F. Scott Fitzgerald, regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, once said: "First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you." Celebratory drinks go on to become binge drinking and one becomes an alcoholic, caught in the maze of a vicious cycle with no exit.
Statistics reveal that around 14 million adults in the U.S. are alcoholics; and more than 3 million teenagers in the age group of 14 to 17 have an alcohol problem. This perturbing revelation is no less alarming than an epidemic. Alcoholism is a menace that silently corrodes the society without any hue and cry being made about it. Here, we take a look at some of the disturbing aspects and facts related to alcoholism:
Truth about youth drinking
Adult drinking starts at the age of 21, but youth who start drinking before or by the age of 15 have 50 percent more chances of abusing alcohol at a later stage in their lives. It is heartening to observe that underage drinking is gradually shrinking but still it is a problem in the United States. The irony is that the number of alcoholics receiving treatment is far lesser than those facing the issue. This is despite the fact that there are some really incredible alcohol rehab programs in the country. The alcohol addiction rehab programs in California are among the top.
Men outnumber women among alcoholics
There are 3.9 million women alcoholics in the United States which is staggering. But with whopping 9.8 million men alcoholics it is much lesser. However, that does not defend that women can continue with their drinking habits. In fact women need to be more careful about reaching out for their glasses. Women run a greater chance of getting intoxicated with the same amount of alcohol consumed by men.
Alcohol related deaths a potential hazard
According to reports there are approximately 2.3 million years of potential life lost in the United States owing to alcoholism. Deaths due to alcoholism take the form of suicides, accidents, head injuries, drowning and vehicular accidents. 20 percent suicides in the U.S. result because of alcoholism and 41 percent fatal road accidents are an outcome of drunken driving. Every 48 minutes there is a road crash in the U.S. caused by inebriated drivers and approximately 30 deaths occur every day. If you visit alcohol abuse treatment facilities in California, you will find at least a couple of alcoholics who were also involved in road accidents earlier.
Binge drinking leads to Health issues
Studies reveal that alcoholics face serious threat to their health because of their excessive drinking pattern and many a times it costs their lives. In 2009 as many as 15,183 people died because of alcohol related liver dysfunction. Binge drinking has cost the country in many ways, not only in the form of lost lives and crippling health issues but also as a burden on the exchequer.
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