
How Dangerous Is Alcohol Really?
A simple internet search will reveal many scary facts about alcohol that you should be aware of for yourself and your loved ones. Alcohol consumption can affect a person’s life in many ways, both from a health perspective and due to actions it can cause, like drinking and driving. Alcohol dependence and substance abuse also have health risks over the long term.
Treatment is available if you want to know more about alcohol facts and statistics or need help with alcohol use disorders. At Muse Treatment, we have many addiction recovery program options regarding issues with both drugs and alcohol.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (NIAAA), “Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works.” What this amounts to is that alcohol consumption can cause short-term and long-term health risks that everyone should be aware of when they drink. Consuming alcohol is a very regular activity for a large part of our society, which leads to abuse and alcoholism often being swept under the rug. Alcoholism causes liver diseases, problems with balance, memory, and speech, and damage to many other organs and the central nervous system within the body.
4 Shocking Alcohol Facts You Should Know
You may not be aware of many signs of alcohol abuse that can help you understand why you or one of your loved ones is struggling with the effects of heavy drinking. Here are some scary facts about alcohol you should know:
- Binge drinking happens more often than most people think. Being a binge drinker is one of the signs of alcohol abuse. However, most people believe it constitutes having quite a few drinks in one sitting. In fact, as few as three drinks over a short period can be considered binging or heavy drinking.
- Most people don’t properly account for the number of drinks they’ve consumed when drinking alcohol. This means that a 12-ounce bottle of beer with 5% alcohol is considered one “drink.” If you’re drinking a craft beer on draft, the amount of alcohol is considerably more significant, as that’s typically 16 ounces and 6% or 7% alcohol. Another example is one shot of liquor, like vodka or rum. However, when you get a mixed drink, two or more shots will likely be added. So if you’re worried about the health risks of being a heavy drinker, or drinking and driving, think about how much alcohol and not how many “drinks” you’ve had in one night.
- Consuming alcohol is not actually good for you. Red wine, dark beers, and other types of alcohol get some credit for being good for you in various ways. This is only minimally true and does not usually outweigh the adverse effects alcohol has on the rest of your body, like liver diseases, especially given the amount of alcohol you would have to drink for the good effects to be beneficial truly.
- Overall, drinking alcohol is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. On the surface, it seems like most people are enjoying a drink or two without ill effects. However, drinking alcohol is the root cause of six deaths every day in the U.S. This includes all alcohol-related diseases and activities outside of drinking and driving.
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Muse Treatment Center Alcohol Programs
Alcohol addiction treatment programs are available at Muse Treatment, and we are ready to help you make a positive change in your life today. If you are a binge drinker and can’t stop on your own, our alcohol use disorders treatment options, including inpatient and outpatient programs, are flexible and customized for each client’s needs. Call us at (800) 426-1818 today to talk to one of our substance abuse treatment counselors who can walk you through all our care levels.