to the states to decide whether they are used, but funding would be available.

Kirkham, Chris. “Prison Quotas Push Lawmakers To Fill Beds, Derail Reform.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

Large corporations that privatize prisons require a minimum occupancy of inmates because otherwise, their money-generating investment isn’t earning an adequate amount of money. This money is coming from taxpayer dollars.

Lindsay, Jeff. Darkly Dreaming Dexter. New York: Doubleday, 2004. Print.

This is the first novel of an eight-book series by Jeff Lindsay. The main character of the series is Dexter Morgan, the cultural artifact of the essay. The Showtime television series Dexter is based on the novels.

Wallin & Klarich Law. “California Prisoners Released, Changing Meaning of.” Southern California Defense Blog. Wallin & Klarich, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

With the prison system overcrowding, even felons who received life without parole could potentially receive parole. This can be thought of as either a positive second chance or as a corrupt prison system.