Alcohol Information
Alcohol abuse, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Despite information to the contrary, alcoholism cannot be cured at this time. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn't mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem.
Alcohol Consumption
Moderate alcohol use, up to two drinks per day, is not considered harmful for most adults. Nonetheless, a large number of people get into serious trouble because of their drinking. According to the most current government information, nearly 14 million Americans, 1 in every 13 adults abuses alcohol or are alcoholic. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems.
The consequences of alcohol misuse are serious, in many cases, life threatening. Heavy drinking can increase the risk for certain cancers, especially those of the liver, esophagus, throat, and larynx. Heavy drinking can also cause liver cirrhosis, immune system problems, brain damage, and harm to the fetus during pregnancy. In addition, drinking increases the risk of death from automobile crashes as well as recreational and on-the-job injuries. According to the most current government information, both homicides and suicides are more likely to be committed by persons who have been drinking. In purely economic terms, alcohol-related problems cost society approximately $185 billion per year. In human terms, the costs cannot be calculated.
Moderate drinking is difficult to define because it means different things to different people. The term is often confused with social drinking, which refers to drinking patterns that are accepted by the society in which they occur. However, social drinking is not necessarily free of problems. Moderate drinking may be defined as drinking that does not generally cause problems, either for the drinker or for society.
Alcoholism is only one type of an alcohol problem. Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful. A person can abuse alcohol without actually being an alcoholic--that is, he or she may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol. Some of the problems linked to alcohol abuse include not being able to meet work, school, or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous for example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain medications.
For most adults, moderate alcohol use--up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people--causes few if any problems.
Certain people should not drink alcohol at all:
- Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- People who plan to drive or engage in other activities that require alertness and skill
- People taking certain over-the-counter or prescription medications
- People with medical conditions that can be made worse by drinking
- Recovering alcoholics
- People younger than age 21
Many medications can interact with alcohol, leading to increased risk of illness, injury, or death. For example, it is estimated that alcohol-medication interactions may be a factor in at least 25 percent of all emergency room admissions (1). An unknown number of less serious interactions may go unrecognized or unrecorded.
Alcohol Impairment Chart
blood alcohol level by body weight |
Source: University of Wisconsin Center for Health Sciences, 1988, and U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1992
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