Parental Influence on Consumption and Abuse of Alcohol

Parental Influence on Consumption and Abuse of Alcohol Douglas Scott Burton Adolescence is the years from which puberty begins in childhood to when puberty ceases in adulthood. Generally, it is divided into three stages: early adolescence which overall lasts between ages 11 to 14, middle adolescence that generally spans ages 15 to 17, and late adolescence which stretches the ages to 18 to 21 years of age. Puberty creates growth to see things as either right or wrong. Adolescents are rarely able to see beyond the present situation, which can explain why younger teenagers are often unable to consider the long-term consequences of their actions. Parents have a critical role in shaping the future of their children. Does being an American adolescent in an American family where your parents allow casual consumption of alcohol teach the child responsible drinking habits when the child becomes of legal drinking age (21)? On the other hand, does it instill a sense of nonchalant drinking habits? I believe that having parents that causally and responsibly consume alcoh ol, teaches the child/children, how to respect alcohol and how not to abuse it later in life. In the United States of America, we have a largely diverse population and culture. Therefore, when looking at adolescent alcohol use and abuse we need to understand the different people that live in this country. According to a 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 10.1 million underage youth drink alcohol each year in the United States. Early alcohol and drug use increases the possibility for many social, emotional, and behavioral problems including violence, truancy, and depression. (National Institute of Health, n.d.) (Barry, Chaney, Chaney, 2011; Ellickson, Tucker, Klein, 2001; Stueve ODonnell, 2005). In ethnic minority families such as African Americans, adolescent drug and substance problems are a significant public concern. (NIH, n.d.). African Americans comprise only 14% of the population in the United States, yet they are 26% of all juvenile arrests, 44% of detained youth, and 58% of the youth sent to state prison (Center on Juvenile and Criminal Just ice, 2012). Early substance use has strongly been associated with father-only households. Further, children from dual-parent families are said to use significantly less marijuana than those from mother-only families (Hemovich Crano, 2009). According to Janet Chrzan in Alcohol: Social Drinking in Culture Context, the culture of the United States, and particularly that of the South and of the Midwest, carries many traces of Prohibition tendencies to this day. The United States has the highest rate of self-reported total abstinence, out of any other non-Muslim alcohol-drinking country, with roughly one-third of the population avoiding alcohol (in contrast, only about 9% of Swedes and 11% of Norwegian abstain). In the United States, abstention is highest in working-class women and lowest among upper-class white men. In a paper published in the US National Library of Medicine/National Institute of Health there are two policies regarding alcohol consumption by minors. Harm-minimisation policies suggest that alcohol use is a part of normal adolescent development and that parents should supervise their childrens use to encourage responsible drinking. Zero-tolerance policies suggest that all underage alcohol use should be discouraged. In this study, they took a sample of 1,945 seventh-grade students from both Washington State, United States and Victoria, Australia. The study showed that adolescent alcohol use is related to a variety of problem behaviours including harmful alcohol use, drinking and driving, risky sex, and violence (World Health Organization, 2008). However, longitudinal studies demonstrate that good family management practices, including clear rules prohibiting alcohol use, monitoring of childrens behaviour, and consistent consequences for violating rules, are related to decreases in teen alcohol use (Barnes et al. 2000, Brook et al., 1986; Chilcoat and Anthony, 1996; Kosterman et al., 2000; Nash et al., 2005; Sargent and Dalton, 2001). Likewise, parental patterns of alcohol use and involvement of their children in their use have been shown to be risk factors for adolescent alcohol and other drug use (Chassin et al., 2003, Hawkins et al., 1992; Johnson and Leff, 1999; Lei et al., 2002a). Despite this, some parents still provide alcohol to their children, as teens report being at parties at which underage drinking was occurring in the presence of parents (American Medical Association, 2006). In Australia, it was noted that 30%-50% of adolescent drinkers obtain alcohol from their parents. Australian parents are supported by a national harm-minimisation policy. In 2001, the Australian Government promoted Alcohol Guidelines for youth younger than the adult legal age for alcohol purchase (age 18). It offered suggestions for being a responsible drinker in supervised settings and for becoming a responsible adult drinker through supervised introduction to alcohol (Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, 2001). Harm-minimisation advocates concede that parental rules and attitudes favoring responsible drinking may be associated with a greater likelihood of underage alcohol use but also argue that parental supervised alcohol use may reduce the likelihood of adolescent drinkers progressing to problematic alcohol use during adolescence and early adulthood. In Washington, the relationship between favorable parental attitudes toward alcohol use and ninth-grade alcohol-related harms was mediated by opportunities to drink in an adult-supervised setting in a way that increased risk. For Victorian youth, there was no protective mediating effect of supervised use. Instead, similar to Washington students, they found a significant mediating process that increased the risk for subsequent alcohol use and harm among students in Victoria. In the summary, the study found that harm-minimisation proponents contend that youth drinking in adult-supervised settings is protective against future harmful use. The study found adult-supervised drinking in both states actually resulted in higher levels of harmful alcohol use. According to the research survey completed, my hypothesis does not stand. Having parents that allow American adolescents to consume alcohol will create a sense that it is okay to consume alcohol, even though they are underage. It will possibly lead to an overconsumption and possible abuse of alcohol by adolescent Americans. As those adolescents grow up and move away to go to universities, alcohol will become more available possibly, leading to more abuse. Therefore, if you are a parent or are planning on becoming a parent, you should not allow your adolescent children to consume alcohol. It could lead to destructive behaviour. If you want to teach them responsible drinking actions, you should teach by example. Never become drunk in front of your children. Works Cited Rees, Carter, Adrienne Freng, and L. Thomas Winfree, Jr. The Native American Adolescent: Social Network Structure and Perceptions of Alcohol Induced Social Problems. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 43.3 (2013): 405-25. Web. 12 Nov. 2016. Small, Eusebius, Rie Suzuki, and Arati Maleku. The Impact of Family and Parental Education on Adolescents Substance Use: A Study of U.S. High School Seniors. Social Work in Public Health 29.6 (2014): 594-605. Web. 12 Nov. 2016. Chrzan, Janet. Its Happy Hour! Modern American Drinking. Alcohol: Social Drinking in Cultural Context. New York: Routledge, 2013. N. pag. Print. White, Helene Raskin, and David L. Rabiner. Historical and Developmental Patterns of Alcohol and Drug Use among College Students. College Drinking and Drug Use. New York: Guilford, 2012. N. pag. Print. McMorris, Barbara J., Richard F. Catalano, Min Jung Kim, John W. Toumbourou, and Sheryl A. Hemphill. Influence of Family Factors and Supervised Alcohol Use on Adolescent Alcohol Use and Harms: Similarities Between Youth in Different Alcohol Policy Contexts. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Rutgers University, May 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2

Gender Differences in Educational Achievement Essay

Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the claim that gender differences in educational achievement are primarily the ‘result of changes in society’ Some sociologists claim that gender differences in achievement are the result of external factors such as changes in wider society, e.g. The impact of feminist ideas and changing employment opportunities (as stated in Item A). However, this could also be an outcome of internal factors such as the education system becoming ‘feminised’, which could have impacted the performance of girls achievement, as it has risen at a faster rate at some levels and in some subjects. Some sociologists also argue that the media have exaggerated the extent and nature of any problem. External factors such as the impact of feminism and girls’ changing ambitions could have a large influence on gender differences in educational achievement. Since the 1960’s, feminism has challenged the traditional stereotypes of a woman’s role as mother and housewife within a patriarchal family. Feminism has also raises girls’ expectations and ambitions with regard to careers and family. These changes are partly reflected in media images and messages. A good illustration of this is McRobbie’s comparison of girls magazine in the 1970’s, where they stressed the importance of marriage to the 1990’s, where it was more focused on career and independence. Changes in the family and employment are also producing changes in girls’ ambitions. This is supported by Sue Sharpe’s research where she compared the results of interviews she carried out with girls in the 1970’s and girls in the 1990’s. In the 1970’s the girls had low aspirations and gave their priorities as love, marriage, husbands and children before careers. However, in the 1990’s girls were more likely to see their future as independent women with a career, rather than being dependent on a husband and his income. There have been a number of major changed to the family in the last 30 years. Some of these include an increase in the divorce rate, cohabitation and an increase in the number of lone parent families (mainly female headed). These changes are affecting girls’ attitudes towards education in a number of ways as increased numbers of female-headed lone-parent families may mean more women need to take on the major ‘bread winner’ role. This further creates a new financially independent, career-minded role model for girls. The need for good qualifications is made very clear and the girls aspirations tend to require academic effort. Becky Francis points out that boys are more likely to have career aspirations that are not only unrealistic but often require few formal qualifications, e.g. professional footballer. Evidence suggests that girls are more likely to spend their leisure time in ways which compliment their education and contribute to educational achievements. Mitsos and Browne place considerable emphasis on reading. Women are more likely to read than men, and mothers are more likely than fathers to read to their children. Therefore girls are more likely to have same-sex role models to encourage them to read. Poor language and literacy skills are likely to affect boys’ performance across a wide range of subjects. Whilst there are factors outside school, internal factors also impact gender differences in educational achievements hugely. According to Tony Sewell, boys fall behind in education because schools have become more ‘feminised’, as indicated in Item A. This means that feminine traits such as methodical working and attentiveness have been emphasised, which in result disadvantaged boys. The gender gap in achievement increased after the introduction of GCSEs and coursework in 1988. Mitsos and Browne argue that girls are more successful in coursework because they are better organised and more conscientious than boys. They found that girls tend to spend more time on their work, take more care on its presentation and are better at keeping deadlines. This all helps girls to benefit from the introduction of coursework in GCSE, AS and A Level. Sewell suggests that some of the coursework should be replaced with final exams and a greater emphasis should be put on outdoor adventure in the curriculum, as he thinks boys learn differently to girls. Jo Boaler argues that equal opportunities policies such as GIST and WISE are a key factor in the improvement of girls educational performance. Schools have become more meritocratic, which means that girls in general work harder than boys and achieve more. Teacher-pupil interactions were also identified as being very significant by Barber. For girls, feedback from teachers focused more on their work rather than their behaviour; for the boys it was the opposite. The low expectations of girls in science reinforced their own self-images; boys frequently overestimated their abilities. Research by Abraham (1995) suggests that teachers perceive boys as being more badly behaved than girls in the classroom, and as such expect bad behaviour. Teachers may also tend to be less strict with boys, giving them more leeway with deadlines and expecting a lower standard of work than they get of girls. This can allow boys to underachieve by failing to push them to achieve their potential. Some sociologists argue that the growth of ‘laddish’ subcultures has contributed to boys’ underachievement. Mac and Ghaill examines the relationship between schooling, work, masculinity and sexuality. He identifies a particular pupil subculture, the ‘macho lads’ which could help to explain why some boys underachieve in education. Jackson found that laddish behaviour was based on the idea that it is uncool to work hard at school. She found that boys based their laddish behaviour on the dominant view of masculinity – they acted tough, messed around, disrupted lessons and saw school work as feminine. Weiner, Arnot and David’s (1997) criticise this theory and have their own theory that the media have created a misleading moral panic which exaggerated and distorts the extent and nature of any problem. They argue that although the media are also interested in the underachievement of white, middle-class boys, they see black and working-class underachievement as a particular problem because it is likely to lead to unqualified, unemployable black and working-class men turning to crime. In conclusion, girls are improving in achievement whereas boys are underachieving due to external factors such as: the impacts of feminism; boys poorer literacy skills, unrealistic expectations and also girls changing ambitions and perceptions. On the other hand, there are also internal factors , which in my opinion are equally as valid and important, such as: laddish subculture, teacher interaction and attention, and also positive role models in schools. However the pre occupation with failing boys diverts attention from underachieving girls. Research by Plummer suggests that a high proportion of working class girls are failing in the school system. Cohen (1999) argues that the question is not ‘why are boys underachieving’, but ‘why boys’ underachievement has now become of concern. Her answer is that it is not just the destruction of the industrial bas of Britain; nor is it the result of pressure put on men by feminism, or by girls’ superior achievement in recent years.

Family meals Essay

The article present the issue of meals from a good perspective: it identifies that some families eat together and others do not. It states from researches that studies carried out on families that eat together on the same table are more likely to produce positive health results than others who do not: such positive health factors are enumerated in each paragraph. It states that such family meals make it easier to control diet, amount and quality. It promotes communication about nutrition; it helps to regulate the type of food consumed. Besides it is a good forum for socialization among the family members, and even visitors.   It provides the ‘opportunity to eat better’ and also the ‘chance to connect’. The latter helps to understand each other better, find about current issues in the lives of members, and even teaches the children cooking and eating etiquettes.   It concludes with a profound statement:   â€Å"Family meals aren’t just about food, they’re about family.† I am particularly interested in the type of meal that can earn the tag ‘family meal’. And really, it is worth remembering that meals can also be a time to get together with family members. For parents that do not have time for their children, this may not possible but for others who have such opportunity, I strongly believe it is a very good idea: it creates a forum for me to learn how to cook, how to serve and how to eat especially when it involves others. If I have anything bothering my mind, I can share it there. If I also notice something about my siblings, friends, visitors, other extended family members, I can bring it and the challenge/burden can be shared. It is also a good forum to celebrate any achievement. I like the idea of family meals because it helps to strengthen families and build loving homes. There is no doubt that if we can adopt this kind of idea all over the country, things would change, families are likely to become more stable and children will live in conducive happy homes. I think that the topic was presented in a good and lively way. It has information from researches and experts in the food. After going through the article, you’d have read through an unusual topic that makes a lot of sense. It starts with a description of meal times, connects to the advantages of family means and ends with the obstacle to achieving the concept. I am also concerned about this noble idea can be implemented in this kind of age, when everyone appears to be in a hurry chasing the wild wind. Is it really practicable in this jet age? Are there other means of achieving same socialization outside meals times? REFERENCE Family meals. http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/07/cl.family.meals/index.html

NOWAK - Surname Meaning and Origin

The Polish surname Nowak means new guy in town, from the Polish root nowy (Czech novà ½), meaning new. The Nowak surname was also occasionally bestowed on one who converted to Christianity (a new man). Nowak is the most common surname in Poland and is also very common in other Slavic countries, especially the Czech Republic, where Novà ¡k tops the list of most common surnames. Novak is also the most common surname in Slovenia and the sixth most common  surname in Croatia. Nowak was also sometimes Anglicized as Novak, so it can be difficult to count solely on spelling to determine the surnames origins. Surname Origin:  Polish Alternate Surname Spellings: NOVAK, NOWIK, NOVIK, NOVACEK, NOVKOVIC, NOWACZYK  Similar to  NOWAKOWSKI Where Do People With the Surname NOWAK Live? Individuals with the Nowak last name are found in the greatest numbers in Poland, followed by Germany and Austria. The greatest concentration of individuals with the Nowak surname is found in south and central Poland, especially the voivodeships (provinces)  of Wielkopolskie, Swietokrzyskie, Malopolskie, Slaskie, and Lubuskie.  The Polish-specific surname distribution map on  moikrewni.pl calculates the population distribution of surnames down to the district level, identifying over 205,000 people with the Nowak surname living in Poland, with the majority found in PoznaÅ„, followed by  Krakà ³w, Warszawa,  Ã… Ãƒ ³dÃ… º,  WrocÅ‚aw, Sosnowiec,  BÄ™dzin, and Katowice.   The Novak surname is found in the greatest density in Slovenia, according to Forebears, followed by the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Slovakia. It is also about twice as common in the United States as compared to Nowak. Famous People With the Surname NOWAK or NOVAK Bob Novak - American  TV talk show personalityKim Novak - American film actressJan Nowak-JezioraÅ„ski - Polish journalist and WWII hero (he added Nowak as a nom de guerre)Lisa Marie Nowak - former American astronaut Genealogy Resources for the Surname NOWAK Nowak Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Nowak surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Nowak surname query. FamilySearch - NOWAK GenealogyAccess over 840,000 free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Nowak surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. DistantCousin.com - NOWAK Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Nowak. NOWAK Surname Family Mailing ListRootsWeb hosts a free mailing list for researchers of the Nowak surname. They also have one for Novak. Browse or search the archive, or subscribe to submit your own Nowak or Novak query. The Nowak Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Polish surname Nowak from the website of Genealogy Today. Polish Genealogy Databases OnlineSearch for information on Nowak ancestors in this collection of Polish genealogy databases and indexes from Poland, the United States, and other countries. References: Surname Meanings & Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia.  Bergenfield, NJ:  Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings.  Chicago:  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993.Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow.  Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.