Alcoholic beverage Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic beverage Essay In 2011, the rate of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities per 100,000 population was 3. 2, representing a 65% decrease since 1982, when record keeping began, and 49% since the inception of The Century Council in 1991. What this translates into is, for every 100,000 people in the US in 2011, slightly more than three people were killed in a drunk driving fatal crash, a rate that has been cut almost in half over the past two decades down from a rate of 6. 3 in 1991. Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 31% of the total vehicle traffic fatalities in 2011. Between 1991 and 2011, the rate of drunk driving fatalities per 100,000 population has decreased 49% nationally, and 63% among those under 21. These statistics and others are positive indicators of the gains being made to fight drunk driving, and while The Century Council cannot claim to be the sole influence in these reductions, it is likely we have played a significant role in reaching these historic low levels. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 32,367 people died in traffic crashes in 2011 in the United States (latest figures available), including an estimated 9,878 people who were killed in drunk driving crashes involving a driver with an illegal BAC (. 08 or greater). Among the people killed in these drunk driving crashes, 66% were drivers (6,507), 27% were motor vehicle occupants (2,661), and 7% were non-occupants (710), with an average of one person dying in a drunk driving fatality every 53 minutes. The Century Council’s Statistics Drinking alcohol and benefits. Over the last five years, the health benefits of moderate drinking have been widely celebrated in the headlines. To those who think everything enjoyable must be bad for you, this news might seem like a dream come true. Of course, there are many caveats and these studies dont indicate that teetotalers should take up drinking or that infrequent drinkers should start drinking more. The operative word here is drinking in moderation. Studies show, for example, that health benefits only come with moderate drinking and are greatest for older men. And even moderate drinking is not recommended for women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, or for people who are under 21. The strongest medical evidence exists for the link between moderate drinking and a reduced risk of heart disease. Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, was the lead author of a New England Journal of Medicine study examining the roles of drinking patterns and heart disease that found, after 12 year of follow-up, that men who consumed alcohol between three and seven days a week had fewer heart attacks than men who drank once a week. Below, Mukamal discusses the risk and benefits of moderate drinking. Do we know why moderate drinking lowers heart disease risk? We think that a lot of the benefits of alcohol are on the blood vessels and on blockages in the arteries to the heart and to the brain. This might be related to alcohols effect on the good cholesterol, the HDL cholesterol. In fact, alcohol affects HDL levels just about as strongly as any other lifestyle factor. People also think that alcohol may lower heart attack risk by acting as a blood thinner. What are some of the other health benefits associated with moderate drinking? A wide variety of health effects have been attributed to moderate drinking. A lower risk of diabetes has been seen in women and men. There actually have been experiments done in which alcohol was administered over a couple of months to people without diabetes. In those studies, most of which have been conducted in women interestingly, it looks like moderate drinking improves the bodys sensitivity to insulin. It may actually lower insulin levels altogether and may prevent diabetes through that mechanism. More recently weve done some work on moderate drinking and dementia. We looked at a group of older adults in the United States average age was in the mid-70s and found a reduced risk. There has been some more work in slightly younger populations from Europe, and those studies have fairly consistently suggested that older adults who were drinking moderately may have a lower risk of dementia. Were not exactly sure what the mechanisms may be behind that. Some of it may very well be because drinking tends to occur in social settings and just the process of getting out and socializing may be an important way to prevent dementia. There is also evidence that moderate drinking may prevent silent strokes or other subtle types of brain injury that we know over time can predispose to dementia. I think its still an area where we need some more investigation. Is the pattern of alcohol consumption important? In most of the studies that look at this issue, people have been asked How much alcohol do you usually drink? When that question is asked, people take an average. For example, I drink 10 drinks a month. But 10 drinks a month is very different for someone who has them all on one night vs. someone who has them on 10 different nights of the month. That kind of detail surprisingly hasnt been available in most of the studies that have been devoted to this topic. In our study we tried to figure out the drinking pattern thats most closely tied to lower heart attack risk. What we found in a study of about 38,000 men was that the key factor wasnt what men were drinking, or frankly even so much how much they were drinking at a time, but how frequently they were drinking alcohol. We found that men who were drinking at least three to four days a week or more had lower heart attack risks than people who had one drink a week. We also have some very strong studies showing that heart disease risk, while lower amongst moderate drinkers, can be substantially higher among people who drink to excess even occasionally. They dont have to be drinking excessively every single night to potentially have a greater heart attack risk. Many of the effects of moderate drinking, such as acting as a blood thinner, are only true at moderate levels of drinking. Those effects actually go away and reverse if people drink too much. What constitutes one drink? What doctors usually consider a drink is basically a medium glass of wine, a 1. 5 oz shot of spirits, or a can or bottle of beer. All of those have roughly similar amounts of pure alcohol in them. We usually define moderate drinking as up to one drink per day for adult women who arent pregnant and up to two drinks per day for adult men. Some guidelines recommend that moderate drinking among adults over 65 be limited to one drink per day. Are the heart benefits of alcohol consumption the same for men and women? In general, when were thinking about the putative health benefits of moderate drinking, they mostly apply to older people and to men. Issues for women and for younger individuals are much more difficult to sort out. The role of alcohol consumption in heart disease varies strongly by gender. The reason for that is twofold. On the one hand, women at any given age tend to have lower risks of heart disease than men do. As a result, the benefits of moderate drinking accrue disproportionately to men. At the same time, there are some particular risks of drinking for women that dont exist for men. There is some evidence that women may be particularly prone, for example, to liver disease related to drinking. Even moderate drinking may increase breast cancer risk. And, while the effects on heart attack risk are roughly similar in men and women, I think its even more difficult to determine what the ideal level of drinking ought to be for women than it is for men. I think it is fair to say that if young women in general are drinking with the expectation that there is some health benefit to it for them, theyre probably mistaken. Young women are a group of people for which, as of now, we basically have no clear proof that the overall balance of alcohols risks and benefits is going to work in their favor. What are some of the risks of moderate drinking? There is fairly consistent evidence that breast cancer rates are higher among women who drink moderately. I think thats important because obviously breast cancer is very common disease. I certainly think women at high risk for breast cancer should talk with their doctors about whether they should be drinking any alcohol. Another important risk, which is unrecognized for many people in this country, is that even moderate drinking among people with hepatitis C may increase their risk of permanent liver damage. Anybody who is known to have hepatitis C shouldnt be drinking any alcohol at all. People who have risk factors for hepatitis C ought to be tested because it will very substantially impact what the potential risks are related to moderate drinking. In addition, although we dont think moderate drinking necessarily clouds our judgment, it turns out that it probably does. In simulated driving tests that were done as far back as the 1950s, people have realized that at very low blood alcohol levels, simulated driving performance is impaired. When I say low blood alcohol, what Im talking about is as low as . 02 percent. Some studies, for example, the analysis of the National Alcohol Survey, showed something similar. You begin to see higher risks of injury even when people are reporting one drink a day. Thats why we still recommend that even moderate drinking occur in the home, preferably tied to meals. That is not so much because we find that that drinking with a meal is more likely to lower heart disease risk, for example, but because its the safest way to prevent high blood alcohol levels that can get people into accidents. What about people with a history of alcohol abuse? Although it has been bantered back and forth, most people think that people who have a personal history ofalcoholism very rarely can return to social drinking. People who, for personal or family reasons have never had alcohol before, at least as of now, probably shouldnt start drinking for any health reason. What is your advice for an individual who is weighing the risks or benefits of moderate drinking? Its hard to give any single piece of advice because of all the things weve learned about moderate drinking. The potential risks and benefits are going to vary by a persons health history, their age, sex and family history. The number of factors that would have to go into the decision is really very substantial. As a primary care doctor myself, these are long discussions that people should have with their doctor. I would not recommend that anybody go out tomorrow and start drinking alcohol simply on the basis of results that we and others have presented. I would say that for people who are drinking moderately and are able to control it and dont have any of the absolute reasons why they shouldnt be drinking alcohol, that there is no evidence now that thats a bad thing to do. Beyond that, I dont think right now we have enough evidence to say that anybody should take up drinking just for any particular benefit unless their doctors recommend that they do so. www. medicalnewstoday. com 7 Health Benefits Of Drinking Alcohol Getting wasted every weekend might not be the best thing for your physical or mental well-being, but moderate alcohol consumption may have some substantial health benefits. It should be noted that alcohol consumption and its benefits vary based on an individuals body makeup and type. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. This definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days. Now, weve all heard the reasons why alcohol is bad for you, but what about the benefits? Here is our list of seven ways that drinking alcohol in moderation (when youre of the legal drinking age of course) might benefit your health. 1. It Can Lower Your Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease. The School of Public Health at Harvard University found that moderate amounts of alcohol raises levels of high-density lipoprotein, HDL, or good cholesterol and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked with beneficial changes ranging from better sensitivity to insulin to improvements in factors that influence blood clotting. Such changes would tend to prevent the formation of small blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck, and brain, the ultimate cause of many heart attacks and the most common kind of stroke. This finding is applicable to both men and women who have not been previously diagnosed with any type of cardiovascular disease. Follow Us 2. It Can Lengthen Your Life Drinking occasionally could add a few years to your life. A study by the Catholic University of Campobasso reported that drinking less than four or two drinks per day for men and women respectively could reduce the risk of death by 18 percent, as reported by Reuters. Little amounts, preferably during meals, this appears to be the right way (to drink alcohol), said Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano of Catholic University, another author on the study. This is another feature of the Mediterranean diet, where alcohol, wine above all, is the ideal partner of a dinner or lunch, but thats all: the rest of the day must be absolutely alcohol-free. 3. It Can Improve Your Libido Contrary to prior beliefs, newer research has found that moderate drinking might actually protect against erectile dysfunction in the same way that drinking red wine might benefit heart disease. In a 2009 study published in the, Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers found that the chances of erectile dysfunction were reduced by 25 to 30 percent among alcohol drinkers. The lead researcher, Kew-Kim Chew, an epidemiologist at the University of West Australia, conducted the study with 1,770 Australian men. In his study, Chew cautiously noted that he and his team in no way are advising men to hit the bottle, and that further research is needed to accurately connect impotence and alcohol consumption. 4. It Helps Prevent Against the Common Cold. The Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University found that while susceptibility to the common cold was increased by smoking, moderate alcohol consumption led to a decrease in common cold cases for nonsmokers. This study was conducted in 1993 with 391 adults. In 2002, according to the New York Times, Spanish researchers found that by drinking eight to 14 glasses of wine per week, particularly red wine, one could see a 60-percent reduction in the risk of developing a cold. The scientists suspected that this had something to do with the antioxidant properties of wine. 5. It Can Decrease Chances Of Developing Dementia In a study that included more than 365,000 participants since 1977, as reported in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, moderate drinkers were 23 percent less likely to develop cognitive impairment or Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Small amounts of alcohol might, in effect, make brain cells more fit. Alcohol in moderate amounts stresses cells and thus toughens them up to cope with major stresses down the road that could cause dementia, said Edward J. Neafsey, Ph. D. , co-author of the study, as reported by Science Daily. We dont recommend that nondrinkers start drinking, Neafsey said. But moderate drinking — if it is truly moderate — can be beneficial. 6. It Can Reduce The Risk Of Gallstones Drinking two units of alcohol per day can reduce the risk of gallstones by one-third, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia. The study found that those who reported consuming two UK units of alcohol per day had a one-third reduction in their risk of developing gallstones. Researchers emphasized that their findings show the benefits of moderate alcohol intake but stress that excessive alcohol intake can cause health problems, according to the study. 7. Lowers The Chance Of Diabetes. Results of a Dutch study showed that healthy adults who drink one to two glasses per day have a decreased chance of developing type 2 diabetes, in comparison to those who dont drink at all. The results of the investigation show that moderate alcohol consumption can play a part in a healthy lifestyle to help reduce the risk of developing diabetes type 2, researchers said in a statement to Reuters. By Sabrina Bachai http://www. medicaldaily. com 12 Health Risks of Chronic Heavy Drinking Its no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases. Alcohol does all kinds of things in the body, and were not fully aware of all its effects, says James C. Garbutt, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and a researcher at the universitys Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. Its a pretty complicated little molecule. Here are 12 conditions linked to chronic heavy drinking. Anemia. Heavy drinking can cause the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells to be abnormally low. This condition, known as anemia, can trigger a host of symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness. Cancer Habitual drinking increases the risk of cancer, says Jurgen Rehm, PhD, chairman of the University of Torontos department of addiction policy and a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, also in Toronto. Scientists believe the increased risk comes when the body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen. Cancer sites linked to alcohol use include the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and colorectal region. Cancer risk rises even higher in heavy drinkers who also use tobacco. Cardiovascular disease Heavy drinking, especially bingeing, makes platelets more likely to clump together into blood clots, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. In a landmark study published in 2005, Harvard researchers found that binge drinking doubled the risk of death among people who initially survived a heart attack. Heavy drinking can also cause cardiomyopathy, a potentially deadly condition in which the heart muscle weakens and eventually fails, as well as heart rhythm abnormalities such as atrial and ventricular fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, in which the hearts upper chambers (atria) twitch chaotically rather than constrict rhythmically, can cause blood clots that can trigger a stroke. Ventricular fibrillation causes chaotic twitching in the hearts main pumping chambers (ventricles). It causes rapid loss of consciousness and, in the absence of immediate treatment, sudden death. Cirrhosis Alcohol is toxic to liver cells, and many heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, a sometimes-lethal condition in which the liver is so heavily scarred that it is unable to function. But its hard to predict which drinkers will develop cirrhosis. Some people who drink huge amounts never get cirrhosis, and some who dont drink very much do get it, Saitz says. For some unknown reason, women seem to be especially vulnerable. Dementia As people age, their brains shrink, on average, at a rate of about 1. 9% per decade. Thats considered normal. But heavy drinking speeds the shrinkage of certain key regions in the brain, resulting in memory loss and other symptoms of dementia. Heavy drinking can also lead to subtle but potentially debilitating deficits in the ability to plan, make judgments, solve problems, and perform other aspects of executive function, which are the higher-order abilities that allow us to maximize our function as human beings, Garbutt says. In addition to the nonspecific dementia that stems from brain atrophy, heavy drinking can cause nutritional deficiencies so severe that they trigger other forms of dementia. Depression. Its long been known that heavy drinking often goes hand in hand with depression, but there has been debate about which came first the drinking or the depression. One theory is that depressed people turned to alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate to ease their emotional pain. But a large study from New Zealand showed that it was probably the other way around that is, heavy drinking led to depression. Research has also shown that depression improves when heavy drinkers go on the wagon, Saitz says. Seizures Heavy drinking can cause epilepsy and can trigger seizures even in people who dont have epilepsy. It can also interfere with the action of the medications used to treat convulsions. Gout A painful condition, gout is caused by the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints. Although some cases are largely hereditary, alcohol and other dietary factors seem to play a role. Alcohol also seems to aggravate existing cases of gout. High blood pressure Alcohol can disrupt the sympathetic nervous system, which, among other things, controls the constriction and dilation of blood vessels in response to stress, temperature, exertion, etc. Heavy drinking and bingeing, in particular can cause blood pressure to rise. Over time, this effect can become chronic. High blood pressure can lead to many other health problems, including kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke. Infectious disease Heavy drinking suppresses the immune system, providing a toehold for infections, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases (including some that cause infertility). People who drink heavily also are more likely to engage in risky sex. Heavy drinking is associated with a three-fold increase in the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, Rehmn says. Nerve damage Heavy drinking can cause a form of nerve damage known as alcoholic neuropathy, which can produce a painful pins-and-needles feeling or numbness in the extremities as well as muscle weakness, incontinence, constipation, erectile dysfunction, and other problems. Alcoholic neuropathy may arise because alcohol is toxic to nerve cells, or because nutritional deficiencies attributable to heavy drinking compromise nerve function. Pancreatitis In addition to causing stomach irritation (gastritis), drinking can inflame the pancreas. Chronic pancreatitis interferes with the digestive process, causing severe abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea and its not fixable, Saitz says. Some cases of chronic pancreatitis are triggered by gallstones, but up to 60% stem from alcohol consumption. By David Freeman WebMD Feature Reviewed by Marina Katz, MD HOW DO PEOPLE BECOME ADDICTED TO ALCOHOL? Pleasure People use alcohol because they enjoy the way it makes them feel, report doctors at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The brain is wired to seek out enjoyable feelings and to repeat the process that made those reactions possible. Alcoholism is a disease that affects the brain, creating a craving for a repetition of the good sensations. Doctors at the AAFP say that the brain chemistry actually changes to seek out those pleasurable activities, causing the consciousness to lose control over the behavior that will provide them. Alcoholism, or an addiction to alcohol, results when the need for those repeated pleasurable sensations becomes stronger than the need for security. Consequences such as loss of relationships, jobs and freedom cannot overcome the brains desires to seek more pleasure. Read more: http://www. livestrong. com/article/27164-people-become-addicted-alcohol/#ixzz2jLgnOq7T Physical Changes Doctors at the Mayo Clinic report that, over time, the balance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate become altered. GABA inhibits impulsive behavior and glutamate causes the nervous system to become excited. Dopamine levels are also increased by alcohol, which cause the pleasure-seeking behaviors. Genetic markers also can contribute to alcoholism, as the disease tends to run in families. Those with a genetic tendency toward alcoholism are more likely to become addicted once they start drinking. Drinking also can block certain stress hormones, which add to the likelihood of addiction for those who use alcohol to combat stress. Psychological Boost. Many people use alcohol to be socially accepted into various groups. Mayo Clinic doctors report that people with low self-esteem often use alcohol to boost their confidence and fit in with their peers, which can lead to extended use and addiction. People with other mental disorders in addition to social phobias often turn to alcohol to self-medicate. Patients with depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder commonly become addicted to alcohol after using the drug to decrease the intensity of their symptoms. Excess. Addiction to alcohol is a process that evolves over time, often years. Drinking to excess for an extended period of time increases the likelihood of developing a dependence on the drug. Mayo Clinic doctors report that for men, 15 drinks or more a week can lead to a physical dependence, while women drinking 12 or more drinks per week are at risk for becoming alcoholics. Time frames vary between individuals and can be affected by heredity, the age when the drinking first began, environmental factors, such as drinking in the home, and other emotional and mental disorders.