Alcoholism Symptoms

Alcoholism Facts

Alcoholism Facts

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Random Alcoholism Facts:

These are some random alcoholism facts that you may find interesting:

  • Alcoholism is a disease.
  • 70% of all drinkers drink 10% of all the alcohol consumed in the United States. That means 30% of drinkers drink the other 90%!
  • There’s an estimated 18 million alcoholics in the U.S. alone.
  • Beer is the 4th most consumed beverage in the U.S. behind milk, coffee, and soda.
  • Alcohol is a leading cause of birth defects.
  • 55% of children will have had their first drink by the time they reach the 8th grade.
  • People with a high tolerance to alcohol, or a family history of alcoholism, have an increased risk of becoming alcoholics themselves.
  • There are over 1.4 million DUI’s every year.
  • If we’re intoxicated once a week or more, we increase our chance of cardiovascular death by 2.4 times.
  • Only 10-15% people who drink will become alcoholics.
  • Alcoholism is progressive and will get worse over time if untreated.
  • If we’re intoxicated, we increase our chance of having a stroke that day by 2-3 times in men, and 3-4 times on women.
  • Alcohol detoxification and withdrawals can be deadly, and should be taken very seriously.
  • Alcohol is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. and is responsible for killing over 100,000 people per year.

If someone has 2 drinks per day for 30 days, and someone else has 8 drinks every Friday for 30 days, who would you say is more likely to experience problems as a result of their drinking? If you thought the person having 8 beers every Friday, then you’re correct.

Alcoholism Facts: Biological Risks

Anyone can become an alcoholic, but someone with a family history of alcoholism has an increased risk. In a study, a group of young men between the ages of 18-22 were followed for 15 years. Some had a family history of alcoholism, some didn’t. The study found that those with a family history were 4 times more likely to become alcoholics. They also found that subjects with a high tolerance for alcohol at the beginning of the study were also 4 times more likely to develop alcoholism.

Another group, ages 20-35, were studied to examine how alcohol influences making “high-risk” choices. Research showed that only 21% of those without family history, or high tolerance had multiple problems with alcohol. 36% with one risk factor had multiple alcohol problems, and 60% with both risk factors had multiple issues. So, anyone can have problems with alcohol, but those with risk factors, and especially those with multiple risk factors, are much more likely to experience multiple problems.

Keep these Alcoholism Facts in mind the next time you have to make a decision when it comes to drinking.