Do You Have a Problem With Alcohol?
August 27, 2011 in Tobacco & Alcohol Issues
Most Americans drink. In fact, national surveys have shown that more than half of all Americans consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. Drinking small amounts of alcohol can actually be healthy. People who consume one drink per day actually have a lower risk of developing heart disease than do non-drinkers. On the other hand, excessive drinking can greatly increase your risk of developing alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, cancer, suicide and many other problems.
How much is one drink?
The size of one drink depends on what form of alcohol you consume. One drink is:
- 12 ounces of beer
- 8 ounces of malt liquor
- 5 ounces of wine
- 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor
What is moderate drinking?
Moderate drinking is defined as…
- Up to one drink per day, on average, for a woman
- Up to two drinks per day, on average, for a man
What is heavy or excessive drinking?
Heavy or excessive drinking is when, on average, men consume more than 2 drinks per day and women consume more than 1 drink per day.
What is binge drinking?
Binge drinking is when you drink to get “drunk”. It is typically considered binge drinking when men consume more than 4 drinks on a single occasion and women consume more than 3 drinks on a single occasion, generally over a period of about 2 hours.
Do you have a drinking problem?
Drinking problems can come in many forms. If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may have a drinking problem:
- Do you frequently have more than 1 drink a day?
- Do you practice binge drinking?
- Do you drink to “calm your nerves”, “relax”, “forget about your troubles”, or “to keep from being sad”?
- Do you feel like you need alcohol?
- Do you ever lie about or hide your drinking habits?
- Do you ever drink fast, chug or gulp down your drinks?
- Do you fail work, school or family responsibilities because of drinking?
- Do you have social, medical or financial problems because of drinking?
What health problems may occur because of my drinking problem?
Excessive drinking causes more than 75,000 deaths per year in the U.S. and 72% of the deaths are men. Less than half of alcohol-related deaths are due to chronic conditions, including liver disease (alcoholic cirrhosis). Slightly more than half of alcohol-related deaths are due to acute conditions, including motor vehicle crashes.
