Alcohol has become a socially acceptable part of society today. It’s available to anyone age 21 or older and can be found in many restaurants and stores. With its widespread availability and acceptance, can it really be that bad? Yes, it can.
According to a 2014 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 71 percent of adults (age 18 or older) drank within the past year, and 56.9 percent drank within the past month. Also within the past month, nearly 25 percent had engaged in binge drinking and nearly 7 percent in heavy drinking.
Alcohol can take a major toll on the body and mind leading to health problems such as liver damage, heart disease, cancer, and memory problems. It can result in impaired judgment, poor decision making, delayed reaction times, and poor coordination among other things. And there is always the risk for alcohol poisoning or harmful interactions with other drugs which can be potentially fatal.
Here are a few statistics from the NIAAA to put the dangers of alcohol in perspective:
- Approximately 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes every year
- Nearly 10,000 people (9,967) died from alcohol-impaired driving in 2014
- In 2012, 3.3 million people died globally from alcohol-related causes
- For people ages 15-49, alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature death and disability
- Alcohol misuse cost the United States $249 billion in 2010
- In 2012, more than 10 percent of children in the United States were living with a parent with alcohol problems
Only a fraction of people who could benefit from treatment for alcoholism receive it. Alcoholism is a treatable condition and recovery is possible. Make the choice to save your life and the lives of others by entering into a comprehensive treatment program at Above It All. We will work with you to overcome the challenges you face and create a recovery plan so that you can thrive in sobriety.
[cta] Fight back against the dangers of alcohol and enter into treatment at Above It All today. Recovery is possible. [/cta]