Excessive alcohol drinking is one of the most prevalent addictions in the United States, and it’s causing much trouble, death, and expense in the country. So far, there are around 95,000 deaths caused by alcoholism in the U.S., where a huge fraction of it are men (68,000 deaths).
Taking this into consideration, it is a must that you need to watch out for the amount you’re drinking on every occasion. In this article, we are going to touch on the standard volume of alcohol drinking, so that you can immediately avoid alcohol abuse.
How Problematic Is Alcohol Abuse in the U.S?
Alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents accounted for 9,967 deaths- There are 1 million people (age 18 years and older) who are suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- For the adolescents (age 12-17 years), around 414,000 of them have AUD
- In terms of alcoholic parents, more than 10% of U.S. children are dealing with this matter.
- Around 1,825 college students have died due to reckless driving under the influence of alcohol
- For physical assault by other drinkers, around 696,000 students experienced this incident.
- In terms of cases of alcohol-induced sexual harassment, there were about 97,000 students who had experienced it.
Defining Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
It is defined as a severe condition of a person’s inability to control alcohol consumption, despite its adverse consequences on health, thinking, social life, and behavior. When a person is suffering from this disease, it is best to consult with a professional or enroll in an alcohol rehab center for an intensive recovery program.
How Do We Define A Standard Drink?
In the United States, a standard alcoholic drink will be equivalent to 14 grams or 1.20 tablespoons of concentrated alcohol, which you can find in the following drinks:
- 5 oz of a 40% alcohol by volume (ABV) spirit or liquor drink
- 12 oz of a 5% ABV beer
- 8 oz of a 7% ABV fermented malt drink
- 5 oz of a 12% ABV wine
Once you go beyond this volume, this could lead to binge or excessive alcohol consumption.
Define Binge and Heavy Drinking
Based on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), binge drinking happens on the following occasions:
- For women: 4 drinks in one session (in 2 hours)
- For men: 5 drinks in one session (in 2 hours)
- When a person binge drinks, the alcohol level in their blood is around 0.08 g/dL
In contrast, heavy drinking happens under the following conditions:
- For women: 8 drinks per week or higher
- For men: 15 drinks per week or higher
How Much Volume Is Moderate Drinking?
Average or moderate drinking for your stomach’s sake is just one drink per day for women, while two drinks per day for men. If you go beyond that, then there’s a tendency that you can develop a craving or alcohol dependence through time.
Short-Term Adverse Effects of Alcohol Drinking
We cannot emphasize more than severe alcohol drinking can lead to serious injuries and health consequences. Here are some of the most common short-term negative impacts of alcoholism.
- Motor-vehicle accidents
- Physical and sexual assault
- Poisoning due to excessive amounts of alcohol in the body
- Risky and unhealthy behaviors like unsafe sex and drunk driving
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or miscarriage due to alcoholism in pregnant women
Long-Term Adverse Effects of Alcohol Drinking
If one goes beyond 5 drinks per day, then he is at risk for alcohol use disorder and its associated health consequences in the long run. Here are some of the detrimental impacts of too much alcohol consumption.
- A gradual decline of the immune system
- Short-term or irreparable memory loss, then later dementia
- Depression, anxiety, and other co-occurring mental diseases
- Broken relationships and family
- Development of cancer cells in various parts of the body
- High blood pressure
- Stroke, coma, and cirrhosis
- Destroyed intestine lining
Alcoholism and Pregnant Women
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is estimated to prevail at a rate of 5% to 0.3% per 1000 cases of alcoholic pregnant women.
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is estimated to occur around 20 to 50 individuals per 1000 people.
Health Cases Due to Intense Alcohol Drinking
There are around 83,517 deaths for people 12 years and older due to liver cancer, and 42.8% is due to heavy alcohol drinking.- 4% o 52,499 deaths of liver cancer among men are caused by alcoholism
- 5% of 31,018 deaths of liver cancer among women are caused by alcoholism
- The highest death count on cirrhosis was in the age group of 25 to 34 years (76.5%) and it’s due to an alcohol use disorder. Then it is followed by people within the age of 35 to 44 (70%).
- Heavy alcohol drinking can lead to other cancer diseases on different body parts such as the mouth, larynx, pharynx, liver, breast, and esophagus.
- 33% of those undergoing a liver transplant in the United States in 2009, were caused by alcoholism
When Is the Best Time for Undertaking Treatment?
Once you have seen the signs of alcohol dependence in you, then it’s about time that you consult with a professional. Seek medical assistance to stop it as early as today because alcohol use disorder (AUD) becomes harder to treat with a longer duration of alcoholism.
Likewise, more co-occurring mental problems and health diseases can develop when you heavily drink for a longer timeframe.
Does Alcohol Rehab Work?
The majority of the patients who enrolled in a recovery program successfully gained abstinence even for a one-year treatment. In any rehab center, the alcohol treatment program is holistic, meaning it will address the body, mind, socialization, and behavior of the patient.
Then again, you need to ask them about the inclusions of their treatment programs before enrolling in them. Nevertheless, your first step towards recovery is to consult with an addiction specialist or doctor specializing in alcohol use disorder.
As early as now, reflect on our actions and habits, so you can figure out if you direly need external support and guidance for sobriety. Talk to medical personnel today and receive a tailored-fit program for your alcohol drinking issues.
