Dangers Of Alcohol Abuse

A moment of relaxation at lunch time, evenings or weekends is great. But when excess takes over moderation, what are the dangers - or are there dangers to all?

Well, unfortunately, the statistics do not lie - The World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated that worldwide 1.8 million deaths of people each year are attributable entirely to the excessive consumption of alcohol. In addition, it has been shown that levels of consumption of a country directly parallel the level of damage caused, or more than one drink country, the more alcohol-related harm occurs.

Alcohol is the third leading cause of illness and injury, causing nearly one in ten of all premature death and disease across Europe. This is ahead of obesity, diabetes and asthma and second only to smoking and blood pressure conditions.

In the longer term, regular alcohol consumption increases the risks of: liver damage, cancer (liver, mouth, throat and chest), mental health problems, weight gain, heart disease, stroke, shrunken genitals and reduce fertility. Alcohol reduces your body's ability to absorb nutrition. In addition, weight gain drinking often contribute to other health conditions such as diabetes.

Alcohol abuse in the United Kingdom

A recent report by the Office for National Statistics showed that alcohol-related diseases in the UK kill nearly twice as many women in the early 1990s. This was partly due to the increase in the acceptance of excessive consumption of alcohol

About 30 years ago, the rate of alcohol-related deaths for men and women in the UK were around two per 100,000, was the lowest in Western Europe. Now, the rate for men is 18 per 100,000, still below the European average.

Drunk Driving

Drunk driving is a criminal offense in most countries. It affects the user and makes them not only a danger to themselves, but also other road users. The level of breath alcohol or blood, which determines the legal limit varies from one country to another and when a person reaches this limit varies from person to person.

There is no "safe" level of alcohol if you intend to drive a motor vehicle. Alcohol affects coordination, trial, reaction time and your ability to reason - including your tendency to take risks.

It is recommended that you leave a minimum of 1 hour for 1 unit of alcohol consumed before driving or operating heavy machinery or electrical equipment to ensure that you are not under the influence of alcohol.

For example: a person drinks 6 pints (20 oz) of beer in mid-ordinary strength (12 units), finishing their alcohol consumption to 11 hours. They start work at 8am the following day. (9 hours later).

12 units - 9 hours = 3. In this scenario, the person could still have 3-4 units of alcohol left in their body while driving to work the following day - risking the accusation of the police and the safety of others. 3-4 units provide most of the men in the United Kingdom or USA legal driving limit of 80mg/dl and 3 units for most women.