NIAAA recognizes Alcohol Awareness Month 2015

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April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time to learn about alcohol and the health and social problems caused by drinking too much. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) encourages the public to dedicate this month to understanding how excessive drinking can affect health and to evaluating their own drinking habits.

Consequences of drinking too much

Image of a child and a statistic about alcohol

Aril is Alcohol Awareness Month

Many adults drink moderately and responsibly without complications, and there are indications from research that some can derive modest health benefits. At the same time, alcohol-related problems – which result from drinking too much, too fast, or too often – are among the most significant public health issues in the United States and internationally. For example, an estimated 16.6 million Americans have alcohol use disorder – a medical term describing a range of mild, moderate, and severe alcohol problems. In addition, research shows that binge drinking is not uncommon among adults in the United States. Nearly one quarter of people age 18 and older report that they consumed five or more alcoholic drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the past month. Importantly, this consumption pattern is also prevalent among adolescents ages 12-17, with about 6 percent of them reporting drinking in this way.

Excessive drinking affects all Americans, whether or not they drink. Alcohol problems cost the United States $224 billion in 2006, primarily from lost productivity, but also from health care and property damage costs.

Evaluate drinking patterns

NIAAA encourages people to evaluate their drinking habits during Alcohol Awareness Month.

For women, low-risk drinking can be defined as no more than three drinks on any single day and no more than seven drinks per week. For men, it is defined as no more than four drinks on any single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. NIAAA research shows that only about 2 in 100 people who drink within these limits have an alcohol use disorder.

The NIAAA website can help you with the following informational and self-assessment tools:

Information on recommended drinking limits
An interactive tool for individuals to self-assess their drinking patterns and determine whether they could benefit from a change

Understanding how alcohol affects the body

Initially, people who drink may feel upbeat and excited. Soon alcohol affects inhibitions and judgment, and can lead to reckless decisions. As more alcohol is consumed, reaction time suffers and behavior becomes poorly controlled and sometimes even aggressive—possibly leading to fights and other types of violence. Continued drinking causes the slurred speech and loss of balance typically associated with a person being drunk. At higher levels, alcohol causes the drinker to become sleepy and in some cases pass out. At these levels, alcohol can also cause blackouts or periods of amnesia where a person may have been conscious, but does not remember what happened while he or she was intoxicated. In the most extreme cases, drinkers face the danger of life-threatening alcohol poisoning due to the suppression of vital life functions.

Reduce drinking to lower risk for problems

For those who find that their drinking patterns are above the recommended limits, cutting back or quitting can have significant health benefits. People who reduce their drinking decrease their risks for injuries, liver and heart disease, depression, stroke, sexually transmitted diseases, and several types of cancers.

Learn more at:

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov
http://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
NEW PUBLICATION: Treatment for Alcohol Problems: Finding and Getting Help:http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Treatment/treatment.htm
SAMHSA Treatment Locator: http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov

Join NIAAA

for its 2015 Alcohol Awareness Month Twitter Chat: Tuesday, 4/28 @ 1 p.m. EDT #NIAAAchat

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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