final project #MyWordsChangeLives Grant Proposal

PART 1: PERSONAL REFLECTION

TOPIC: Alcoholism as a social menace

PERSONAL CONNECTION: Some years ago, we lost our grandfather, an elderly man at the age of seventy-nine who could have lived longer, were it not for his drinking habits. Even though he had survived through throat cancer, a consequence of his intensive drinking, his health had led his peers to almost accurately predict his demise. Barely a decade on, his colleagues at the drinking den followed him, leaving behind their destitute children and grandchildren, who were portraits of broken families, and poverty-stricken individuals whose riches had been gleefully gobbled down. They dropped like flies to the extent that their demise provoked the feeling of foul play. My native community has since time memorial battled against alcoholism, a vice that has engulfed individuals of every age and gender. People are oblivious of the dangers of alcoholism, which has dragged the society into severe poverty, as breadwinners are unable to provide basic needs, and children are left to fend for themselves, often opting to take up small jobs which can only facilitate them to live from hand to mouth.

ROOT CAUSE HYPOTHESIS: Negligence, misinformation, depression, and partial illiteracy is what propels individuals to seek solace in alcoholism. Some individuals dowse their sorrows by guzzling pints of alcohol whereas others simply imitate the actions of their elders to satisfy their inquisitiveness, both of which lead to addiction. Others believe that their predecessors lived long lives with the same drinking habits, oblivious to the fact that alcoholic drinks served to previous generations were subtle, in crude form, and free of toxic substances. Others pick the habit from their friends when they flock in entertainment joints, fearing reprisal for taking soft drinks. Once alcoholism progresses from a weekend-based routine to an every-day occurrence, there is no taming the habit.

AUDIENCE HYPOTHESIS: My target audience is primarily my community members, and secondarily, individuals who are predisposed to incidences that may incite them to engage in alcoholism. Even though it is served as “beverage” is bars, restaurants, and drinking dens, those who are within the initial stages of alcoholism are within my targeted audience. Addicts are inclusive of the audience, but the essence of my research is to caution those who are yet to dive head-first into the habit of excessive drinking, by educating them on the consequences to be derived.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What are the influences that promote alcoholism? Who are those predisposed to alcoholism? When do you know that alcoholism has become a problem?

PART 2: RESEARCH SUMMARY

SOURCE #1: Chassin, L., Haller, M., Lee, M. R., Handley, E., Bountress, K., & Beltran, I. (2016). Familial factors influencing offspring substance use and dependence.

This is a journal article sourced from www.indianjournals.com and is considered as intellectual property of Chassin, Haller, Lee, Handley, Bountress, and Beltran. It answers the research question, who are those predisposed to alcoholism?

· Psychosocial problems are prevalent where parental alcoholism is an issue.

· Behavioral disorders are also significant consequences of parental alcoholism.

· Girls are particularly affected where their breadwinners are pinned down by parental alcoholism.

By knowing how alcoholism affects children within family units where parental alcoholism is a problem, it is easier to identify how best to help them, or which professional is most relevant in assisting the victims of these circumstances.

By knowing why or how girls are the most affected where there is parental alcoholism, aid is preliminarily provided to those who are mostly affected.

This source projects behavioral disorders and psychosocial problems are the outcomes of parental alcoholism. Girls are mostly affected, as compared to boys. This is important as it identifies who and how are others affected by alcoholism.

SOURCE #2: Wall, T. L., Luczak, S. E., & Hiller-Sturmhöfel, S. (2016). Biology, genetics, and environment: underlying factors influencing alcohol metabolism. Alcohol research: current reviews, 38(1), 59.

This is an article published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information site, which has a .gov extension, and thus, it seems sufficient to be branded as a reliable source.

· Gene variants such as alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase elevate risks of dependence on alcohol.

· Environmental factors such as childhood adversity, individual characteristics such as behavioral undercontrol, influence the level at which the gene variants and alleles contribute to alcohol involvement.

These facts are important in understanding what causes prevalence in dependency to alcohol for individuals who engage in alcoholism, or what predisposes them to addiction.

Biological influences heavily contribute to alcohol dependence and underlying factors, such as environmental factors only boost the effect of these influences over alcoholism. It answers the research question, what are the influences that promote alcoholism?

SOURCE #3: Rapsey, C. M., Wells, J. E., Bharat, M. C., Glantz, M., Kessler, R. C., & Scott, K. M. (2019). Transitions Through Stages of Alcohol Use, Use Disorder, and Remission: Findings from Te Rau Hinengaro, The New Zealand Mental Health Survey. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 54(1), 87-96.

This is an article published on the https://academic.oup.com website and is characterized as the intellectual property of Rapsey, Wells, Bharat, Glants, Kessler, and Scott.

· Alcohol use starts at an early age of approximately sixteen years of age.

· By the age of twenty-five years, dependence disorders are already developed.

· Men are at a greater risk of remitting these disorders as compared to women.

These facts are significant in identifying which age-group to target when campaigning against alcoholism since dependence disorders emerge within nine years when an individual starts consuming alcohol.

This source answered the research question, when does alcohol abuse become a problem. It sheds light on why it is essential to target young people who are on the brink of emulating alcohol abuse.

PART 3: PROJECT PLANNING OUTLINE

CREATE YOUR OWN TEXT-BASED CAMPAIGN!

Start outlining the components of your final project here.

You will explain each choice in greater detail and polished prose for your final project.

Headline: The headline of my campaign is that alcoholism is a social menace. My hashtag is alcohol the social disease. I selected these words because alcoholism has been proven to be elevated by environmental and biological factors that predispose individuals to addiction.

Message: Alcoholism affects all genders, the males directly because they are predisposed to dependence on alcohol and females, especially girls who are the most affected where parental alcoholism infiltrates the family unit. It is never too early to combat this menace.

Audience: My campaign targets young people as it intends on cautioning them on the impending consequences should they indulge in alcoholism. This would eradicate the menace before it starts, as it is a preventative initiative.

Approach: Social media, on platforms such as Instagram, and Facebook is where I would build my campaign. These platforms have large numbers of subscribers, and the media to be used is a picture file, since people are more likely to interact with a picture than a video. It becomes inexpensive and more people are bound to interact with the flyer projecting my campaign.

Theme of Civic Engagement: This campaign is associative. It establishes consequences of dependence on alcohol to what causes it, or how individuals are predisposed to it.

Materials and Cost: I would use the full amount to organize a social event where participants are directed by the flyer to congregate and explore the issue of alcoholism. It would account for all associated costs in ensuring its success. Associated costs include sourcing the skills of a graphics designer to develop an attractive flyer and giving a tip to individuals who help convey the message.