Revise paper based on teacher feed back. //PROF MGK\\\

06/14/2015

In general cigarette smokers and alcoholics believe that their smoking habit affects only their health but researchers have proved that it also affects their work lives and business (Indiana, 2011). Employees who smoke during working hours go outside the office frequently for the smoke. It creates a disturbance for other staffs when they are looking out for them. The productivity of the team performance decreases as well. Problems related to Smoking and alcohol abuse can have an economic, environmental, and health impact that in turn affects the country and its economy. All countries should create a system for minimizing the effects of smoking and alcohol abuse by imposing restrictions on their citizens and businesses (smith, 2007) Alcoholism is a serious disease that affects the lives of millions of individuals around the globe. It also destroys families, depresses national security, compromises economic vitality, and overwhelms the country's health care systems (WHO, 2004). More than 50% of all adults have a family history of alcoholism. 30% of adults aged 18 years and over have had alcoholism or engaged in alcohol abuse at some instance in their lives. Drinking impacts their families, communities, and society in general. Untreated addiction costs America $400 billion per year, and recent research findings show that alcoholism and alcohol abuse alone cost the economy of the country about $185 billion annually.(alcoholism and alcohol-induced diseases in America 2011) 15% of this value is the cost of medical expense and alcohol treatment; more than 70% is due to reduced and forgone income. Approximately 16 million people in America are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. Smoking causes cancer, diabetes, heart complications, stroke, lung infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking also increases the risk for tuberculosis, eye diseases, and immune system complications. It also causes erectile dysfunction in males. Globally, tobacco use causes approximately 6 million deaths per year. If the trend continues, statistics show that smoking will cause nearly 8 million deaths annually by 2030. Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including 41,000 deaths resulting from passive smoking. It is approximately 20% of deaths every year or 1,300 deaths per day. New research shows that smokers die ten years earlier than nonsmokers. If smoking persists at the current rate among U.S. youth, 5.6 million of today's Americans below the age of 18 years are expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. Sin tax Commodities that are considered sinful traditionally attract the heaviest duties, and it is these that are the focus of this paper. Governments rely on indirect taxes on consumer goods as a source of revenue. ‘Sinful' commodities such as tobacco and alcohol have always been taxed more than other commodities. Other countries have called for new taxes on food with a lot of fat and sugary drinks, as well as a minimum cost for a unit of alcohol. Those people that consume unhealthy food place a lot of burden on public health facilities hence justifying the addition of tax to discourage people from consuming these products and saving the country some money. Cigarette taxing is recognized as one of the most significant policy mechanisms to reduce smoking. Given that smoking and drinking often occur together, a study has examined cigarette taxation and found that increases are associated with modest to moderate reductions in alcohol consumption among vulnerable groups. (Sherry M, 2014). Tobacco can increase the subjective effects of alcohol and increases the risk for heavy alcohol drinking. Smokers drink more often and more likely than non-smokers to meet the requirements for alcohol abuse or dependence. The co-occurrence of smoking and drinking is particularly of clinical importance given proof that health consequences, exponentially increase with combined abuse of alcohol and tobacco as opposed to singular abuse of both alcohol and cigarette. Cigarette taxes have broad population reach and have been recognized as one of the most significant policy instruments to reduce smoking (McKee, 2011). Increases in cigarette taxes lead to a decrease in smoking, increases in quitting, and decrease in cigarette-related morbidity and mortality. By increasing cigarette prices by raising   taxes, smokers are forced to reduce or stop smoking and discourage non-smokers from starting to smoke. By further increasing alcohol taxes, this also encourages leaving or reduction of intake in the nonsmoking alcoholics (McKee, 2011). As well as causing bodily harm, excessive drinking can lead to mental health problems. Alcohol is in the category of depressants. It means that it slows down the central nervous system hence affecting mood. It makes those people who abuse alcohol to suffer from depression and other kinds of mental illness. Alcohol consumption is strongly associated with suicidal tendencies. Most people who take their lives are under the influence of alcohol when they do it. Drinking too much leads to slow responses and poor judgment. Alcohol is a primary source of non-useful calories. The body stores glucose as excess fat. Not only does it contribute no vitamins or minerals, it also prevents the absorption of nutrients from other sources. When you stop drinking, your body can absorb vitamin C, thiamin, vitamin B12, folic acid, and zinc. Excessive alcohol drinking has proven to be a problem for individuals with weight issues. If one has weight goals to maintain, they find it is much easier to stay active when sober. Exercise help's, but the effectiveness of working out diminishes as consumption rises. Alcohol slows down muscle recovery and metabolism hence compromising your endurance. These facts show the benefits of stopping drinking. Without alcohol one get more fitness from their exercise meaning workouts are more satisfying. One has more energy during the day and gets more restful sleep at night. One is all-around healthier and a more resilient individual. It is further transferred to the nation and as the phrase goes "healthy democracy is a working country." By increasing the tax on cigarettes, there will be a reduction in smoking which also reduces the above health risks and in turn benefits individuals and the government. Analysts agree that an increase in price will reduce alcoholic drink sales and consumption. Many individuals will drink less often hence forced to switch to lower proof liquor and cheaper soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages. Research indicate that a 10% increase in beer prices would cause a 4% decrease in sales, with a slightly larger decrease for a similar price increase for wine and liquor. The revenue collected from Federal, state and local alcoholic beverage sources was estimated to be $102billion in 2012. The value is less than $185 billion, which is the cost of alcoholism and alcohol abuse. It is an indication that there is a need to increase taxes on alcohol and cigarette. Alcoholism is a dear habit. Depending on one's lifestyle, the level of addiction, and the type of brand, one could be spending approximately $70 to $300 a week on alcohol and drinking related activities. That's an average of $3640 to $15,600 a year or $36,400 to $156,000 over a decade of alcoholism. Alcoholism can also have an enormous effect on one's earning potential. Once one quits drinking, they can start focusing on getting a job, or advancing their education or career again. All those wasted hours spent while a person is in a drunken state can be put towards more productive ends. It brings a positive change in the individual's economic status that is further transmitted to the country's economy. A common reason people abuse alcohol is that it helps them to be more sociable. It is certainly true that drinking lowers inhibitions, but there is also a none pleasant side to this effect. There are several social reasons why one should quit alcohol that includes: If people engage in drinking too much, it can not only make them talkative but also argumentative, meaning that they say things that they later deeply regret. If people find that they have a tendency to say hurtful or silly things when under the influence, then increase in tax is a good idea to ensure they quit drinking due to unaffordability hence reducing the chance of committing this mistakes. Going to the bar regularly suits some people. There are plenty of social events that do not involve alcohol. Alcohol fueled conversations can seem deep and meaningful at the time but once the participants sober up they can be hard to remember or not worth remembering. High prices will ensure most of the participants quit clubbing and engage in other social events. When one is a full-blown alcoholic, every aspect of their life suffers. Their health, relationships, career, and emotional well-being. The more they spiral into the self-destructive cycle of alcoholism, the more damage to them and every facet of their life. Quitting alcohol not only give one an immediate improvement in their overall health, it also allows one to put slowly their life back together. A decrease in alcohol and cigarette consumption lead's to decrease in conflict. Overtime, alcoholics isolate themselves from those who actually care about them. Once they sober up they can slowly rebuild those damaged relationships. A person also starts to form new, healthy relationships as well. Communication also improves gradually for the better.

References

Harwood, H.; Fountain, D.; and Livermore, G. (2000). The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States 1992 (updated for 1998). Report prepared for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. NIH Publication No. 98-4327.