Sobering Thoughts on Alcohol

By David A. Johnson MD, Medical Director, Signature Care

Monday, April 17th, 2006; Posted: 11:15 a.m.

Alcohol is a very common part of our society. A recent study showed that 54% of Americans have a drink at least monthly. With April being designated as National Alcohol Awareness month, now is a good time to look at our use, and sometimes abuse, of this drug.

Now before you quit reading this because you think it is just another temperance lecture on the "evils of alcohol," it should be pointed out that researchers have shown that there are potential health benefits associated with the moderate use of some types of alcohol. (Benefits involving the heart, circulatory system, and even the brain!) Further study is needed to fully understand this, but while there may be some benefits to alcohol in smaller amounts there is absolutely no doubt about the destructive effects of alcohol in higher amounts.

Binge drinking (males having 5 or more drinks in a row or in a short time, 4 for women), heavy drinking (average of over one drink per day for women, over two per day for men), and alcoholism are all known to be amazingly destructive to our health, to our economy and to our society. Forty percent of all motor vehicle accidents and over 50% of all single vehicle motorcycle accidents are alcohol related. In 2003, 45% of 9th through 12th graders reported alcohol use and 28% reported binge drinking.

While 2004 statistics showed an overall decrease in alcohol related traffic deaths in our country, some states still showed an increase in the number of deaths with Indiana being second in increased motorist fatalities.

While there are so many life threatening and catastrophic consequences to overuse of alcohol, many people do not know or will not accept that they have a problem with alcohol abuse. It is vital for everyone who uses alcohol to honestly appraise his or her drinking habits. This can be done in a variety of ways. You can now go online to places like AlcoholScreening.org and take a confidential test to assess drinking patterns. Many physicians use C.A.G.E. screening to evaluate their potential alcohol status. It is a simple four-question test that has been found to be a great starting point for identifying those who have issues with alcohol abuse:

1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (Eye-opener)?

Answering "yes" to two or more questions is felt to be clinically significant and may indicate unhealthy alcohol dependence.

Alcohol use will always be a part of our society. Learning to maintain moderation in its use or to avoid drinking all together, for persons with over-use issues, is critical to cutting health costs, societal costs and save lives as well.

This is just one example of the importance of taking charge of our own health, but in this case, our decisions about our use of alcohol will impact not only ourselves, but also our family, friends, and society.