| Alcohol Awareness Month |
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Some of you may remember those TV commercials that warned: "If you have to drink to be social, then that's not social drinking." Too bad we don’t have those anymore. More often now, we see ads for various drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities. But like most problems, alcoholism is best managed by preventing it, not treating its later stages. The problem with preventing alcoholism has a lot to do with our social mores and manners. Let's say you are out to dinner with friends and you drove. You notice one of your dinner companions is now up to the fifth glass of wine or beer. Since you are the driver, perhaps you feel no legal pressure to say something. It might seem rude to destroy the jovial dinner atmosphere with a suggestion to slow down the consumption.
In the United States, we are proud of our tolerance of various beliefs, traditions, and behaviors. We try to think the best of people. In particular, we have a strong societal tendency to avoid being judgmental of our friends. These attitudes are generally very positive and part of our strong belief in personal freedom. However, anyone who has witnessed the devastating effects of alcohol on personal health, family relationships, domestic violence, and employment knows that alcoholism is a terrible threat to individual and societal well-being.
Today, about 80,000 people die each year in the U.S because of excessive alcohol use. About 17% of men and 8% of women will become dependent on alcohol at some point in their lives. Acutely, excessive alcohol use can lead to alcohol poisoning, car accidents, violence, risky sexual behavior, unintentional injuries, stillbirths, and miscarriages. Long-term excessive use leads to major health risks of dementia, stroke, heart attack, hepatitis, cirrhosis, depression, anxiety, suicide, pancreatitis, gastritis, and cancer of mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon and breast. About 2 million Americans suffer from alcoholic liver disease alone, resulting in about 15-30,000 deaths annually. Claims that red wine may be beneficial for heart health are not well proven and daily intake above moderate levels (1-2 drinks per day for men and 1 for women) is definitely associated with increased health risks.
So instead of "Friends don't let friends drive drunk," how about "Friends encourage friends to limit drinking!"
By: the Physicians of Health Butler
[4/8/2011]