Health Effects

• The chronic consumption of alcohol (as defined by an average of three servings per day of beer – 12 oz, whiskey – 1oz, or wine – 6oz), over time may result in the following health hazards:
• Decreased sexual functioning
• Dependency (up to 10 percent of all people who drink alcohol become physically and/or mentally dependent on alcohol and can be termed "alcoholic")
• Fatal liver diseases
• Increased cancers of the mouth, tongue, pharynx, esophagus, rectum, breast, and malignant melanoma
• Kidney disease
• Pancreatitis
• Spontaneous abortion and neonatal mortality
• Ulcers
• Birth defects (up to 54 percent of all birth defects are alcohol related)

Social Issues

• Two-thirds of all homicides are committed by people who drink prior to the crime.
  
• Two to three percent of the driving population is legally drunk at any one time. This rate is doubled at night and on weekends.
  
• Two-thirds of all Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related vehicle accident during their lifetimes.
  
• The rate of separation and divorce in families with alcohol dependency problems is 7 times the average.
  
• Forty percent of all family court cases are alcohol problem related.
  
• Alcoholics are 15 times more likely to commit suicide than are other segments of the population.
  
• More than 60 percent of burns, 40 percent of falls, 69 percent of boating accidents, and 76 percent of private aircraft accidents are alcohol related.
  

The Annual Toll

• 24,000 people will die on the highway due to the legally impaired driver.
  
• 12, 000 more will die on the highway due to the alcohol-affected driver.
  
• 15,800 will die in non-highway accidents.
  
• 30,000 will die due to alcohol-caused liver disease
  
• 10,000will die due to alcohol-induced brain disease or suicide
  
• Up to another 125,000 will die due to alcohol-related conditions or accidents.
  

Your risk of becoming an alcoholic increases with the following:

• A member of your family is/was an alcoholic.
  
• There was teetotalism in your family with strong moral overtones.
  
• A history of alcoholism or teetotalism in your spouse or family of your spouse.
  
• You come from a broken home or a home with parental discord.
  
• You are one of the last children in a large family.
  
• You are from an Irish or French Catholic background.
  
• You have female relatives of more than one generation who have a high incidence of recurrent depression.
• You are a heavy smoker.
• You have no religious affiliation.
  
• You are separated, single, or divorced (in that order).
  
• You are a beer drinker rather than a hard liquor or wine drinker.
  
• You are male.