Vol.10 No.5

20 Reasons to Say “No!” to Alcohol

1. Impairs mental and physical functions. At the lowest measurable level, alcohol affects perception, information processing, learning, judgment, reaction time, sound processing, and peripheral vision. Most seriously, it reduces the individual’s awareness of being impaired. Alcohol Health and Research World. Summer 1985 (Volume 9, No.4), pp. 11–15.

2. Anesthetizes the brain long after leaving the blood. Sweden’s National Road and Traffic Research Institute found that subjects whose blood alcohol level had returned to zero, twenty-four hours after drinking, still drove significantly worse than they did prior to drinking. Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Newsletter.  March 1986, pp.4–7.

3. Damages the brain. Boston University School of Medicine has determined that alcohol-related brain damage begins with social drinking and continues to the stage seen in long-term alcoholics. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, January 1982 , pp. 81–85.

4. Ages the brain. In normal aging, the blood flow within gray matter declines. This process accelerates with the use of alcohol.  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. September 1983, pp. 540–543.

5. Decreases sexual function. Modest doses of alcohol increase sexual drive in men but simultaneously decrease erectile capacity. Female hair patterns and breast enlargement occur in some alcoholic men. In women, alcohol may increase infertility and spontaneous abortion.  Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 11th edition, 1987, pp. 1341–1343, 2106–2111.

6. Contributes to obesity. Alcohol is second only to fats as a concentrated source of calories. One eight-ounce beer contains 114 empty calories. These excess calories contribute to obesity without providing valuable nutrients.  Handbook No. 456, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 31.

7. May lead to poor nutrition. Alcohol is devoid of all essential proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Its use can cause malnutrition, not only because of the drug’s effect on the total amount of food consumed by the user, but also because of poor nutritional quality of the food. Furthermore, alcohol can cause malnutrition because it impairs digestion, absorption, and the utilization of nutrients. Daphne A. Roe and Lenora Moragne, “Roles of Nutrition Educators and Substance Abuse Prevention and Rehabilitation Programs,” Journal of Nutrition Education, August 1987, p. 186.

8. Raises susceptibility to infectious diseases. Alcohol use decreases the body’s defenses against bacteria and viruses, thus making the person much more susceptible to several serious diseases. Evidence is growing that because alcohol weakens the immune system, it may be a co-factor in the development of AIDS.  The Sixth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health, pp. 69–70.

9. Causes cirrhosis of the liver. Scientists know that heavy drinking is a major factor in cirrhosis of the liver. New evidence suggests as few as three drinks a day for men, and one and one-half drinks a day for women increase the risk of developing cirrhosis. The Sixth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health, pp. 69–70.

10. Increases cancer risk. It is now known that cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, large bowel, pancreas, thyroid and liver are more prevalent in users of alcohol. One study indicates that as few as three to nine drinks per week increase the risk of breast cancer 1.3 times normal. Another study shows that any amount raised the risk of breast cancer 1.5 times normal.  Nutrition and Cancer, Etiology and Treatment, New York: Raven Press, 1981, pp. 291–301.

11. Increases medical risks. Alcohol seriously interacts with drugs such as anticoagulants, barbiturates, antibiotics, silicolates, depressants, amphetamines, hypnotics, and several other medications by either increasing potency or decreasing effectiveness. Alcohol also prolongs the length of recovery after anesthesia.  Arthur G. Lippmon, Pharm. D., Modern Medicine, November 1985, pp. 160–165; Canadian Anesthesia Society Journal, July 1984 (Vol. 31, No. 4) pp. 368–376.

12. Increases risk of stroke. A recent survey of healthy young men found that systolic blood pressure rose significantly with increasing alcohol consumed daily. A light drinker is almost three times as likely to have a stroke as a nondrinker. The Sixth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health, p. 64; Journal of American Medical Association, May 2, 1986 (Vol. 255, No. 17) pp. 2311–2319.

13. Increases loss of life on highways. Every 20 minutes someone is killed by

a drinking driver. More people have been killed on  highways in accidents involving alcohol than all the American soldiers killed in the Revolutionary War, Spanish-American War, Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korean War, and Vietnam.  Alcohol Health and Research World, Summer 1985

14. Encourages violent and criminal behavior. Many violent and criminal acts occur while a person is under the influence of alcohol. Sixty-seven percent of those arrested for murder had a blood alcohol level of 0.10 percent. American Journal of Public Health, February 1986, pp. 144–149.

15. Can lead to suicide. Twenty percent of all suicides;  twenty-one percent of all attempted suicides have involved alcohol use of.  Behavior Today, October 14, 1985, pp. 2–3.

16. Robs a person of self-control. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system. Since it affects learning, judgment, memory, and perception, it robs a person of self-control and removes restraints which govern behavior. This may lead to broken relationships, job loss, and ultimately, loss of self-esteem and corporate respect. Alcohol is often used in an attempt to take control, but in fact, it takes control of the person.  Anderson Spickard, M.D., and Barbara R. Thompson, Dying for a Drink (World Publishing, 1985), pp. 11–190; Herbert Moskowitz, Alcohol Health and Research World, Summer 1985, pp. 11–15.

17. Leads to family abuse. Alcohol use is a major factor in eighty percent of reported cases of spouse abuse. A large percentage of violent crimes, especially wife and child beatings and incest, are a direct consequence of drinking. Alcohol Health and Research World, Winter 1983–1984, pp. 23–27, 39. William Glasser, Taking Effective Control of Your Life, p. 28.

18. Damages the unborn child. Alcohol consumption by a mother during pregnancy can cause growth retardation, facial abnormalities, mental retardation, and abnormal nervousness. It is the third leading cause of birth defects—the only preventable one.  Alcoholism: Chemical and Experimental Research, January/February 1986, pp. 22–26.

19. Disposes unborn children to abnormal behavior throughhout their life. Children of some moderate drinking mothers show hyperactivity, impulsiveness, learning disorders, and short attention span.  CIBA Foundation Symposium, 1984, pp. 176–196.

20. Has a staggering economical impact on work place. Alcohol use costs 116.76 billion dollars annually in reduced productivity, absenteeism, and treatment. Twenty percent of hospital care cost is alcohol related. Ten percent of injuries, forty percent of falls, fifty percent of vehicle accidents, and sixty-five percent of recreational boating injuries are alcohol related. Americans for Substance Abuse Prevention, Washington, D.C.