Alcohol Awareness

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When discussing information about drinking alcohol and observing alcohol from an historical standpoint, it can be shown that people have known about alcohol and information about alcohol and have been drinking alcohol for at least 10,000 years.

Although alcohol has been used in a number of diverse ways throughout history that can be called "beneficial," it was, however, recognized thousands of years ago that drinking alcohol in an excessive and abusive manner led to social as well as to personal problems.

Due to the fact that people in the industrialized nations have been drinking alcohol over an extended time frame and that many of these people are aware of the damaging consequences of chronic, heavy drinking and alcohol abuse, why do so many individuals in these nations seem to gamble with their futures by submitted themselves to the deleterious and unhealthy effects of excessive drinking?  Do these people need access to more relevant information about alcohol?  Do these individuals need to develop a more refined sense of "alcohol awareness" so that they can significantly reduce the multitude of issues and problems that are associated with drinking alcohol in an excessive, irresponsible, and abusive manner?  Is "alcohol awareness" truly an issue?

An Essential Question:  What Is Alcohol?

The alcohol that is consumed at parties or bars is called ethyl alcohol or ethanol.  In short, this is the kind of alcohol that is ingested when people engage in drinking alcohol.

Ethyl alcohol is created by fermentation, a process in which yeast fungus feeds on sugars and/or starches in various grains (such as rice, barley, or hops) or fruits (such as grapes) and excretes alcohol along with carbon dioxide (CO2).

Ethyl alcohol is a depressant drug.  The amount of alcohol in drinks varies widely depending on the specific drink.  For instance, while wine and beer usually have an alcohol content between 5% and 15%, hard liquor, conversely, commonly has an alcohol content of up to 40% or more.

Interestingly, from the least expensive beer to the most expensive wine or after dinner liqueur, all alcohol is made with the same fermentation process. The various colors, strengths, flavors, and tastes come from the different fruits or vegetables that are used as well as from the diluting substances, by-products, and additives used in the fermentation process.  It is enlightening to note that the fermentation process used in alcoholic beverages is the same process that will occur with apple juice, orange juice or other fruit juices and fruit if they are not consumed.

Blood Alcohol Concentration

The following represents information about alcohol that many people seemingly do not know about.  Information about alcohol such as this, it is asserted, can increase the "alcohol awareness" people possess about drinking alcohol.

When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, roughly 20% of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and 80% is absorbed in the small intestine. The type of drink, the frequency of drinks that are consumed, whether the stomach is empty or full, and the concentration of alcohol in the drink affect the speed at which the alcohol is absorbed. 

Once the alcohol is absorbed into the tissues, it affects the individual's body and his or her brain.  

It usually takes around 20 minutes after having an alcoholic beverage for a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level to rise.  After alcohol is absorbed and metabolized, it exits the body essentially in three ways: via the liver, kidneys, and via the lungs.

One note of interest:  the ways in which drinking alcohol affects the person's body or his or her brain is based on the above information about the absorption and also on a person's body weight and how quickly the individual's body metabolizes alcohol.

A Brief History of Alcohol Use

While it is not known exactly when drinking alcohol first took place, the discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs, nevertheless, has resulted in strong evidence that suggests that the intentional fermentation of various beverages existed at least as early as 10,000 B.C.  This means that people have known about alcoholic drinks and alcoholic beverages and have been drinking alcohol for at least 10,000 years!

Other historical references regarding drinking alcohol include the following:

• In the Bible, Genesis 9:20 states that Noah planted a vineyard on Mt. Ararat.
  
  
• In Ancient Egypt, the Egyptians believed that Osiris, the god of wine, also invented beer, a beverage that was so much a part of Egyptian life that it was brewed daily in the home.
  
  
• In Sumeria, wine and beer were used for therapeutic reasons as early as 2,000 B.C.
  
  
• In ancient Greece, by 1,700 B.C. wine making was so common that, similar to other places in the old world, it was used in hospitality, it became an important aspect of religious rituals, it was used for medicinal purposes, and it became a commonly used with daily meals.
  
  
• In ancient China, it was believed that the consumption of alcohol in moderation was prescribed by heaven.
  
  
• In Babylon, as early as 2,700 B.C, the Babylonians worshiped wine deities.  Beer and wine were used on a regular basis as offerings to the gods. 

As we will soon realize, the above historical references about drinking alcohol will also point to the negative effects of excessive and abusive drinking as well as to a surprising level of "alcohol awareness" and other relevant information about alcohol that existed hundreds and thousands of years ago.

Drinking Alcohol in an Abusive Way

While alcohol has been used in a number of ways that can be called "positive" and useful, it was, however, recognized thousands of years ago that drinking alcohol in an excessive and abusive manner led to negative issues and problems.  For instance, both Plato and Aristotle were critical of public drunkenness.

In addition, a Chinese manuscript was recently found that discussed how hard it was for individuals to do without beer and included warnings of the "abuse" of beer.  What was the date of this manuscript?  Approximately 650 B.C.!

Leaping ahead to Europe, in 1596 in France, an adviser to Henri IV stated that excessive drinking too frequently ruined homes and families.  In a document published in 1647, a Greek monk stated that drinking alcohol in an excessive manner was detrimental to the nerves and to the brain and was a key contributor to many medical problems such as paralysis, trembling, convulsions, and uncontrolled bleeding into an organ or into the brain.

Interestingly, more than 350 years ago some intelligent Europeans with "alcohol awareness" critically examined the relevant information about alcohol and discovered some of the effects of excessive alcohol consumption that in modern-day terminology would be classified as "alcohol side effects," the "DTs," "alcohol withdrawal," "alcohol poisoning," and "alcohol overdose."

In 1667 in France, a medical thesis was submitted that both announced the positive facets of wine and also those aspects that are detrimental to one's health such as sleep disruption, ulcerated eyes, trembling hands, memory loss, erratic gait, gawking expression, and lethargy.  Although this work contained a number of clinical observations that were legitimately attributed to heavy drinking and excessive alcohol consumption, this "alcohol awareness" and knowledge and information about the damaging and negative alcohol effects of drinking alcohol was not widespread.

Moving forward to the United States, 1920 marks the beginning of Prohibition in the U.S.  At this time the 18th Amendment to the Constitution had been officially ratified and focused on putting an end to the "evils associated with drinking."  Around this same time one writer equated excessive drinking with "Grappling with the Monster" and the "Curse" and stated that the only cure was total abstinence.

Interestingly, the "evils" that resulted from drinking alcohol in an excessive and abusive manner in the 1800s and the early 1900s in the United States were mainly viewed from a social perspective.  That is, drinking alcohol in an irresponsible and excessive manner was seen as associated with crime, poor efficiency and production in the factories and the shops, family violence, public disorder, and poverty.

Though this is the case, it must also be pointed out that some insightful individuals did see that excessive drinking, especially rum, would result in death.  Others, moreover, openly proclaimed warnings about excessive alcohol consumption, but their voices, for the most part, were not heard.  If only these individuals who exhibited this level of "alcohol awareness" had access to the Internet!

Have a Look at These Top Quality Alcohol Abuse Videos!

Alcohol Statistics and Other Information About Alcohol

Many of the dangers associated with drinking alcohol in a chronic and abusive manner, such as the dangers that arise from alcoholism and alcohol abuse, unfortunately, do make a "real" impression on people until some of the key information about alcohol and relevant statistics and facts about alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, and alcoholic behavior are discussed.  It is with this in mind that the following alcohol facts, statistics, and other information about alcohol will be presented.  It is also hoped that these alcohol facts and statistics will result in an enhanced level of "alcohol awareness."

According to a study undertaken by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in 2005, the following statistics about alcohol abuse and alcoholism were discovered:

• Every day in the U.S. more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink.
  
  
• Every year in the U.S. more than 150,000 college students develop health problem that are alcohol-related.
  
  
• Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse cost the United States an estimated $220 billion in 2005.  This dollar amount was more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) and obesity ($133 billion).The 9.6% of adult alcoholics drink 25% of the alcohol that is consumed by all adult drinkers.
  
  
• American youth who drinking before the of age 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics than young people who do not drink before the age of 21.
  
  
• Every year, 1,400 American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related inadvertent injuries, including motor vehicle accidents.
  
  
• In the United States during 2004, 16,694 deaths occurred as a result of alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes.  This amount was approximately 39% of all traffic fatalities.  This amounts to one alcohol-related death every 31 minutes.
  
  
• The 25.9% of underage drinkers who are alcohol abusers and alcohol dependent drink 47.3% of the alcohol that is consumed by all underage drinkers.

It is apparent from these alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics that drinking alcohol in an irresponsible, excessive way results in a host of problems and issues that are not only widespread in our society, but that also lead to devastation and destruction that are experienced at the personal as well as at the societal level.  In a word, the unhealthy and damaging outcomes of alcoholism and alcohol abuse cry out for increased alcohol awareness in our society.

Linking Medical Problems to Alcoholism

The focus on the results of excessive drinking from a medical perspective received a substantial boost from a doctor named E.M. Jellinek.  More to the point, Dr. Jellinek was the first person in the United States to formulate a taxonomy of medical issues and problems that were observable in chronic alcoholics.  And make note of the fact that this important work was undertaken by Dr. Jellinek in 1937!

It should also be mentioned that Dr. Jellinek was actively involved in some of the early alcoholism studies sponsored by the World Health Organization.  Directly or indirectly due to this interesting working relationship, in 1952, the World Health Organization used Dr. Jellinek's definition for the term "alcoholic" in their own documents:  "Alcoholics are those excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has attained such a degree that it shows notable disturbance or an interference with their bodily and mental health, their personal relationships and smooth economic functioning or who show prodromal signs of such a development. They therefore need treatment."

As a result of the above discussion, it can be concluded that concepts such as alcohol treatment and alcohol rehab were being formulated and articulated in the United States nearly 70 years ago!  Much of the early work by Dr. Jellinek and others with "alcohol awareness" has formulated current policies, procedures, and programs for the chronic use and abuse of both alcohol and drug.  

Not only this, but the work of Dr. Jellinek and many other early pioneers in the substance abuse field has provided input into the creation and implementation of some of the alcohol and drug laws that currently exist in the United States.  When reviewing Dr. Jellinek's work from an historical context, it is evident that his monumental work influenced the entire area of alcohol testing and related areas of research such as "blood alcohol content" and "blood alcohol level."  Without a doubt, Dr. Jellinek possessed a level of "alcohol awareness" that has probably not been surpassed in his day or in ours.

While U.S. doctors in the 1950s were cognizant of the interrelationships that existed between alcoholism and diseases such as the degeneration of the liver, gastritis, and hepatic cirrhosis, today's doctors have more expertise about the many diverse ways in which the different organs and systems of the body are damaged and changed by chronic alcohol dependence.  Today's physicians are also better informed about other critical alcohol-related facts and issues such as fetal alcohol syndrome.

Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Due to the fact that there are millions of American teens who are alcohol abusers or alcoholics, learning about the short-term and the long-term effects of drinking alcohol in an excessive, chronic, and abusive manner is critically important concerning teenage drinkers.

If, however, a teenager can read about or hear about, conceptualize, and internalize the facts and statistics concerning teen alcohol abuse and teenage alcoholism, and do so in a healthy and growth-fostering way, perhaps they may be able to avoid the devastating effects that are intrinsically related to teenage alcohol abuse and alcoholism in our society.  It is access to relevant and factual information about alcohol and acting on this information that gives rise to heightened "alcohol awareness" in our teens and in our adults.

Alcoholism Videos

We have included some alcoholism videos so that you can see and hear directly from various people about their struggles with this disease.  If you, one of your friends, or a member of your family has a "drinking problem," seeing what others have gone through and how they attained successful recovery is much more "reality-based" than any information about alcohol that you can read.  In addition, watching these videos may help you understand what others with drinking problems are experiencing, how reaching the "bottom of the barrel" increased their "alcohol awareness," and how drinking alcohol has changed their lives. So make sure you look at these excellent videos!

Alcohol Awareness:  Conclusion

Although alcohol has been used in a variety of ways throughout history that can be called useful or "positive," it is interesting to note that thousands of years ago it was known that drinking alcohol in an abusive and excessive way resulted in a multitude of negative issues and problems.  For example, Aristotle and Plato, two of the more famous ancient Greek philosophers who possesses an refined sense of "alcohol awareness," openly criticized people who exhibited public drunkenness.

Moreover, a Chinese manuscript written around 650 B.C. was recently found which stated how difficult it was for people to do without beer and actually included warnings of the "abuse" of beer.  Ironically, in spite of the fact that basic information about alcohol such as the negative consequences of drinking alcohol in an abusive and excessive manner has been known for centuries, alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse continue to damage human lives in our "enlightened" and "aware" society.

It is information about alcohol like this that states loud and clear that the industrialized nations of the world need to educate their people with the relevant facts, statistics, and consequences of abusive, irresponsible, chronic, and heavy drinking so that their people can raise their level of "alcohol awareness" and significantly reduce the alcohol-related horror stories and tragedies that happen all too frequently in today's modern world.

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