Effects of Alcohol Abuse
The Long-term Effects of Alcohol Abuse
If you visited your primary care physician recently, you were likely asked how many alcoholic beverages you drink in a week. Did you tell the truth when you answered? 32% of women and 50% of men lie to their doctors about their alcohol consumption. *
Why does your doctor need to know?
Physicians ask about your drinking because the amount and frequency of alcohol you consume produce significant effects on your overall health.
Your typical day includes a glass of wine or two with dinner. During the weekend, you attend a social event during which you drink a couple of cocktails or more. You never experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking. Your alcohol consumption hasn’t negatively affected your relationships. You’re not an alcoholic, right?
This may surprise you:
90% of excessive drinkers are not by definition alcoholics. You do not need to be an alcoholic for alcohol to take a heavy toll on your health and cause serious social problems. You also may not realize that alcohol (ethanol) is defined both as a drug and a toxin.
Excessive alcohol consumption, according to the CDC, is responsible for 88,000 deaths per year and costs the U.S. more than $200 billion annually
What is considered “a drink?”
A “drink” or “alcoholic beverage” is defined as 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. These all have an identical level of alcohol. It is a common misconception that wine, wine coolers, or even beer are not as dangerous as “hard” liquor. For that reason, they may be more dangerous.
How much alcohol is too much?
- A man drinking more than 14 alcoholic beverages a week
- Males and females metabolize alcohol quite differently. Women achieve higher blood alcohol levels than men by drinking the same amount of alcohol in the same amount of time
- Binge drinking in a typical adult involves consuming 5 or more alcoholic beverages (male), or 4 or more (female), in about 2 hours *
Alcohol Abuse Statistics
- In 2018, two-thirds (66.3%) of adults aged 18 and over consumed alcohol in the past year.
- Among adults aged 18 and over, 5.1% engaged in heavy drinking
- Non-Hispanic white adults (6.4%) were more likely than non-Hispanic black (2.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), and non-Hispanic Asian (2.0%) adults to engage in heavy drinking.
- Adults who regularly felt worried, nervous, or anxious, or who regularly felt depressed, were more likely than adults without these feelings to engage in heavy drinking in the past year.
- Adults who saw a doctor in the past year were as likely as adults who did not see a doctor to engage in heavy drinking *
What are some problems caused by too much drinking?
- Liver disease
- Cancer
- Brain and neurological damage
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Birth Defects
- Trauma
- Traffic accidents *
To continue reading this article, please go to newmethodwellness.com/long-term-effects-of-alcohol-abuse
- See also: