Quit Drinking

"Do you want to drink less alcohol or refrain from drinking entirely? Do you want to stop your alcohol abuse? There are many reasons why you may want to reduce your drinking or stop drinking. For example, you may want to sleep better, get along better with your family and friends, or improve your health. You may also want to have more control over your finances and perhaps have a better, more realistic perspective about life. Make a list stating why you want to drink less or quit entirely and then follow through with your drinking 'plan.'"

"Alcoholism research has shown that for drinkers who are interested in finding out if their drinking has crossed the line from abuse to alcoholism or alcohol addiction, there is a common-sense question that might provide the answer to this question. In a word, if an individual has to ask the above question, he or she probably has a serious drinking problem that more likely than not may be alcoholism. Typical drinkers usually don't wonder if their drinking is a problem. Indeed, they rarely, if ever, think about it."

"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."

"Do you fail to inform your doctor that you are a regular drinker? Do you drink and drive, mix alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medicine, or operate machinery" Do you drink alcohol while you are in charge of the lives of small children? Are you pregnant or are trying to become pregnant and drink? If you answered in the affirmative to any of these questions, you are taking risks with alcohol and you may be a problem drinker."

"Research shows that alcohol abuse costs U.S. businesses twice as much as illegal drug use."

"Data from several national alcohol abuse surveys indicate that about four in five college students drink and that about half of college student drinkers engage in heavy episodic alcohol consumption."

"The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws have saved 21,887 lives since the mid-1970s."

"According to recent government statistics, 8.1 million people in the United States are alcoholic."

"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."

"Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. People other than the drinking driver paid $71.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill, which is 63 percent of the total cost of these crashes."

"U.S alcohol abuse and alcoholism research has shown that chronic alcohol abusers have a particularly high risk for adverse side effects from consuming alcohol while taking certain antibiotics. These side effects include flushing, headache, nausea, and vomiting."

"Alcohol withdrawal is treated by oral or IV hydration along with medications that reverse the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. The most common medications used to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms are benzodiazepines."

"According to a 2007 Science Daily report, previous studies have found that alcohol use reaches its peak level during and immediately after high school graduation and remains high through the age of 25."

"Alcoholics need to seek medical assistance immediately so that their healthcare provider can assess the severity of their withdrawal symptoms and recommend the best and most effective option for treatment."

"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."

"An estimated 6.6 million American children under 18 live in households with at least one alcoholic parent."

"Studies have shown that inpatient detoxification programs are more effective and longer lasting than outpatient detox programs. The important issue here, however, is the following: the more severe the alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms, the more likely that inpatient detox programs should be used."

"According to criminal statistics, alcohol is a factor in nearly half of the accidental deaths, suicides, and murders in the U.S."

"Does drinking strong coffee or taking a cold shower have an effect on the person who is drunk? The answer is yes - the result being an alert, cold, and wet drunk. Time, and only time can sober a person up."

"According to a 2007 Science Daily report, school age kids with multiple reasons to drink, including reasons related to coping with life, show the heaviest and most problematic drinking behaviors."

"According to research statistics, U.S. alcoholics spend four times the amount of time in a hospital as non-drinkers, mostly from drinking-related injuries."

"While some studies show that moderate drinking may have some health benefits, most doctors do not recommend that you start drinking for your heart or other health reasons. In a word, the risks of drinking alcohol usually outweigh any benefits."

"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."

"According to alcohol abuse and alcoholism research, long-term alcohol use may physically affect the brain. Studies have reported less blood flow in the front lobes of the brain, which may reflect links and problems to deeper levels in the brain."

"Regardless of how someone is diagnosed as alcohol dependent or how they came to realize they have a serious drinking problem, the first step to treatment is a sincere desire to get help. Alcoholics who are pressured into treatment by social pressure or forced to quit by others rarely succeed in the long run."