A Rite of Passage or a Curse? Alcohol Consumption in the US
A Rite of Passage or a Curse? Alcohol Consumption in the US
Do you ever wonder just how many gallons of alcohol people consume in our country each year? Think of all the beer Americans drink during football games. Then, add to that the alcohol that individuals consume at parties and in bars. The glasses of wine servers bring to customers in restaurants alone is astounding. And, the list goes on endlessly. Collectively, the amount of alcohol consumption in the US is enough to support the statement that our country is drowning in alcohol.
According to SAMHSA, over 65.5 billion beers were consumed, 13.7 billion glasses of wine and 29.3 billion drinks of distilled spirits were consumed in the US in one year.
- Americans consumed 6.3 billion gallons of beer last year.
- People are spending over $19.9 billion on liquor in America each year.
- Combined sales of beer, wine, and liquor totaled over $162 billion dollars in a year.
- Beer makes up over 53% of all alcoholic beverages consumed in the US.
- Wine accounts for a little over 16% of alcohol consumed in the US.
Any way you break it down, there is an astronomical amount of intoxicating beverages being poured and consumed every day in our nation alone. If all that alcohol were dumped in one place, we would need a boat to keep from drowning!
Alcohol Consumption as a Way of Life
In America, there are three milestones our adolescents look forward to crossing when they reach a certain age. Number one is getting their driver’s license at age sixteen. The second milestone is finally graduating from high school at age seventeen or eighteen. Number three, for boys especially, is being able to buy beer and booze legally when they turn twenty-one. Of course, these aren’t the only goals our kids have, but beer and booze are high on the list of goals for many kids today.
In countries all around the world, each society has a traditional “rite-of-passage” their youth must go through to be considered an adult. This holds especially true for males in many cultures. The males must perform some rather difficult or dangerous tasks to prove they are a “man.”
- In Australia, young boys must go on a “walkabout” with their father or other grown male for up to six months into the outback. Here, they follow their ancestor’s trails and mimic the survival skills that they used back in the day.
- In the Amazon, an adolescent boy goes through a large amount of pain when individuals pour poison into his eyes to enhance his vision and senses. Then individuals beat and whip him. Next, they inject him with frog toxins to induce nausea and vomiting.
- In East Africa, adolescent boys must hunt a lion using nothing but spears. This could take days because they must track down a strong, healthy lion, confront it, and then kill it.
Becoming a Man in America
Comparatively, in America, a boy feels like he’s finally a man based on his alcohol consumption abilities. After he guzzles a significant amount of alcohol very quickly, vomits profusely, and passes out for a few hours he feels like he’s all grown up. His buddies cheer him on, drinking along with him and passing out along with him. Sadly, his only “trophy” from this rite-of-passage is a massive hangover. From this point on, the young man could be plagued for the rest of his life with the curse of becoming a full-blown alcoholic, living in shame, penniless, and ultimately defeated. He didn’t realize that it takes more strength of character to refuse the alcohol than it does to drink it down.
Drowning in Alcohol: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
You may find that it’s easy to drink until you become drunk. It’s all fun when everyone is laughing and dancing. The hard part is not taking that drink. Saying no. It might mean finding different friends. Not taking that drink means defining who you are by what you don’t do. It is not by what you do while drinking. Not getting drunk definitely means the difference between respect and ridicule.
If you feel you are drowning in alcohol, don’t expect someone in a big boat to rescue you. Save yourself. We have the expertise and desire to help you overcome alcohol addiction. Pick up the phone and start now on a better future for yourself and your family.
- medicalnewstoday.com – What is Alcohol Use Disorder, and What is the Treatment
