In the United States, a standard drink contains about fourteen grams (about 0.6 fluid ounces) of pure alcohol. The following beverages contain approximately equal amounts of alcohol and are approximately standard drink equivalents: …
After caffeine, alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the United States. It is legal, generally acceptable (in moderate amounts), readily available, and relatively inexpensive. Although researchers frequently count how many people are drinking and how often, the statistics do not necessarily reflect the true picture of alcohol consumption in the United States. People tend to underreport their …
When most people think about how alcohol affects them, they think of a temporary light-headedness or a hangover the next morning. Many are also aware of the serious damage that continuous, excessive alcohol use can do to the liver. Alcohol, however, affects many organs of the body and has been linked to cancer, mental and/or physical retardation in newborns, heart disease, and other health problem…
The results of scientific research have helped health care practitioners and the general public understand more specifically both the positive and the negative health consequences of drinking alcoholic beverages. Table 3.9 summarizes the major disease and injury conditions related to alcohol and the proportions attributable to alcohol worldwide. As Table 3.10 notes, about one-fifth of mouth and th…
Because alcohol is easily available and such an accepted part of American social life, people often forget that it is a drug. When someone takes a medication while drinking alcohol, he or she is taking two drugs. Alcohol taken in combination with other drugs, such as an illegal drug like cocaine, an over-the-counter drug like cough medicine, or a prescription drug like an antibiotic, may find the …
In the United States 19,928 people died of alcohol-induced causes in 2002 (Kochanek et al., "Deaths: Final Data for 2002," National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 53, no. 5, October 12, 2004). This category included deaths from dependent use of alcohol, nondependent use of alcohol, and accidental alcohol poisoning. It excluded accidents, homicides, and other causes indirectly related…
The association between alcohol and unintentional injury has long been recognized. A passage in an Egyptian papyrus from 1500 B.C., for example, warned that drinking could lead to falls and broken bones. Short-term effects of alcohol include diminished motor coordination and balance, and impaired attention and judgment. Alcohol contributes to many types of unintentional injuries: motor vehicle and…
In 2002, 33.4% of convicted jail inmates reported that they had been under the influence of alcohol alone (not in combination with any other drug) when they committed their offenses. This figure has decreased since 1996. A higher percentage of jail inmates used alcohol when committing a violent offense than did those committing other types of crimes, such as property or drug offenses. (See Table 3…
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