Alcohol Facts
August 6th 2007 04:31 pm
Studies show that teenagers younger than 15 are actually five times more likely to abuse alcohol in adulthood, as opposed to those who begin drinking at age 20 or later. Despite the portrayal of teens in the media, about 71 percent of those ages 12 to 20 have not had an alcoholic drink in the last month. This is an important fact because it may decrease the teenage perception that alcohol use is the only way to have fun.
Alcohol abuse causes a host of other problems. For instance, more than 35
percent of alcoholics had demonstrated symptoms like binge drinking, which is consuming at least five drinks in one sitting, by age 19. Alcohol abuse also increases the risk of cancer, obesity, depression, heart and liver disease and other physical afflictions.
Alcohol abuse can also cause alcohol poisoning, a serious a condition with serious and possibly fatal consequences, involving the aspiration of vomit into the body when a drunk person passes lying on their back. Alcohol poisoning is a common killer at college and high school parties. Alcohol abuse also increases the risk of a traffic accident. In fact, 43 percent of fatal accidents involved alcohol in 2006. That year saw the highest number of alcohol-related car crashes in 15 years.
About 1 in 13 American adults abuse alcohol. The highest percentage of alcohol abuse is in those ages 18 to 29. The younger a person is when the alcohol abuse begins, the more likely they will develop harder addictions or serious mental, physical, emotional and social issues in the future.
