In today's society consuming alcohol has become the norm and when consumed in moderation, it can be a relaxing tonic. Many people come home from a hard day of work and unwind with a drink. How do you know, though, when that relaxing drink has taken over your life? How do you know when you become dependent on it? Alcohol abuse in today's society is becoming a serious problem. In the past people used to believe that alcohol abuse was a characteristic of a weak person, but now it is known that it is really a serious disease that has a chance of affecting us all.



Statistics on Alcohol Abuse

A surprising statistic is that 1 in 13 adults is affected by alcohol abuse. The online health guide, WebMD reported that in the United States alone, 12 to 14 million adults suffer from alcohol abuse and each year, around 100,000 adults will die from alcohol abuse. It has also been proven that alcohol abuse is a large factor in contributing to the country's car accidents, suicides and homicides. Alcohol also affects many other things in daily life, including increased rates of job absenteeism, and increased reports of domestic violence and child abuse.

What are the Signs of Alcohol Abuse?

Occasional drinks at home or with friends does not mean that you have a problem with alcohol. As a guideline:

- in women, a key indication that there is a degree of alcohol abuse is if you consume more than seven drinks a week and more than three in a social gathering.

- In men, the rate of consumption would have to equal more than 14 drinks per week or anexcess of four drinks while with friends.

Other signs include:

- alcohol cravings,

- a loss of control when drinking, which leads to the person unable to stop drinking. ?

- Tolerances built up to alcohol can be another sign of alcohol abuse,

- physical dependence on alcohol, such as nausea, sweating and headaches if no alcohol is consumed.

Scientists are discovering that many other factors are involved with drinking, such as family history of drinking, family genetics toward drinking, stress levels, and social and environmental factors.

Alcohol abuse is a very serious disease that is escalating all over the western world. It is a treatable disease, but is difficult to cure and it can affect anyone. Many factors make people more susceptible to it than others. Whilst many people drink and enjoy themselves in moderation, it is important that we all hear the message and keep our consumption to recognized tolerable levels.

Unfortunately modern society has raised the spectre of alcohol consumption to levels of absurdity as the fashion of Binge Drinking has become the norm amongst many of the young. This bad influence can only lead to more and more of us suffering from alcohol abuse.