Alcohol Use and Your Health

FACTS

Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive alcohol use led to more than 140,000 deaths and 3.6 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2015 – 2019, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 26 years. Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 5 deaths among adults aged 20-49. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were estimated at $249 billion, or $2.05 a drink.

 

WHAT IS A STANDARD DRINK?

A standard drink in the United States contains 0.6 ounces (14.0 grams or 1.2 tablespoons) of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in

• 12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol content).
• 8 ounces of malt liquor (7% alcohol content).
• 5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol content).
• 1.5-ounces of 80-proof (40% alcohol content) distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey).

WHAT IS EXCESSIVE DRINKING?

Excessive drinking includes binge, heavy, and any drinking by pregnant women or people younger than age 21.

• Binge drinking, the most common form of excessive drinking, is defined as consuming:

• • For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion.
  • For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion.
• Heavy drinking is defined as consuming:
• • For women, 8 or more drinks per week.
  • For men, 15 or more drinks per week.

Most people who drink excessively are not alcoholics or alcohol-dependent.

WHAT IS MODERATE DRINKING?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink or drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less per day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women. The Guidelines also do not recommend that individuals who do not drink alcohol start drinking for any reason and that if adults of legal drinking age choose to drink alcoholic beverages, drinking less is better for health than drinking more.

Some people should not drink any alcohol, including those who are:

• Younger than age 21.
• Pregnant or may be pregnant.
• Driving, planning to drive, or participating in other activities requiring skill, coordination, and alertness.
• Taking certain prescription or over-the-counter medications that can interact with alcohol.
• Suffering from certain medical conditions.
• Recovering from alcoholism or being unable to control the amount they drink.

Adhering to the Dietary Guidelines can reduce the risk of harm to yourself or others.

SHORT-TERM HEALTH RISKS

Excessive alcohol use has immediate effects that increase the risk of many harmful health conditions. These are most often the result of binge drinking and include the following:

 

• Injuries include motor vehicle crashes, falls, drownings, and burns.
• Violence includes homicide, suicide, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence.
• Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency that results from high blood alcohol levels.
• Risky sexual behaviors, including unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners, can result in unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
• Miscarriage and stillbirth or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) among pregnant women.

LONG-TERM HEALTH RISKS

Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems, including:

 

• High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive issues.
• Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
• Weakening of the immune system – increasing the chances of getting sick.
• Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.
• Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.
• Social issues, including family problems, job-related problems, and unemployment.
• Alcohol use disorders, or alcohol dependence.

WHAT ABOUT TREATMENT?

Treatment is available for alcohol use disorder, and treatment is effective.  Sometimes treatment needs to begin with detoxification from alcohol.  And sometimes, that requires hospitalization because suddenly stopping drinking alcohol for someone who has been a heavy drinker can cause seizures.  But most times, detoxification can be done as an outpatient.  As far as treatment, medications are used that decrease the desire to drink and reduce the pleasure derived from the use of alcohol.

In addition to medications, counseling is used to learn different ways to reorganize life in a way that doesn’t center around alcohol.  Twelve-step programs are also an effective therapy for alcohol use disorder.

The most important thing to remember is alcohol use disorder is a chronic brain disease – not due to a moral failure or a lack of willpower.  It is due to altered biochemistry in the brain, and until the alcohol is removed from the body and the body is given a chance to heal itself, the brain and the mind cannot return to a more healthy state.

 

 Ten Fast Facts About Alcohol    –   Did you know?

1. 75% of esophageal cancers are attributable to chronic excessive alcohol consumption.
2. Nearly 50% of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx are associated with heavy drinking
3. Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with a 10% increase in a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
4. Heavy chronic drinking contributes to approximately 65% of all cases of pancreatitis.
5. Among emergency room patients admitted for injuries, 47% tested positive for alcohol, and 35% were intoxicated; of those who were intoxicated, 75% showed signs of chronic alcoholism.
6. There are more deaths and disabilities each year in the U.S. from substance abuse than from any other cause.
7. As many as 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis.
8. As many as 36% of the cases of primary liver cancer are linked to chronic heavy drinking.
9. Alcoholics are 10 times more likely to develop carcinoma than the general population.
10. Accidents related to alcohol use are among the leading causes of death for teens.

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol-Related Disease Impact Application website. Accessed April 19, 2022