Alexandrea Enfield

Zack De Piero
Writing 2
December 02, 2015

WP2: Anxiety Disorders and Alcoholisms Correlation

We have no say in which genes we get in life. We also have no say in which genes we
pass on to other life. Still, this does not stop people from blaming their parents for giving them
the bad nose gene, or the fat gene. Some genes that parents pass on to their children are
much shitter than others though, and it makes getting stuck with your dads big nose seem like a
good gene. For example, people suffering with anxiety disorders and/or alcoholism, may have
good reason to blame their shitty genes for their disorder. Many people with anxiety disorders
take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, and they decide to drink as a way to ease
tension within their lives. Unfortunately, alcohol and SSRIs do not mix well, and this particular
mixture can become addictive. When exploring the correlation of anxiety disorders and alcohol-from the perspective of biologists, psychiatrists, and pop culture -- the authors use of rhetorical
features and conventions, as well as the authors moves are crucial if he or she wants to gain a
certain reaction from the audience.
An authors use of rhetorical features varies on the structure that they want to build for their
article. In the Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety Disorders Among College Students: Effects of
Gender and Family History of Alcoholism article, or Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety, the
college that the authors attended are also listed. Possible Interaction of Alcohol Dehydrogenase
and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Genes With the Dopamine D2 Receptor Gene in AnxietyDepressive Alcohol Dependence, or Possible Interaction of Alcohol, includes a quick summary
of background information, methods, results, conclusions, and key words used throughout the
article, while Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety relies on the abstract. Comorbidity of Alcohol

and Anxiety had less background information to include, which could have been why the abstract
was a better choice than the more informed route that Possible Interaction of Alcohol took. Since
Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety is written by psychiatrists, they may have wanted to present
their information in a way that can be easily understood by more than just people within their
discipline. Possible Interaction of Alcohol is written by biologists, so they may have wanted to
present their information as formally as possible, since the material discussed in their article can
only be understood by people who have a keen understanding for biology. These articles both
have a section that discuss the methods, procedure, results, discussion, and references used in
their experiment.
The main differences presented are the subtitles that are included after each main title.
For example, under the title, methods, Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety includes the subtitles
of subjects, final sample, and psychiatric diagnoses. Under methods for Possible Interaction of
Alcohol, the subtitles subjects and clinical assessments, blood samples and DNA extraction,
genotyping of DRD2 TaqI A and TaqI B Polymorphisms, genotyping of ADH1B and ALDH2,
and statistical analyses exist. These subtitles are expected to vary because their main purpose is
to inform the audience about what will be covered within each section of the essay as precisely
as possible. When it comes to exploring the pop culture article, many differences exist because it
is an informal piece, written to entertain the audience. Elizabeth Vargas Leaves Vacation to Enter
Rehab for Alcohol Addiction, or Rehab for Alcohol, has a picture of the celebrity right
underneath the title. Keywords are written in blue ink and the article itself is fairly short. The
author is therefore better able to grasp and keep the attention of the readers. The article also
included her last tweet before rehab, which was of her tweeting her best regards to Robin
Williams family after his death. Another tweet included in the article was of a fan encouraging

her to keep fighting to beat her alcoholism. Since this article was written by US Weekly-a
famous pop culture magazine- the article includes advertisements and links to other local stories
on the side. The way the article is organized is reasonable, since many people skim these articles
to keep up with what is going on in the pop culture world.
Articles Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety and Possible Interaction of Alcohol are both
constructed in a similar format. They both rely on logos and ethos throughout the entire paper.
For example, the articles use ethos by including previous sources that have covered the topic of
alcohol in biology or psychology, to show their audience that they are a credible source. They
use logos by including facts about their experiment and their conclusions. Both articles also
include their own jargon since both disciplines are focused within the medical field and they can
assume that their audience understands this special language. According to Janet Boyd, jargon is
the terminology used by those in a particular profession or group to facilitate clear and precise
communication (Boyd, Page 89). Rehab for Alcohol incorporates ethos by including direct
quotes from Elizabeth, logos by including the facts about her alcoholism, and pathos by
including quotes from her family. For this article the use of ethos and pathos can be used to the
authors advantage, since the main point of the article is to inform and entertain the audience.
The authors moves--or choice of words and structure for their writing piece--varies
depending on their motives for their article. Looking at Rehab for Alcohol, the authors main
purpose for the piece is to update people who are interested in pop culture. The audience consists
of people who are fans of the show 20/20s co-anchor, Elizabeth Vargas. The authors moves
revolve around trying to entertain their audience. This is why the article is short, includes a
picture of Elizabeth herself, and uses blue ink for keywords. The authors try to make this article
more dramatic than it really is, which is why they include in the title that she left her vacation

with her family for rehab. The authors also uses direct quotes from Elizabeth stating "as so
many other recovering alcoholics know, overcoming the disease can be a long and incredibly
difficult process,"(Rehab for Alcohol). Including direct quotes from Elizabeth herself proves that
the magazine is credible in that they have direct evidence that the actress is an alcoholic and is
really going to rehab. This type of genre is capable of including direct quotes from people
because it is a more informal piece that does not have as many conventions that scholarly articles
have to follow. The articles authors also try to gain sympathy for Elizabeth by mentioning how
she has been to rehab before, but how difficult it was for her to leave behind her husband and
two young children, so she left early. Sympathy is also created for her by mentioning how she
struggled with panic attacks and an anxiety disorder young and she turned to alcohol in an
attempt to suppress these feelings. Perhaps the authors most dramatic move is the sly attempt to
compare Elizabeth to Robin Williams by including how he, was also a recovering alcoholic and
cocaine addict and suffered from depression (usmagazine.com). Also included, was her last
Tweet before rehab, which was her sending out her prayers to Robins family. A fan even
Tweeted back at her, Glad ur still with us, Elizabeth. Never give up the fight!
(usmagazine.com) The audience was probably satisfied with the article, since it was a straightforward piece with lots of optimism for her fans.
Exploring Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety now, the authors purpose of this article is
to explore if a correlation between anxiety disorders and alcoholism really does exist and if
gender and family history has any effect. The audience is mostly directed towards other
psychiatrists interested in this topic of research. The authors moves are more formal, because the
main purpose of this article is to inform the audience. Although this article focuses on a specific
topic, the authors want their experiment to show psychiatrists how, in discussing these results,

[they] emphasize issues relevant to identifying and distinguishing between interaction effects and
base-rate effects in comorbidity studies (article 1, page 543). The authors include many
different sources throughout the introductory paragraph to refer to various studies that have
already been conducted about this topic. Throughout the rest of the paper, many different tests
and interviews were reported and their original source was also recorded. This is a way for the
authors to prove to their audience that they have done their research and that they have enough
knowledge to conduct their experiment and to draw relevant and accurate conclusions. For
example, psychiatric diagnoses were assessed utilizing the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS,
Version III-A; Robins, Helzer, Croughan, & Ratcliff, 1981). This is a highly structured interview
originally designed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for use by lay
interviewers (article 1, page 545). It is important that the authors gain credibility and trust from
their audience, so the more detail, the better. With the nearly overwhelming amount of references
used, the audience is more likely to take the authors work more seriously.
The main purpose of Possible Interaction of Alcohol is to prove how alcohol can interfere
with the bodys genes and make-up, which explains why people suffering with anxiety have a
higher rate of becoming an alcoholic and vice versa. The likely audience is other biologists who
have a special interest in this topic. The authors moves are also more formal and the language
used throughout this article consists of scientific terms. This is a disadvantage to people who are
not well informed in the area of biology. For example, the authors include information including,
the functional polymorphism of the ADHIB gene (previously called ADH2) and the ADH1C
gene (previously called ADH3) (article 3, Page 375). The article also mentions previous studies
that have been conducted on this topic. The article is very informative, includes many references,

and has a good team of researchers and authors for the paper, so it can be assumed that the
audience will see this article as a major contribution to the biology field.
Non-academic articles have the ability to reach a much larger audience. This is because
non-academic articles usually include a much simpler language and is usually written to entertain
people. Scholarly articles are usually more exclusive. They usually include their own terms and
concepts that only people who have studied within that subject can understand. It is also assumed
that when people read these articles they already have some background information on the
subject or topic. They inform their audience more in depth and have more precise and specific
details. They also have more credibility than non-academic articles because they have to do
research before conducting their own experiment, and because the articles include a section for
references used. People who have some background information or who are experts in a certain
area of study, such as biology, would find a scholarly article to be more persuasive than a nonacademic article. Someone without much prior knowledge in biology would most likely find the
non-academic article to be more persuasive, because when people can comprehend what they are
reading, they are more likely to find the material to be persuasive.
The limitations set by scholarly articles and non-academic articles are actually quite
significant. For example, if a student needs to conduct research for their own discipline, they will
know that they should study scholarly articles. These can be much more trusted and the student
can explore the thoughts of other intelligent people within their own discipline. People know to
turn to scholarly articles when they want to become an expert in a certain field and to gain as
much knowledge as possible in that subject. Non-academic articles are there when people want
to be slightly informed on a subject. Someone may just have extra time and want to be informed

about what is going on in the world. Non-academic articles are more focused on entertaining
their audience than informing their audience in depth.
Scholarly articles and non-academic articles are two different genres that are both
important in informing their audience. Scholarly articles serve to inform disciplines, while nonacademic articles serve to entertain a much broader audience. Scholarly articles written by
biologists and psychiatrists include similar and differing rhetorical features and conventions, and
moves than non-academic articles focused on pop culture. Exploring how anxiety disorders and
alcoholism correlate can be thoroughly explored when looking at it from a biologists,
psychiatrists, and even a pop culture experts perspective.

Works Cited
1. Boyd Janet. Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking).San Francisco: Creative Commons, 2011.Print.
2. Chou Yuan-Hwa, Huang San-Yuan, Ko Huei-Chen, Lee Jia-Fu, Lin Wei-Wen, Wang Tso-Jen, Yin
Shih-Jiun, Lu Ru-Band. Possible Interaction of Alcohol Dehydrogenase and Aldehyde
Dehydrogenase Genes With the Dopamine D2 Receptor Gene in Anxiety-Depressive Alcohol
Dependence. Onlinelibrary.wiley.Volume 28, No. 3.Alcholism:Clinical and Experimental
Research. November 12,2015.
3. Kusher G. Matt, Sher J. Kenneth. Comorbidity of Alcohol and Anxiety Disorders Among
College Students: Effects of Gender and Family History of Alcoholism. ac.els-cdn.com.Volume
18.Pergamon Press Ltd. 1993.November 12,2015.
4. Yahoo! Celebrity Staff. Elizabeth Vargas Leaves Vacation to Enter Rehab for Alcohol
Addiction. usmagazine. November 12,2015.

Table of Textual Features

Did Not Meet

Met Expectations

Exceeded

Expectations
Thesis Statement
Use of Textual Evidence
from Genres
Use of Course Readings
Analysis
Organization/Structure
Attention to
Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors
Sentence-level Clarity,
Mechanics, Flow

Other Comments

Expectations