Alcohol - General

By Jerry Price - Mar 13, 2006 - 1

Alcoholism’s danger signs:

  • A history of alcoholism in your family background or earlier in your own life.
  • A history of “blackouts” when one does not remember events during a drinking episode.
  • A tendency to exceed sensible limits of moderation in drinking.
  • Scheduling one’s day around the next drink.
  • Denying the extent of one’s alcoholic intake or the fact that one is drinking at all.

Adapted from Louis McBurney, “A Little Wine for Your…” Focus On the Family Magazine, January, 2001

Effects of alcohol at different blood concentrations:
0.1 — Dizzy
0.2 — Drunk and Disorderly
0.3 — Dead Drunk
0.4 — Danger of Death

Adapted from Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2001

“In the United States, a drink is considered to be 0.5 ounces (oz) or 15 grams of alcohol, which is equivalent to 12 oz (355 milliliters [mL]) of beer, 5 oz (148 mL) of wine, or 1.5 oz (44 mL) of 80-proof distilled spirits.

“Measuring the Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol,” Tenth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000

Characteristics of Drinkers and Non-Drinkers

The Non-Drinker—Chooses not to use alcohol for personal reasons, such as:

  • has a family history of alcoholism
  • does not like the taste of alcohol
  • is dedicated to physical well-being
  • coach’s mandate
  • does not resent others who choose to drink

The Social Drinker

  • does not drink to get drunk
  • drinks slowly
  • eats before drinking
  • knows when to quit drinking
  • respects non-drinkers
  • never drives after drinking
  • knows and obeys laws related to alcohol

The Abusive Drinker

  • drinks to get drunk
  • responds to problems by drinking
  • becomes loud, angry, or violent when drunk or
  • becomes silent, remote, or reclusive when drunk
  • drinks at inappropriate times, i.e. before driving, class or work
  • harms self or others when drinking

The Alcoholic

  • drinks alone
  • denies drinking
  • drinks in response to stressful situations
  • starts drinking without conscious planning and loses track of the amount consumed
  • has problems with police, employer, family, or friends related to drinking
  • can’t remember what s/he did while drinking.

What Kind of Drinker Are You? (Georgetown University Health Education Services) [Accessed November 1, 2005].

“Substance use is big business. Revenues from the sale of cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs exceeded $128.3 billion or 2.5 percent of GDP in 1998. About 11 percent of revenues from the sale of cigarettes and alcohol are used for advertising which amounts to over $10 billion a year, or $28 million a day.

“The societal costs of substance abuse in disease, premature death, lost productivity, theft and violence, including unwanted and unplanned sex, as well as the cost of interdiction, law enforcement, prosecution, incarceration, and probation are, however, greater than the value of the sales of these addictive substances. Everyone pays for these costs. Consumers pay in the form of higher prices for goods and services. Employers and employees pay higher health insurance premiums. Taxpayers pay higher taxes for the public expenditures of health care, law enforcement, the judicial system, incarceration as well as prevention and treatment programs. The price is also reflected in the need for foster care and homeless shelters. Substance abuse also hinders economic growth and diverts resources away from future investments.

“Most of the adverse health consequences of substance abuse result in diseases and premature deaths. About 28 percent of all deaths annually can be traced to the use of tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs. Of these deaths, tobacco is directly responsible for the largest share. Alcohol and illicit drugs also lead to death directly, but are more likely to contribute to a fatal accident or homicide. Death from substance abuse is more likely to occur as an adult from substance use that began in adolescence.”

Substance Abuse: Facing the Costs (Georgetown University Center on An Aging Society) [Accessed October 31, 2005]

Further Learning

Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Substance Abuse

comments

1 On Nov 6th, 2007, at 2:39pm, Kristi Brooks wrote:

Is social drinking Bibical wrong?  I was raised to think it was, but I am unsure how the Bible views this issue.  Please help

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