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Your Child Living Environment and Drunk Driving

July 7, 2010
Author: Chris M. Alexander

Do certain neighborhoods encourage kids to drink alcohol? Well, studies have shown time and time again that the environment a child grows up in has a direct affect on his or her behavior.

Does a Child’s Environment Encourage Them to Drink and Drive?

The sale of liquor, especially in poor minority neighborhoods are a contributing factor to the many problems that impoverished communities are faced with today. Kids in particular are being negatively affected by their environment and this is a serious problem in predominantly poor communities.

Environmental Factors may not be the Only Influence

There is very little doubt that alcohol abuse is related to the neighborhoods and the alcoholic environment a child grows up in. However, Clinical & Experimental Research in an issue of Alcoholism uses rhesus monkeys to examine both genetic and environmental influences on alcohol consumption. Alarming results show that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to variation in alcohol consumption among both human and non-human alike.

Neighborhood Influences on Alcohol Use

Alcohol is more widely available in poor, black neighborhoods than middle class or upper-middle class neighborhoods. The ‘casual’ use of alcohol is everywhere. Kids growing up in these types of environment are more influenced by what they see at home and on the streets, which makes it that much easier for kids to grow up following in the footsteps of what they see around them. Alcohol abuse and drunk driving among young people is part of the norm in these communities. Acceptance of dangerous drinking habits, alcohol consumption and drunk driving is encouraged through various media outlets, peer attitudes, role models, and the casual attitude of society in general.

Liquor Stores Preying on Poor Minority Neighborhoods

You can often recognize a poor minority neighborhood by the large number of liquor stores on every corner. A recent study even shows that poor neighborhoods with high concentrations of African-Americans have a much larger than average number of liquor stores and storefront ads promoting the use of alcohol, especially malt liquor. There is even large billboard Ads promoting the use of alcohol trough out impoverished communities.

Easy Access to Alcohol Contributes to Alcohol Abuse in Young People

The more liquor stores around and other alcohol outlets in a certain area, the more likely individuals will want to drink. Also the increase of alcohol consumption is due to the low price of certain alcohol that is preferred by the community, the more people will consume alcoholic beverages. Studies have shown that young people are more likely to drink when alcohol is readily available to them through being able to buy alcohol on their own, having others buy it for them, low price or having the opportunity to drink freely at parties or other social events where the use of alcohol is prevalent.

So, do you think certain neighborhoods and the environment a child grows up in encourages them to drink alcohol and drive? Let us know in the comments below.

Tags: Alcohol Abuse, Drunk Driving

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 4:15 am and is filed under Alcohol Abuse, Drunk Driving . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.