Alcohol in the Latino Community

Alcohol in the Latino Community

It had been a long time since I actually sat down and watched a television program on a Latino network. It turns out that my parents were watching television in the family room when I got home from work and I decided to sit down and watch television with them. To my disappointment, I saw about three to four alcohol related commercials every break.
To be honest, I was a bit shocked to see how often they show these commercials, especially because many times there are children present while these commercials air. I remember when I was a child I would watch a program called Sabado Gigante every Saturday with my parents, and the more I think about it the more I can remember being exposed to a lot of beer commercials and sex related commercials as well. As I dug around trying to find some information for my report I came across an alarming statistical fact. I found that Latino children are exposed to up to 61 alcohol advertisements each day.
As a Latin-American I see first hand how alcohol effects the Latino community. There isn’t a single party, family gathering, celebration, or event in the Latino community that I have been to where alcohol wasn’t present and consumed very heavily. I feel that we need to bring more awareness to the Latino community about the long term effects of alcohol, what alcohol really is and does to the body’s organs, and on the sad consequences that may occur as a result of heavy alcohol consumption. I knew a man who got very drunk during a wedding party, insisted on driving home and ended up killing himself and his nephew and son. I’ve also known men who have died from liver disease and young men and women die in car accidents or have come very close to doing so.

Alcohol can be a very tempting drug because of its effects on the brain. It can help relax you, it can help you to open up, it may help you escape problems, and even enhance a fun experience. On the other hand, alcohol also has many negative effects on one’s body, mind and...

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