We want to enjoy life and shut down from time to time. To what extent is alcohol consumption harmless and when do we run the risk of drinking too much? Almost twice as many people die from alcohol-related causes than from opiate overdoses
Alcohol-related deaths do not raise as much cause for concern, because it is legal, readily available and socially acceptable.
As the Opioid Epidemic Progresses
According to the US Center for Disease Control, more than 47,000 people died from opiate overdoses in 2017 in the United States, and 9,000 died in 1999. Thus, in 18 years, opioid deaths have increased five-fold.
In 2017, around 88,000 people died from alcohol-related causes. This is almost twice more than deaths associated with opioid overdose.
Alcohol Is Promoted
Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, the first is tobacco and the second poor diet and minimal physical activity.
In 2018, US alcohol sales amounted to US $ 253.8 billion.
Alcohol is supported in the US and many European countries. Advertising massage affects children and adolescents.
How Do I Know if I Drink Too Much?
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has created a website called “Rethinking Drinking” to highlight misconceptions about what is considered “low risk” and “high risk” alcohol consumption.
More than three drinks per day or more than seven drinks per week for women and four drinks per day or 14 drinks per week for men can be considered as “high risk”. This is true for both the short and long term.
Consuming 4-5 drinks within two hours is considered excessive drinking.
Young people need to be informed about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption. Another question is whether there should be tempting, glamorous alcohol advertising as for any other product.
How Do I Know if I Have a Problem?
If you have a desire or a strong desire for alcohol, you cannot limit alcohol use, even if you wish, you have a problem. The moment the use of alcohol causes relationship problems, the inability to perform routine tasks at work or at home, or even drinking in situations where you may endanger yourself or someone else (e.g. driving a car), the problem is serious.
If you cannot give up alcohol despite causing mental and health problems and feel withdrawal symptoms, you have a real problem.
Do you only drink at the weekend? Try to drink no single glass for a month. How will you feel?
Source and credit: https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/12/13/alcohol-is-killing-more-people-than-the-opioid-epidemic-but-why-arent-we-talking-about-it/, pixabay.com
