Hey!, Wanna See Some Sin?
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions and . . . their sins." Isa. 58:1
3. The Chemical Sins: Substance Abuse
- Drunkenness
- Drug abuse
- Tobacco products3a. Drunkenness:
Definitions
Number of people involved
Teenage drinking
Binge drinking
Driving under the influence
Fetal alcohol syndrome
The cost of alcohol abuse
Is it sin?
Where to get help
Drinking in moderation
Definitions:
drunkenness: 3178, Gk. methe - an intoxicant, i.e. (by impl.) intoxication: drunkenness.
Dict. - intoxicated; having one's mental and physical faculties impaired by excessive drinking.
Heb. 7302, raveh, sated with drink; drunkenness (Deu. 29:19-20).
The Hebrew, Greek and modern English words all refer to "excessive" drinking and to the "impairment" of one's mental and physical faculties, not to a failure to totally abstain.
See also:
drunk 3182, (Gk.) methusko, (from 3184) to intoxicate: be drunk. (Eph. 5:18)
drunkard, 3183, (Gk.) methusos; (from 3184) tipsy, a sot: drunkard. (1 Cor. 5:11)
to make drunk, to become drunken, 3184, (Gk.) methuo, to drink to intoxication, get drunk.
Number of Americans involved:
Total alcohol use (includes moderate use): 104,000,000
Current use - At least one drink in the past 30 days (includes binge and heavy use).
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism:Binge use 46,000,000
Heavy use 12,600,000
Binge use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the 30 days prior to survey (includes heavy use).
Heavy use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion at least five different days in the past 30 days.Almost half of Americans aged 12 and older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2000 survey (46.6 percent). This translates to an estimated 104 million people. Both the rate of alcohol use and the number of drinkers were nearly the same in 2000 as in 1999 (46.4 percent and 103 million).
Approximately one-fifth (20.6 percent) of persons aged 12 years and older (46 million people) participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days prior to survey. This represents approximately 44 percent of all current drinkers. These 2000 estimates are all similar to the estimates for 1999.
Heavy drinking was reported by 5.6 percent of the population aged 12 and older, or 12.6 million people. These 2000 estimates are almost identical to the 1999 estimates.
http://www.health.org/govstudy/BKD405/chapter3.htm
Teenage drinking:Current use 9,700,000 (including moderate use)
Binge use 6,600,000
Heavy use 2,100.000Definitions:
Current use - At least one drink in the past 30 days (includes binge and heavy use).
Binge use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the 30 days prior to survey (includes heavy use).
Heavy use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion at least five different days in the past 30 days.About 9.7 million persons aged 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol in the month prior to the survey interview in 2000 (27.5 percent of this age group). Of these, 6.6 million (18.7 percent of persons aged 12 to 20) were binge drinkers and 2.1 million (6.0 percent of persons aged 12 to 20) were heavy drinkers. All of these 2000 rates are similar to rates observed in 1999.
http://www.health.org/govstudy/BKD405/chapter3.htm
All youth, ages 12-17:
13 percent had at least one serious problem related to drinking in the past year
6 percent had built up tolerance to the effects of alcohol
3 percent reported psychological problems related to their drinking
1 percent reported health problems related to their drinking
Youth, ages 12-17, who drank any alcohol in the past year:
39 percent had at least one serious problem related to drinking in the past year
18 percent had built up tolerance to the effects of alcohol
8 percent reported psychological problems related to their drinking
4 percent reported health problems related to their drinkingYouth, ages 12-17, who drank heavily (5 or more drinks on 5 or more occasions in the past month):
77 percent had at least one serious problem related to drinking in the past year
63 percent had built up tolerance to the effects of alcohol
20 percent reported psychological problems related to their drinking
12 percent reported health problems related to their drinkingSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Main Findings 1997 (Table 9.3), Rockville, MD: DHHS, 1999.
8th graders:
25 percent reported drinking alcohol in the past month
8 percent reported being drunk
15 percent reported binge drinking in the 2 weeks prior to the survey
1 percent reported drinking every day10th graders:
40 percent reported drinking alcohol in the past month
22 percent reported being drunk
25 percent reported binge drinking in the 2 weeks prior to the survey
2 percent reported drinking every day12th graders:
53 percent reported drinking alcohol in the past month
34 percent reported being drunk
30 percent reported binge drinking in the 2 weeks prior to the survey
4 percent reported drinking every dayNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Survey Results on Drug Use from The Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1997, Volume I: Secondary School Students, Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, 1998.
-Fifty-six percent of students in grades 5 through 12 say that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink.
The Scholastic/CNN Newsroom Survey on Student Attitudes about Drug and Substance Abuse, 1990.
-Seventy-five percent of 8th graders and 89 percent of 10th graders believe that alcohol is readily available to them for consumption.
National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1997, Volume I: Secondary School Students, Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, 1998.
-Twenty-two percent of youth under age 18 report drinking at least once a week.
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1996 Survey of American Attitudes and Substance Abuse, Columbia University, N.Y., 1996.
-The reasons why adolescents use alcohol are complex but include curiosity, a need to fit in with friends, and a desire to relax and escape problems.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Alcohol: Your Child and Drugs, Washington, DC: 1999.
Suicidal Behavior: Alcohol use among adolescents has been associated with considering, planning, attempting, and completing suicide. In one study, 37 percent of 8th grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11 percent who did not drink. Research does not indicate whether drinking causes suicidal behavior, only that the two behaviors are correlated.
Parental and Peer Influences: Parents’ drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been associated with adolescents’ initiating and continuing drinking. Early initiating of drinking has been identified as an important risk factor for later alcohol-related problems. Lack of parental support, monitoring, and communication also has been significantly related to frequency of drinking, heavy drinking, and drunkenness among adolescents. Peer drinking and acceptance also influences adolescent drinking behaviors.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Youth Drinking: Risk Factors and Consequences, Alcohol Alert No. 37, July 1997.About NCADI
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) is the information service of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. NCADI is the world's largest resource for current information and materials concerning substance abuse. http://www.health.org/
SAMHSA, a public health agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government’s lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States. Further information about SAMHSA is available on the Internet at www.samhsa.gov.
It has been estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics. Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own. The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all three. Dependence on alcohol and other drugs is also associated with psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder, or antisocial personality disorder.http://www.focusas.com/Alcohol.html
Binge drinking:College students drink more, binge more.
" . . . more than 40 percent of college students are binge drinkers." *[6,125,600]Among adults aged 18 and older with less than a high school education, 33.9 percent were current drinkers in 2000, while 63.2 percent of college graduates were current drinkers.
Young adults aged 18 to 22 enrolled full-time in college were more likely than their peers not enrolled full-time (this category includes part-time college students and persons not enrolled in college) to report all 3 levels of drinking in 2000. Past month alcohol use was reported by 62.0 percent of full-time college students compared to 50.8 percent of their counterparts who were not currently enrolled full-time. Binge and heavy use rates for college students were 41.4 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively, compared with 35.9 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively, for other persons aged 18 to 22.
http://www.health.org/govstudy/BKD405/chapter3.htm
*based on college attendence Oct. 2000, http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/school/ppl-148/tab10.txt
Driving under the influence:
Young adults, ages 18-20, who drank heavily (5 or more drinks on 5 or more occasions in the past month):
-66 percent drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year
-42 percent often drove or rode without wearing a seat belt
http://www.health.org/govpubs/RPO990/Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in the United States for persons ages 1-34 (1994). (National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 1993. 1994.)
-38% (15,794) of U.S. traffic fatalities in 1999 were alcohol-related; on average, drinking and driving killed a human being every 31 minutes (US Department of Transportation, 4/3/00 press release).
About 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives (NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 1996)
During 1990, the economic impact of alcohol-related crashes was $46.1 billion, including $5.1 billion in medical expenses; this represents approximately 33% of all economic costs attributed to motor-vehicle crashes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {CDC}, Prevention of Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries, 1997, p. 66).
Approximately 1.4 million drivers were arrested in 1995 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (NHTSA, Traffice Safety Facts, op. cit.).
In one study of reckless drivers, over half who were not intoxicated with alcohol were found to be impaired with cocaine and/or marijuana (D Brookoff, et. al., "Testing Reckless Drivers for Cocaine and Marijuana," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 331, No. 8, 8/25/94, p. 518).Alcohol-related traffic fatalities remain a leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults (CDC, Prevention of Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries, op.cit., p. 150).
NCADD, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
http://www.ncadd.org/facts/fyidui.html (Emphasis ours)
Alcohol-Related Traffic Statistics
"Driving under the influence of alcohol or any other drug (DUI) is the most frequently committed violent crime in our nation. (MADD, 1998)
-15,935 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes - an average of one every 33 minutes. These deaths constituted approximately 38.4% of the total 41,471 total traffic fatalities. (NHTSA, 1999)
About 1,058,990 were injured in alcohol-related crashes - an average of one person injred approximately every 30 seconds. About 30,000 people a year will suffer permanent work-related disabilities. (Miller et at, 1996b)
Every weekday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., one in 13 drivers is drunk (BAC of .08 or more). Between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on weekend mornings, one in seven drivers is drunk. (Miller et at., 1996b)
About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 1999)
Economic costs of alcohol-related crashes are estimated to be $45 billion yearly. An additional $70.5 billion is lost in quality of life due to these crashes. (Miller etat, 1996b)
In 1998, there were nearly 2 alcohol-related traffic deaths per hour, 44 per day and 306 per week. That is the equivalent of 2 jetliners crashing week after week. (NHTSA, 1999)
While most drivers involved in fatal crashes have no prior conviction for DWI, those who do are at significantly greater risk of causing a drunk driving crash. (NHTSA, 1997)
A driver with a BAC of .15 is more than 300 times more likely to be involved ina fatal crash. (NHTSA, 1997)
During the period 1982 through 1999, approximately 349,472 persons lost their lives in alcohol-related traffic crashes. (NHTSA, 1999)
More Americans have died in alcohol-related traffic crashes than in all the wars the United States has been involved in since our country was founded. (NHTSA, 1996)
Alcohol use is the number one drug problem among young people. (CSAP, 1996)
Eight young people each day die in alcohol-related crashes. (CSAP, 1996)
In 1996, over 33% of all deaths of 16-to-20 year olds were a result of car crashes. About half of those, approximately 3142, were alcohol related. (NHTSA, Fatal Accident Reporting System, February 1998)
The California State Organization of Mothers Against Drunk Driving
http://www.maddcalifornia.org/doc.asp?ID=6 (Emphasis ours)
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and Fetal alcohol effects (FAE):
"It is hard to say how common fetal alcohol effects are, because the symptoms range from almost indiscernible to incapacitating on a continuum without obvious breaks. On the best available estimate, 5,000 to 10,000 children with FAS are born in the United States each year -- about one in 500 to one in 1,000 live births. Among the children of chronically alcoholic women, the rate of FAS may be as high as 2.5 percent or even higher. The chance that a brother or sister of an FAS child will also have FAS is 100 to 400 times higher than in the general population.
In the United States, FAS is the most common known cause of mental retardation, with the possible exception of Down syndrome (most congenital deformities and mental retardation are of unknown origin). Alcohol may account for eight percent of all cases of mild mental retardation and ten percent of the cost of institutionalizing mentally retarded people in the United States. FAE is at least five or ten times as common as FAS; there may be 70,000 cases a year. On some Indian reservations where alcoholism is epidemic, 25 percent of the children may have some signs of FAE. The cost of caring for severe FAS alone is probably several hundred million dollars a year in the United States, and the cost for children with milder alcohol-related disabilities may be several times as high. The situation is likely to become worse as cultural sanctions against women's drinking fail and more women with FAS or FAE become mothers themselves."
Alcohol Dependence, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
The Harvard Mental Health Letter, November 1990
http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p5h-fas1.html
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?"Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a serious health problem that tragically affects its victims and their families, but that is completely preventable. Causing a child to suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome is really nothing short of child abuse and it lasts for life. Babies born with FAS tend to weigh less and be shorter than normal. They usually suffer from:
-smaller heads
-deformed facial features
-abnormal joints and limbs
-poor coordination
-problems with learning
-short memories 1""Victims of fetal alcohol syndrome often experience mental health problems, disrupted school experience, inappropriate sexual behavior, trouble with the law, alcohol and drug problems, difficulty caring for themselves and their children, and homelessness." 2
1. Stratton, K., Howe, C., and Battaglia, F. (Eds). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment. Washington, DC; National Academy Press, 1996.
2. Streissguth, A., and Kanter, J. (Eds.) The Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Seattle: University of Washington, 1997.
" A recent review of research studies found that fetal alcohol syndrome only occurs among alcoholics. The evidence is clear that there is no apparent risk to a child when the pregnant woman consumes no more than one drink per day." 4
4. Abel, E. "Moderate" drinking during pregnancy: cause for concern? Clinica Chimica Acta, 1996, 246, 149-154.
http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FAS/FAS.html
"A study of pregnancies in eight European countries found that consuming no more than one drink per day did not appear to have any effect on fetal growth. A follow-up of children at 18 months of age found that those from women who drank during pregnancy, even two drinks per day, scored higher in several areas of development." 6"A recent analysis of seven major medical research studies involving over 130,000 pregnancies suggests that consuming two to 14 drinks per week does not increase the risk of giving birth to a child with either malformations or fetal alcohol syndrome." 7
6. du Florey, D., et al. A European concerted action: maternal alcohol consumption and its relation to the outcome of pregnancy and development at 18 months. International Journal of Epidemiology, 1992, 21 (Supplement #1).7. Polygenis, D., et al. Moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the incidence of fetal malformations: a meta-analysis. Neurotoxicol Teralol., 1998, 20, 61-67.
http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FAS/FAS.html
Fetal alcohol effects:
"Not all children affected by alcohol in the womb develop the full fetal alcohol syndrome. If the mother's drinking is only moderately heavy, both physical and mental abnormalities may be subtler. When rats and mice are fed diets containing moderately high levels of alcohol throughout pregnancy, their apparently normal offspring may prove to be inept at avoiding shocks or running mazes. A human child might be normal intellectually but hyperactive with learning disabilities, or normal in appearance but short and thin with a defective heart valve. These milder symptoms, when they can plausibly be attributed to alcohol -- and it is often difficult to tell -- are sometimes known as fetal alcohol effects (FAE)."
The Harvard Mental Health Letter, November 1990
http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p5h-fas1.html
The Immediate and Long-term Costs:
Results of alcohol abuse and alcoholism:
Deaths from Cirrhosis of the liver, all races, both sexes, all ages, total 25,289 in 1997.
Alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities, total 12,663 (30.5% of all traffic fatalities) in 1998.
Alcohol-related short-term hospitalizations, total 1,435 in 1997.
http://www.niaaa.gov
Alcohol abuse costs were an estimated $166.5 billion, and drug abuse costs were $109.8 billion in 1995.
http://www.health.org/govstudy/bkd265/Chapter7a.htm#7.2
This includes speciality alcohol and drug services, medical consequences, lost earnings due to premature death, illness, crime/victims, and crashes, fires, criminal justice, etc.
http://www.niaaa.gov
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
One in ten Americans aged 12 and older in 2000 (22.3 million persons) drove under the influence of alcohol at least once in the 12 months prior to interview. Among young adults aged 18 to 25 years, 19.9 percent drove under the influence of alcohol in 2000.
http://www.health.org/govstudy/BKD405/chapter3.htm
Alcohol abuse has been implicated in 25-30% of all violent crimes and 5% of income-producing crimes such as burglary and robbery.
http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol13N4/Abusecosts.html
Other effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism include child and spousal abuse, the psychological effects on children of alcoholics, broken families, divorce and ruined careers.An estimated 27.8 million children of alcoholics (COAs) live in the United States. Of those, about 11 million are under the age of 18. Clearly this is a serious problem, particularly when you consider the netative consequences that alcoholism has on children. For example, children of alcoholics exhibit symptoms of depression and anxiety more than children of non-alcoholics. COAs score lower on tests measuring verbal ability and sometimes have difficulties in school. And they are more at risk for being the victims of physical abuse.
http://www.health.org/govpubs/ms417/index.htm
Is Drunkenness a sin?
"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Gal 5:21.
"And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
But put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. Rom. 13:11-14.
"Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.
For as a snare shall it [" the end", v. 9] come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Lk. 21:33-36.
"But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." 1 Cor. 5:11-13.
[Note: This is not an instruction to "condemn" those with substance abuse problems. It is an instruction to refuse to fellowship with and to socially accept, on their terms, those who refuse help and who refuse to help themselves. Acceptance of abusers who refuse to change only helps to enable them to continue their abuse.]Note that drunkenness is not the same as drinking in moderation. In scripture, "wine" refers to an alcoholic beverage, not grape juice (Gen. 9:21). Wine had a part in the celebrations which God commanded as Feast Days or Holy Days (Deu. 14:23,26). God expected his people to be producing wine (Deu. 16:13; 18:4). Drinking alcoholic wine or "strong drink" (hard liquor) is not prohibited (Deu. 14:26; Neh. 10:39). Christ provided wine for a wedding feast (Jn. 2:6-10), and commanded drinking wine, and demonstrated the example of drinking wine, at the Passover (Mat. 26:27-29), both of which picture the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9), as explained in Christ's parables (Mat. 22, Lk. 12, 14).
The beginning of the grape harvest in Israel, in the time of Christ, was celebrated with a festival on the 15th of the month Av, which corresponds to a variable date in July or August. Yom Kippur, 10th of Tishri, marked the end of the grape harvest. This corresponds to a variable date in September or October.
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/festivls/av/tubeav.html
http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm
After the harvest, the grape juice requires time to ferment into wine. Unfermented grape juice could not be stored more than a few days before the industrial age produced the processes of canning with preservatives and refrigeration. Passover, the 15th of Nissan (March/April) requires wine. Grape juice could not have been kept from the previous harvest of July-October, until the Passover in March/April.
http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm
Scripture also shows wine being abused and the results correspond to drunkenness, not a tummy-ache (1 Sam. 25:36-37; Pro. 20:1; Isa. 5:11; Isa. 28:1; Joel 3:3; Eph. 5:18
Paul recommended wine to Timothy (a pastor) as a health aid (1 Tim. 5:23) and suggested that he lay off the local water (apparently polluted). Paul preached moderation of wine, not a moderation of juice (Titus 1:7; 2:3).
Peter condemned the abuse of wine, not the use of wine (1 Pet. 4:3).
Wine, which contains alcohol, can be used as a disinfectant for wounds (Lk. 10:34). Grape juice would only make the injury worse.
Drunkenness is condemned (Isa. 5:11, 22; 28:1, 7; 1 Pet. 4:3).
Alcoholism
"Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug in the United States. Alcoholism is one of the most preventable illnesses. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that slows down body functions such as heart rate and respiration. Small quantities of alcohol may induce feelings of well-being and relaxation; but in larger amounts, alcohol can cause intoxication, sedation, unconsciousness, and even death. When consumed, alcohol goes to the stomach and passes through to the small intestine, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream. When the blood alcohol content (BAC) reaches .10, the legal limit in most states, the average drinker will experience blurred vision, slurred speech, poor muscle coordination, and a lack of rational judgment. A BAC of .40 to .50 will induce coma. Breathing is likely to stop with a BAC of .60. Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug, use of the drug despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. A drinker is physically dependent if withdrawal symptoms are experienced when alcohol use is discontinued abruptly. Symptoms vary but include delirium tremors ("DTs"), cramps, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, sweating, dilated pupils, sleep problems, irritability, and convulsions. Most of these symptoms will subside in two or three days, though irritability and insomnia may last two to three weeks. Psychological dependence occurs when the drinker becomes so preoccupied with alcohol that it is difficult to do without it. Short-term memory loss and blackouts are common among heavy drinkers. A blackout, which is an amnesia-like period often confused with passing out or losing consciousness, results when the drinker appears normal and may function normally; however, the person has no memory of what has taken place. Alcohol acts as an irritant of the gastrointestinal system and increases the hydrochloric acid production in the lining of the stomach. Alcohol also causes numerous liver disorders including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol is also associated with heart disease and reproduction and pregnancy problems."
http://www.cornerdrugstore.org/CommonDrugsPage.htm
If You Have Questions About Drugs or Alcohol:
Straight Facts About Drugs and Alcohol (audio version available)
How Can I Tell if a Friend or Loved One Has a Problem with Alcohol, Marijuana, or Other Illicit Drugs?
How Can I Tell if I Have a Problem with Drugs or Alcohol?
How Can I Get Help?
STRAIGHT FACTS ABOUT...
Marijuana
Cigarette Smoking
Alcohol
Methamphetamine
Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
Hallucinogens
Inhalants
Messages for Teenagers
Referrals
http://www.health.org/govpubs/rpo884/
Teen DrinkingInformation, many articles, resources, books, contacts.
http://www.focusas.com/Alcohol.html
Youth and Underage Drinking: An Overview
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
http://www.health.org/govpubs/RPO990/
If You Need Help Changing Your Life
How to Cut Down on Your Drinking
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health
http://www.health.org/govpubs/ph372/
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
http://www.niaa.nih.gov
FAQs on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/faq/faq.htm
Straight Facts About Drugs and Alcohol
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, NCADI
http://www.health.org/govpubs/rpo884/
For Children of Alcoholics:
Books, literature, materials, resources, organizations and Internet sites
http://www.health.org/govpubs/ms417/index.htm
Drinking in Moderation:
Nutrition and Your Health:
Dietary Guidelines For Americans, 2000, Alcohol Portion
If You Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in ModerationWHAT IS DRINKING IN MODERATION?
Moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. This limit is based on differences between the sexes in both weight and metabolism.
Count as a drink- 12 ounces of regular beer (150 calories) 5 ounces of wine (100 calories) 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (100 calories)
Advice For Today
If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, do so sensibly, and in moderation.
Limit intake to one drink per day for women or two per day for men, and take with meals to slow alcohol absorption.
Avoid drinking before or when driving, operating machinery, taking prescription drugs or whenever it puts you or others at risk.
http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/aldietguide/index.htm
Some authorities say that 2 to 3 glasses of wine per day for women and 3 to 4 glasses of wine for men would still be considered moderate and provide health benefits. Beer, in moderation, also provides some health benefits. Other alcoholic beverages, while not providing health benefits, are not considered harmful if consumed in moderation.