- HubPages»
- Health»
- Mental Health»
- Addiction
Alcoholism By The Numbers
Alcoholism, this progressive degenerative disease, is a horrible and destructive “silent killer”. An estimated 14 million Americans are addicted or abuse alcohol. It has been estimated that approximately 43 percent of all unintentional injuries are alcohol fatalities. Research has discovered that an astonishing number of people either injured or killed in automobile accidents each year have had significantly high levels of alcohol in their blood.These victims of drinking accidents may have risked their lives and the lives of others by not wearing a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet. The studies show that people who often takeriskssuch as these with reckless abandon and a total disregard for injury of life will more than likely drink alcohol and get injured or even killed. Although some users and abusers would like to think that alcohol relaxes them, enhances their mood and improves certain motor skill this is a myth. The fact is alcohol causes a decreaseyour motor coordination andyourbalance. Your attention span is impaired by alcohol and it is difficult to make good judgment under the influence of alcohol. This fact would account for the 50 percent of all people who were admitted to the Emergency Room over a weekend and their Blood Alcohol Levels where checked and found to have had alcohol in their blood when they were admitted. (Accidents and Injuries from Alcohol from Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco. Copyright © 2001-2006 by Macmillan Reference USA, an imprint of the Gale Group. All rights reserved)
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, annually alcoholism and alcohol abuse in the United States is estimated to cost society from $40 to $60 billion annually, due to the last production, health and medical care motor vehicle accidents, violent crime, and social programs that respond to alcohol problems. But that’s a low estimate compared to the information provided www.alcohol-imformation.com (AI). According to the (AI) stats, alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse cost the United States an estimated $220 billion in 2005 alone. This dollar amount, says AI, was more than the cost associated with cancer which was $196 billion dollars in 2005 and the cost of obesity which was $133 billion dollars 2005. Whether $40 to $60 billion or $220 billion, these figures are scary when you consider that approximately 43% of adults in the United States have had a child, a parent, a sibling or a spouse who is or was an alcoholic. Furthermore, an estimated 3 million Americans over the age of 60 are alcohol-dependent or alcohol abusers. As you can see the costs alcohol abuse including the medical bills associated with it, the treatment and rehab, insurance and not to mention the cost of law enforcement is astounding.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are by far the “leading cause of death from injury.” As well, motor vehicle accidents are “the greatest single cause of all deaths of Americans between the ages of 1 and 34.” Almost half of all unintentional injuries happen during the course of motor vehicle accidents. And an estimated 7 percent of all car accidents and an unbelievable 44 percent of fatal accidents were attributed to the use of alcohol. A drunk driver is estimated to be 3 to 15 times more likely than a person that hasn’t drunk alcohol to have a fatal car accident. It has been found that alcohol is more often present in more fatal than in nonfatal car accidents. About 25 to 35 percent of drunk drivers in need of Emergency Room treatment for injuries related to a motor vehicle accident have had Blood Alcohol Level (BAC) of 0.10 or greater.
Children and Alcohol
An estimated 47.3% of the alcohol that is consumed by all underage drinkers according to studies is consumed by about25.9% of underage drinkers who are alcohol abusers and alcohol dependent. Approximately seven percent of the America population 18 years and older (that’s about 13.8 million Americans) have an alcohol problem. About 8.1 million people have the disease of alcoholism. About 6.6 million children in the United States who are under the age of 18 live in at least one alcoholic parent. Approximately one out of every four children in America is exposed to family alcoholism, addiction, or alcohol abuse before they turn 18. Research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics. An alarming 500,000 nine to twelve year olds in American are dependent on alcohol.
Families And Alcohol
Studies have found that a “typical factor” involved in the lives of 450 American alcoholics and 80 heroin addicts was the fact that there was no father present. The study determined that unfortunately this fact was the rule and not the exception. It has been found that people involved in traditional married homes have an 8.9 percent prevalence of alcoholism compared to much higher 29.2 percent prevalence of alcohol in homes of unmarried nontraditional co-habitants adults who have never been married (29.2%). Basically, those who may be unmarried workers divorced or separated or simply living together has about “twice the rate of alcoholism or alcohol abuse as those married. Members of families, who don’t drink, it has been found, use 10 times as much sick leave as families where alcohol is not a problem. Furthermore, 80% of these family members have reported impaired job performance due to living with an alcoholic or an abuser of alcohol.
Trouble Quitting
An estimated 20% of all alcoholics who try to quit drinking on their own without medical management die of alcohol withdrawal delirium. Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to what is called “Pancreatitis.” Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. According to the American Medical association, Pancreatitis is condition of severe abdominal pain and excessive weight loss. I can be fatal. Alcoholism is attributed with increased cancer risk of the throat, voice box or larynx, liver, colon, kidneys, rectum, and the esophagus. Alcoholism can lead to immune system disorders as well. Other medical problems related to alcohol abuse include; brain damage, fetal alcohol syndrome (during pregnancy), liver and kidney damage. Three times as many men (9.8 million) as women (3.9 million) in America abuse or are dependent on alcohol. Get the facts contact Narconon for help.