Bianca Brucato
Professor Young
September 28, 2014
English 1100
“Problems
faced within my community”
How
many people do you know suffering from alcoholism? Alcoholism has become a huge
problem throughout the United States. Many people can have one or two drinks
and still be in control. Some people however, have trouble controlling
themselves, and are at risk of alcoholism. Alcoholism has also become a huge
problem throughout my community because there are so many liquor stores
available. Throughout my community of Staten Island, the growing rate of liquor
stores is causing a series of negative effects such as, underage drinking and
drinking and driving. Furthermore, the community of Staten Island needs to take
action and put a stop to the number of liquor stores growing throughout the
community.
To
speak of this issue more widely, alcoholism is an alcohol dependence disease
that is often called the “family disease” because it affects the community of
family the most. This disease affects all members of the community such as,
husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, parents, and children directly and
indirectly. Having many liquor stores available to all members of your
community can lead to various negative effects. One bad effect would be drunk
driving, which can lead to accidents and cause an innocent person to die
because a person decided to drink and drive. This can lead to someone else’s
child, parent, brother, or sister to become injured or even die. Underage
drinking can also emerge because the availability of liquor stores makes it
easier for teens to obtain alcohol.
Although
in Valerie Kinloch’s, “Harlem, Art, and Literacy and Documenting “Harlem Is
Art”/ “Harlem as Art””, Kinloch’s use of art to show inviting messages to all
people who enter Harlem has many positive effects. In my community however,
liquor stores displaying in their windows inviting messages and decorations to
draw costumers in has many negative effects. Kinloch states, “ In Phillip and
Khaleeq’s acceptance of Soja’s belief, they pondered ways to encourage adult
members of the community to use art (e.g., billboard campaigns, local museums,
historical buildings, and avenues and boulevards) to improve and protect the
area”(Kinloch, 151). Kinloch uses art to show all adults, teens, business
owners, and longtime residents the identity and heritage of Harlem. In my
community however, the use of inviting displays to draw people into liquor
stores has many negative effects such as, underage drinking and drinking and
driving. This problem can seriously injure and kill many people in my
community. Despite the positive effects
of promoting inviting art in Harlem, displaying inviting messages in liquor
stores has a series of negative effects in Staten Island.
Although
liquor stores in my community display-inviting messages to draw people in to
buy alcohol, they can also display inviting messages on how to drink safely
throughout my community. Most liquor stores in my community have large neon
signs saying phrases such as, “Technically speaking, alcohol is a solution.”
These displays are designed to tempt people in my community to buy alcohol. However,
a solution to fix the artwork problem in my community is for liquor stores to
display inviting signs on how to drink safely. Liquor stores can display signs
such as, “You must be 21 years or older to buy or drink alcohol.” This would
help fix the underage drinking problem in my community. The community of Staten
Island needs to enforce rules on liquor stores to display artwork that would
not only help sell alcohol, but also help promote how to drink safely.
To
expand on this topic, underage drinking is one problem in Staten Island that is
a result of many liquor stores being located throughout my community. Alcohol
is becoming the number one choice of drug in young teens. Many young teens are experiencing consequences
of drinking too much at a young age. As a result, underage drinking is becoming
the number one health problem in the United States, as well as my community.
Teens in Staten Island are more likely to drink because alcohol is so easily
available to them. For example, in my neighborhood, Oakwood, liquor stores are
located on every other block. Many teens
in my neighborhood have a higher rate of underage drinking then in other
neighborhoods in my community such as, Greatkills or Newdorp, where there are
less liquor stores available. Underage drinking has become a serious problem
throughout my community and can be harmful to many teens.
A
solution to underage drinking for my community can be to enforce stricter rules
and regulations for liquor stores to follow. Liquor stores should be required to
be strict on selling alcohol to all people and make sure they are of the legal
drinking age to buy alcohol. They should also make sure all employees are aware
of the problem of underage drinking and enforce consequences to anyone who
sells alcohol to a minor. This can help prevent young teens from buying and
obtaining alcohol. By the community of Staten Island becoming strict on the
buying and selling alcohol to teens, can help prevent underage drinking.
In
addition to underage drinking, another problem that results from many liquor
stores being located in my community is drinking and driving. Throughout my
community, there is various liquor stores located on almost every street
corner. This makes it easier for people who drive by to stop in and buy alcohol.
The presence of these liquor stores for people in my community that drive by
them makes it tempting to stop in and by a bottle of alcohol. The presence of
these liquor stores also makes it easier for people who are going out to stop
in and get alcohol as they are on their way to a party or event. Drinking and
driving is a major problem in my community, Staten Island. For example, one of my close friends got into
an accident while she was driving home intoxicated from a party. She did not
only hurt herself, but seriously injured the passenger in her car. Drinking and driving causes many dangers on
the road. It can result in both the driver and others on the road being
seriously injured or killed. Alcohol
affects and impairs your judgment; so driving while you are highly intoxicated
can hurt yourself and innocent people.
Drinking and driving can take a child, parent, husband, wife, brother or
sister away from someone else in your community. Drinking and driving is a
serious issue in my community and can harm many innocent people.
A
solution to this problem is to try and avoid drinking and driving all together.
As a community if you see someone drinking and driving you should try to stop
and bring him or her somewhere safe. This can help save others and the person
who is drinking and driving. My community can also avoid drunk driving by providing
shuttle buses to and from popular hangout spots were drinking is known. By the
community of Staten Island coming together and finding alternatives to drinking
and driving, it can help prevent serious accidents on the road.
In
conclusion, alcoholism is a disease in the United States that affects both the
body and mind. Alcoholism is also common in Staten Island because of the
frequent number of liquor stores located throughout my community. This rise has
lead to many negative effects such as, underage drinking and drinking and
driving. As a community we must come together and put a stop to the rising
number of liquor stores in Staten Island, which is causing harm to many
innocent people.
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