April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so I recently visited the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Web site to see what’s new on the alcohol prevention front. In a recent campaign, the NIAAA draws heavily on a major nationwide survey of alcohol consumption conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I was surprised by the findings.
The NIH surveyed over 40,000 U.S. adults and established low- and high-risk drinking patterns. Low-risk drinking is considered to be no more than four drinks for men and three drinks for women on any given day, and no more than 14 drinks per week for men and seven drinks for women per week. (Drinking limits are lower for women because they have less body water in which the alcohol disperses. So for any given amount of alcohol, a woman is likely to have a higher blood concentration.)
Drinking more carries a higher risk of abuse or dependence. Only two out of every 100 people who adhere to the low-risk limits have alcoholism or alcohol abuse.
Even in the low-risk group, the risks are exacerbated if you’re taking medicines that interact with alcohol, managing a medical condition that can be made worse by drinking, underage, planning to drive a vehicle, pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
For healthy adults in general, exceeding these single-day or weekly limits is considered “at-risk” or “heavy” drinking. Nearly one in four people in the at-risk group already have alcoholism or alcohol abuse, and the remainder are at greater risk of developing dependency or other health problems. The NIAAA also notes that people drinking less than these amounts can be at risk, particularly if they drink quickly.
What are the risks? While regular light drinking can be good for the heart, the risks of heavy drinking as defined by the survey outweighs potential benefits. These include injuries (burns, drownings, homicides, motor vehicle crashes), health problems (liver disease, sleep disorders, depression, stroke, bleeding ulcers), birth defects, and a host of personal and financial problems.
The frequency of heavy drinking (more than four drinks a day for men and three drinks per day for women) also makes a difference. For example, a single heavy drinking day per month on average results in a 20% rate of alcoholism or abuse. One heavy drinking day per week on average indicates a 33% chance or alcoholism or abuse, and two or more heavy days per week correlates with a 50% chance.
Of the survey participants, 9% were in the highest risk group, drinking more than the single-day and weekly limits. Whereas, 37% always drank within the low-risk limits, while 35% never drink at all. So if you are in the high-risk group, and you are surrounding yourself with others who drink in a similar pattern, you are in a distinct minority of drinkers and are at high risk of alcoholism and other health problems.See All House Calls by Dr. Geehr.