Harmful Alcohol Consumption in Communities

Alcohol Consumption in Los Angeles

Published by Kimberly Knight

Introduction on Civic Engagement Issue...

Excessive alcohol consumption continues to be a serious premature death and disability in Los Angeles due to the inequitable distribution of on-site and off-site alcohol outlets that have been disproportionally located in predominately deprived communities. Excessive alcohol consumption includes binge drinking and heavy episodic drinking that can cause over two-hundred serious health illnesses, increased traffic accidents, increased rates of violence, crimes, and disorders in social consequences with family and friend interactions, work productivity, and school efficiency. Alcohol has maintained a detrimental impact on the region with the high densities of alcohol outlets located in certain geographical areas, targeted with alcohol marketing and advertisements, and the lack of youth awareness on the hazards of alcohol consumption.

Why this Issue is Important to Me...

This social issue is important to me because it has affected me, many friends and family members. It has become a normality to drink socially or at home and that has only increased harmful consequences in society every year that was especially apparent after the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the world. I believe my community has been deliberately targeted along with many black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities in Los Angeles with the large densities of liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and supermarkets placed in every corner that gives us easy accessibility to alcohol. The effects of the excessive alcohol outlets in my community have contributed to the increase in poverty, homelessness, mental health victims, deaths, and crimes. I have seen many liquor store workers and owners defy the law when failing to ask for identification to verify the age from patrons including myself when purchasing alcohol. The amount of alcohol theft activities has also escalated when I realized I had witnessed multiple at my local liquor stores. 

Since my quinceañera I had seen my friends grow up drinking because of how easily accessible it was to find drinks at home or find a store where they wouldn’t ask for identification. Most of the Latino population have further allowed their underage children start drinking at an early age because of the legal age throughout Central America being eighteen that has led to long term consequences to many in Los Angeles. I know numerous family and friends who have received driving under the influence (D.U.I.) convictions and tickets for public intoxication when being underage drinkers. I have to say, there is a nonexistent education when it comes to the harms of alcohol consumption growing up in my community besides the consequences when driving under the influence.

Why it is Important for My Community...

It is important to focus on strategies that can be implemented to our communities to prevent the increase in alcohol-related harms by acknowledging the deleterious effects of morbidity, mortality, and disability that are associated with alcohol consumption and the inordinate gap to reduce its public health impact by providing treatment and care services for people affected. The significance to promote prevention programs, treatments, and care services for those who we care about should be available, accessible, and affordable to ensure preventions of alcohol-related consequences in our community. A few efficient recommendations include limitations to on-site and off-site alcohol outlets have on the community by enacting conditions and restrictions of alcohol sales, public consumption on premises of off-site outlets, unlawful behavior of sales to minors, an increase in alcohol sales tax, for parents and/ or adults to regulate accessibility of alcoholic beverages to minors, reduce alcohol advertising and promotion, raise awareness through educational services, and provide access to mental health and substance abuse services by providers. It is recommended that members of the community can attend public hearings to inform and vote on decisions for new on-site and off-site alcohol outlets to the local government.

More Information...

SAFER

Live Better, Drink Less

Pan American Health Organization

Community's Response...

Daniel Ramirez

Decision making and goals are stirred and stretched due to alcohol consumption. The normalcy of staying within one's comfort zone becomes apparent with more and consistent alcohol abuse. There is definitely a negative correlation between someone's consistency in doing positive things in their life compared to their episodic alcohol consumption. The increase of alcohol abuse taints relationships between family, friends, and loved ones and allows many to believe in their bias assumptions and creates a toxic state of mind for an individual. The increase of living costs and the narrowing of real services that create real solutions has created a surge of increasing homelessness around my community. I see many homeless detrimentally decrease their efforts and turn to alcohol around my community. I see many rob from liquor stores and act inhumane (you simply do not want to approach or look at this individual), setting a bad example for many youth that constantly witness it everyday. I once witness an very intoxicated homeless woman one morning crossing the Firestone Blvd bridge in the nude, nonchalant like allowing everyone stuck in traffic to witness the scene, parents and children. This must come to an end. But creating programs to get these homeless individuals off the streets of our community to allow them to re-enter society (as non-alcoholics) is very difficult and quite unrealistic. It's easy to become an alcoholic, but hard to stop the abuse.

Amy

Big companies profit from low income communities of color by pushing for alcohol consumption at every turn. The impact is severe due to the trauma, disadvantages, and living situations that these communities seek to escape from. Making the effects of alcoholism increasing high without the introduction of preventative / informational resources and services needed to aid those who suffer from alcoholism.

Works Cited

“Alcohol.” PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization, https://www.paho.org/en/topics/alcohol.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology. Reducing Alcohol-Related Harms in Los Angeles County: A Cities and Community Report. Revised Edition, December 2011.