April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time to learn about alcohol and the health and social problems caused by drinking too much.
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.
Read more here.
