Alcoholism Essays (3064 words) - Drinking Culture, Alcohol Abuse

Alcoholism Alcoholism Alcoholism, Alcohol is liquid distilled product of fermented fruits, grains and vegetables used as solvent, antiseptic and sedative for potential abuse. Possible effects are intoxication, sensory alteration, and anxiety reduction. Symptoms of overdose staggering, odor of alcohol on breath, loss of coordination, slurred speech, dilated pupils, fetal alcohol syndrome in babies, and nerve and liver damage. Withdrawal Syndrome is first sweating, tremors then altered perception, followed by psychosis, fear, and finally auditory hallucinations. Indications of possible miss-use are confusion, disorientation, and loss of motor nerve control, convulsions, shock, shallow respiration, involuntary defecation, drowsiness, respiratory depression and possible death. Alcohol is also known as Booze, Juice, Brew, Vino, and Sauce. Most people know why alcohol is abused some reasons are relaxation, sociability, and cheap high. Alcohol is a depressant that decreases the responses of the central nervous s ystem. Alcoholism is a disease that has been destroying people's lives mentally, physically and emotionally throughout the entire world since the early 18th century. Sometimes people get the idea that alcohol abuse and alcoholism are the same thing. The National Council on Alcoholism says Alcohol Abuse? a problem to solve. Alcoholism a disease to conquer. Alcohol Abuse is the misuse of the substance, alcohol. You know you are abusing an alcoholic substance when you continue to use it, even though you're having social or personal problems because of your use. You still use it even though it's causing you physical problems. Using it the way you do is causing you legal problems. You don't live up to major responsibilities on the job or in your family. Alcoholism is being addicted, or dependent on alcohol. You may be dependent on alcohol if any three of the following are true. You have to use larger and larger amounts of it to get drunk. You have withdrawal when you try to stop or cut d own. You use it much more and for longer times than you really want to. You can't seem to cut back and feel a strong need or craving for it. You spend a lot of your time just getting the substance. You'd rather use than work or be with friends and family. You keep using, no matter what. The National Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates based on research, that a Blood Alcohol Concentration between .02 and .04 makes your chances of being in a single-vehicle fatal crash 1.4 times higher than for someone who has not had a drink. If your BAC is between .05 and .09, you are 11.1 times more likely to be in a fatal single vehicle crash, and 48 times more likely at a BAC between .10 and .14. If you've got a BAC of .15, your risk of being in a single-vehicle fatal crash is estimated to be 380 times higher than a non-drinker's. Recent research is showing that true substance dependence may be caused, in part, by brain chemistry deficiencies. That is one reason that substance depend ence is considered a disease. Excessive drinking can cause liver damage and psychotic behavior. As little as two beers or drinks can impair coordination and thinking. Alcohol is often used by substance abusers to enhance the effects of other drugs. Alcohol continues to be the most frequently abused substance among young adults. Alcohol abuse is a pattern of problem drinking that results in health consequences, social, problems, or both. However, alcoholism refers to a disease that is characterized by alcohol-seeking behavior that leads to the loss of control while drinking. Short-term effects of alcohol use include distorted vision, hearing, and coordination. Long-term effects of heavy alcohol use include: loss of appetite, vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, skin problems, sexual impotence, liver damage, heart and central nervous system damage. Using alcohol to escape problems, a change in personality, turning from Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde, a high tolerance level blackouts, someti mes not remembering what happened while drinking, problems at work or in school as a result of drinking, concern shown by family and friends about drinking. As with other diseases, there is the possibility of taking medicine to get better. There is now promising evidence that taking medicine can correct some of the deficiencies that may cause drug dependence. It is beginning

Interview How to sometimes say no to your editor

Interview How to sometimes say no to your editor How to sometimes say 'no' to your editor - An interview with Gale Winskill Our 9th #freelancerfriday interview: â€Å"It does really worry me when authors take every suggestion that I make and implement it. I worry that they don’t believe enough in their own book. An author should always feel they can come back and say â€Å"I hate your suggestions but I accept that my original doesn’t work.† That’s healthy and that’s good. They can understand why you’ve made the criticism, but can then go away and find their own solution to a problem.†Gale Winskill  is a great editor. She offers the full set of editorial services, with a portfolio proving experience in an enormous variety of genres - including a strong background in editing children’s fiction. Below we talk plot-structure, polyediting, and a healthy way to work with an editor. Enjoy!What services do you provide?Mostly editing, proofreading and critiques, although I also do some training. I work with a variety of genres: a lot of fiction editing, bot h for adults and for children; a lot of academic editing for non-native speakers of English; non-fiction; children’s picture books; and manuscript critiques.Are there differences between editing adult and children’s fiction?Not very many. The basics of plot structure are essentially the same for both. The main difference is checking that the content is appropriate for the age group, that you’re talking about subjects that they can understand and follow, and that the language level is also suitable for the age category concerned.What do editors do for authors?The editor is the most critical reader you will ever encounter as an author. As an editor your role is partly to spot things that will be criticised, as well as what’s strong. An editor tries to make sure that the author doesn’t fall into those pitfalls. The author has an opportunity to address any weakness that might open their work  up to criticism before the book goes to print. The editor is very much a reader, first and foremost.Two editors will never think the same way, just as  two readers will find different things in the same text. I may have to tell an author that I can see why they did something one way, but that it may be perceived in a different way by readers. But how the author decides to address that is up to them. Your professional duty as an editor extends to telling an author what strikes you about a text, but at the end of the day it’s the author’s prerogative to ignore everything an editor says, as ultimately it’s their book.Is working with multiple editors a good practice for authors? Does having second opinions help?I think it usually ends up a mess. An author should find an editor they like and - while they don’t have to agree with everything the editor says - one they can work with.  If you have multiple editors it can be confusing. I might feel a particular character doesn’t work for a particular reason, wh ereas another editor might not see a problem. For authors, I don’t see how they can follow one person’s train of thought if they’re trying to compare that with another person’s train of thought.However, there’s a different argument for having more than one critique of a book. It might be interesting to see what various people pick up from reading a book without having them pull it apart.What kind of advice are you able to give an author?Judging by the responses of my authors, I’m good at spotting the weaknesses in a text and offering suggestions on how to resolve it. It does really worry me when authors take every suggestion that I make and implement it. I worry that they don’t believe enough in their own book. An author should always feel they can come back and say â€Å"I hate your suggestions but I accept that my original doesn’t work.† That’s healthy and that’s good. They can understand why you’v e made the criticism, but can then go away and find their own solution to a problem. Authors have told me that they knew something wasn’t working but couldn’t work out why. Once they know the reason they can go away and redraft it. I think authors prefer to be told when a book isn’t publishable in it’s current state but that it could be made to work if they do this and that, as opposed to publishing online and being slated. Authors appreciate criticism so long as it’s constructive, justified, and given in a diplomatic fashion.When should an author approach you with a work-in-progress? After the first draft is completed?Unless I’ve worked with an author for a while and I’m familiar with their work, I don’t like working on a book in pieces. As I work through the book I may change my mind about what I said in the first few chapters. If people send the work piecemeal, I don’t get a sense of the whole. I suggest to new author s that until they’re at the end of the process and are ready to submit it for editing, my seeing it doesn’t benefit them. It’s more constructive when the editor’s opinion is formed in one go.Thank you for your time Gale.

The shear box test on soil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The shear box test on soil - Essay Example The shear box test has an advantage over test because of the simplicity of equipment used and the ease in setting it up. The Shear test box also tests soil samples under different conditions such as consolidation, drainage, and saturation conditions. Another advantage of the shear box test is that it is easy to visualize what is happening to the soil as the test is being carried out. Various processes using the shear box test determine these properties. In determining the soil, these properties the results of the test are tabulated and graphs are drawn. Interpretation of the graphs is what gives significant meaning to some of the soil properties being studied. Purpose of the test A shear box test is used in geotechnical engineering to test various properties of soil. These soil properties include; friction angle, peak shear strength, soil cohesion, and the residual shear strength of the soil being studied. The key purpose for carrying out the test is to enable geotechnical engineers decide on the consolidated-drained shear strength of a silt to sandy soil. Shear strength is a very important aspect in engineering when determining soil properties. This is because most structures are based on soil’s shearing strength or resistance. Therefore, any time a structure is to be constructed it is important that the soil’s shear resistance be analyzed as the first step to decide on the whether it will be possible to construct. The shear strength of a discontinuity is considered to be of lower strength when compared to blocks with intact material between the discontinuities. These important facts and the results of shear tests enable the engineers to determine important aspects of engineering. These include determining the bearing dimensions for foundations, computing the stability of cuts and slopes, and in finding the amount of pressure that an area of soil exerts on the wall it retains (Price & De Freitas, 2009, p. 361). Brief description of the test set u p The Apparatus â€Å"A definitive test apparatus mainly consists of the following apparatus. Rigid split box that has a top and a bottom these are place inside a shear box carriage, which is box, shaped. The carriage rests on a pair of rollers that are aligned to move along two grooved tracks. The shear apparatus is controlled by a motor, which is also connected in the apparatus† (Huat, et al., 2005, p. 1284). The set up The test is carried out on three or four specimen taken from a comparatively undisturbed soil samples. The set-up of the test experiment follows the following procedures: 1. The first step is to weigh the initial mass of the soil sample 1. Next is to take the shear box’s measurements that are the diameter and height 2. From the measurements calculate what 15 percent of the diameter will be in millimeters 3. Next step involves assembling the shear box and placing it into the shear device. 4. Place a porous stone and a filter paper into the shear box 5. Pour the soil sample, for example sand, inside the shear box and remove the top layer to ensure it is level 6. Put a porous stone on top of the sand then cover it with a filter paper and then place the top plate which usually has a ball 7. After that take away the alignment screws that are in the shear box and using these screws open the gap that is between the two shear box halves to 0.025 inches. After that remove the screws from the gaps 8. Take the weight of the soil again and calculate the total mass of soil used 9. Finish assembling the device and set the three