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About Alcohol
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Did you know?
- 3 in 10 Americans have a drinking pattern that puts them at risk and 1 in 25 deaths internationally are linked to alcohol use.
- The amount and frequency of alcohol use play a big role in health problems
like liver disease; cancers of the mouth, stomach and breast; and addiction.
- Alcohol disease is treatable.
- Alcoholism is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
- Families with an alcoholic member have twice the average health care bill that
other families do, and healthcare costs of untreated alcoholics are 100% higher
non-alcoholics.
- Estimates are that in Gallatin County, only 10% of the people with a
substance use disorder (alcohol and other drugs), actually receive the
treatment they need.
That means, most who need help do not get it. (Make
a donation to support our work).
The US Government defines moderate drinking for the general population, age 65 and under as
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Men 2
standard drinks per day, no more than 4 drinks on any one occasion
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Women
1 standard drink per day, no more than 3 drinks any one occasion.
- Senior Citizens should drink no more than 1 standard drink per
occasion.
- There are no healthy drinking levels for youth under 21, pregnant women, or recovering alcoholics and addicts.
Can't stick to those limits or less? Try this
free, quick and private screening tool.
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What constitutes
a standard drink may surprise you. It's 14 grams of alcohol which means:
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Cutting
to within the "limits" is not risk-free. For instance, motor vehicle
crashes
and other problems can occur at a BAC of .02.
In addition, many medications should not be mixed with
alcohol.
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Levels of use
- People who abstain are those who consume no alcohol.
People may choose to abstain because of religious proscription, because of not liking
the taste, or because they have been influenced by a friend of family members�
problems with alcohol and have made a conscious choice not to go there.
- Low-risk drinkers
consume alcohol at or below American Medical Association (AMA) recommendations.
A person drinks at low-risk levels if they experience no negative consequences as
a result of their alcohol consumption.
- At-risk or hazardous drinkers
drink alcohol at amounts above those recommended by the AMA. �Risky drinkers�
are people who may have experienced a negative
consequence or two, but may not.
- Alcohol abusers
have experienced repeated alcohol-related negative consequences such as
accidents, injuries, problems in school, behavioral problems, etc.
- Dependent drinkers
are unable to control their alcohol use, have experienced repeated adverse
consequences, are preoccupied with alcohol use, and may have evidence of
physical tolerance or withdrawal.
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