When I was a kid, I remember watching all the comedy variety shows. One guy who used to be on a lot was a guy by the name of Foster Brooks. He had this routine where he played a drunk. He was very good at it and quite honestly, I laughed quite a bit at his routine.

Unfortunately, there is nothing really funny about getting drunk or alcohol in general. While pointing out the dangers of alcohol may seem as silly as telling somebody that if they walk on the sun they'll fry like a piece of Colonel Sanders, nevertheless, I am going to point out some of the dangers of alcohol in the hopes that I save at least one kid from drinking his life into oblivion.

An overwhelming number of Americans (96%) are concerned about underage drinking and a majority support measures that would help reduce teen drinking, such as stricter controls on alcohol sales, advertising, and promotion.

It's difficult to know where to start when there are so many horrors to choose from. Even forgetting about what alcohol does to your brain cells. Oh, you didn't know? Yes, alcohol destroys brain cells. And no, in case you're wondering, they don't grow back. And while you might be thinking that there are plenty of these brain cells to go around, after a while, enough drinking will make it so that you won't even be able to find your car keys even if they were tied around your neck.

What about other parts of your body? Well, there is your liver. Did you know that the liver of a man who has been drinking for just 20 years from age 21, is in worse shape than the liver of a man who doesn't drink at age 70? It's true. If you don't believe me, ask Larry Hagman who not too many years ago needed a liver transplant because of all the drinking that he did in his life. And in case you're wondering, you can't live without your liver as it performs a number of functions in the body including metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is one of the most abused organs of the body as it is without having to subject it to alcohol abuse.

In an alarming study released by the Harvard School of Public Health this fall, 52 percent of students say they drink to get drunk, and almost 43 percent identify themselves as binge drinkers.

But, forgetting about what alcohol does to our bodies, what it does to our personalities is probably the worst part of alcohol. I don't know about you, but I have never met what they call a "fun" drunk. Most alcoholics are abusive to their family and friends, dangerous to themselves and others, a lethal weapon behind the wheel of a car, and more things than I need to mention here. I have personally been the victim of an alcoholic grandfather, so I am speaking from first hand experience.

To succeed, alcohol abuse prevention and reduction efforts must take into account the dynamic developmental processes of adolescence, the influence of an adolescent’s environment, and the role of individual characteristics in the adolescent’s decision to drink.

In an episode of "West Wing" the late John Spencer, who was an alcoholic, said to his attorney, who was representing him during the whole Bartlett MS cover-up, "I don't understand how a person can leave half a glass of alcohol empty. I don't understand how they can have just one drink. How do they not want to feel this good longer?" It may have been television, but it is a true testament to what an alcoholic goes through. Yes, alcohol is addicting. Add that to your list of dangers.

I could go on, but I think you get the overall point. An occasional glass of wine with dinner probably won't kill you. In moderation, it's doubtful you'll lose enough brain cells to forget just how dangerous alcohol can be.

Medical science reveals that alcohol detoxification is the process of allowing the body to rid itself of alcohol while managing the alcohol withdrawal symptoms in a harm-free environment.  While alcohol detox is regularly employed as the first step in the alcohol treatment process, alcohol detox alone with no further treatment and follow-up, will neither result in sobriety nor in alcohol recovery.

The dangers of alcohol? They are quite real.

To YOUR Health,

Steve Wagner