Alcohol is fun, right?
Sobering facts about the world’s most dangerous drug
Studies show that those who begin drinking by age 15 are five times more likely to abuse or depend on alcohol as an adult, as opposed to those who begin drinking after age 20. Overwhelmingly, the percentage of teens abstaining from alcohol is greater than those who drink. About 71 percent of people ages 12 to 20 have not had a drink in one month.
Binge drinking: Consuming five or more drinks at a time. Over 35 percent of adults with an alcohol problem demonstrated symptoms like binge drinking by age 19.
Research shows that traffic-related deaths involving alcohol were at their highest in 2006 than in the previous 14 years. That number, 17,941, was 43 percent of all such deaths.
Increased risk of cancer, obesity, depression, heart and liver disease are just some of the physical afflictions that can be linked to alcohol.
Excessive drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, when vomit aspirates due to a drunk person passing out while lying on their back. This can cause brain damage or even death.
The chances of knowing an abuser of alcohol are great. About 1 in 13 U.S. adults fall into this category, highest among those ages 18 to 29 and lowest among the elderly.
You can help. Patience and encouragement are key in helping loved ones recover from alcoholism. Between one-third and two-thirds of all those who try to recover are successful, once they make the initial decision to refrain from all further alcohol use. However, relapses are common and the recovery process can be very lengthy.
The alcohol in alcoholic drinks is made up of a chemical compound that includes ethanol and grain alcohol. The more general concept of alcohol – in chemistry – would be any organic compound that contains a hydroxyl group. This can also be called hydroxide. Bonded to a carbon atom, in turn bonded to other atoms of hydrogen and carbon, the hydroxide becomes the alcoholic compound in our beers and other liquors.
When it comes to the parts of alcohol that actually make up the chemical compound responsible for the structure, the hydroxyl group of the alcohol is usually bonded to an sp3 hybridized carbon. When it comes to the types of alcohol, there are generally three kinds, which are, primary, secondary and tertiary. These three levels will always make a reference to the various number of carbons in the compound that the C-OH carbon is bonded to.
The most common types of alcohol, which are called Ethanol and methanol, are both primary alcohols. When it comes to secondary alcohols, the most simple of them is called propan-2-ol. The third level, tertiary, also has many simple alcohols. One of the most common is 2-methylpropan-2-ol.
When it comes to the alcohol that is used in alcoholic drinks it is usually a grain alcohol. This is made via the fermentation of either a fruit or a grain with yeast. Ethanol is commonly used in this way, and this creates a compound that has been made and used by humans for thousands of years. Because of the history of grain alcohol, it has become one of the oldest used recreational drugs in the entire world. Because of the properties of the grain or fruit that has been fermented, drinking alcohol will cause a person to become intoxicated.
Alcohol itself might have adverse effects on your liver and kidneys, and might slow down the functions of these organs. Alcohol will also erode the lining of your stomach and your throat, so you will have problems with heartburn and upset stomachs because of alcohol.
Besides for the effects on your body, you will also see negative effects that are visible on your body. People who use alcohol a lot might have bad skin and hair because of the damage that they are causing themselves. They might also have bad breath and teeth because of the excess amounts of alcohol that they are putting into their systems.
When you are using alcohol, it is also easier to gain access to other drugs, and to other things that you might not normally have contact with if you aren’t drinking. Other drugs might be dangerous, and your lack of good judgment while you are using alcohol might lead you to try things that you never have before.
Alcohol is something that can be both beneficial to you when used in moderation, and harmful to you when used in excess. Certain things in alcohol, especially in red wine, can be very good for your health, if you use it once in a while, and never to excess. In certain places, people drink red wine for their health, and as long as they don’t abuse it, they never have any adverse health effects.
However, alcohol can also be very harmful to your health if you use it too much. A person who is using alcohol to an excess might not be sleeping as well as they should be, and will wake up feeling like they are not well rested. Their cells will not be getting enough oxygen, so they will feel sluggish and tired no matter how often they sleep. They might have chronic headaches or muscle aches because of the adverse effect of alcohol on their body.
What do you know, or think you know about alcohol? That you feel buzzed and a little goofy when you have one drink too many? That alcohol makes you talk too much and behave in ways not in your best interests? That you go to jail for DUI if you’re driving a car with a blood alcohol content greater than .08%? All these facts about alcohol are true. However, there are some facts about alcohol that you probably do not know since they are rather obscure and scientific. In this article, we’ll look at some of these facts, put into “plain English.”
* There are many types of alcohol, such as wood alcohol (methanol) and isopropanol, or rubbing alcohol. These are poisonous substances that should NEVER be consumed by people since they are industrial forms of alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is found in a lot of hygiene products like aftershave lotions. In prison, inmates who are desperate to consume alcohol will drink their alcohol-based hygiene products, called “green lizards.” The physical effects of consuming these forms of alcohol can be fatal. According to his wife, Tabitha, America’s best-selling author of all time, Stephen King, overcame a drug and alcohol problem, including drinking mouthwash that contained alcohol. The man’s a billionaire and can buy anything he wants. Go figure.
* Ethyl alcohol, also called ethanol or grain alcohol is the drinkable form of alcohol that we know best. Do you know that ethyl alcohol is also used as a cleaning solvent and as an ingredient in explosives depending upon the “proof?” Perhaps, when you were a teenager or in your early 20’s, you tried the experiment of setting Everclear brand alcohol on fire. It worked, didn’t it? Today you’re putting a toxic chemical into your body that you can actually set afire. Is this working for you?
* Ethyl alcohol is made from the fermentation of sugars, yeast and starches. During the Great Depression in the 1920’s, when Prohibition was the law of the land, people used to make their own alcohol that they called “bathtub gin.” Rather than buying bootleg alcohol at a high price from Al Capone and other gangsters, many people used to make their own alcohol from grains “like slices of bread“ and fruits for sugar content, and let it all ferment in their bathtubs until it was drinkable (barely). Moonshiners in the Southern US perfected the art of distilling alcohol. Moonshine is an “absolute” alcohol that is not more than 1% diluted by water. Depending upon the skill of the moonshiner, this form of alcohol was easily fatal to unsuspecting users during Prohibition.
* Yeah, okay. The first miracle that Jesus performed, according to the Bible, was turning water into wine. But the wine of 33 A.D. was far different from the wine of today, which can have a whopping alcohol content of up to 12%. Jesus didn’t do this very well, when you consider the alcohol content of many of today’s wines. Besides, in the days of Jesus, there wasn’t a lot of safe, drinkable water. Just about everyone drank wine instead. Where in the Bible did Jesus approve of drunkenness? He didn’t, so let that argument go; it won’t work with addiction counselors.
* Have you seen the movie trilogy, “Pirates of the Caribbean?” Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) was certainly fond of rum; it was the drink of the day during pre-colonial days. Everybody, from pirates to the British aristocracy, in the Caribbean drank rum. Unfortunately, in those days rum was an “all or nothing” drink; it was either well-made and drinkable, or ill-made and frequently fatal when used to excess in a very short time. Don’t let Hollywood fool you; real pirates of the Caribbean didn’t have a long life-span if they were too fond of rum alcohol.
Well, there you have it. Some well-known facts about alcohol and some little-known facts as well. You already know by now that alcohol dependence (addiction) is a chronic, progressive, and fatal condition. When you take alcohol into your body, just know what you’re doing.