Alcoholism

Two new reports issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration give parents all the reason they need to crack down on teen drinking as a way of preventing alcoholism.

One of these new reports, Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use among Underage Drinkers, states that the ten million young Americans (ages 12 to 20) who report consumption of alcohol are drinking an average of six days a month, an average of nearly five drinks apiece each day.  This compares to 2.8 alcoholic drinks per day for drinkers aged 21 or older. This report also states that underage drinkers consume more than 11 percent of all the alcoholic drinks consumed in the United States.

The other new report, Substance Abuse and Dependence Following Initiation or Alcohol or Illicit Drug Use tells us that the overwhelming majority of those who start using alcohol are still using it a year or more later.

Around the country, millions of people celebrate holidays by staying out later than usual and having a few alcoholic drinks – or more than a few. A recent study shows that the addition of fatigue to alcoholic beverages means higher rates of driver error even with low levels of alcohol consumption – increasing the chance of accidents. 

Professional drivers in Australia were tested for their driving skills with zero, .03 and .05 blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) when they were well rested, and then were tested with a .03 BAC between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. after they had been up all day.

Just over five years ago a young man, whose family had high hopes for him and confidence in his abilities, returned from rehab in an attempt to clean up his act. 

Stan, as we'll call him, was just about to turn 21 and entered the treatment facility to escape charges of drunk driving.  The problem was that he was doing it for reasons other than for himself.

It didn't take long at all for his addiction to kick back in, in fact the flight attendant on the way home offered him a beer despite telling her that he had no money, was underage and just got out of rehab.  Then, back at home his "friends" threw him a welcome back party where he proceeded to get drunk.

"I just thought I was doing what college-aged guys were supposed to do," recalls Stan of his rocky past, "I didn't realize at the time how destructive my behavior was to myself and others."

For a person overcoming a drug or alcohol addiction this time of year can often be difficult. 

There are too many reminders of past transgressions against friends and family. There is also damage that has been caused to oneself, but probably the most difficult obstacle is the amount of alcohol consumed by others during the Holiday Season.

Being a legal drug, alcohol is so socially acceptable yet unbelievably destructive to our society at the same time.  According to the latest survey on national drug use statistics there are approximately 14 million Americans that have alcohol problems, let alone those addicted to other drugs.  Add on to that the damage caused and lives lost through drunk driving and other accidents and domestic abuse.

National survey reveals 55 million people are binge drinkers in the United States

The annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health released its findings last week and revealed that over 22 percent of the American population (55 million people) ages 12 and older were binge drinkers in the past month.  Binge drinking is defined as having five or more alcoholic beverages on the same occasion.  More than 7 million binge drinkers were under the age of 21.

The report also said that over 16 million people were heavy drinkers, which is defined as binge drinking at least five days in the past month.  These statistics were similar to the national estimates for the two previous surveys as well, showing little change in our nation's alcohol consumption.