Alcohol Awareness

"Since nothing can change what took place in the past, it is hoped that all of the state and federal prisoners who abused drugs and/or alcohol in the past have access to alcoholism and alcohol abuse programs as well as to substance abuse and addiction treatment while they are still in prison."

"Fortunately, research is helping to define the barriers that exist in accessing care and achieving recovery from alcohol abuse and alcoholism."

"In the U.S., absenteeism among alcoholics or problem drinkers is 3.8 to 8.3 times greater than absenteeism among non-alcoholics or among those who are not problem drinkers."

"U.S. research shows that women tend to have a higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders and more severe mental health problems. These co-occurring problems may make it harder for women to find and follow through with alcohol treatment."

"The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has established procedures for mandatory alcohol testing that require the employment of a standardized breathalyzer. The categories of testing that are allowed by the DOT are the following: random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident."

"Lack of parental support, monitoring, and communication have been significantly related to frequency of drinking, heavy drinking, and drunkenness among adolescents. Harsh, inconsistent discipline and hostility or rejection toward children have also been found to significantly predict adolescent drinking and alcohol-related problems."

"In the United States, research has demonstrated that continued alcohol abuse is one of the major risk factors for violence in intimate relationships."

"A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report shows one-fourth of all U.S. traffic deaths among children (under age 15) involved alcohol. Children were most often in a car driven by a drunk driver and unrestrained."

"In the United States, males are more likely to be dependent on illicit drugs and alcohol than females. The opposite is true of dependency on prescription medication."

"It is estimated that more than 3 million teenagers in the U.S. between the ages of 14 and 17 are problem drinkers."

"Knowing the warning signals of alcohol use in your teen can help lead to early intervention, and can make a huge difference in your child's recovery."

"It is important to note that alcohol overdose doesn't only occur from any one heavy drinking incident, but may also occur from a constant infusion of alcohol in the blood stream."

"According to the CQ Researcher, by the time U.S. teenagers reach driving age they will have seen 75,000 ads for alcohol."

"In some areas, part of the DUI school curriculum puts offenders face to face with victims, who tell their painful stories of how a drunk driver changed their lives forever. The idea is that personalizing the pain that drinking and driving can cause might make the offender stop and think before getting behind the wheel after drinking."

"Alcohol-related accidents are so prevalent, an estimated 40 percent of all persons in the United States will be involved in a traffic mishap blamed on alcohol at some point in their lives."

"Knowing the warning signals of alcohol use and abuse in your teen can help lead to early intervention, and can make a huge difference in your child's recovery."

"Alcohol abuse in the workplace basically has two main focal points: the first concerns working while under the influence of alcohol and the second concerns actual drinking on the job."

"American alcohol-related crashes kill someone every 22 minutes. One of every 50 drivers is drunk. This number increases to one out of 10 on weekend nights."

"The damage caused by alcohol impaired drivers in the United States compares to a Boeing 747 with more than 500 passengers crashing every eight days killing everyone on board."

"Drinkers who experience blackouts usually drink excessively and too quickly, a combination that results in relatively fast increases in a person's blood alcohol concentration. Due to the fact that an alarming number of college students engage in binge drinking, students who engage in this form of college alcohol abuse may be at increased risk for experiencing blackouts."

"According to the alcohol addiction research literature, when drug addiction and alcoholism are treated as chronic, long term, and relapsing illnesses, rehab and treatment success rates are similar to those regarding other chronic health conditions. The good news, however, is this: as medical and addiction research progresses, better, more effective, and more successful drug addiction and alcoholism rehab and treatment protocols are being developed every year."

"Research shows that as people age, it takes fewer drinks to become intoxicated, and organs can be damaged by smaller amounts of alcohol than in younger people. Also, up to one-half of the 100 most prescribed drugs for older people react adversely with alcohol."

"According to the research literature, in the U.S., alcohol is linked with an estimated 5,000 deaths in people under age 21 each year. This is more deaths than from all the illegal drugs combined."

"Children who are drinking alcohol by 7th grade are more likely to suffer employment problems, abuse other drugs, and commit criminal and violent acts once they reach young adulthood, according to a RAND Health study."

"Drug and alcohol abuse statistics reveal that more than 67% of the funding for drug and alcohol treatment programs comes from public sources. Private insurance pays for about 14% of these services and the patients pay for about 10%."

"Whether a baby's alcohol or drug-caused health problems will continue as the child grows older is not always known. Medical research does show, however, that children born to mothers who used marijuana and or alcohol regularly during pregnancy may have trouble concentrating, when they get older."

"Alcohol withdrawal symptoms rarely occur in people who only drink once in a while. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually occur in people who have been drinking heavily for weeks or months and then suddenly stop drinking."

"This is some information about alcohol and drug testing that many people don't know about. Not only are employers implementing drug and alcohol tests for their employees, but when their workers go the hospital emergency room, if there is an indication that the person has been drinking or has taken drugs, alcohol tests and/or drug tests are administered."

"The findings of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction demonstrated that, while millions of Americans habitually drink alcohol, swallow prescription drugs, smoke pot, and snort cocaine, a number of drug users who meet or exceed the standards that indicate that they need professional treatment do not realize or accept the fact that they have a drug or an alcohol abuse problem."

"Alcohol abuse and alcoholism research shows that drinking alcohol can produce noticeable memory effects after just a couple of drinks (that is, moderate drinking). As the person continues to drink, moreover, so does the degree of memory "problems."

"According to U.S. research, heavy alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure even in people with no history of heart disease."

"Hangovers are another effect that occurs after large amounts of alcohol are consumed. Symptoms include headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness, and fatigue."

"The findings of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction demonstrated that, while millions of Americans habitually drink alcohol, swallow prescription drugs, smoke pot, and snort cocaine, a number of drug users who meet or exceed the standards that indicate that they need professional treatment do not realize or accept the fact that they have a drug or an alcohol abuse problem."

"Fetal alcohol syndrome is a combination of physical and mental birth defects that affects about 6% of the babies born to U.S. women who are alcohol abusers or alcoholics."

"According to SAMHSA's 2002 and 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual average of 4.2 million persons aged 16 to 20 reported driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs during the past year. About 169,000 of these persons (4%) reported that they had been arrested and booked for DUI/ DWI involving alcohol or drugs in the past year."

"Alcohol abuse and alcoholism research has shown that even though they use alcohol in an unhealthy and damaging manner, individuals who suffer from alcohol abuse do not necessarily develop a physical dependence upon alcohol."

"If you drink to an excess, you may consume more alcohol than your body can metabolize and eliminate. Under these circumstances, the body and the brain may become "overloaded" and result in alcohol poisoning. If the amount of alcohol is great enough, the body and the brain will 'shut down' and the person can die as a result."

"In the U.S., a clear relationship exists between alcohol use and grade point average among college students. Students with grade point averages of D or F drink three times as much as those who earn As."

"As people age, it takes fewer drinks to become intoxicated, and organs can be damaged by smaller amounts of alcohol than in younger people. Also, up to one-half of the 100 most prescribed drugs for older people react adversely with alcohol."