Alcohol
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Alcohol has been used for centuries in social, medical, cultural, and religious settings. Most Americans believe alcohol can be used responsibly by adults for social and religious purposes. However, alcohol can also be used to excess resulting in health, social, legal, and other problems. Students may receive conflicting messages about alcohol from the news media, school, their friends, and their parents. On the one hand, they hear that moderate alcohol use is acceptable, and in some instances may actually be good for your health; on the other hand, they are told that alcohol is a drug that requires abstinence until age 21 (for US, other rules apply to other countries). In addition, advertisements and media images often present alcohol as a means to success and an enjoyable life. These conflicting messages, combined with misunderstandings and misinformation, do not help students make responsible decisions about alcohol use.
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Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Unfortunately, much of the current alcohol abuse information, such as the dangers of alcohol abuse, does not make a major impact on some people until relevant alcohol abuse statistics or important facts regarding the abuse of alcohol are presented.
As a result, the following alcohol abuse information will be articulated. According to a study undertaken by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in 2005, the following alcoholism and alcohol abuse statistics were discovered:
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Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse cost the United States an estimated $220 billion in 2005. This dollar amount was more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) and obesity ($133 billion).
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Every day in the U.S. more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink.
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The 25.9% of underage drinkers who are alcohol abusers and alcohol dependent drink 47.3% of the alcohol that is consumed by all underage drinkers.
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Every year in the U.S. more than 150,000 college students develop health problem that are alcohol-related.
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The 9.6% of adult alcoholics drink 25% of the alcohol that is consumed by all adult drinkers.
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American youth who drinking before the of age 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics than young people who do not drink before the age of 21.
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Every year, 1,400 American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related inadvertent injuries, including motor vehicle accidents.
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In the United States during 2004, 16,694 deaths occurred as a result of alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes. This amount was approximately 39% of all traffic fatalities. This amounts to one alcohol-related death every 31 minutes.