High-Volume Alcohol Use is Risky

Experts in the field of addiction medicine understand that there is no safe amount of alcohol. While one can imbibe the substance moderately and experience few, if any, problems, research continues to show that even occasional drinkers are at significant risk of health problems.

At Celebrate Hope, we use this platform to shine a light on drug and alcohol use with the intention of helping young people make informed decisions about substance use. Many factors determine who will experience issues with drug and alcohol use, but there are certain behaviors that experts believe elevate an individual's likelihood of developing a use disorder.

When it comes to alcohol – the most popular drug worldwide – heavy episodic use is associated with increasing one’s risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. Teenage and young adult binge-drinking is also a common trend among individuals who often go on to experience problems later in life. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above; typically, when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours. People who drink heavily put themselves at a higher risk of alcoholism and alcohol-related health problems.

The Risks of High-Volume Drinking

Impressing the dangers of alcohol use upon young people is vital. It is fair to say that too many young adults fail to see the harm in high-volume drinking. A new group of studies shows that many college students do not grasp the specific behaviors and risk factors associated with alcohol-induced memory loss, otherwise known as ‘blackouts or brownouts,’ according to a Brown University press release. The findings come from three separate studies appearing in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, the journal Addictive Behaviors, and in the journal of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

"We don't yet know what long-term effects having a blackout or repeated blackouts has on the brain," said Kate Carey, a professor with the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown's School of Public Health. "We do know that having alcohol-related memory impairment is associated with other negative consequences." The consequences include:

• Hangovers
• Missed Classes
• Fights
• Sexual Assault
• Overdoses
• Mental Health Problems

The research shows that forty-nine percent of participating college students experience blackouts and brownouts in the past month, according to the press release. Brownouts were found to be more common than blackouts, 32% compared 5%.

“Studies like these, addressing attitudes toward blackout drinking as well as what students know and do not know about blackouts, give us clues about how we might intervene to reduce this high-risk outcome,” said Jennifer Merrill, an assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown who was involved in the studies. “This work helps us to identify where there is room to correct any misconceptions students have about the causes and consequences of blackouts.”

 

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Again, there is no safe amount of alcohol! Risky drinking practices can be a slippery slope to myriad problems down the road. If you are struggling with alcohol use and are in college, we can help you break the cycle of use disorder and to begin working a program of recovery. Please contact us today.

Celebrate Hope would like to thank our veterans for their service, and we wish you a peaceful Veterans Day.

No Safe Amount of Alcohol

There are many myths about alcohol use that people hold on to despite the science. Occasionally, the media covers stories about the potential health benefits of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol; which undoubtedly adds to the confusion of the general public. Headlines reading that wine promotes a healthy heart is just one of many fictions promulgated by news networks.

Researchers across the globe work tirelessly to glean a more concise picture of the effect that alcohol has on the human body. While there is little doubt about prolonged heavy alcohol use leading to myriad health concerns, there is still a small number of scientists who argue that moderate drinking carries few risks in the long run. However, research teams continue to make associations between alcohol use in any amount and potentially life-threatening health conditions.

Any action a person can take – whether it be driving or walking next to a busy road – can lead to injury. There is an element of risk to everything we do in life. Alcohol is terrible for people to be sure, but no amount of scientific evidence is going to result in banning the substance or the majority of people choosing to abstain. The best we can hope for is that science helps Americans and people abroad to make informed decisions about using the substance. It is of the utmost importance that everyone knows that there is no such thing as a safe amount of alcohol.

 

Alcohol Isn’t Good for Overall Health

At Celebrate Hope, we treat clients whose alcohol use is more substantial than average; people whose use negatively impacts their life to a pernicious degree. Beyond meeting the criteria for alcohol use disorder, some of our former clients have severe health conditions stemming from alcohol use like liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. Merely put, alcohol isn’t just destroying such peoples’ lives, it is severely damaging their body.

Naturally, your average drinker doesn’t meet the criteria for alcoholism, nor do they experience all the pain and suffering that accompanies the condition. Most people have a couple of drinks each night after work or during the weekend; they probably are not thinking about the possible physical problems that can arise from their moderate alcohol use. It is essential that we discuss a new analysis of global alcohol consumption and disease risk.

New research, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, from an analysis of the 2016 Global Burden of Disease report, shows that no amount of alcohol is safe, CNN reports. The findings which appear in the journal The Lancet, indicate that alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death for people between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, regardless of sex.

"The most surprising finding was that even small amounts of alcohol use contribute to health loss globally," said senior study author Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "We're used to hearing that a drink or two a day is fine. But the evidence is the evidence." 

Gakidou points out that while moderate amounts of alcohol may be slightly beneficial for some health problems, i.e., Type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease, the benefits are outweighed by the overall adverse health impact of any amount of alcohol, according to the article. This state-of-the-art study is likely to fly in the face of many previous studies on moderate drinking.

"This study is a stark reminder of the real, and potentially lethal, dangers that too much alcohol can have on our health and that even the lowest levels of alcohol intake increase our risks," Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK.

 

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Please reach out to Celebrate Hope if alcohol is wreaking havoc on your life or that of a loved one. We can help you break the cycle of alcohol addiction and give you the tools and coping mechanisms for leading an alcohol-free life in recovery.