Alcohol Awareness Month
Alcohol has been part of the tapestry of human life for thousands of years. Fermented beverages date back to China from around 7,000 B.C. Time has brought nearly every civilization and culture “a drink” which down the road turned into extreme consumption. For example, in the eighteenth century gin consumption reached eighteen million gallons in Britain, lighting alcoholism on fire. The nineteenth century brought a push to moderate consumption, leading to prohibition in the U.S. in the twentieth century. However, the illegal making and selling of alcohol boomed and by 1933 prohibition came to an end.
“The drink” is everywhere. It is in grocery stores, convenient stores, Wal-Marts, and restaurants; it’s on airplanes, offered at holiday gatherings and life events, and of course, it’s at the obvious, bars and liquor stores. Alcohol affects people from all walks of life. Consumed in excess, alcohol is poisonous and is considered a drug. It is estimated that between 18 million – or one in 12 adults – in the U.S. abuse alcohol or are chronic alcoholics. Nearly 100,000 Americans die each year as a result of alcohol abuse. Alcohol is a factor in more than half of the country’s homicides, suicides, and traffic accidents. Alcohol abuse also plays a role in many social and domestic problems, from job absenteeism and crimes against property to spousal and child abuse. Alcohol has been around for millennia. It isn’t going away, so bringing awareness to the forefront is the best way to get a handle on alcohol use and its affects.
What is “a drink”?
In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a standard drink contains 0.6 ounces (1.2 tablespoons) of pure alcohol. This amount of pure alcohol is found in:
- 12 ounces of beer (equates to 5% alcohol content)
- 8 ounces of malt liquor (equates to 7% alcohol content)
- 5 ounces of wine (equates to 12% alcohol content)
- 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor such as, gin, rum, vodka, whiskey (equates to 40% alcohol content)
How much is too much?
- Men – drinking more than 15 drinks per week
- Women – drinking more than 12 drinks per week
- More than 5 drinks per day at least once a week (binge drinking)
- A parent with Alcohol Use Disorder
Potential effects of alcohol use on the body:
- Liver damage
- Cirrhosis of the liver (liver scarring)
- Depression
- Stomach ulcers
- Bleeding ulcers
- Pancreatitis
- High blood pressure
- Heart failure
- Diabetes
- Changes in brain cognition
Behaviors of Alcohol Use Disorder:
- Drinking alone
- Needing to drink more to feel the effects of alcohol
- Violent or angry reactions with alcohol use
- Defensive reaction when asked about alcohol consumption
- Poor diet choices or lack of appetite
- Neglect personal hygiene
- Missing work or school
- Making excuses to drink
- Inability to control alcohol intake
- Withdrawl from family and friends
- Depression and anxiety
- Low self esteem
People with Alcohol Use Disorder may exhibit the following:
- Alcohol cravings
- Withdrawl symptoms when not drinking – shaking, nausea and vomiting
- Tremors
- Lapses in memory or blacking out after a night of drinking
Alcohol use in a sense has become commonplace in our society. It is important to keep a check on your use and behavior when drinking. It’s easy to take alcohol for granted, and without even realizing it fully, the addictive affects can sneak up and overtake your life. Be careful. We strongly encourage to really pay attention to what you are doing and how much you are doing it. Sometimes it’s hard to draw the line between safe alcohol use and misuse.
If you are concerned in the least bit about the affects alcohol may be having on your health and life, there is help. Doctors on Call is here to answer your questions, field your concerns, and address treatment if needed. Call for an appointment today: 330-386-6339. As well, provided is a link for further information and multiple hotlines. Awareness and prevention are in your control. Visit http://addictionblog.org/support/alcohol-hotline/
2 comments
Well I can’t drink, it makes me sick, even one drink. And if you asked me when I went in this last time to the hospital whether I had a drinking problem, or thought I did… I’d react with venomous anger. That’s because it’s been tried before to dismiss me as a drunk when my problem was physical. I display many of the behaviors and infirmities mentioned here, and it’s because of NAFLD, not alcohol. If my Celiac had been properly diagnosed, I wouldn’t be displaying so many similar behaviors. But my body hurts like a hangover all the time (I only managed a hangover once when I was young). I hope that after a year off gluten it will stop.
If I drank one drink every day, I’d be puking every day. Yet when I go to the hospital thinking I might have a brain aneurysm, I’ve NEVER had a brain scan in more than 10 visits to the ER – thinking I was going to die. My stepfather was brain scanned multiple times with the same symptoms. They believed him.. but I was dismissed as hysterical I guess. Sometimes they ignored me for hours – the longest was a 5 hour wait in the ER bed, I already had a room, before the doctor showed up. Then he gave me a single benzo pill and send me home. That’s a clear indication he thinks I’m a drunk, isn’t it?
This pattern repeated often, until now if someone suggests it, they get a lecture on how women’s health is being labeled hysterical instead of being treated. And how doctors are trained to see a fat middle aged woman as likely to make stuff up to get attention.
Well I can think of much more fun things to do.
Thank you Angelica for your response and story. This may be helpful for others with similar experiences. Appreciated!