Key Alcohol Info

image: doctor holding hand of alcoholic image: female jogger depressed over drinking image: nurse checking old female alcoholic image:  old female alcoholic looking lost
 

Key Alcohol Info

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image: lady in black dress drinking a mixed drinkAccording to the alcohol consumption research literature, people have been drinking alcohol and have been aware of some of the negative consequences of excessive alcohol consumption for almost three thousand years.  In other words, alcohol consumption has been a part of human history for hundreds of years before Christ.

Why is it, then, that millions of people throughout the world continue to suffer from abusive, irresponsible, and hazardous drinking and serious drinking problems?  Is alcohol consumption unhealthy or is it the amount of alcohol that is consumed that is the important issue?  Can a "problem drinker" drink in moderation?  Please continue reading for more relevant alcohol info concerning the uses and the abuses of alcohol and info about alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

The Beneficial and Harmful Aspects of Alcohol Consumption

image: businessman in agony from excessive drinkingAlcohol consumption research shows that although alcohol has been used in a multitude of different ways throughout much of human history that can be called beneficial or "useful," it is significant to call attention to the fact that many hundreds of years ago some attentive and perceptive individuals pointed out some of the negative consequences of excessive drinking and abusive alcohol consumption.

For instance, a recently found Chinese text written approximately 650 B.C. not only declared how hard it was for people at that time to do without beer but it also included warnings about the "abuse" of beer.

Two or three hundred years later, moreover, two great Greek philosophers, namely Plato and Aristotle, were openly critical of public displays of drunkenness.

It is with a certain degree of irony, therefore, that despite the fact that many of the negative consequences of excessive alcohol consumption and abusive drinking have been known for centuries, binge drinking, fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol poisoning, alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and a host of other drinking problems continue to wreck havoc and destroy human lives in the "enlightened" and "aware" time period in which we live.

Alcohol Consumption for Most People is Enjoyable

image: male college student at a party having a good time drinkingFor the vast majority of people, alcohol consumption is a pleasurable experience.  This is especially the case when people are engaged in recreational and social activities and when their alcohol consumption can be considered as "moderate."

Moderate alcohol consumption can be defined as having up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.  In most instances, additionally, drinking in moderation is not harmful for most adults.

A relatively large number of people, however, for a variety of reasons cannot engage in alcohol consumption because of alcohol abuse and/or alcoholism issues and other alcohol related drinking problems they experience when drinking.  In other words, a "problem drinker" probably should not try to drink in moderation because doing so will probably result in alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency.

Since approximately 14 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and alcoholism, this group of "problem drinkers" who should not or cannot involve themselves in alcohol consumption makes up a sizeable and a significant number of people.  It almost goes without saying that alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics like this cannot be ignored in a civilized society.

image: female ad for alcohol and drug rehab

To drive the point home more emphatically, consider the following: according to recent alcohol abuse and alcoholism research, it has been demonstrated that roughly 53 percent of the adults in the United States have articulated that one or more of their close relatives has a drinking problem.  Apparently there is a fairly sizeable group of Americans who are “problem drinkers,” who should not involve themselves in alcohol consumption, and who need access to effective and successful alcohol abuse and alcoholism treatment.

Blood Alcohol Level and the Short-Term Effects of Alcohol

image: female college student having fun drinking beerThe more immediate effects of alcohol on your body are predominately a function of the amount of alcohol in your blood (known as blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level).  Factors that affect your blood alcohol level include the following:

  • How much food is in your stomach at the time you drink
  • How much alcohol you ingest
  • How quickly your body metabolizes the alcohol
  • How strong the alcoholic drink is
  • How quickly you consume the alcoholic drink

What is ironic about this "alcohol info" is that virtually every drinker, if exposed to the above factors that result in the almost instance effects of alcohol that are usually experienced, would say that they already know this information.  If this is the case, then why don't more drinkers use this information to their advantage and learn how to enjoy drinking alcohol while at the same time drinking responsibly and in moderation?

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism research demonstrates the fact that alcohol consumption causes changes in behavior. Even one or two drinks can impair the judgment and coordination needed to safely operate a vehicle and can cause the drinker to engage in aggressive behavior and experience various drinking problems.

Alcoholism Videos

We have included some alcoholism videos so that you can see and hear directly from various people about their struggles with this disease.  If you, a family member, or one of your friends has a "drinking problem," seeing what others have gone through and how they attained successful recovery is much more "real" than any information you can read about. 

image: male ad for drug and alcohol counseling

Furthermore, watching these videos may help you understand more about hazardous alcohol consumption, the alcohol abuse and alcoholism issues experienced by other people, and what other individuals with drinking problems are going through while you learn some additional and important alcohol info. So make sure you look at these excellent videos, especially if you, a friend, or a family member has a drinking problem.

As shown by the alcohol abuse and alcoholism research literature, personal, social, and perhaps legal problems that would cause any reasonable person to conclude that his or her alcohol consumption habits should be curtailed or eliminated do not seem to have much effect on those who are chronic problem drinkers or alcoholics, at least not in the long run.

Key Alcohol Info:  Conclusion

image: doctor reviewing test results for alcoholic patientWhen a person stops to think about alcohol from an alcohol consumption perspective, one bit of alcohol info that is virtually amazing is that the beneficial as well as some of the key negatives about alcohol have been known for thousands of years.

As a result, it seems that the "leaders" of the industrialized nations of the world need to make use of this knowledge and upgrade their alcohol and drug abuse educational and preventative efforts to drastically reduce the number of problem drinkers in our "enlightened age" who suffer from chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

For the vast majority of people, alcohol consumption is a pleasurable experience.  This is basic alcohol info 101.  Due to the fact, however, that millions of people in American society have a drinking problem and are alcohol abusers or are alcohol dependent, it is clear that there is a relatively large group of individuals in the U.S. who probably should not involve themselves in alcohol consumption due to the negative and destructive effects they experience. 

According to the alcohol abuse and alcoholism research literature, if the problem drinker is not ready to reach out for help, efforts by friends and family to try to force them to admit to the problem, usually causes more alcohol related drinking problems. It's only when the consequences of their alcohol consumption becomes painful enough that people with a drinking problem will reach out for help.

The short-term effects of alcohol on a person's body depend primarily on his or her blood alcohol level, that is, the amount of alcohol in a person's blood.  The following factors influence a person's blood alcohol level:  how much alcohol the person has consumed, how quickly the person's body metabolizes alcohol, how much food is in the person's stomach at the time he or she drinks, how strong the alcoholic beverages are, and how quickly the person ingests the alcoholic beverages.

All of these factors, not surprisingly, also explain why the effects of alcohol can be almost instantaneous.  One would hope that knowledge of these factors as well as a basic understanding of alcohol abuse and alcoholism information would motivate a person to learn how to enjoy alcohol consumption in a responsible, non-abusive manner.

image: male ad for alcohol and drug therapy

Here's some important alcohol info.  The American Heart Association advises that excessive alcohol consumption can raise levels of triglycerides in the blood and lead to increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.

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Alcohol abuse and alcoholism studies demonstrate that if a "problem drinker" continues to drink in an abusive and hazardous manner over a period of many years, many of the organs of the body can be negatively affected. For instance, excessive alcohol consumption is especially harmful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of metabolizing alcohol. Alcohol destroys liver cells and it destroys the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This condition leads to progressive inflammatory injury to the liver and eventually can result in a serious disease called cirrhosis of the liver.

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