Recent research has shown that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol can get health benefits from it. For certain groups of people, such as men over 40 and women after menopause, having only a couple of small drinks a day can aid in the prevention of coronary heart disease.
It is estimated, however, that twenty five percent of men and one in six women in the US drink to the point that they put their health at risk. They are quite vulnerable to the effects of drinking alcohol in dangerous quantities. And, every day we see in the news the disastrous effects of drinking and driving.
In the short-term, alcohol consumption affects the part of the brain that controls judgment, which results in a loss of inhibitions. Beyond that, it affects co-ordination and balance, and causes slurred speech and blurred vision. Drinking large quantities at one time can cause unconsciousness, coma, and even death. Suffocation is possible also if a person vomits while in an unconscious state. Further, alcohol is blamed in a large percentage of fatal vehicle crashes, assaults and in cases of domestic violence.
Drinking and driving puts everyone’s life in real danger. Drunken drivers are found by police officers in numerous sobriety checks for road safety. The financial and civil penalties are enormous.
In the long-term, alcohol can be a dangerous drug. Drinking too much too often will cause physical damage, increase the risk of getting some diseases, and make other diseases worse. Long term alcohol use can cause brain cell death, cirrhosis of the liver, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, several types of cancer, damage to nerves and heart failure.
Alcohol affects your brain, your body and your self-control. Its harmful effects cause enormous suffering. Drinking excess alcohol causes problems with coordination, judgment, vision, reflexes, memory and can even cause blackouts. Alcohol can damage every organ in your body over time. It is absorbed directly into your bloodstream without digestion and can increase the risk for myriad disabling diseases, including cancer.
Without exaggerating, alcohol can really kill you. Consuming copious amounts of alcohol at one time or rapidly – known as binge drinking – can cause alcohol poisoning, which can very quickly lead to coma or death.
Drinking and then driving is also deadly. In 2002, almost thirty percent of young drivers aged 15 to 20 who died in automobile crashes had been drinking alcohol. Drunken drivers threaten the safety of everyone on the road
Alcohol can hurt you – even if you’re not the one drinking. Just hanging around people who are intoxicated puts you at a greater risk of being injured, involved in an auto accident, or becoming a victim of violence. At the very least, you may have to deal with people who are sick, out of control, or unable to take care of themselves.
Resources
KeRo Corporation – manufactures and distributes the coin-operated, Alcohol Alert! talking alcohol breath tester. See an online demo of the machine here.
Breathalyzers.net – distributes several different hand-held models, including the highly regarded AlcoMate Digital hand-held unit for consumers, and the Lifeloc FC for professional use.
