RJA #15: Reflection–

Over the course of this class I have learned a lot about writing, research and my topic of underage drinking.
The sections about research was of aprticular use to me. Not only did I find many new resources, but I also learned new techniques to make research more efficient and fruitful. I particularly enjoyed using the databases at the Auraria library.
Finding out about differnt styles of writing such as APA and MLA will be useful throughout my college career as I still have many more papers to write before I graduate.
Effective planning and producing outlines was a relatively new concept to me and I found it helped my writing be clearer with a clear train of though. I can use this not only in academic writnig, but in my personal life as well - writing emails etc.

RJA#14b: Application Project References

(2000). Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol Consumption. Alcohol Research & Health, 24(1), 5,6. Retrieved March 12, 2010, from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh24-1/05-11.pdf
Apte, M., Wilson, J., & Korsten, M. (1997). Alcohol-Related Pancreatic Damage. ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD, 21(1), 13,14. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh21-1/13.pdf

June Russell's Health Facts: Alcohol - Stress. (n.d.). June Russell's Health Facts: Home. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.jrussellshealth.org/alcstress.html

Manore, M., & Thompson, J. (2008). Nutrition: An Applied Approach (2nd Edition) (2 ed.). San Fransisco: Benjamin Cummings.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/3c/43.pdf. (n.d.). National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VIII: Teens & Parents. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/3c/43.pdf

RJA #14a: Application Project Progress Report

Initially I was going to write a newspaper article, but after some deliberation I decided to write an editorial piece instead. The editorial discusses how underage drinking should be approached and the best methods for doing so.
I have written the editorial but have yet to proof read it and make any corrections and improvements. I also have to write the accompanying 300 word essay about the project.

RJA #13c: Application Project Example

I have decided to write a news paper article relating to the topic of my arguementative paper. Below is a link to an example of a newspaper article:


http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/youthcrime/Newsagents--lose--licences.3767594.jp

We can learn may things from this article. The content is very clearly focused on the topic at hand and strives to make any information relatable and interesting to the reader. It is important that article engages with and draws in the reader.
The article starts by briefly summarising what the rest of the article will discuss, therefore making it easy for reader to know whether the information contained in the article is relevent to the reader. The article then goes on to discuss the news at length by developing the story and providing more details.
This particular article has input from several sources, each given a small amount of space for an important or summarising phrase before moving an to someone else. It is important that all sides involved in this article ar given an opportunity for their voice to be heard, this enabling the article to be well balanced without showing prejudice or appearing to take sides.
At the end of the article, the final lines summarise what action was taken by the authorities and why they did so.

RJA #13a: Word Cloud

RJA #13b: Application Project Plan–

I intend to write a newspaper article based on my paper and the research I have already done.
I have closen this option as I feel it gives me the perfect platform to dicuss underage drinking and share many worrying statistics. My paper is very informational and relies on much research and many scientific studies. A newspaper article can be factual or at least founded upon facts if it is an editorial piece. If I write an editorial it will give me the opportunity to give my views and opinions.

RJA #12b: Field Research Report

In a survey I compiled of 15 people between the age of 15 – 18 year old, an astonishing 65% of respondents admitted to consuming alcoholic beverages at least twice every month, with 50% of those interviewed admitting to consuming alcohol at least once a week.

I conducted a survey for the original research aspect of my paper. I surveyed 15 people (8 male and 7 female) between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. I asked the following questions and received the following answers:

How old are you?

Are you male or female?

Have you every tried alcohol?

How often do you drink alcohol?

The people in this survey were found at the West Acres Mall in Fargo, ND and I approached them at random. I did not record their names as I didn't find that to be important/relevant.

RJA #12a: Annotated Bibliography, Part 3

"Alcohol and Public Health - Underage Drinking." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 6 Aug. 2008. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. .

This source is an informational page from the official webpage of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It gives some statistics about underage drinking and highlights some of the inherent risks and dangers. This was a useful source and it gives credance to other sources I have used.

"Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Depression: Is There a Connection?" WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Ed. Louise Chang, MD. 18 May 2009. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. .

This source is a page from webmd.com. It discusses information that may show a connection between alcohol and depression. It states that there may be growing evidence of such a connection. There was a lot of useful information that proved some background to my research. The article seemed well researched and appears on a well respected website so I feel comfortable using it as source.

Apte APTE, M.D., M. MED. SCI., Minoti V., Jeremy S. Wilson, M.D., PH.D., and Mark A. Korsten, MD. "Alcohol-Related Pancreatic Damage." Alcohol Health & Research World 21.1 (1997): 13-14. US Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. .

This is a report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism about the mechanisms and treatments for alcohol related pancreatitis. The report explains what pancreatitis is and explains that the byproducts of alcohol metabolism can lead to this problem. This fits perfectly into my research as it shows serious medical conditions caused by alcohol use. It is certainly a credible source.



"Drinking Alcohol And Benefits." Medical News Today: Health News. 20 July 2003. Web. 05 Mar. 2010. .

This is an article on Medical News Today, a medical website. The article discusses some of the benefits of alcohol use, the risks associated with alcohol use and some interesting caveats about said benefits (age, amount of consumption, sex, etc). The source was useful because it looked at the topic from both sides in a balanced way. It fit well into my research because I to need to be able to address both sides of the issues.

Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig. "HowStuffWorks "How Alcohol Works"" Howstuffworks "Health" Web. 15 Mar. 2010. .

This source comes from a website called howstuffworks.com. The author of this article has a PhD and so I feel this source is credible. The article looks at the effect alcohol has on the body at a nuerological level in a detached, unbiased manner. The source allowed me to understand the true effects of alcohol and explain to my audience the possible risks.


Russell, June. "June Russell's Health Facts: Alcohol - Stress." June Russell's Health Facts: Home. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. .

This source is a simple collection of quotes, information and statistics from various sources which discuss the negative physiological effects of alcohol use. All of the sources on this website a cited and so I was able to confirm them. This source obviously only addresses one side the arguement, but I was able to use that to my advantage.


"SADD Statistics." Welcome to SADD. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .

Students against Destructive Decisions is a group set up to educate youthd against drunk driving and other risky activities. The page I looked at was a compilation of shocking statistics from various official and government reports and studies. All of these statistics were picked to show the negative and dangerous repoercussions of drinking at a young age. I was able to use this source as it linked perfectly with my message.

"Teen Alcohol Abuse Causes, Symptoms, Signs, Risk Factors and Treatment on MedicineNet.com." Teen Alcohol Abuse Causes, Symptoms, Signs, Risk Factors and Treatment on MedicineNet.com. Web. 01 Apr. 2010. .

Medicine.net is an informational website with articles written by medical doctors. This article discusses how much alcohol teens drink, risk factors for teenage alcoholism and how parents can intervene if their teen is having alcohol related problems. The articles tone is balanced and educational and appears to be geared towards teaching parents about the problems alcohol can cause their family. Since the article is written from an unbiased stance I can use much of the information without sounding like an alarmist.

"Teens: Alcohol And Other Drugs." American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. May 2008. Web. 03 Apr. 2010. .

This article was written by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. It warns iin no uncertain terms of the dangers of alcohol use by teens. Coming from such a well respected authority, i feel this is a useable source. The information given backs up my arguements so I found it rather useful.

RJA #11: Annotated Bibliography, Part 2

"Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol Consumption." Alcohol Research & Health 24.1 (2000): 5-6. US Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. .

This is a report written by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism regarding the health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption. It discusses how risks and benefits should be measured and disucsses at length the harmful effects of alcohol use. It also looks at alcohols effect on society. I found the report well balanced as it does adrress both sides of the arguement in a logical manner. Of course, being a government publication I feel it should be trustworthy and I found it very useful in writing my paper.



National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VIII: Teens & Parents. Rep. National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VIII: Teens & Parents. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. .

This is a report written by the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse. The report was based on research conducted to find triggers that increase underage drinking. Some very thorough research was done and it was found that boredom, stress and having excess money to spend were major triggers for underage drinking. I found the report very useful as it addresses reasons for drinking and found the source to be highly credible.



Proc. of Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, US Congress, Washington DC. Web. 03 Apr. 2010. .

This source was the statement of Richard J. Bonnie, Chair of the Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine and John S. Battle Professor of Law, Director, Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy
University of Virginia before the Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at the U.S. Senate. The statement was given to address underage drinking and identify strategies to reduce underage alcohol consumption. The report highlighted just how big a problem underage drinking is before going on to discuss a broad and multifaceted approach to the problem. Being that this statement was given to the US Senate I can be confident of the research and standard of work so I had no problems using this as a source.



Bonnie, Richard J., and Mary Ellen O'Connell. Reducing Underage Drinking: a Collective Responsibility. Washington, DC: National Academies, 2004. Print.

This book was written by Richard J bonnie who also made the above statement to the US Senate. The book is on the same subject, carries the same message although being a book, is in more detail and goes into the subject in more depth.




Britton, Annie, Archana Singh-Manoux, and Michael Marmot. "Alcohol Consumption and Cognitive Function in the Whitehall II Study." American Journal of Epidemiology 160.3 (2004): 242. Alcohol Consumption and Cognitive Function in the Whitehall II Study. 27 Feb. 2004. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. .

This Article was written by the International Centre for Health and Society, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College of London. The article was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, a peer reviewed journal. The article was based on research to study the effects of alcohol use on cognitive skills. Surpirsingly, initial results seemed to show that alcohol increased cognitive skills however this results were soimewhat diluted when the social position of the participants were entered into the scenario. The article was very interesting and I was able to us much of the information in my writing. Since it appeared in a peer reviewed journal I am confident that this is a credible source.

RJA #10a: Annotated Bibliography, Part 1

Annotated Bibliography

The University of Chicago Health Center. Researchers Discover Probable Molecular Site of Alcohol and Anesthetic Actions. Researchers Discover Probable Molecular Site of Alcohol and Anesthetic Actions. University of Chicago Health Center, 25 Sept. 1997. Web. 03 Apr. 2010. .

This source is a Press Release by the University of Chicago Center. It announces that their scientists may have discovered the site on a nerve cell that may be responsible for some of the depressive effects of alcohol. It also explains how inhibitive neurotransmitters act when influenced by alcohol as well as the effect of alcohol of certain receptors in the human brain. Clearly the role of this source is to inform the scientific community about the ground breaking work achieved at the University of Chicago. I found the research credible in very useful in my paper. It gave me an understanding of the basic working of the brain at a cellular level and it backed up my point that alcohol affects the brain.

Thompson, Janice, and Melinda Manore. Nutrition: an Applied Approach. Second ed. San Francisco, Calif.: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, 2009. Print.

This source is a textbook about Nutrition. It covers many aspects of nutrition and discusses the importance putting good things into our bodies. It has a small section about alcohol and it talks directly about alcohol, drug and tobacco use in teens. I would consider this to be a reliable source since it is endorsed for use at MSCD. I used the source to confirm and reiterate my claim that underage drinking can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Shalala, Donna E., comp. 10th Special Report to U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health. Rep. NIAAA.gov. US Department for Health and Human Services, 29 June 2000. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

This source is a Special Report by the US Congress by the US Department of Health and Human Services on Alcohol and Health. It discusses the respective health risks and benefits of alcohol use in great detail. It talks at length about the effect alcohol has on the brain, liver, heart and immune system and has some rather disparaging things to say about alcohol. The report was compiled by government scientists and so I find it to be highly credible and well researched. It paints a bleak picture of alcohol use and so was very useful in defending my arguments about the physical effects of alcohol use.

RJA #10c: Ideas for the Application Project

• newspaper article about underage drinking problems and solutions
• A scene from a play - perhaps an accident caused by underage drinking could be the topic
• An editorial exporessing my opinion on the subject
• A speech to school child about the dangers of alcohol

RJA #10b: Progress Report for Argumentative Paper

Completed:

• sources found
• cources evaluated
• formal outline
• draft of arguementative paper written

Still to do:

• proof read draft paper
• submit for feedback

RJA #9c: Presentation Plan

Powerpoint Presentation

The Physical and Psychological Dangers of Underage Drinking

Introduction

Defining underage drinking
State my claim


Brain
Physical damage

Psychological affects

learning difficulties
alcoholism
depression

Counterarguments – Myths about alcohol

prevents heart disease

Refute arguments

Risks outweigh benfits


Internal Organs

Damage & chances of recovery at cellular level
Liver
Pancreas

Social Implications

addiction
education
anti-social behavior
Counterarguments
Alcohol use is symptom not cause of social problems

Refute arguments

Quote specialists to show alcohol is cause of problems

Conclusions

recap major points in favor of my argument
restate my initial argument

RJA #9b: Argument

Research question: are there serious physical and psychological implications of underage drinking?

Complete thesis statement: It should be agreed that underage drinking causes both physical and psychological damage. Once this consensus is reached, it will enable strategies to be developed to deal with the problem.

Reason: Research shows that the brain continue to develop into a person’s early twenties and that introducing alcohol to the developing brain may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities, interrupt key processes of brain development and can cause learning problems.

Counterargument: In many societies many people start to drink in the home from a very early age. These societies include Italians, Jews, Greeks, Portuguese, French, Germans and Spaniards. There is no evidence showing that members of these groups are brain impaired compared to those societies that do not permit young people to consume alcohol.

Reason: Drinking at an early age (early onset of drinking) has been associated with later alcoholism and other drinking problems in several western countries.

Counterargument: There is growing evidence that early drinking, in societies not permitting it, is not the cause, but only a symptom of an underlying predisposition to alcoholism and other behavioral problems.

Reason: Alcohol can temporarily relieve negative thoughts and stress by altering the chemistry of your brain. That’s why some use drinking as a prop to help ‘cope’ with life or stress. This kind of ‘self-medicating’ with alcohol can be counter-productive. Increased alcohol use changes the psychology of the brain and reduces its ability to deal with anxiety naturally. Like with depression, excess alcohol use can decrease levels of serotonin which is a chemical in your brain that helps to regulate your mood. That means feeling more depressed, and probably drinking more to deal with it.

Counterargument: According to an article in Time magazine, those who never drink are at significantly higher risk for not only depression but also anxiety disorders, compared with those who consume alcohol regularly.

Reason: Elevated liver enzymes, indicating some degree of liver damage, have been found in some adolescents who drink alcohol.

RJA #9a: Thesis Statement

Research question: are there serious physical and psychological implications of underage drinking?

Precise claim: There are many serious physical and psychological implications linked to underage drinking.

Reasons/blueprint: Underage drinking can affect growth and hormone levels in teenagers.

Underage drinking can lead to damage to the brain.
Underage drinking can lead to the onset of alcoholism and depression

Complete thesis statement: It should be agreed that underage drinking causes both physical and psychological damage. Once this consensus is reached, it will enable strategies to be developed to deal with the problem.

RJA #8b: Evaluation Check

I posted comments on these posts:

http://yipenglishblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja-7a-evaluation-of-sources.html

http://carmelosbornresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja-7a-evaluation-of-sources.html

RJA #8a: Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary

Clear communication by parents about the negative effects of alcohol, as well as about their expectations regarding drug use, have been found to significantly decrease alcohol use in teens. Adequate parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to alcohol use in youth. Alcohol, and other drug use, has been found to occur most often between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m., immediately after school and prior to parents' arrival at home from work. Teen participation in extracurricular activities has therefore been revealed to be an important measure in preventing use of alcohol in this age group.

http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_teens/article.htm#tocb


Quotation

Communication and good relationships between teens and parents is crucial when trying to avoid teen alcohol abuse. It has also been shown that “teen participation in extracurricular activities... (reduce) alcohol in this age group” because most alcohol abuse happens when teens are bored.

Paraphrase

Good information from parents about the dangers of drinking can greatly reduce the use of alcohol in teens. The importance of parental involvement in a teenagers life can also reduce alcohol consumption. Alcohol use most often happens between 3 and 6pm and so hobbies and activities are an important piece of the puzzle at keeping kids away from alcohol.

Summary

Alcohol abuse in teens most often occurs when parents do not openly with their kids about the risks of alcohol, teens are left alone with too little stimulae on a regular basis or are unsupervised for long periods of time.

RJA #7b: Field Research Suggestions

http://jeffauger.blogspot.com/2010/02/rja-6c-field-research-options.html

http://darciemcdougall.blogspot.com/2010/02/rja-6c-field-research-options.html

RJA #7a: Evaluation of Sources

Reference Article:

Alcoholism in Teenagers

http://teens.lovetoknow.com/Alcoholism_in_Teenager

This article appears on Lovetoknow.com and was written by Mellissa Chorley, a freelance writer for the website. The article itself doesn't realte to the dangers of alcohol use in teens, but it does give a nice introduction to the problem. The author uses resources such as the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and so I fell the information is credible. The author may have used similar methods of research as me, as I feel there is plenty of information and reports about this problem.

Book:

Title Alcohol : opposing viewpoints / Scott Barbour, book editor.

Publisher San Diego, Calif. : Greenhaven Press, c1998.

Series Opposing viewpoints series

The book is balanced as it is meant to provoke discussion and give boths sides of the problems of alcohol. The main problem withthe book is that it does not address underage or teen alchohol use exclusively. The book is certainly well researched although sometimes claims are made which are not substantiated by evidence.

Periodical Article:

Underage Drinking:Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm

This article directly addresses what the mental and physical dangers of underage drinking are. Since the article is writen by a governmnent agency, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, one can assume that it is indeed credible and well researched with awealth of statistics and resources used. The article was written to highlight the prblems of underage drinking, the same reason I am writing my paper so we are working towards to the same end goal. The article is well writen and well researched.

Website:

http://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/teen_alcohol_use.htm

The Marin Institute compiled this website of select quotes from various well respected research groups, doctors and specialists. The MI did not add anything to the quotes or make any observations themselves as they clearly feel that be displaying the quotes and statistcis they make their point. It is difficult to know whether or not to trust this website as the quotes are being read outside of their initial text and so it is difficult to underdstand their context. The quotes at least refer directly to my area of study - the physiological effects of alcohol on teenagers. The Marin Institute envisions communities free of the alcohol industry’s negative influence and an alcohol industry that does not harm the public’s health. The Marin Institute fights to protect the public from the impact of the alcohol industry’s perceived negative practices. They monitor and publicise the alcohol industry’s actions and support communities in their efforts to reject these damaging activities. It certain appears that the Institute has an axe to grind, and so would take any of their information with a pinch of salt.

RJA #6c: Field Research Options

Interview:
1. A doctor: to ascertain a professional opinion on the physical dangers of alcohol.

2. A social worker or psychologist to gain their perspective on the affects of teenagers drinking

Poll/Survey: of teenagers (age group TBD) to understand their level of alcohol consumption, any problems they face, and how alcohol affects them physical and mentally (problems at school etc)

Lecture/presentation: I would like to attend a lecture or presentation by either a toxicologist or biology lecturer relating to alcohol consumption and the inherent risks.

RJA #6b: Social Media and Multimedia

Social Media:
 Searched on blogcatalog.com
 Used the keyword alcohol teen dangers
 I tried using various keywords until I found the most suitable blogs
 Date : 2/24/2010
 Number of hits: 1593
 Relevance of hits: 2/5

http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/abuse-alcohol.html

 Searched on addictomatic.com
 Used various keywords, operators did not work well on this site. Final search used the keywords teen alcohol dangers
 Date: 2/24/2010
 Number of hits: actually not possible to know because answers returned from various sources such as Bing News, Digg and Wikio
 Relevance: 4/5

http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_teens/article.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgankaysiphotography/4380160135/

http://teenrehab.blograpid.us/the-dangers-of-binge-drinking/

Multimedia:
 Searched on video search.com
 Used various search options such as keywords and operators. Best result using keywords alcohol teen dangers
 Date: 2/24/2010
 Number of hits: 66
 Relevance: 3/5. Many of the links did not work

http://www.videosurf.com/video/dangers-of-binge-drinking-alcohol-abuse-educational-video-30344306

RJA #6a: Websites–

Search Engine:
 Used altavista.com
 Used the keywords Alcohol, damage, psychological as required with any of the following words present: teen, teens, teenager, underage
 Date searched: 2/24/2010
 Number of hits: 4.5 million pages
 Relevance: 4/5
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/teens/a/blacer050216.htm
http://www.alcohol-drug.com/neuropsych.htm
http://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/teen_alcohol_use.htm

Meta search engine:
 Used cactisearch.com
 Used the keywords alcohol, affect, biological, damage, physiological, teenager as required. It website apparently didn’t allow Boolean type or the site was having issues as I received no hits but a lot of error messages. When I started removing search phrases it helped slightly but most results were not even relevant.
 Date searched: 2/24/2010
 Relevance: 1/5

Directory:
 Used Yahoo Directory
 Searched using various combinations of keywords such as alcohol, alcoholism, youths, teenager, mental, psychological etc
 Date searched: 2/24/2010
 # of hits:363 using the search: teenagers + alcohol
 Relevance: 3/5
www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/teens.htm
www.focusas.com/SubstanceAbuse.html

Invisible Web Search Tool
 Used incywincy.com
 Used keywords alcohol teen mental with best results, I used a variety of other keywords but non gave such a good response
 Date searched: 2/24/2010
 # of hits: 20,542
 Relevance: 1/5 Last time I checked, Webmd.com wasn’t invisible!
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/tc/teen-alcohol-and-drug-abuse-topic-overview

RJA #5c: Reference Articles–

I searched using many tools and websites including
Citizendium, Debatepedia, Digital Universe , Encyclopedia, Scholarpedia, Intute and MedBioWorld. Some of the websites were very difficult to use and most of the links they provided were either not relating directly to my topic or I had to pay to access the information.

The one website that actually helped was Classic Encyclopedia. I searched for 'teenagers + alcohol' and was provided with many links. The most useful of which was:

Alcoholism in Teenagers

http://teens.lovetoknow.com/Alcoholism_in_Teenager

Initial Author: MelissaJCorley
Recent Contributors: Charlotte Gerber

www.lovetoknow.com

4 June 2008.
© 2006-2010 LoveToKnow Corp.

RJA #5b: Periodical Articles

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

Volume 71, 2010 > Issue 1: January 2010

 

http://www.jsad.com/jsad/article/Alcohol_Use_and_Heavy_Episodic_Drinking_Prevalence_and_Predictors_Among_Nat/4412.html

 

Alcohol Use and Heavy Episodic Drinking Prevalence and Predictors Among National Samples of American Eighth- and Tenth-Grade Students

Megan E. Patrick, John E. Schulenberg

 

 

 

Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/10report/intro.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

National Institutes of Health

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

June 2010

 

 

NIAAA National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/AlcoholAlerts/

 

A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE ON UNDERAGE ALCOHOL USE

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA78/AA78.htm

 

SYSTEMS BIOLOGY: The Solution to Understanding
Alcohol-Induced Disorders?

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA75/AA75.htm

 

 

Underage Drinking—Highlights From
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA73/AA73.htm

 

Underage Drinking:Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm

 

ALCOHOL'S DAMAGING EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm

 

My search start online at the MSCD.edu library website. I searched using the word 'alcohol'. From there I could use the suggested topics so my search technique was quite organic in that I started from one search and then followed various leads and links to find suitable material.

 

RJA #5a: Books

Author Cappello, Dominic.
Title Ten talks parents must have with their children about drugs and choices / Dominic Cappello and Xenia G. Becher.
Edition 1st ed.
Publisher New York : Hyperion, c2001.


Arterburn, Stephen, 1953-

Title How to talk to your kids about drugs / Stephen Arterburn and Jim Burns.

Publisher Eugene, Or. : Harvest House Publishers, c2007.



Alcohol / William Dudley, book editor.

Publisher San Diego, CA : Greenhaven Press, c2001.




Author Max, Tucker.

Title I hope they serve beer in hell / Tucker Max.

Publisher New York, : Citadel Press, c2009.



Title Alcohol : opposing viewpoints / Scott Barbour, book editor.

Publisher San Diego, Calif. : Greenhaven Press, c1998.

Series Opposing viewpoints series


Electronic Location http://www.netlibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=109803

Title Alcohol Addition: a medical dictionary, bibliography and annotated research guide to internet references.

Editors James N. Parker and Phillip Parker

Publisher San Diego, CA: ICON Health Publications, c2004



The above books were found by searching the Fargo, ND Public Library website.
Keywords used were alcohol, danger, physical and psychological. I search on 2/19/2010. I initially received 137 hits. This was then narrowed down by using related subjects suggested by the website. The initial relevance of hits would be rated at a 2, increasing to a 4 once I made revisions.

RJA #4c: Research Question Check

http://tad19.blogspot.com/2010/02/rja-3c-research-question.html#comment-form

http://darciemcdougall.blogspot.com/2010/02/rj-3c.html#comment-form

RJA# 4b: Search Strings

Search Engine Math Searchs

+physical +psychological + effects +underage +alcohol

+teens +dangers + drinking

"side effects of underage drinking"

Boolean Searchs

physical AND psychological AND effects ADN alcohol and ~teens

alcohol AND ~danger* NEAR teens

alcohol AND (teens OR underage)

RJA #4a: Keywords

Physical, brain, body, organs, cell

mental, psychological

danger, affets, effects, harm, harmful, negative

alcohol, booze, drinking, binge, beer, wines, spirits, cider, units

RJA #3c: Research Question

What are the physical and psychological dangers of underage drinking?

Why do teenagers drink, even if they are aware of the risks?

Does underage drinking lead to other risky behavior?

What are the social and psychological reasons for underage drinking?

RJA #3b: Research Topic Focus

Is underage drinking a problem?
What physical problems does it cause?
What psychological problems does it cause?
What are the possible solutions?
What solutions have been tried already and did they have any affect?
Why do young teens drink to excess?
What can be done to solve the problem?

RJA #3a: Research Topic Exploration

My initial research was done online as I have not been able to get to the library.
I searched on Delicious to see what others had found on this topic. I am a novice at using this website but I thought I would find something useful. I found some links to blogs and people personal opinions, but nothing that I could really use.

Of course Google never lets me down and once I made a few searches I found hundreds of pages. The problem there is that I need to filter out the excess information and find pages that are pertinent to my needs. By reading some of the pages I found that underage drinking is a problem around the world and many experts believe it causes physical, social and physiological problems. It would also appear that underage drinking can be more harmful than alcohol consumption by adults.

I have never used Google Scholar before and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I found many links to articles and journals which touched upon my topic. Google Blog Search on the other hand was not very useful. I never really read blogs and I don’t think I could cite them as source when writing a scholarly paper.

Time for Plan B

Well folks,

my initial topic was deemed political rather than scholarly and so it needs to be changed.

I have now decided to study the physical and psychological effects of alcohol on teenagers.

RJA #2b: Research Topic

I have decided to write about the legal drinking age in Scotland and whether it should remain at 18 or be increased to 21. It is a subject that I am interested in, but have little knowledge. I am not even sure about my own feelings on the matter. It is a subject that is often discussed in the media and by the Scottish Government. The change in age limit is being discussed to reduce the number of young teens drinking.

There are many proponents to raising the legal age of drinking alcohol in Scotland, or at least curbing what appears to be a growing problem of underage drinking, poor health and anti-social behavior caused by drinking. Many people are of the opinion that alchohol is too cheap and encourages unhealthy, underage drinking. Perhaps I could address the reasons for underage binge drinking.

I would like to gain an understanding of both points of view in this debate. Without knowing all points of view it is difficult to make a decision. I am not sure how much of a problem underage drinking is and how pervasive it is in my country. I would also like to know other options for solving the apparent problem.

RJA #2a: Possible Topics

• Nuclear Energy – good or bad?
• Legal Drinking Age in Scotland
• Is Global warming a Problem
• How To Deal with Immigration
• American Policy in Iraq

RJA #1: Areas of Academic Interest

* Global Warming - causes and solutions

* Conservation of Rain Forests

* Introduction of Renewable Energies

* Waste Management

* Industrial Design in The Home