Alcohol And You

We Remember, Inc.

Alcohol And You

These Facts are the effects alcohol has on you and the people around you.

The consequences of EXCESSIVE DRINKING extend beyond crashes. Overall, EXCESSIVE DRINKING costs people other than the drinkers $135 billion annually. Of this alcohol-attributable amount, $51 billion is due to other violence and the remainder $60 billion to chronic illness and other alcohol-abuse problems. (Miller et al, 1996a, 1996b)

Alcohol-related fatal injuries accounted for 45 percent of all fatal injury costs; 26 percent of the nonfatal injury costs were alcohol-related. (Milleret al, 1996b)

Alcohol and Unintentional Injuries

• Approximately 31.1% of those who die from unintentional, non-traffic injuries in the United States have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 g/dL or greater (Smith, 1999).

• Patients treated in an emergency department (ED) for an unintentional injury are 13.5 times more likely to have consumed 5 or more alcohol-containing beverages within 6 hours of their injury compared to age and sex matched community controls (Vinson, 2003).

Alcohol and Violence

• In 1997, about 40% of all crimes (violent and non-violent) were committed under the influence of alcohol (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998).

• In 1997, 40% of convicted rape and sexual assault offenders said that they were drinking at the time of their crime (Greenfield, 2000).

• Approximately 72% of rapes reported on college campuses occur when victims are so intoxicated they are unable to consent or refuse (Wecshler, 2004).

• Two-thirds of victims of intimate partner violence reported that alcohol was involved in the incident (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998).

• Nearly one-half of the cases of child abuse and neglect are associated with parental alcohol or drug abuse (Grant, 2000).

• Approximately 23% of suicide deaths are attributable to alcohol (Smith, 1999).

Alcohol and Cancer

• Excessive drinkers are 3 times more likely to develop liver cancer than non- drinkers (English & Holman, 1995).

• Excessive drinkers are 4 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer than non-drinkers (English & Holman, 1995).

• Oral cancers are six times more common in heavy alcohol users than in non- alcohol users (American Cancer Society, 2002).

• Compared to non-drinkers, women who consume an average of 1 alcoholic drink per day increase their risk of breast cancer by approximately 7%. Women who consume an average of 2 to 5 drinks per day increase their risk of developing breast cancer by approximately 50% compared to that of non-drinkers (American Cancer Society, 2002).

For more information:
We Remember, Inc.
P.O. Box 10126
Brooksville, FL 34603-0126 US
1-888-588-4525