Often, a little more than enough drink can alter your behaviours in ways beyond your control. That, after a night of drinking, you wake up hungover and sometimes unable to recall the events of the previous night. Then, people begin to use the excuse of “it was the alcohol”, blaming the alcohol for their bad judgement.

Either way, it is undeniable that alcohol affects our decisions, such that we act in ways we usually wouldn’t. Some would say it “frees” us up to act carefree. It is important, therefore, to examine the influence of alcohol on the lives of drinkers as it relates to their decision-making.

Several studies have researched the influence of alcohol on the lives of people, but one study that holds is that alcohol doesn’t blunt out consciousness.

They argue that people despite being drunk remain aware of whatever decision they make at that moment. But what alcohol does is make them give no regard for the consequences of such action, they don’t bother with the consequences.

Alcohol furthermore, makes us reactive rather than proactive. It causes us to make immediate decisions that we would have rather thought through before attempting. When intoxicated, we are prone to irrational decisions rather than rational decisions.

Also, alcohol clouds the mind and makes people act without fear. A drunk person is more likely to jump off an unsafe cliff than a sober person. So, you can say alcohol gives us wings to fly, but in reality, the reverse is the case, as it is often applicable to negative circumstances.

Alcohol’s influence on our decisions is more inclined towards negative rather than positive impacts. The implications are often regretful and in some cases severe for individuals. In summary, alcohol makes an individual irrational in decision-making, caring not about the consequences of his/her actions led by the booze.

There exists an intricate link between alcohol and crime in every society. The effects of alcohol abuse are usually felt in society in various ways, but a standout one is the crime rate. Studies have shown someone under the influence of alcohol is likely to commit a crime than someone not under the influence of alcohol.

Therefore, preventive measures for alcohol abuse have also been said to help avert crime in society. Looking closely at this assertion, this article will highlight some ways in which preventing alcohol abuse can help reduce crime. Note that the implications of alcohol abuse prevention on crime rate may vary based on society and other circumstances.

Some ways in which preventing alcohol abuse can help avert crime include;

• Often, those who commit crimes are under the influence of alcohol, for alcohol devoid them of their rationality. People steal or rob to be able to afford their alcohol addiction, which means that a large population of burglary is related to alcohol abuse. Therefore, attempts to prevent alcohol abuse will reduce the burglary rate in the community.
• Controlling or preventing alcohol abuse also helps to reduce re-offence by offenders. This is because proper treatment for alcohol abusers will help them get over their addiction, which in turn reduces the likelihood of them committing a crime. A sober person retains his or her consciousness and regard for the consequences of his or her action.
• Sexual harassment crimes can be averted with the prevention of alcohol abuse. It is no secret that most sexual harassment offenders are under the influence of alcohol. This means therefore that, if alcohol abuse is reduced, sexual harassment crimes will equally be reduced.

In summary, alcohol abuse is a major issue facing world communities, which translates into a high rate of crime in most communities. But as discussed above, a proper and effective preventive mechanism for alcohol abuse will equally translate into a reduction of crime rate in most cases. So, a community seeking to avert crime should consider preventing alcohol abuse as an effective strategy.