Chapter 1

Background and its Information

Alcohol is widely used in our society. Most individuals drink alcohol in ways that do

not increase risk for alcohol use problems and may also derive a health benefit. For others,

use of alcohol will increase their risk for alcohol problems. Defining precisely who is at risk

for alcohol problems and assessing the risks versus the benefits of alcohol use are

important to designing effective interventions to reduce alcohol problems and providing

accurate public health information.

Alcohol consumption is associated with a wide range of adverse health and social

consequences, both acute (e.g., traffic deaths, other injuries) and chronic (e.g., alcohol

dependence, liver damage, stroke, cancers of the mouth and esophagus). The scope and

variety of these problems are attributable to differences in the amount, duration, and

patterns of alcohol consumption; differences in genetic vulnerability to particular alcohol-

related consequences; and differences in economic, social, and other environmental factors.

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that may strike at any age.

Research to date has suggested that alcoholism may or may not be progressive in

nature. Some people develop the symptoms of alcoholism after only months of heavy

drinking, whereas other alcoholics may drink heavily for years before developing the

disease.
 Many people do not realize the extent of their drinking problem until it begins to

negatively affect other aspects of their lives. Consequences like lost work, strained family

relationships, and damaged health are common side effects of alcoholism. However,

another common and frequently overlooked problem is the effect of drinking on your

finances. You may not realize that problem drinking is negatively impacting your financial

wellbeing until the effects have become severe. If you are a frequent drinker, it’s worth

looking at both the obvious and hidden costs of too much drinking.

There are many factors why students drink alcohol; stressed, problem with friends;

in school, relationship, family.

One of the reasons why students drink alcohol is because they have a problem

especially in family. Some of the students don’t know how to fix it or solve it, that’s why

they drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol can affect students focus on their study.

There may be some truth to the saying “you are who you hang out with.”

Researchers have discovered that teens whose best friends drink alcohol are twice as likely

to try alcohol themselves. And, if teens get alcohol from friends, they’re more likely to start

drinking at a younger age. It’s a big deal. Studies have shown that a person who drinks

alcohol early is more prone to abusing alcohol when he or she gets older. They get their

first drinks from their friends. They have to be able to get it. If they have friends who have

alcohol, then it’s easier for them to have that first drink.

Friends and peers are keys to whether, when, and how much adolescents drink

alcohol [1–3] and are therefore central to prevention [4–7]. By 12th grade nearly 50% of

teens report being frequently with others drinking to get high, 75% indicate that one or
more friends drink until drunk routinely [8], and over 80% drink to have a good time with

friends [9]. Because drinking impairs cognitive functioning and judgment [10], promotes

risky behaviors [11–13], and leads to accidents and mortality [14], understanding how

friendships shape— and are shaped by—drinking is a critical public health issue [8].

In service to programmatic efforts to reduce teen drinking, researchers have sought

to determine the magnitude of friend influence [15] by linking friends’ drinking to

individual drinking [16]. One central challenge has been the inherent difficulty in

accounting for friend selection, the process by which peers become friends, when

estimating friend influence [17, 18]. Without accounting for selection, it is impossible to

accurately determine whether one’s drinking is influenced by how much friends drink, or

whether one’s drinking reflects homophile [19]—the extent to which “birds of a feather

flock together” [20]. Individuals may seek out others who drink like they do, or select into

environments where drinkers socialize together [21], rather than adjusting behaviors to be

more like those of friends’ [22,23].

Drinking too much impacts your finances in other ways as well:

You may be tempted to spend unwisely while under the influence. You may purchase

rounds of drinks for friends or strangers in the bar, or you might order extra food and

snacks. People drinking at home may be tempted to make online purchases or other

expenditures that they otherwise would not have considered. Your work productivity can

suffer.
 People who drink frequently are more likely to call into work or show up sick or

under-slept. These can damage productivity and, over time, affect overall job performance

and opportunities. Your medical expenses may increase.

Alcohol can affect your immune system, leaving you more prone to getting sick.

Alcohol-related problems, including issues with the liver and pancreas, can build over time

and lead to costly medical expenses. Spending a lot of money on alcohol does not

necessarily make you an alcoholic, but it is often a warning sign that your drinking has

become problematic.

Most high school seniors drink because they want to experiment with alcohol, some

drink for the thrill of it, and others because it helps them relax. A new study finds that a

fourth group of high school students share all those reasons for drinking, but they also

drink to get away from problems and to deal with anger or frustration issues.

Many people do not realize the extent of their drinking problem until it begins to

negatively affect other aspects of their lives. Consequences like lost work, strained family

relationships, and damaged health are common side effects of alcoholism. However,

another common and frequently overlooked problem is the effect of drinking on your

finances.

According to the American Medical Association, “alcoholism is an illness

characterized by significant impairment that is directly associated with persistent and

excessive use of alcohol. Impairment may involve physiological, psychological or social

dysfunction.” Psychologically speaking, alcoholism has less to do with “how much”

problems when you drink, you have a drinking problem.

The word alcohol comes from the Arabic “Al Kohl,” which means “the essence.”

Alcohol has always been associated with rites of passages such as weddings and

graduations, social occasions, sporting events and parties. The media has often glamorized

drinking. Television viewers happily recount the Budweiser frog, the beach parties and

general “good time” feeling of commercials selling beer. Magazine ads show beautiful

couples sipping alcohol. Love, sex and romance are just around the corner as long as you

drink the alcohol product being advertised.

The reality is that alcohol is often abused because it initially offers a very tantalizing

promise. With mild intoxication, many people become more relaxed. They feel more

carefree. Any preexisting problems tend to fade into the background. Alcohol can be used

to enhance a good mood or change a bad mood. At first, alcohol allows the drinker to feel

quite pleasant, with no emotional costs. As an individual’s drinking progresses, however, it

takes more and more alcohol to achieve the same high. Eventually the high is hardly

present.
 Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the factors why students drink alcohol of the

students of San Ildefonso National High School Senior High School during the school year

2019-2020.

Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions:

1. How may the demographic profile of the respondents be described as to:

1.1 Age? and;

1.2 Sex?

2. What are the factors of drinking alcohol of the students?

3. How alcohol can affect the student attitudes?

Scope and Limitation

This study was limited to the benefits of the students who drink alcohol

among the Senior High School students of San Ildefonso National High School. This

study was conducted during the first semester of the school year 2019-2020.

Respondents involved 158 randomly selected senior high school students of San

Ildefonso National High School during the First Semester of School Year 2019-2020.
 Significance of the Study

The result of this study will be beneficial to the following:

Students. The study will be significant to the factors why students drink

alcohol. This may also help them with their future study as a form of reference material.

After all, students will provoke their interest in the factors of why students drink alcohol.

Teachers. This may also help them to motivate the students to know the

factors why students drink alcohol and to be able to teach the students how to moderate

drinking alcohol.

Researchers. This study will be significant to the researchers for it will help

them increase satisfaction for knowing some insights about the given problem and research skills

to be more productive in this field that they had chosen.

Future Researchers. This may help them to have a source or reference in their

study which tackles the same field of interest.

This study was carried in San Ildefonso National High School. It was established year 2019.

Figure 1. Map of San Ildefonso National High School

Definition of terms

To help in understanding this study the following terms are defined operationally.

Alcohol- Also known by its chemical name ethanol is a psychoactive substance that

is the active ingredient in drinks such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (hard liquor). It is

one of the oldest and most common recreational substances, causing the characteristic

effects of alcohol intoxication ("drunkenness").

Student- A student is primarily a person enrolled in a school or other educational

institution who attends classes in a course to attain the appropriate level of mastery of a

subject under the guidance of an instructor and who devotes time outside class to do
whatever activities the instructor assigns that are necessary either for class preparation or

to submit evidence of progress towards that mastery.